Insider report paints bleak future for Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer

A respected insider painted a bleak future for Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer as the franchise gets set for another reset.

The Carolina Panthers will formally begin contacting their head coaching shortlist in the coming days when the 2024 cycle opens. According to one respected insider, team owner David Tepper might also be on the lookout for another general manager after one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN hinted that many around the NFL believe Scott Fitterer will be relieved of his duties at some stage. The front office leader has formed a good relationship with Tepper, but the billionaire needs another scapegoat after things spiraled completely out of control in 2023.

Carolina Panthers could fire Scott Fitterer at some stage

Tepper is coming in for severe criticism for his ownership and displays of pathetic petulance in public. If this leads to Fitterer's sacrifice, Fowler believes they could keep things in-house given the potential options with previous experience of the football operation.

"Leading into Week 18, many people in the league believe Panthers owner David Tepper will move on from Scott Fitterer at some point. Fitterer is well liked in the franchise and has a good relationship with Tepper. Nobody in Carolina expected to be 2-14, and a rash of injuries was a big factor. But the Panthers' struggles and back-to-back fired coaches could be tough for Fitterer to overcome. Tepper is known to value analytics, so that could be a factor in any search. And it's possible he hires a coach before he decides anything on the general manager front. Several in-house candidates have plenty of experience, including vice president of football operations Samir Suleiman, assistant GM Dan Morgan and vice president of player personnel Adrian Wilson."

- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN

First of all, can we please stop trying to keep people just because they're well-liked? All that means is Fitterer or someone else is simply pandering to Tepper's ego rather than holding him accountable. That goes for anyone else in the building, too.

Secondly, can we not force another head coach/general manager combination between a current employee and a new hire? It's not worked in the past. It won't work again. If Tepper wants to fire Fitterer, he must go down the more traditional route and more importantly, stay out of the way.

Fitterer can have no complaints whatsoever if he's made surplus to requirements. His roster construction has been suspect at best. Very few of his trades have paid off. He boldly claimed Carolina wouldn't pick in the top 10 again after trading up for quarterback Bryce Young. Instead, the Panthers are about to hand over the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears - the second consecutive year they'll be controlling the selection process.

Whether Tepper keeps around the likes of Dan Morgan, Adrian Wilson, and Samir Suleiman in this scenario is anyone's guess. It also doesn't change the fact his meddling and incompetent ownership are the primary reasons behind the team's failings.

A hard reset and taking a long, hard look in the mirror from Tepper is the only way the Panthers are going to get out of the proverbial slums and into contention. That's the long and short of this ongoing issue.

Fitterer will be the latest in a long line of key hires to part ways before seeing out their contract. Unless Tepper changes his ways, he won't be the last.

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