Scott Fitterer takes one final swipe before new Carolina Panthers era begins

Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer took one final swipe at Matt Rhule's suspect decision-making process before embarking on a new era.

With the Carolina Panthers going nowhere fast under Matt Rhule, team owner David Tepper finally pulled the plug after an embarrassing home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 of the 2022 season. Fast forward a few months and the organization has a completely different feel to it. 

Landmark changes have taken place across the board. Frank Reich was hired and he wasted no time in acquiring an elite-level staff littered with former or future head coaching credentials. General manager Scott Fitterer also did his part, bringing in high-quality free agents on team-friendly deals and also surging up to No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft for Bryce Young. 

This level of conviction and professionalism was seldom seen during Rhule's tenure. The Nebraska head coach was always looking for a quick fix under center, which came with a series of suspect moves, failed trades, and some serious personnel mismanagement that played a leading role in his eventual demise. 

Scott Fitterer throws shade at Carolina Panthers' previous approach

When discussing the shift in approach once the draft concluded, Fitterer stated there was a consensus agreement that drafting and developing a young quarterback was the preferred way forward. Taking one last swipe at Rhule's incompetence before embarking on an exciting new era.

"I think once we traded Baker [Mayfield], and Sam [Darnold] came back [from injury]. Sam actually played well this past year. But you have two swings at it, you have high hopes for both Sam and Baker when they got here and, at a certain point, I remember talking to Mr. Tepper and [assistant GM] Dan [Morgan] and we’re like, We gotta just draft and build our own. Even if Baker hit or Sam hit, it was going to be a lot of money to renew these guys, and how do you build a team properly unless it’s like a top-five quarterback?"

- Scott Fitterer via First Sportz

Fitterer was absolutely right to shift course regarding Carolina's personnel approach. Rhule might have saved his job had Mayfield worked out, but how much would it have cost the Panthers long-term? 

The answer is a lot, probably. 

Carolina's collective, cohesive methods this offseason are in some ways another damning indictment of Rhule. Tepper allocated far too much power to a man with almost no NFL coaching experience and his often stubborn methods to get his own way constantly held the team back. 

That is now firmly in the past. Rhule is back in college and the Panthers have real football men making the big decisions - which has brought one of the most profitable offseasons for the franchise in recent memory. 

The last two years playing second-fiddle to Rhule were obviously frustrating for Fitterer. Having a lame-duck head coach fighting for his own job rather than focusing on the team's best interests was always a recipe for disaster - something that cast the front office figure's own credentials into the spotlight along the way.

Fitterer has been aggressive in pursuit of proving once and for all he wasn't the problem. But for most fans and those with inside knowledge of the situation, this was evident long before he became the driving force to recruitment in Carolina. 

And if Fitterer wants to lay further shade on Rhule before looking forward, that's absolutely fine.