So how is the Panthers GM search going?

[unicar15]

21 hours ago, Jeremy Igo said:

Surely phone calls are being made now that the season is over for most teams.

 

Right?

Why would a GM take the job when the one hiring him may not be be the one employing him in the future? Nothing is getting done until there is an owner. I'm going to go ahead and say that we are stuck with Hurney for at least one more year. I'm hoping he's learned his lesson about stupid contracts and having a good scouting department....

[Mr. Scot]

7 hours ago, panthers55 said:

Did he show interest in being a GM for anyone else after he left here? His whole career has been the Panthers and his other love is media which he did between stints. Maybe he came back because Richardson asked him and really doesn't want the job long term. Regardless of how many folks wanted him before if you look at this time around he has done a good job. That is more important than what he did years should. Just like now you would look at what Belichick did in New England not Cleveland. Likewise you would look at Hurney now not then

You seriously believe the reason Hurney didn't get a GM job somewhere else is because he wasn't interested in one?

Wow.

[g5jamz]

We better find one quick before Hurney signs Stewart to a long-term big money deal...he has a history.  

[panthers55]

8 hours ago, Woodie said:

I think a lot will be said by how quickly a sale takes place (not necessarily league approval, but an agreed upon sale).  If it happens fairly quickly after our season is over, then I think the foundation was already in place, which means that the new owner will likely have already been working on a transition plan, one that includes potential GM's.  However, if the sale of the team lingers over a couple of months, then whomever comes in will likely keep things status quo as they use the upcoming season to really get the transition moving along.

Assuming it happens quickly, I think the new owner will already have a team to work on getting the business side up and running, and will likely have the foundation for the football operations side in place as well (people that successful typically have all there ducks in a row before moving forward on any big venture like this).  They will also likely have hired a consultant to assist with the GM search.  And remember, the league also provides a list of the top GM candidates each year, so a new owner wouldn't be coming in blind or unprepared.  

My guess is that if our season ends in January, then the team will have an agreement for sale by the end of February, and the owners will vote on it at the league meetings in March.  Marty would likely stay until his contract is up in June, by which time a new GM would have been hired and transitioning into the role.  That will pretty much guarantee that Rivera will be back next year since the timing doesn't work for hiring a new coach.   

Makes sense. I just doubt a deal is done that quickly and don't think that  finding a new GM is a high priority. Again you are buying a successful franchise who went to the playoffs not a basement dweller you need to overhaul. I doubt we get anything done before March and by the time the new owners are in place the offseason free agency period will be well underway and the draft pending. I would think any decision about a new GM would revolve around how well everyone thinks Hurney handled things. Again there isn't the urgency here that there is in Oakland or Cleveland. People predicted that as many as 10 or more front office firings could occur but it has been around half that. Not enough proven guys out there right now.

[panthers55]

7 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

You seriously believe the reason Hurney didn't get a GM job somewhere else is because he wasn't interested in one?

Wow.

I raised the point that he may or may not have been interested in another GM job when he was fired.  I don't know do you? My point is that if your criteria for worth is based on people wanting him for a front office job, you have to make sure he is lobbying for jobs and being denied versus packing up his bags and going back to what he knows and loves. I didn't say it was why he wasn't hired simply that I never heard he was interested in another front office job. Many folks after getting canned don't immediately try to jump back in unless they need the money or have few other skills. Hurney has been a media person long before he became GM and only took this job on an interim basis after Richardson asked. I doubt he was looking for a front office job at the time.

[Woodie]

7 hours ago, panthers55 said:

Makes sense. I just doubt a deal is done that quickly and don't think that  finding a new GM is a high priority. Again you are buying a successful franchise who went to the playoffs not a basement dweller you need to overhaul. I doubt we get anything done before March and by the time the new owners are in place the offseason free agency period will be well underway and the draft pending. I would think any decision about a new GM would revolve around how well everyone thinks Hurney handled things. Again there isn't the urgency here that there is in Oakland or Cleveland. People predicted that as many as 10 or more front office firings could occur but it has been around half that. Not enough proven guys out there right now.

I can see the sale going either way (selling quickly or taking a few months).  However, I expect there will be groups that have been working behind the scenes with both the Panthers and the league to have their bid ready as soon as they are allowed to officially talk to the team (or at least the framework of their bid).  But the more bidders, the longer it will likely take for one to emerge as the new owner.

One of the biggest values of this franchise is definitely that it is not a bottom dweller.  There is already a strong nucleus that should keep the team competitive in the near future.  However, I do believe the fact that Hurney was fired and only brought back on an interim basis will work against him (and then only because the circumstances were extraordinary and he was the most convenient to have take over).  He also had an inconsistent history as GM here (nor is he known as much of a talent evaluator), so I don't see the new owners viewing him as a long-term option.  With that said, he will almost certainly run FA and the draft since even if the sale happens quickly, there won't be enough time to get a new GM hired and ready to take over that soon.  

One other point as to why I don't think Hurney will be a serious option, no matter how FA and the draft go, is that the new owners will want to put their stamp on the team, and that would be almost impossible to do if they keep all of JR's key guys.  Rivera has led us to a winning, if frustrating at times, season, so they likely won't want to move on from him without the new GM's input (and the fact he has one more season on his contract makes keeping him through next year a logical move).  And with Hurney's contract expiring in June, a decision will have to be made sooner rather than later.  So, if the new owners want to make this their team, they will likely have to bring in their own guy at GM.    

And I don't see the new owners adding a year to Hurney's contract to give them time to make a decision because I don't believe they would want both their coach and GM to be lame ducks.  That would be hugely detrimental to the team.