Panthers Fire GM Dave Gettleman

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced Monday that general manager Dave Gettleman has been relieved of his duties.

“After much thought and a long evaluation of our football operations, I have decided to relieve Dave Gettleman of his duties as general manager,” Richardson said. “I want to thank Dave for the role he played in our success over the past four seasons. While the timing of this decision is not ideal, a change is needed.”

This is stunning news, considering that Gettleman has done a good job of building the team’s core since arriving in Carolina back in 2013.

The timing of the move is curious, given where we are in the NFL calendar and the fact that training camp opens in just over a week. Beyond that, the Panthers lost executive Brandon Beane to the Bills a few months ago.

• According to Ian Rapoport, there had been rumblings that all was not well with Gettleman and Richardson stemming from Gettleman’s decision to allow star CB Josh Norman to walk last year.
• Rapoport adds that people within the Panthers were all on vacation and Gettleman returned to find out that he had been fired.
• Mike Garafolo points out that popular GM candidate Trent Kirchner of the Seahawks spent eight years in Carolina as a scout.
• Mike Florio mentions Titans director of player personnel Ryan Cowden, Bills assistant GM Joe Schein, and Panthers director of college scouting Jeff Morrow as three candidates to keep an eye on for the job. “They love these three guys,” a league source tells Florio.
• Jason La Canfora considers Don Gregory a “strong name to watch” if the Panthers promote from within.

Gettleman, 66, was hired by the Panthers after spending 13 years with the Giants as their pro personnel director and analyst. During his four years with the Panthers, the team posted a record of 40-23-1, which includes three playoff appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl.