The Carolina Panthers have a new general manager. The Panthers have reached an agreement with Scott Fitterer for him to handle the team starting next season. The deal is for five years but the amount has yet to be disclosed.

Fitterer heads to the Panthers from the Seattle Seahawks, where he served as vice president of football operations. He was in the Seahawks organization for a long time, starting in 2001 as a scout. He became the team's college scouting director in 2011 and was instrumental in finding players that helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl in 2013. He then became co-director of player personnel from 2015-2019. For a time he was also co-assistant GM under John Schneider.

Owner David Tepper praised all of the candidates for the vacant GM job but noted that Fitterer seemed to be the best fit (via Carolina Panthers official website).

“We went through a thorough process and it was a great final four. We thought Scott was the best fit for the organization.”

Before his NFL career, Fitterer played professional baseball, pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays for three years before a shoulder injury ended his career.

He was a two-sport athlete in college, playing baseball and football for UCLA and LSU, respectively.

Scott Fitterer replaces Marty Hurney, who was in his second stint as Panthers general manager. He was GM from 2002 to 2012 before being fired. He was then brought back in 2017.

The Panthers are trying to rebuild after struggling for the last couple of years following their appearance in the Super Bowl in 2016, where they lost to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.