Scott Fitterer’s tenure as the GM of the Carolina Panthers was short lived. Nearly three years to the date from when he was hired, Jan. 14, 2021, he is relieved of his duties.
Over the three years, Fitterer had some good finds through free agency such as Frankie Luvu, Austin Corbett, Haason Reddick, and to some extent, D’Onta Foreman. However, his hit rate in the draft and the head scratching trades he made are some of the reasons why he is no longer with the organization.
Let’s look at some of the biggest mistakes.
Picking up the 5th-year option on Darnold
Giving up a 2nd, 4th, and 6th round pick was way too much in hindsight. But at the time, everyone in the league touted the move and thought all Darnold needed was to get out of New York. It didn't work and now, it looks like a bad trade. The bigger issue here was picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract before ever taking a single snap in a Panthers' uniform.
Letting Haason Reddick walk
Carolina could have had one of the top pass rushing tandems in the league with Reddick and Burns, but for whatever reason were unable to keep him in Charlotte. I understand Reddick is from New Jersey and played his college ball at Temple, but I question how serious the Panthers were in keeping him.
Robbie Anderson extension
Anderson had a career year in 2020 and after posting 95 receptions for 1,096 yards, so I'd understand the intrigue in having him as a part of the long-term plans. However, it was just one season and it's worth noting that it was with a different quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater). Fitterer should have played out the second year of that deal before making any decisions on his future.
Trading Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey hadn't been healthy in a handful of seasons but in 2022, he was. Trading McCaffrey only made sense if you could net a first-round pick in return. He's not just your ordinary running back. He's one of the most dynamic players in the game and is certainly worth more than what they received. Fitterer shipped off two of those picks to move up to select pass rusher DJ Johnson, who had a grand total of one tackle for loss and zero sacks as a rookie. The other pick was included in the deal to Chicago for the No. 1 pick.
Trading DJ Moore + several draft picks
From the Chicago side of this it sounded like the deal wouldn't have gone through without DJ Moore being involved. By trading away your best receiver, it put the rookie QB in a tough spot and that was evident throughout the course of the season. It's still very early in their careers but it is very possible that Fitterer made the trade and picked the wrong quarterback.
Hiring Frank Reich
Fitterer obviously had a hand in the hiring of Frank Reich, who had the shortest head coaching tenure in the NFL in the last 45 years.
Lack of talent around Bryce Young
The offensive line struggled to protect Young all season long and former first-rounder Ikem Ekwonu took a massive step back in year two. There was little production out of the tight end room and this group of receivers had issues creating separation. A 33-year-old Adam Thielen as the No. 1 option is not going to bring success, no offense to Adam.
No deal with Brian Burns/passing on trade
Brian Burns will enter the offseason without a contract. The Panthers have been in contract talks for two years, yet have not come close to a deal. What makes this situation even worse is the Panthers passed up on trade offers for Burns that included multiple first round picks. A really big loss if he walks in free agency.
Draft hit-rate
Of the 22 players Fitterer drafted, eight are no longer with the organization. QB Matt Corral and LB Brandon Smith lasted a year and CB Kalon Barnes didn't make the 53 as a rookie, just for a few examples. Of the remaining 14, there are a LOAD of question marks. 2021 2nd round pick WR Terrace Marshall Jr. was inactive for much of the season and requested a trade ahead of the deadline. Brady Christensen missed basically the entire year and with the struggles along the o-line, no job is safe. There are questions about Ikem Ekwonu's future as a left tackle. Jonathan Mingo really struggled as a rookie. And as previously noted, Young having a tough year while C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to the playoffs.
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