Not long after it was reported Dan Morgan was in line to stay in Carolina in some fashion, his future has been secured. The Panthers announced on Monday that Morgan has been promoted to general manager/president of football operations.
“Dan has a thorough knowledge of our football personnel and a clear vision to take us where we all want to go,” a statement from owner David Tepper reads. “We know he will attack this opportunity with the same intensity he did as a Panthers player.”
Morgan was a first-round pick by the Panthers back in 2001, and the linebacker ended up spending seven seasons with the organization. Following his retirement, he spent time in the Seahawks front office, working his way up from scouting intern to director of pro personnel.
He took the same role in Buffalo in 2018 and spent three seasons with the Bills. He was later recruited to the Panthers front office by Scott Fitterer, with Morgan being named assistant GM in 2021.
He held that role for three-plus seasons before falling into the interim GM gig after Fitterer was fired this past season.
Throughout the hiring process, Morgan was considered a strong contender for the role. The organization looked at more than 10 different candidates for the GM job, with Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby being among those who earned second interviews.
Ultimately, the Panthers decided to stick with Morgan, with sources telling Josina Anderson that the exec has “the trust [and] embedded comfort” of owner David Tepper.
Morgan’s most pressing responsibility is to find a new head coach,and Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network notes that the executive has been participating in the interview process. Morgan will also look to add executives to his front office.
Albert Breer of SI.com notes that Chiefs vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis is a strong contender to join the Panthers. Tilis actually interviewed for the Panthers job, and the long-time Chiefs executive has often showed up in the GM interview carousel.
Breer adds that some sources expected Tepper to pair Morgan with a cap/analytics executive like Tilis.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
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