Dan Morgan is named the Panthers’ next general manager following an extensive search.
Offseason acquisition of key personnel: The organization has appointed Dan Morgan, a former Pro Bowler for the Carolina Panthers during his playing career, as its general manager and chief of football operations.
Despite conducting an extensive search for the ideal candidate, the Panthers opted to retain Morgan in-house, who has served as assistant general manager since 2021.
Frank Reich, with whom Fitterer shared a more conventional general manager role, served as head coach for eleven games before Tepper decided to dismiss him this season.
However, Carolina stated that “even though it has a familiar face, it will bring an entirely novel approach to the front office.” Last season, the Panthers had the worst overall record in the NFL with a 2-15 record.
“By putting Morgan within that role, it allows these individuals to tap through his football background or capitalize on his interactions via players, coaches, or agents all through the league, along with the context for the toughness they brought to the game.”
The Panthers had a highly successful player in Morgan, who was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2004 as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. During his seven seasons with the team, he accumulated 390 tackles, which is the tenth-most in franchise history.
Morgan participated in the sport from 2001 to 2007, and after a few years away from it, he began working for the Seattle Seahawks in the scouting department. From 2010 to 2017, he worked at their headquarters before joining the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
The Carolina Panthers have selected a familiar face as their next general manager, who may also make front-office personnel changes.
Assistant general managers Alec Halaby of the Eagles and Brandon Brown of the Giants were finalists for the Panther general manager position, according to sources.
The team has appointed former Pro Bowler and deputy general manager Dan Morgan, who was a member of the staff during the 2000s, as its new president of athletics and general manager. Team owner David Tepper directed a two-week search that included over ten candidates.
Tepper, his wife Nicole, team president Kristi Coleman, Panthers senior assistant coach Jim Caldwell, and Mike Forde, who oversees the search firm Sportsology, reportedly led the search for his next general manager.
Morgan has served as Carolina’s assistant general manager since 2021. His previous position was director of player personnel in Buffalo. He moved to Western New York after nearly a decade of service with the Seattle Seahawks, during which time he rose through the ranks.
After completing his playing career, he entered the personnel field after being selected in the very first round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
Through 25 tackles within Carolina’s 2003 run to Super Bowl XXXVIII, he established a Super Bowl record. However, concussions and ankle injuries cut short Morgan’s career.
Morgan faces the formidable task of directing a team that had the lowest offensive output in the league in 2023. Scott Fitterer, whom Tepper terminated the day after the season, is succeeded by him.
During the 2021 offseason, Fitterer transferred from Seattle to Carolina to collaborate under the guidance of head coach Matt Rhule. Before his dismissal in 2022, Rhule oversaw football operations or the draft.
Fitterer and Morgan collaborated in Seattle for the majority of the 2010s, before Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s 2018 hiring of Morgan to his front office. Beane, an alumnus of the Panthers, worked with Morgan during that time.
According to sources, Tepper may continue to augment his front office staff. In this search, Tepper had a healthy variety of general manager candidates with football or cap/analytics experience.
According to sources, Tepper considered dividing the GM position in half in 2021 before hiring Fitterer, a CFO of football and a COO of football.
The head coaching position remains unfilled as the Panthers advance to a face-to-face interview phase for the second round of the process.
Morgan’s inclusion on the search committee, according to sources, bodes well for his long-term prospects at that organization.
Eleven candidates participated in virtual interviews with Carolina, including interim director of football Chris Tabor and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in two internal interviews.
As a result of Morgan assuming the role of primary football executive, Carolina is currently without a secondary football executive.