Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule will have significant input into who will take over as general manager of the organization after the firing of Marty Hurney on Monday.
So what does Rhule want out of a general manager? He said in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio that he doesn’t want to handle the duties himself because he believes it will hinder him as a coach. What he does want is someone that knows how to handle all of the procedures and details of managing a roster, can evaluate talent and will challenge their ideas for the roster while having the same overarching vision for the future.
“I want someone who’s great at personnel, who is great at constructing a roster,” Rhule said. “Obviously, like anything else, I have views on how we should play defense but I don’t call the defensive plays. I have views on how I want us to run our offense but I don’t call our offensive plays. It’s in collaboration with Phil Snow, with Joe Brady, with all of our coaches. And that’s how I see personnel. I want someone who knows the ins and outs of evaluation. I want someone who knows the ins and outs of the salary cap and the roster and all the management council notices and rules. For me to try to do that would just bog me down and take me away from what I’m great at.
“To me, I think we want an organization that’s aligned. We want an organization that has the same vision. But we don’t want an organization that all has the same ideas. We want people that are willing to argue, fight, scratch and claw, but everyone is working together. I had that with Marty. I definitely did and I enjoyed my time. Now that we’re moving forward, that’s what I want. I want someone who’s great at building a roster, great at finding talent, and believes in what I believe in and wants to do it together.”
It’s a similar structure to what Pete Carroll has in Seattle with John Schneider as G.M. Also, what the Buffalo Bills have with Sean McDermott and G.M. Brandon Beane. The general manager would run the personnel department, manage the scouting staff on both the pro and college levels and handle the salary cap duties. Rhule can focus on coaching the team while the front office looks to match the personnel on the field to the scheme and desires of the coaching staff. But in the end it’s still Rhule’s vision leading the team.