The Carolina Panthers have parted ways with general manager Marty Hurney.
The Panthers announced the decision Monday, saying a search for Hurney’s replacement will “begin immediately.”
Hurney’s contract was set to expire in June.
“I think sometimes you just need a restart, a refresh,” Panthers owner David Tepper said as part of an announcement from the team. “We did it last year on the coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have been done before on the GM side. Maybe it should have been. I’m sure people may say that, or otherwise, on both sides.
“I think it’s just time, on both sides, to do that. It just seems like the right time to move forward.”
Tepper also announced that first-year coach Matt Rhule would be involved in the Panthers’ GM search.
“You look at successful organizations, and there’s a certain alignment between the head coach and the GM,” Tepper said as part of the statement. “To think that you can do that without some sort of alignment is nuts. So to not have a head coach with some input into that is stupid. I don’t want to be stupid, OK?”
