It may not take long for former Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney to find a landing spot. Just moments after news broke of the Panthers firing him, Hurney’s name has surfaced in the Washington Football Team’s search for a new GM.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Hurney will be a candidate to become Washington’s general manager.
Hurney is familiar with the DC area. He is a native of Wheaton, Maryland. He is also an alum of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland and Catholic University in Washington, DC.
More importantly he has familiarity with Washington head coach Ron Rivera. Hurney had two stints as the Panthers GM in 2002-2012 and again from 2017 until Monday. Rivera was Panthers’ head coach from 2011-2019.
Monday, Rivera declined to confirm any interest from Washington, but spoke highly of his experience with Hurney.
“I really appreciated working with him,” Rivera said per Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. “He’s a very hard-worker, he’s a very bright man, he knows the game.”
To add fuel to the rumor, Panthers owner David Tepper admitted the timing of firing Hurney allows him an “opportunity to look at other places.”
In addition to Hurney, Washington is interested in former Houston Texans GM Rick Smith, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.
Kyle Smith, Washington’s Vice President of Player Personnel, has handled much of the GM duties alongside Rivera. That’s included overseeing the scouting department for both college and pro prospects. He is also expected to be a candidate for the official title of GM.
Smith is a holdover from the previous front office regime that has gone a overhaul following the 2019 season with the firing of longtime team president Bruce Allen. GM is one of the final pieces to completing the makeover.
