Marty Hurney’s firing drums up Washington rumors

The Carolina Panthers fired general manager Marty Hurney on Monday. Now, the Hurney to Washington rumors have already started. 

Washington has been rumored to be interested in hiring a general manager this offseason, and Hurney could be a natural fit given his ties to coach Ron Rivera. The two worked together from 2011-2012 and 2017-2019 before Rivera was fired last year. 

Two NFL insiders didn’t wait long to make the connection: 

One sidenote for the #Panthers moving on from Marty Hurney now: He’ll be a candidate to take over in Washington assuming they open up their GM job alongside Ron Rivera. This gives him a headstart, as well.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2020

There’s long been a feeling that Marty Hurney could join old friend Ron Rivera in Washington in some sort of role, GM or otherwise. Washington is expected to look hard at hiring a GM this offseason.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 21, 2020

Panthers owner David Tepper fired Hurney after Carolina’s third straight losing season. When Rivera was fired last year, Tepper retained the executive, but after another disappointing campaign, the billionare mogul made the decision to move on. In an interview with Carolina’s website, Tepper said that first-year coach Matt Rhule would be involved in the hiring process for the Panthers’ new general manager.

Despite the firing, Hurney had success with the Panthers. He’s credited for drafting players such as Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Fired initially in 2012, he was re-hired in 2017 for a second stint.

Hurney, too, has ties to Washington A Wheaton, Maryland native, Hurney got his start with the Washington Redskins as a member of their public relations staff in the late 1980s. Before that, he served as a sportswriter for The Washington Times. 

Hurney transitioned to football operations when former Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard hired him in San Diego, according to the Boston Globe.