Washington Football Team interviewing Marty Hurney for GM role

In a league of connections, the Washington Football Team has been trying to invite outside perspectives in their search for a new general manager. But it was only a matter of time before the search came back to Carolina.

The Washington Football Team has been requesting interviews for general manager candidates over the past few weeks. Among the names being considered are Martin Mayhew, Nick Polk, Ryan Cowden, and JoJo Wooden. There have also been reports that Joe Schoen of Buffalo may elicit interest.

As the names pile up, the future of Kyle Smith becomes a larger question. And the latest addition to the list only compounds the uncertainty surrounding the young evaluator.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Washington Football Team is bringing in former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney today. Per Rapoport, Hurney is meeting with Washington brass, and is considered “the top candidate” to be their new general manager.

Rivera’s interest in Hurney isn’t much of a surprise. Rivera relied heavily on Carolina connections in his first year with the Washington Football Team. Because that year was a success, there isn’t much to complain about. But Hurney doesn’t have as solid of a track record.

Hurney began his career in football as a public relations representative for Washington in 1988. From there, he became the Chargers’ assistant general manager from 1990 to 1997. Hurney then joined the Panthers, where he’d serve in the football administration department for over a decade.

From 2002 to 2012, Hurney oversaw his first stint as the Panthers’ general manager. He helped lead the team to a Super Bowl early on, but regressed down the stretch and was fired in 2012. He was re-hired five years later when the Panthers cut loose Dave Gettleman, and became the full-time general manager once again in 2018.

In Hurney’s final three years as general manager in Carolina, the Panthers went 17-31. Hurney was fired in the 2020 offseason, as the Panthers opted to modernize their organization.

Hurney’s draft record is very inconsistent, and philosophically, he seems to be an old-school mind in a league that’s continuously adapting and innovating. It doesn’t seem like a smart hire for a Washington Football Team trying to sustain its early success under Rivera, but connections ultimately matter most in the NFL.

For now, Washington is only interviewing Hurney. However, given Rapoport’s verbiage in tabbing Hurney as “the top candidate”, it seems fairly likely that he’ll be hired by his former associate in Carolina. We will keep you updated as the situation progresses.