The Washington Commanders gave Scott Fitterer a lifeline back into the NFL after his time with the Carolina Panthers descended into disaster. As it turned out, this relationship was short-lived.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed that Fitter had left the Commanders to join Athletes First, where he will serve as an executive in the Coaches and Executives division. This ends a 27-year stint in front offices around the league, but nobody should be crying any tears about this departure.
Fitterer was a highly regarded personnel evaluator during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. The next step saw him become Panthers general manager after blowing away team owner David Tepper during the interview process. Optimism was high, but things did not go according to plan.
Commanders won't lose much sleep over Scott Fitterer's front-office departure
The Panthers plunged to rock bottom. Matt Rhule and Fitterer couldn't get anything right, and the head coach was eventually fired. The front-office leader then traded Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers and hired Frank Reich, who lasted 11 games before he was canned. After that, the writing was on the wall.
The Commanders gave him a route back into the NFL. It was lower down the food chain than Fitterer was used to, but work is work.
And now, the maligned figure will walk away from the football operation entirely.
This might be a good move for Fitterer. For all his faults, he is personable and adaptable. That makes him perfect for this line of work, and his multi-sport background was no doubt intriguing to his new employers.
General manager Adam Peters won't be losing much sleep over it. There was respect for Fitterer, but it's just another opinion. He wasn't a primary decision-maker and was unlikely to ever be again after how things unfolded in Carolina. The Commanders could find a replacement, but they could just as easily stand pat with what they have, in all honesty.
Fitterer had done all he could in the NFL. He rose into a top job, and he just wasn't cut out for it. There was no chance he'd get another general manager position, and being promoted in Washington was probably a nonstarter, too. That led to a change of course, which is never a bad thing for anybody.
In terms of how this will impact the Commanders, it won't. That might sound harsh, but personnel executives come and go. So long as the power structure remains and thrives, that's all that matters.
We wish Fitterer well in his new adventure.
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