The New York Giants have decided to not wait until the offseason to fill their vacant general manager position.
On Thursday, the team announced that former Carolina Panthers GM Dave Gettleman will join the Giants in the same role.
“Given where we are as a team, we thought it was important to bring in someone with experience as a General Manager and a proven track record,” president John Mara and chairman Steve Tisch said in a joint statement. “Dave’s experience is unparalleled. He did an outstanding job as general manager in Carolina, and he was vital to our success during his tenure here. Dave is going to bring his own approach to our organization in how we draft and acquire players through free agency.”
The Panthers went 40-23-1 and won three consecutive NFC South titles when Gettleman was in charge of their roster. The 66-year-old has a history with the Giants, as he was their pro personnel director for 13 years starting in 1999.
Gettleman was considered the favorite for the Giants job all along, and they obviously didn’t want to wait four more days for the offseason to begin and other teams to consider adding him to their front office. They may have preferred a different candidate initially, but the Cleveland Browns made sure their guy didn’t get away.
