The New York Giants formally began the rebuilding process Thursday when they hired Dave Gettleman as the fourth general manager in franchise history.
Gettleman spent 14 seasons (1998-2012) in the Giants’ front office as a scout, director of pro personnel, and a senior pro personnel analyst. In 2013, he left the Giants to become general manager of the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers went 40-23-1 in Gettleman’s four seasons as general manager, including three consecutive NFC South titles and a 15-1 2015 campaign that culminated with an appearance in Super Bowl 50. He was fired by the Panthers during the offseason because of a personality conflict with embattled Panthers owner Jerry Richardson and his notoriously old school approach to contract negotiations.
Gettleman will succeed Jerry Reese, who was fired along with head coach Ben McAdoo on Dec. 4. He interviewed for the position along with interim general manager Kevin Abrams, vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross, and former NFL player/executive and current ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick.
“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,” Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said in a 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.”
Gettleman began his career in professional football as a scout for the Buffalo Bills (1986-93) and Denver Broncos (1994-97). He has been on the staff of seven teams that made the Super Bowl with three winners.
Gettleman was originally hired by Ernie Accorsi, who was the Giants’ general manager before Reese and led the search to find Reese’s successor. The Giants will formally introduce Gettleman as their new general manager at a press conference scheduled for Friday at 11:15 AM ET at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL and the New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.