Long-time Panthers scout Joel Patten retires
The Carolina Panthers will be bringing new blood to the personnel staff following the retirement of long-time area scout Joel Patten this week. FootballScoop first reported Patten’s retirement on Monday. The former NFL lineman is retiring after 28 years in various roles. He joined the organization as the team’s Midwest area scout and was hired by Dave Gettleman in 2016.
After he entered the league as an undrafted free-agent offensive tackle with Cleveland (1980), Patten played eight seasons in the NFL and three in USFL. He played collegiate football at Duke. During his playing days, he played in 56 career games for the Browns (1980-82), Colts (1987-88), Chargers (1989-90), Los Angeles Raiders (1991-92), as well as time with the Washington Federals (1983-84) and the Orlando Renegades (1985) of the USFL.
Once he hung up his cleats, Patten stepped into scouting with Washington as a regional scout. He worked for the team from 1996 to 1999. Patten also worked as a regional scout for St. Louis and the Houston Texans. He became a national scout when he re-joined the Washington staff from 2004 to 2008. Patten then took a job in San Francisco as the director of college scouting and then as director of player personnel.
Former Panthers GM Scott Fitterer lands job with Commanders
Following his exit as the general manager of the Carolina Panthers, Scott Fitterer has reportedly landed a new job in the NFL. The Washington Commanders are adding Fitterer to the personnel team as a personnel executive, according to The Athletic‘s Ben Standig.
The former college scout lost his role as the Panthers general manager in his third season as the team went 2-15. Fitterer spearheaded the team’s decision to trade for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which they used to select former Alabama star quarterback Bryce Young.
Carolina had to swap their No. 9 overall pick in the first round with the Bears, and also give up their 2024 first-round selection, which happened to be the No. 1 pick, along with wide receiver D.J. Moore, and several other draft picks to get the deal done.
Prior to Fitterer’s firing in Carolina, the Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich before he got through his first season. He went 1-10 in the first 11 games. That was owner David Tepper’s fastest firing yet and the shortest head coaching tenure in the NFL since 1978.
Fitterer took over as the Panthers general manager in January of 2021 after serving as the VP of Football Operations with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020.
He started his career as an area scout for the New York Giants in 1998 before taking on the same role in Seattle in 2001, staying there til 2010. That’s when Fitterer rose through the ranks with roles such as Director of College Scouting and Co-Director of Player Personnel.