Report: Adrian Wilson out as Panthers VP of player personnel after 18 months

The Carolina Panthers have decided to shake up the front office, with Adrian Wilson out as the team’s VP of player personnel after 18 months, per a report by Pro Football Talk.

A team spokesperson shared that, “Consistent with our organizational policy on employee matters, we will have no further comment,” in regards to the move.

Adrian Wilson played in the NFL from 2001 into the 2014 season. The majority of that career was spent with the Arizona Cardinals, where he’s remembered as one of the best defensive players in franchise history and is in the franchise’s Ring of Honor. There, as a player, he was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2009 and went to five Pro Bowls. Wilson was also a key figure on the Cardinals team that won the NFC and played for a Super Bowl. He’s the Cardinals franchise record holder for passes defended with 95.

In 2015, Wilson began his executive career as a scout for the Arizona Cardinals. By 2019, he had been promoted to be the director of pro scouting and later he was named the VP of pro scouting.

Adrian Wilson left Arizona for Carolina in 2023 to become the team’s VP of player personnel. He’s been seen as a major up and coming figure in NFL front offices, even being linked to the Jacksonville Jaguars GM role at one point.

Ultimately, Wilson only working for the Panthers for 18 months is disappointing and makes him another employee of Carolina to have a short tenure since David Tepper bought the team in May 2018. That’s a stretch that has seen the team have four head coaches, not including the team’s three interim head coaches during that time. On top of that, Carolina has also had three general managers during that time.

Since 2018, the Carolina Panthers have a record of 31-68 without a winning season.

The reason for the Carolina Panthers moving on from Adrian Wilson isn’t immediately clear. Concerns about the situation first started when PFF noticed that he was no longer listed among the personnel on the team’s website. At that point, the team confirmed that Wilson won’t continue in his position but did not give an exact reason for that.

Given his status before taking the job in Carolina, it’s safe to expect NFL teams to have interest in bringing Adrian Wilson into their front offices at some point in the future.