Big Blue's quest to find their next general manager has taken a decisive turn.
Gettleman shares deep roots with the Giants, having spent 15 years in New York as a personnel executive from 1998 to 2012. From there, the accomplished 66-year-old talent evaluator was hired as general manager of the Panthers, serving four seasons in Carolina and helping to guide the team to a Super Bowl in 2015.
Gettleman carved out a 40-23-1 mark with the Panthers and won three straight NFC South titles. His July firing came as a shock to both the NFL community and his players, many who vocally questioned the move on social media.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Gettleman was in a "shaky" place with ownership, pointing to "rumblings that all was not well" between the general manager and owner Jerry Richardson after Gettleman allowed Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman to walk following the 2015 campaign.
Gettleman, though, capably steered the franchise out of salary-cap hell upon his arrival in Carolina and worked wonders with coach Ron Rivera, finding affordable talent and successfully adding star players through the draft.
If he winds up in New York, he'll be tasked with reshuffling a spotty roster plagued by a struggling offensive line and questions about the future of quarterback Eli Manning.
Like Accorsi before him, Gettleman would have the opportunity to find Manning's successor with a likely top-two draft pick. We'll find out soon enough if this experienced front-office talent did enough to impress his old bosses.
