A reunion of football minds might be right around the corner in Washington.
Former Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney is meeting with key members of the Washington Football Team's front office Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The group includes head coach Ron Rivera, per sources informed of the meeting.
Hurney is the top candidate for Washington's general manager opening and could be officially hired as early as sometime this week, per Rapoport.
Hurney and Rivera have years of history together in Charlotte, where the GM and coach teamed up to build a Super Bowl contender that landed in the sport's biggest game in 2015. By then, Hurney was already gone -- having been fired before the midway point of the 2012 season -- but also set the Panthers up for their run to Super Bowl 50 by selecting multiple key players, starting with 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton.
Hurney returned to the Panthers in the same role in 2018 following the firing of the man who'd replaced him in Carolina, Dave Gettleman. Hurney served as the team's GM from 2018-2020 before departing near the end of the first season under head coach Matt Rhule. His combined record as general manager and director of player operations (his role in Carolina in 1998) is 107-133, including a 5-3 mark in the postseason in a span that began in 1998, resumed in 2002 through 2012, and again from 2018 to 2020.
Hurney and Rivera could team up to run it back, this time in Washington, where the Football Team is coming off a playoff appearance in Rivera's first season at the helm. Washington won a putrid NFC East at 7-9, and will need to improve its roster in order to defend its division crown.
