NFL Exec: Panthers Seem Like a ‘F–king Miserable Place to Work’ Under David Tepper

zach bacharContributor IJanuary 19, 2024

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The Carolina Panthers organization under owner David Tepper isn’t viewed in a positive way by opposing front offices around the league.

“[W]ith Tepper, it seems like a f—ing miserable place to work,” an anonymous NFL executive told Jori Epstein and Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

The Panthers recently wrapped up a 2-15 season, marking the worst record in the league. Carolina has finished in last place in the NFC South in three of the past six years.

The team hasn’t made the postseason since the 2017 season and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, when the Panthers appeared in the Super Bowl. Tepper has reportedly garnered a reputation as a person that “inserts himself into football evaluations in which he lacks the proper depth to make seasoned decisions,” per Robinson and Epstein.

Three of the team’s head coaches have been fired in the middle of the season throughout the past five years, with two occurring within each of the previous two seasons. This includes Matt Rhule, who filed an arbitration suit against the organization seeking roughly $5 million in offset severance compensation after he was fired in Oct. 2022 (via ESPN’s David Newton).

Tepper also made headlines recently when he was fined $300,000 by the NFL after the owner was caught on video throwing a drink in the direction of opposing fans following the Panthers’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17.

Despite finishing with the worst record in the NFL, Carolina does not own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft due to a trade with the Chicago Bears prior to the 2023 draft. This hinders the team’s ability to build around Bryce Young, who showed some promise as a rookie despite playing behind a shaky offensive line. Young took 62 sacks in his first year, the second-highest mark in the NFL.

Tepper may need to distance himself from football operations in order to have his team viewed in a positive manner by opposing front offices.