Panthers To Interview Martin Mayhew

The Panthers have added Martin Mayhew to their list of candidates for their GM vacancy, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The former Lions GM may be the third outside candidate to sit for an interview after Texans exec Jimmy Raye III (interviewed on Thursday) and Bills exec Lake Dawson (Friday). 

Despite interviewing these three candidates, the Panthers are still widely expected to remove the “interim” tag from GM Marty Hurney. It’s possible that the decision has already been made at the ownership level, but the Panthers are still required to satisfy the Rooney Rule. By interviewing a minority candidate (or, in this case, three), the Panthers can give the job to Hurney without facing league sanctions,

Mayhew, 52, spent 15 years with the Lions as an executive, including eight years as the team’s GM. After he was canned in 2015, Mayhew hooked on moved on to the Giants for a year before accepting a job with the 49ers’ front office. He remains in SF, but he’ll have the greenlight to interview for the Panthers’ GM job since it is a higher title.