Dave Gettleman considered front-runner for Giants’ GM job

NFL Network reported Sunday that ex-Giants executive and former Carolina Panthers GM Dave Gettleman is the early favorite for the vacant Giants’ GM job.Jason laCanfora of CBS Sports reported that Gettleman would get “significant consideration” and that many around the league believe that “any other hire would be an upset.”

Gettleman was passed over for the job when it went to Reese in 2007. Hiring Gettleman this time would hardly be a surprise. Here is part of what I wrote in a recent profile of the 66-year-old:

There is no candidate for the job who knows the Giants better than Gettleman. He was in the organization from 1998-2012, serving as pro personnel director from 1999-2011. There will also be no other candidate for the job that the Giants are as familiar with. Ownership knows Gettleman well. He worked alongside Ernie Accorsi, consulting in the current GM search, during all of Accorsi’s Giants tenure as GM, has worked alongside many of the team’s veteran scouts, as well as coaches like Steve Spagnuolo, Mike Sullivan and Dave Merritt.

If anyone is qualified to come in and assess what the organization does well/doesn’t do well and which current members of the scouting department and coaching staff can be part of the solution going forward it would be Gettleman.

Gettleman’s Carolina teams went 40-23-1 with one Super Bowl appearance. He was also responsible for building this year’s 8-4 Panthers team. He was fired in July, with some of his decisions regarding popular veteran players believed to have been part of the reason.

If Gettleman is hired, Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Wilks could be a candidate to become head coach.