Bills Apologize To Panthers On Twitter For ‘Stealing’ New GM Brandon Beane

The Buffalo Bills announced Tuesday evening that they have hired Brandon Beane as general manager, and the team has apologized to the Carolina Panthers for taking him from them, adding the move was done “out of respect.”

Bills Tweet Apology to Panthers for ‘Stealing’ GM Brandon Beale

Beane had spent the past 19 seasons with the Panthers, for whom he had worked as assistant GM since June 2015. Before that, he served as Carolina’s director of football operations for eight years.

In Carolina, Beane worked under Dave Gettleman, one of the NFL’s top GMs. The Bills seemed to feel badly and apologized because Beane is the second Panthers executive to sign with the team since the beginning of 2017. Buffalo hired Carolina’s defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, a close associate of Beane, as head coach in January.

According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Beane’s new contract with the Bills is a five-year deal that runs concurrent with McDermott’s pact.

Despite the Bills’ apology to Carolina, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he was thrilled for Beane, whom Rivera said he got to know very well after Beane rose through the ranks from summer training camp PR intern in 1998, and then a football operations intern the following regular season.

“I am very excited for Brandon Beane,” Rivera said in a statement. “Brandon is a guy who started at the bottom and worked his way up. He started as an intern here, starting in the football operations department and eventually became the head of the football operations department. He started evaluating talent and learned that part of the business as well. He became our assistant general manager and has been a tremendous help to me over the last few years as we made our runs in the playoffs – three straight NFC South division champions. Brandon played a big part in that.”

Bills owner and CEO Terry Pegula also released a statement praising Beane for his vast experience in many different types of positions.

“During our search for a new general manager, Brandon stood out to Kim [Pegula] and I as he embodies the type of leader and type of person we want in our organization,” Pegula said in a statement issued by the team. “Brandon has excelled in a variety of roles for a Panthers team that has consistently competed at a high-level in this league. We feel his vast understanding and experience in many facets of football operations will be invaluable to our club moving forward.”

Beane’s predecessor Doug Whaley was fired along with his scouts on April 30, hours after the NFL Draft, after four seasons with the Bills.

Gettleman also released a statement on the Bills’ hiring of Beane. The Panthers general manager, who joined Carolina in 2013, lauded Beane for his accomplishments with the team, which included a stint as interim GM after Matt Hurley was fired and before Gettleman was hired.

“I’m thrilled that Brandon has been selected as general manager of the Bills,” Gettleman said, via Bill Voth of Panthers.com. “He has worked his way from the bottom up and is prepared for this. He is thoughtful, meticulous, and a leader. He was instrumental in what we have been able to accomplish in Carolina in the past few years, winning three division titles, an NFC Championship and earning a Super Bowl appearance. His wide variety of knowledge and experience will serve him well in Buffalo. I wish Brandon, Hayley, Tyson and Wes nothing but the best.”

ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 24: Charles Clay #85 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates a touchdown catch against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at New Era Stadium on December 24, 2016 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Michael Adamucci/Getty Images)