Candidate: Martin Mayhew
Age: 52
Current Position:Senior personnel executive for the 49ers
"(Cam Newton) was MVP two years ago, and I think getting him back to that spot is really important. You have to figure out what pieces can really help him excel," Mayhew said before interviewing with Panthers officials. "This roster has a very nice core – Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis and Ryan Kalil, and of course Cam Newton – but I think some guys on the perimeter would really help the franchise. That would be an area I would focus on."
Other NFL front office experience:
2016: Director of football operations/special projects for Giants
2008-15: General manager for Lions
2004-08: Assistant general manager for Lions
2003: Senior vice president of football administration for Lions
2001-02: Senior director of football administration for Lions
Additonal Notes:
- Mayhew was selected out of Florida State in the 10th round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons at cornerback for three teams, recording 21 interceptions, and following the 1991 season helped Washington win Super Bowl XXVI.
- An Academic All-America at FSU, Mayhew earned a law degree at Georgetown University in 2000 and returned to the NFL shortly after as an executive with the Lions, a team he spent 15 seasons with in four different roles.
- Mayhew took over as Detroit's general manager late in the 2008 season. His first draft choice as GM, with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, was quarterback Matthew Stafford.
- Just before beginning his career as an NFL executive, Mayhew served as a league official for the XFL charged with helping get the league off the ground. He was hired by the Lions shortly before the league's first and only season kicked off.
