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Bills announce Brandon Beane as new GM

Sal Maiorana
@salmaiorana
  • Brandon Beane has been Panthers' GM Dave Gettleman's top assistant since 2015.
  • Beane has been with the Panthers since he was 19 years old.
Brandon Beane

As expected, the Buffalo Bills announced Tuesday afternoon the hiring of Brandon Beane as their new general manager.

“During our search for a new general manager, Brandon stood out to Kim and I as he embodies the type of leader and type of person we want in our organization,” Bills co-owner Terry Pegula said in a statement released 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. We also believe his vision for the Buffalo Bills, combined with his detailed approach, will help build a foundation for sustained success. We are pleased to welcome Brandon and his family to Buffalo.”

From the moment Doug Whaley was fired the day after the NFL Draft concluded, Beane was the clear-cut front-runner for the job based on his association with Bills head coach Sean McDermott during their time together in Carolina.

Brandon Beane conversing with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.

McDermott was the defensive coordinator of the Panthers from 2010 through 2016, and he and Beane forged a relationship. The Bills officially interviewed three other candidates – Brian Gaine, director of pro personnel for the Texans; Trey Brown, director of college scouting for the Eagles; and Brian Gutekunst, director of college scouting for the Packers. But there was never really a doubt that Beane was the man McDermott wanted.

Beane becomes the 13th general manager in franchise history. Though he is only 39 years old, he has already worked 19 years for the Panthers, nearly half his life. He started in the team’s media relations department in 1998, then moved into the personnel side of the operation.

He was the Panthers director of football operations from 2008-14, and then became general manager Dave Gettleman’s assistant GM in 2015. While in Carolina, the Panthers won five NFC South division titles and two NFC championships, losing two Super Bowls.

Every step of the way, Beane gained valuable experience, and he had a major hand in constructing the Panthers draft board the last six years. In addition to scouting work, he has also been involved in the negotiation of player contracts.

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

Beane is a graduate of UNC-Wilmington and a native of Stanly County, North Carolina.

MAIORANA@Gannett.com

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