NFL notebook: Panthers name Hurney GM

The Carolina Panthers removed the interim tag and named Marty Hurney as their general manager, the team announced on Wednesday. Hurney held the general manager's title with Carolina from 2002-2012 and served as the interim GM following the termination of Dave Gettleman prior to the start of training camp last season. The Panthers interviewed three other candidates and put the 62-year-old Hurney on paid leave while the NFL investigated allegations of harassment leveled by his ex-wife. The NFL informed the Panthers on Friday that there was no evidence of a violation and the investigation is closed. --Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff after playing in all 16 regular-season games and three playoff contests last season, according to a report. Jeffrey sustained the injury in training camp. The Eagles hope Jeffery can return this summer, but Les Bowen of philly.com reported he could miss the 2018 preseason. Jeffery had 57 receptions for 789 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. He added 12 catches for 219 yards and three scores in the playoffs. --Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier told Roosevelt Nix on his teammate's podcast that he is intent on resuming his football career and that he wants to be one of the best linebackers in the history of the NFL. The podcast marked Shazier's first interview since his serious spinal injury on Dec. 4. Shazier made it clear that he isn't giving up his football career. "I gotta get back, bro," Shazier told Nix, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Right now I'm reading a book and it's basically saying trust the process. I'm really trusting the process. I know the end goal. So I'm taking every step of the way, I'm giving everything I got. The therapists are like, 'Man this is crazy; I've never seen anyone work this hard.' They almost see progression every day." --New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson has been hospitalized with symptoms of the flu, the team announced. Benson, who turned 90 in July, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. "He is currently being treated for flu symptoms and is resting comfortably," the team said in a statement. Benson has owned the Saints since 1985 and the NBA's Pelicans since 2012. --Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri is on the verge of signing a one-year deal to remain with the team, multiple outlets reported. Bob Kravitz of WTHR wrote that the deal may be completed Thursday. Vinatieri's contract with the Colts expired after the 2017 season, making the 45-year-old kicker eligible for free agency when the new league year begins on March 14. --Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said a second surgery on his right shoulder is not needed in a pre-recorded video at a town hall event held by the team. "Oh, (surgery) is not an option for me right now," Luck said in the video aired on Tuesday. "I feel very, very good about where I am. So that ship has sailed in my mind, which is also a bit of a relief. I'm not going to lie." Luck has not taken a snap in a game since the regular-season finale of the 2016 season. He underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on Jan. 15, 2017. --The New York Giants re-signed guard John Greco, the team announced. The Giants' official Twitter account reported the news on Greco, noting that he will be with the team through at least the 2018 season. Greco played in six games with the Giants last season after spending a month with the New Orleans Saints. --The Denver Broncos are expected to listen to trade offers for quarterback Trevor Siemian, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported. Siemian won his first four starts for the Broncos in 2016, but the team finished that season 9-7. The Broncos were 5-5 with Siemian as the starter in 2017 before he was benched. Siemian completed 59 percent of his passes in 2017, but threw more interceptions (14) than touchdown passes (12). --Mike Patrick, who was the voice of Sunday Night Football for 19 years, is retiring, ESPN announced on Wednesday. The 73-year-old Patrick has done play-by-play on ESPN for more than 35 years, and his last game was the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 30, when Iowa State defeated Memphis. Patrick was the play-by-play announcer of ESPN's Sunday Night Football from 1987 to 2005, before NBC took over the NFL's Sunday night game. He also played a major role in broadcasts of college football and basketball. --Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis continued his trip of the Bay Area by meeting with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, one day after he visited the San Francisco 49ers. Davis' visit with the Raiders was reported by multiple media outlets. Davis, who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2015, became a free agent after the Indianapolis Colts released him during the 2017 season. The 29-year-old met with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns last week. --Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Fred Carr passed away on Monday. He was 71. Carr, a native of Phoenix, had been suffering from dementia and prostate cancer, his daughter Karsetta Carr told AZCentral.com. --The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Stephen Nicholas as a defensive quality control coach, the team announced. Nicholas assisted the Buccaneers during organized team activities last offseason. He replaces Dave Borgonzi, who held that position for the last four seasons before joining the Indianapolis Colts as linebackers coach. --Tight end Crockett Gillmore of the Baltimore Ravens, who is about to become a free agent, has gained almost 40 pounds and wants to play on the offensive or defensive line, according to the Baltimore Sun. The 26-year-old Gillmore, listed at 6-6 and 266 pounds, is up to 305 pounds and plans to keep getting bigger. This idea is not new. "I could care less about playing offense," Gillmore told the Sun in October 2015. "I have the mentality and the want-to to be the best, no matter what I'm doing. To me, defense is where I belong. That's where I've always belonged, and I have that mentality. I play with, I've always said, a mentality of playing with bad intentions."