The Carolina Panthers are on the hunt for a new head coach following their recent firing of Matt Rhule.
After the Panther’s season got off to a very rocky start with a 1-4 record, the team’s owner, David Tepper, made the call to let their head coach go.
However, according to the Charlotte Tribune, just 33 months ago, there was a healthy, happy relationship between the two, and Tepper was “so frickin’ happy.”
In 2020, “Rhule had agreed to become the sixth head coach in Carolina Panthers history, signing a seven-year deal worth $62 million. The contract made Rhule one of the highest-paid NFL coaches at the time,” The Charlotte Tribune said.
After an 11-27 record and no playoff appearances in his time there, Rhule and the team parted ways.
According to Athlon Sports, Rhule joined the team in order to rebuild it from the bottom up, but with a results-oriented team, he didn’t make the cut.
Now, the question on everybody’s minds is “who will be the replacement?” and speculation has run amok.
There has been speculation for months about the change, but according to the Washington Post, “now that Tepper has finally done it — freeing him to contemplate replacements and try to start wooing a big-fish free agent such as Sean Payton — the discussion has taken on more urgency,” the Washington Post said.
Athlon Sports compiled a list of ten coaches whose names are being thrown around for the position. The list includes big names like Sean Payton and Bill O’Brien, both former head coaches; former defensive coordinators Dan Quinn, DeMeco Ryans, and Raheem Morris; offensive coordinators, including Eric Bieniemy, Ken Dorsey, Kellen Moore, and Byron Leftwich; and even college coach Jim Harbaugh.
All of these names are pure speculation until anything is confirmed, but there is already doubt about the seeming number one choice, Sean Payton. Although the position as a head coach in the NFL is a career gem, many think this particular one is risky, making finding interested parties harder than anticipated.
According to a Washington Post article, “‘That’s only an attractive job if you have a chance to get a quarterback,’ one NFL general manager, who is not at liberty to speak about other team’s personnel decisions, said to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity. ‘They might get the first overall pick. But by the time we get to January, I don’t think this is the job everyone wants — far from it.’”
In the meantime, the team still does need a coach. In the interim position is Charlotte native and secondary coach, Steve Wilks, according to the Charlotte Tribune.
Wilks coached the team last weekend as they lost 10-24 against the LA Rams and, as of now, will be coaching them until a new coach is named.
With everything up in the air now, we only know that Rhule’s days in the NFL appear to be over, and Tepper has work to do in finding a new head coach for his team.
