CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have reached the end of the Matt Rhule era.
The team announced Monday that Rhule was relieved of his duties less than three full seasons after arriving in Charlotte.
Rhule posted an 11-27 record during his tenure in Carolina, winning 10 games during his first two seasons, before getting off to a miserable 1-4 start this season. Defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Steve Wilks has been named as Rhule’s replacement as interim head coach for the remainder of the campaign.
Rhule, who was hired in 2020 after turning around college programs like Temple and Baylor, never found his franchise quarterback, even after GM Scott Fitterer was hired in 2021. Despite serving as more of a CEO head coach, Rhule could never find the right play-caller and quarterback on offense.
Rhule hired up-and-comer Joe Brady from LSU to be his initial offensive coordinator. Their partnership lasted less than two full seasons, as Brady was dismissed in December of last season. This offseason, Rhule replaced Brady with former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo.
As with the offensive coordinator dilemma, Rhule never identified a long-term, efficient quarterback. The team signed journeyman Teddy Bridgewater to lead the offense in 2020, but he was traded to the Denver Broncos following a 5-11 debut season under Rhule.
The Panthers traded three draft picks to the New York Jets for former first-round pick Sam Darnold last offseason. Darnold faltered as the franchise QB in Carolina, as he did in New York, and the Panthers remained on the hook for his salary through this season after picking up his fifth-year option following the trade to acquire him.
This summer, the Panthers tried to upgrade the QB spot by trading for former first overall pick Baker Mayfield. Through five games, Mayfield has struggled mightily, completing just 54.9% of his passes for 962 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.
While the defense, led by Rhule’s college defensive coordinator, Phil Snow, has played relatively well, the offense’s lack of firepower — despite having Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Robbie Anderson in it — has led to several letdowns during Rhule’s tenure.
The search for Rhule’s replacement
With Rhule on his way out, the Panthers will prepare to fill his job this offseason.
While Wilks, a Charlotte native, will get an opportunity to curry favor with owner David Tepper, Fitterer and the rest of the coaching staff, it’s far more likely that the Panthers go in a new direction in January. Firing Rhule now will give the Panthers a leg up in the search efforts.
Given Rhule’s failure to bring his college success to the pros, the Panthers are likely to look for an established NFL voice.
Notable names who could receive a second chance as an NFL coach include Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
If the Panthers were to go with a young, emerging candidate, Tepper could look into Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
