5 former Carolina Panthers players who would be great head coaches
By Dean Jones
Which former Carolina Panthers players would have been great head coaches in the future had they chosen to go in this direction?
The Carolina Panthers are moving forward with Matt Rhule despite pressure on the head coach going through the roof after another five-win season that saw the team lose 12 of their final 14 games. Owner David Tepper appears confident in the former Baylor man’s abilities despite nothing to suggest legitimate progress is being made and firing four coaches indicates there are no more scapegoats if things continue trending in the wrong direction.
This was certainly not what Tepper had in mind when he gave Rhule a seven-year, $62 million deal with the New York Giants also looking to secure his services. Joe Person of The Athletic recently quoted a source as saying the billionaire was embarrassed with such a contract, although he hasn’t pulled the plug and admitted a grave error in judgment yet.
Whether Rhule can turn things around is up for debate. Although there could be an opportunity for progress with Sean Payton leaving the New Orleans Saints and Tom Brady also contemplating retirement, which would damage the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enormously.
The Panthers are not without their own problems, obviously. But if they can truly nail this offseason, it might just give them half a chance in 2022 and possibly beyond.
On the subject of coaching, we picked out five former Panthers players that would have been great head coaches had they gone in this particular direction.