5 former Carolina Panthers players who would be great head coaches
By Dean Jones
Luke Kuechly – Former Carolina Panthers LB
Things haven’t been quite the same since Luke Kuechly announced his shock retirement after eight glorious seasons manning the second level. The perennial All-Pro was the team’s heart and soul on defense from the moment he arrived with the Carolina Panthers as a first-round pick out of Boston College – something that’s been sorely missed.
The Panthers have found life extremely difficult replacing Kuechly. Tahir Whitehead was a massive failure in 2020 and although Jermaine Carter showed some promise, an inconsistent campaign overall coupled with his current contract status means he could be heading out of the door in the not too distant future.
Kuechly was cerebral, aggressive, and inspired all around him. This was evident during his time on the field and also as a defensive assistant coach during Matt Rhule’s first campaign in 2020.
Jeremy Chinn was glowing in his praise of Kuechly, who stayed with the Southern Illinois product and other players for long hours watching game-film that helped throughout the campaign.
This lasted just one season before Kuechly stepped away entirely. However, his passion for the game might see him get involved from a coaching standpoint again and he certainly ticks all the boxes regarding a potential coordinator or head coaching role in the future.
Whether this is something that would interest Kuechly remains to be seen. But there is absolutely no doubt any team would be lucky to have him.