5 things Carolina Panthers HC Matt Rhule must get right to save his job
By Jason Huber
What things must go right for Matt Rhule to keep his job as Carolina Panthers head coach after the 2022 season?
To say it’s been a long two years for Matt Rhule as head coach of the Carolina Panthers might be an understatement. Hired in January 2020 to replace Ron Rivera, he was a hot candidate out of Baylor University after helping rebuild the football program, just as he did at Temple a few years earlier.
Owner David Tepper signed Rhule to a lucrative seven-year contract, which raised eyebrows.
In his first season, Rhule basically had an excuse with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting his first offseason. But the Panthers showed some progress before going on a losing streak to finish the year at 5-11.
Rhule upset fans by moving on from former NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton for Teddy Bridgewater his first offseason. After one year, he switched signal-callers again by trading for Sam Darnold from the New York Jets.
The Panthers started the year 3-0 but everything fell apart after that. Darnold performed horribly, got injured, the team re-signed Newton, he went 0-5, the USC product became the starter again and Carolina finished the season on a seven-game losing streak for a 5-12 record.
Rhule fired his offensive coordinator Joe Brady midway through the bye week and then let go of his defensive line, special teams, and offensive line coach. This week, his secondary and wide receivers coach left Carolina for the same positions elsewhere.
On top of fans wanting Rhule fired, things haven’t been pretty. Either way, Tepper seems to be bringing him back for another year and it’s quite obvious that leash is very, very short.
Things must go extremely well for Rhule to last after or even during the upcoming season. Here are five things that he must get right to save his job in 2022.