5 burning questions Panthers fans are asking ahead of Week 3 vs. Saints

What’s next for the Carolina Panthers?

What is the long-term plan for the Carolina Panthers? Every process is jumbled, and team decisions are contradictory. At this point blowing everything up and possibly selling assets for an actual rebuild seems like the only option. – Benton Stilwell

Thank you for your great question, Benton.

Right now, it’s hard to get a grasp of what the team looks like long-term since there is a lot of uncertainty around the head coach and his staff.

So, let’s discuss the Carolina Panthers’ next options going forward. What does this team have to do to have success this season and beyond?

The obvious answer is a clean slate. Matt Rhule is 10-25 and with how the Panthers have played the last two weeks, close losses have been the name of the game since he came to Carolina in 2020.

Rhule has arguably become the worst head coach in the NFL and seems to be wasting a very talented roster thanks to fundamental breakdowns, mismanaging of personnel, and a lack of awareness during in-game situations. If he were to go, defensive coordinator Phil Snow and quite possibly offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo may not survive, either.

The Panthers might be looking for a new head coach early in the season, one that was expected to be the year Rhule gets his team over the hump to get into the postseason. Steve Wilks and, yes, McAdoo would be the two coaches that could step into the interim role.

As for Rhule’s potential replacement next offseason, expect names like Sean Payton, Brian Flores, and Eric Bieniemy to be mentioned, assuming the embattled head coach were to be let go. As for the roster, there is too much talent to give up on.

There are franchise players on both sides of the ball that the Panthers can continue to build around. While uncertainty remains at quarterback, there is a bright future from a player personnel perspective.

The best hope right now is that Rhule can somehow turn it around over the next few weeks. The Panthers are 0-2 to start what is considered to be their easy stretch so if little improvement is shown, heads might roll.