The Carolina Panthers have gotten off to a dreadful start to the 2022 NFL season, going 1-4 through five weeks, most recently getting drubbed by Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers at home in a 37-15 loss. The loss was emblematic of Carolina’s struggles under Matt Rhule since he took over, as the former Baylor coach was expected to liven up the offense, which has instead flatlined under his watch.
Rhule’s Panthers dropped to 1-27 in games where teams score 17 or more points on Sunday, and on Monday, the Panthers made official the move everyone has been anticipating for nearly a year now, which was to fire Rhule.
#Panthers part ways with head coach Matt Rhulehttps://t.co/ihOk3QJsvH
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 10, 2022
Rhule went 11-27 in his three seasons in Carolina, never establishing an identity offensively despite trying out various coordinators and quarterbacks in his tenure. One would expect him to return to the college ranks where he will likely have his pick of the numerous jobs open right now — and likely more to come this offseason — as his style seems more suited to the college game where he can recruit players that fit his specific ideals.
As for where the Panthers go from here, in the interim, defensive pass game coordinator Steve Wilks will take over, who was previously the head coach in Arizona for one season and has been with Carolina in two separate stints. The Panthers won’t exactly be viewed as one of the NFL’s top jobs, as that is reserved for teams with a clear franchise quarterback (or potential one, at the least) and to this point it’s been fairly clear that Baker Mayfield isn’t that guy (and Sam Darnold, currently injured, isn’t either). The one thing that seems like a guarantee is that they’ll stick to the pro ranks to find their next head coach.
