Not 24 hours after a humiliating loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Carolina Panthers decided to move on from Matt Rhule. Rhule has spent the last three years leading his team to a record of 11-27—which gives him the worst winning percentage (.289) amongst all non-interim head coaches in franchise history.
So, what defines that underwhelming legacy?
It would be hard to think back on Rhule’s tenure without noting the absolute follies under center—deciding, in each of his seasons, to take a discarded first-round quarterback from another team and try to turn them into a success in Carolina. Each one, however, would turn out to be an abject failure.
Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, and now Baker Mayfield all fell short of any sort of success under Rhule’s tutelage. The regime opted to go for the quick route to success, hoping to “fix” a veteran passer as opposed to selecting and developing a quarterback through the draft.
To go along with the constant fumbling of the most important position in the sport was a clash with multiple offensive coordinators.
Rhule made it a point to go out and hire LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady, and did so to much fanfare. But they’d reportedly later butt heads over game tempo and shortcomings in running the ball. He was eventually fired late into the 2021 season.
In finding his next play-caller, Rhule was later tasked with reeling in a “rockstar” offensive coordinator going into what would be his final season. He eventually landed on former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo—in a choice one would be hard-pressed to call a big-time move. And, it has once again been reported that McAdoo and Rhule have not been on the same page—leading to what’s been the worst offense in the NFL.
To say the Rhule experiment has been a failure may be an understatement. From the way he threw franchise icon Cam Newton under the bus, to his habit of placing blame on players in a way that most coaches would not dare and to his now legendary Jay-Z quote, Rhule tried to milk a seven-year plan his way—with cheap outs and quick fixes.
The legacy Rhule leaves behind will be a dark one in Panthers history, and one that may take a lot of time to heal from.
To his credit (as well as general manager Scott Fitterer’s) he does leave the owner David Tepper’s next choice a roster littered with defensive talent. One can only hope whatever coach does inherent this group will learn from Rhule’s blunders and take his time to develop this offense, a quarterback and an eventual winner.
After all, it took some time for Jay-Z to become an overnight sensation, right?
