CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said he ran out of patience with Matt Rhule’s inability to get the franchise “over the hump.”
Tepper fired his second coach in four years on Monday, dismissing Rhule five games into his third losing season.
Rhule, the first NFL coach to be fired this season, went 11-27 with Carolina and leaves with roughly $40 million remaining on the seven-year, guaranteed $62 million contract he signed in 2020, when he made the jump from Baylor to the pros.
Defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach Steve Wilks will serve as interim coach.
Tepper said in April he would be patient with Rhule, saying it takes time to build a winner in the NFL.
“It’s a funny thing, that thing called patience,” Tepper said Monday during a 30-minute news conference. “If you ask the average fan out there, they would think I was ridiculously patient. … I think you have to show the right amount of patience and (look at) the progress that is being made. Are we winning more? Are we progressing in different ways? In all of those situations we spoke of, it hasn’t been that.”
Two of Rhule’s longtime assistants — defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley — were also fired. Both coaches previously worked for Rhule at Temple and Baylor.
Rhule did not respond to voice and text messages on Monday.
The Panthers fell to 1-4 with Sunday’s 37-15 loss to San Francisco — their 11th defeat in the last 12 games — as 49ers fans made Bank of America Stadium their East Coast home.
Tepper admitted the blowout loss was a factor in his decision.
“There’s numerous reasons why you make a decision,” Tepper said. “Might have been a little bit of lost intensity on the field (Sunday), which was different from the first four games.”
Tepper, the second-wealthiest owner in the NFL, lured the 47-year-old Rhule away from Baylor with a deal that was notable for its length and dollar value for a rookie NFL coach. Tepper will have to pay out the rest of the deal unless Rhule takes another job. In that case, the money he makes will count against what he’s owed by the Panthers.
General manager Scott Fitterer’s job appears safe for now and Tepper indicated he would like a “better balance” in roster decisions between his GM and next head coach.
Rhule had more power to shape the roster than Fitterer did.
Rhule’s teams went 5-11 in 2020 and 5-12 last year. The Panthers hoped Rhule could turn things around in his third year as he did at Baylor and at Temple before that.
The team had constant turnover at quarterback under Rhule, with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter in 2020 and Sam Darnold and Cam Newton getting starts last year.
