Matt Rhule has been fired as the coach of the Carolina Panthers less than six full months after owner David Tepper said it could take five, maybe six years to rebuild an organization capable of sustained excellence.
Rhule’s firing on Monday came less than 24 hours after a 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and less than three years into a seven-year, $62 million contract he was given in January of 2020 to turn around the Panthers the way he did college programs at Temple and Baylor.
He was fired with a record of 11-27, including this year’s 1-4 start. Under Rhule, the Panthers went 1-27 when allowing 17 or more points, including 25 losses in a row. Every other team has multiple such wins in that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Defensive pass game coordinator Steve Wilks was named the interim coach. Wilks, 53, was previously a head coach in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 where he posted a 3-13 record and was fired following his first season.