Amid cries for his firing from disgruntled fans, Matt Rhule likely to return to Carolina in 2022
After a 3-0 start, the Carolina Panthers are now 5-10. It's the third straight season in which the club has been 5-10 through 15 games, and Sunday likely represented the low point of this lost season, a 32-6 home loss, their fifth straight, to Tampa Bay in which boo birds rained down from the Bank of America Stadium stands.
At least, it was probably the low point for those doing the booing. It certainly wasn't for the head coach of the team being booed.
"I much prefer passion over apathy. I much prefer pressure over nothing. I could do something else. I think our fans have been great. They support us and you know sometimes you need to be booed," Rhule said Sunday. "I have no issue with our fans. What fans deserve is they deserve a winner. They saw a really good team early in the year and they're not seeing it right now. I understand their frustration."
Part of the reason for Rhule's buoyancy amid choppy waters is because, well, that's just who Matt Rhule is. Here he is after the game comparing his 5-10 football team to Jay-Z.
And another part could be related to Jason La Canfora's report Sunday that Rule will likely be back for a third season in Charlotte. Owner David Tepper is the reportedly the richest in the NFL, and so Rhule's 7-year contract would not be an obstacle in the event of a third consecutive losing campaign in 2022, but for now it's believed Tepper does not view a regime change an immediate priority for his organization. From La Canfora:
(O)wner David Tepper is not preparing to move from him despite the lack of victories to this point, league sources said.... However, for now, league sources said Tepper has indicated no desire to pursue another head coach. This offseason will be spent trying to provide whatever is necessary to turn next year into a winning season.
Rhule himself added this on Monday:
Carolina bet on quarterback Sam Darnold, acquiring the former No. 3 pick via trade from the New York Jets. He's been on injured reserve since Week 10, and his replacement supported Rhule on Sunday.
"I just know we're a good football team. It may not look like that all the time, but I know what I see in practice and I know what I've seen over these last couple of weeks -- we're a good football team and we can win. It's just about us believing we can win and not taking the easy route and be able to grunt games away," Cam Newton said Sunday.
"I can tell you right now it wasn't because of the coaching,'' the former MVP said, adding that "Coach Rhule is a great coach." He continued: "It wasn't because of what a person may have said or done. The truth of the matter is, we're all playing for jobs."
Newton and his teammates may be playing for jobs, but it appears Rhule is not coaching for his.
