Matt Rhule Regrets Taking Panthers Job, Says He Was Misled About Timeline
New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule expressed regret in taking the Carolina Panthers' job two years ago, and said some of the parameters changed along the way.
Speaking to Peter Schrager's, 'The Season with Peter Schrager' podcast, Rhule sounded like a guy who was pretty relieved to now be at Nebraska.
"I think I probably would just have taken another job," Rhule said when looking back at signing with Carolina in 2020. "A great place with wonderful people, but I just don't know if I was a fit there."
Rhule signed a mega seven-year, $62 million contract with the Panthers nearly two years ago, and the team was a disappointment throughout his tenure.
Carolina won just 11 of 38 games with Rhule at the helm, and he was fired in October.
Turns out, the job wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
"At the end of the day, we talked about, 'Hey, we're gonna have a four-year plan, a five-year plan,'" Rhule said. "You know, if you tell me, 'Hey, we've got a two-year plan,' then I'm gonna go sign a bunch of free agents and do it.
"So what was a four-year plan became a two-year-and-five-game plan real quick."
Matt Rhule looks to be better fit with Nebraska
Nebraska hired Rhule last week, giving him $72 million over the next eight years.
The 47-year-old will now return to the college ranks where he made a name for himself at Baylor. Rhule is known for turning programs around, which he did at both Temple and Baylor before moving onto the NFL.
His tenure at Baylor was especially impressive given the state of the program when he took over in 2017.
Bayor went 1-11 in Rhule's first season, but, by Year 3, blossomed into an 11-3 juggernaut that played in the Sugar Bowl.
The Panthers hired Rhule shortly after, but the marriage never worked out.
"I'm not angry about it at the end of the day," Rhule said. "I understand, but if it's gonna be that quick, then we're gonna sign some more free agents, we're gonna go make the blockbuster trade, we're gonna do those things."