Panthers HC Matt Rhule May Be On The Hot Seat

The daily temperature average in Charlotte, North Carolina in the month of December is 54 degrees, yet the office of Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule may feel considerably warmer this year, thanks to his simmering desk chair. The second-year coach currently finds himself firmly on the hot seat now that his team has dropped seven of their last nine games.

“Head coach next,” said ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio during a Monday edition of PFT Live. Florio was referencing the possibility that Rhule could soon join his former offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, in the unemployment line.

Mike Florio on @ProFootballTalk this morning when he asked a league source about Joe Brady's firing, the reply was three words.

"Head coach next."

— Cat Crave (@CatCraveBlog) December 6, 2021

Brady was fired earlier this week with five games remaining in the regular season. Under Brady and Rhule, the Panthers’ offense has ranked in the league’s bottom 10, averaging just 19.7 points per game. For now, Brady appears to be the scapegoat, giving Rhule a few extra weeks to figure things out.

In January of 2020, Rhule signed a seven-year deal that will pay him between $60 and $70 million, and in just a season and a half, he has racked up a dismal 10-18 record. Despite a hot start this fall (3-0), the Panthers once again find themselves under .500.

If something doesn’t change soon, Rhule may no longer be on the hot seat. Instead, like Brady, he’ll be out in the cold.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF