Baylor's hiring of Matt Rhule was always a short-term fix, only because it's always been a matter of time before the NFL pulled him away from Waco, Texas.
Baylor has done everything in its power to keep Rhule happy, but it can only offer and promise so much.
In September, Baylor gave Rhule an extension through 2027. Of course, this is semi-pro ball where buyouts are created to be purchased.
A buyout is not going to stop Rhule from leaving.
Per a source, the NCAA's investigation (yes, it's still ongoing) into Baylor's athletic department and football program has no impact on Rhule's decision. Most likely because by the time the NCAA actually rules on that case, football will no longer exist.
The Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and, possibly, the Dallas Cowboys are all plausible destinations. Rhule would be in his right mind to accept any one of these jobs. And any of the three would be a good fit.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rhule took himself out of the interview process for the Cleveland Browns' job.
Rhule did tell reporters at the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 that no NFL teams have contacted him, and that he hates that this narrative has been a distraction for his players.
Well, someone is not exactly telling the truth here. In this case, the coach typically employs truthiness.
Baylor sources are hopeful that Rhule's latest dance with the NFL winds up the way his previous two flirtations with The League have gone before, and he remains in Waco. The same people are not quite resigned to his departure, but they are prepared that this time it's going to happen.
A source indicated the school believes it can keep much of Rhule's staff in place should be leave. Associate head coach Joey McGuire, who had a long run as the head coach at Cedar Hill (Texas), would likely be the top candidate to replace Rhule.
Good NFL franchises want Matt Rhule, and, if this is his desire, he needs to go this time. This is his third consecutive offseason where he has danced with the NFL.
He owes it to Baylor to say, "I'm here" and mean it. Even in this era where players and coaches routinely leave, to continually look isn't fair to BU.
Every coach should be extended grace to look and talk, but for Rhule to do this beyond this offseason feels wrong.
After Rhule's first season in Waco, he had a phone call with the Indianapolis Colts. They didn't offer.
After Rhule's second season in Waco, the New York Jets offered him the head coaching job. He wisely passed when they made it clear that he did not have power to hire the staff the way he wanted.
After a brilliant third year in which the Bears are in the Sugar Bowl, his celebrity and leverage has never been greater.
Rhule wants what every coach desires _ control over his staff, and influence in personnel. It's what Pete Carroll demanded if he was going to leave USC.
Rhule put himself in this position to field calls from interested NFL teams. Baylor should take it only as a compliment, to a point.
Rhule has been transparent since he arrived in Waco. Or as transparent as he can.
I asked Baylor offensive lineman Sam Tecklenburg at Big 12 Media Days back in July about the possibility of Rhule leaving and he said, "When people reach out to you like that, it's the right thing to show them the respect and return the favor.
"It would not surprise me (if Rhule went to the NFL). His style is going to translate to any level. If he's comfortable in what he's done here, and wants to take that next step, he'll fit right in up there."
When I asked Rhule about the chance of going to the NFL he said, "I plan on being at Baylor for as long as that's where the Lord wants me to be. If at some point he wants me to do something else, stop coaching, then I'll go do that."
Using The Lord's Prayer as out clause is convenient, and sometimes people even mean it. It's not as if someone can text the Good Lord and check Rhule's sincerity.
Baylor can't do more than what it's done to retain Rhule. Some things are beyond Baylor's wallet, or its fleet of lawyers.
When they introduced him as their head coach back in December of 2016, I was fairly certain he eventually would go to the NFL.
I wrote on Dec. 7, 2016: "Baylor surprised college football by enticing Matt Rhule to clean up its football program with a seven-year contract, but the greater feat will be to convince him to stick around. Landing the former Temple football coach is a major get for Baylor, but this feels like a temporary hire.
"Although he spent just one year as an NFL assistant with the New York Giants, he credits Tom Coughlin as having the most influence on his career. Rhule just has the look of an NFL guy who is climbing the ladder in college; Baylor best enjoy this charismatic man while it can."
Brilliant prose aside, an NFL team that hires Rhule will have a good man and head coach.
If Rhule decides any of these potential jobs are not the right fit, he owes it to Baylor to give the NFL a rest.
