Matt Rhule is already one of the highest-paid coaches in the NFL, earning more money per year than Andy Reid. He’ll have to earn it, though.
The new Panthers head coach has inherited a challenging situation in Carolina, taking over a team that went 5-11 last season, good for last place in the NFC South. Since the end of that campaign, the team has lost a former MVP quarterback, a future Hall of Fame middle linebacker and six other starters on defense.
To make matters even more difficult, Rhule now has to get his new team all on the same page without the benefit of a traditional offseason program. Due to social distancing measures needed to slow the spread of COVID-19, NFL teams are substituting their usual offseason program with a virtual one. For the Panthers and several other teams, that work begins today.
Rhule only has one year of experience in the pros – he was an offensive line assistant for the Giants in 2012. However, his track record in college makes him uniquely suited to meet this challenge.
It didn’t take Rhule long to turn around the programs at Temple and then Baylor, converting struggling teams into conference contenders in just two years in both cases.
