CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with former Baylor coach Matt Rhule to become their new head coach, according to a Panthers news release.
Rhule, who has ties to our state, replaces Ron Rivera. Rivera was recently hired as the head coach of the Washington Redskins. Rivera was fired with four games remaining in the season and was the winningest coach in franchise history.
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NFL insider Ian Rapopart earlier tweeted about the update saying the Panthers and Rhule are currently working out a deal.
According to Rapoport, Panthers Owner David Tepper met with Rhule in Waco, Texas on Monday. Rhule was scheduled to visit with the New York Giants this week and was believed to be a strong candidate there.
When Tepper met with a small group of reporters after making the decision to move on from Rivera, he seemed to downplay the idea of hiring a college coach.
“I do understand the difficulty of the transition (from college) though,” Tepper said. “That doesn’t mean I’m closing it off, but you’ve got to understand, anybody who’s been around football understands the difficulty of that transition.”
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Here's some background on the new coach:
- Rhule led the Baylor Bears to 11 wins and as high as No. 7 in the national rankings in just his third year with the university
- Under Rhule, the Bears became the first-ever, power-five program to go from 11 losses to 11 wins within just two seasons
- He worked under New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin in 2012
- Served as an assistant at Western Carolina from 2002 through 2005
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.