The Carolina Panthers have fallen out of the NFC Playoff race following an ugly loss to a previously two-win Washington Redskins squad on Sunday.
It’s been a dramatic fall for the Panthers since they started the season 4-2. Now losers of five out of their past six, the future of head coach Ron Rivera is up in the air.
According to this report, Carolina’s brass will not decide whether to bring Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney back until the end of the season.
The writing could certainly be on the wall here. One of the longest-tenured head coaches in the NFL, Rivera’s Panthers last made the playoffs back in 2017. They finished Sunday’s action 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Vikings for the final wild card spot in the NFC.
In general, things could be changing in Carolina this coming offseason. There’s a decent chance the team looks to trade former NFL MVP Cam Newton.
If that is indeed the case, a change at head coach could make sense.
Rivera, 57, has led the Panthers to a 76-63-1 record since taking over as head coach back in 2011. That included a trip to the Super Bowl in 2015.