The Carolina Panthers on Tuesday made some major news by hiring former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule. It’s one of the highest-profile hirings of the young winter.
This comes mere months after general manager Marty Hurney and Co. surprisingly fired longtime head coach Ron Rivera.
Now manning the sidelines for the Redskins in D.C., this one report from respected NFL insider Tony Pauline notes that Rivera could very well look to steal Hurney away from his former Panthers squad.
The report indicates that it would not happen until after the 2020 NFL Draft in April.
That latter aspect is standard operating procedure. Teams generally spend well over a half of a calendar year prepping for the draft. Front-office turnover doesn’t take place until later in the spring.
This also shouldn’t be seen as too much of a surprise. Hurney was the Panthers’ general manager when they initially hired Rivera back in 2011. He later rejoined the organization in 2016, ultimately deciding to keep Rivera on board.
The relationship is there. It just remains to be seen if this is possible.
Carolina used Hurney in its decision-making process to bring on Rhule Tuesday. Would it let him jump ship months after the fact?