Matt Rhule on what he learned with Panthers: I would've taken another job
The fit between Matt Rhule and the Carolina Panthers seemed all too perfect for owner David Tepper almost three years ago.
But, two seasons and five games later, it's obvious that it wasn't exactly a great match.
The new University of Nebraska head coach was featured on Tuesday's episode of "The Season with Peter Schrager" and reflected upon his failed tenure in Carolina. When asked by Schrager about what he learned there, Rhule said the fit just wasn't right for him.
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"I think I probably would just, probably just, ya know, probably taken another job," he said. "It's a great place. Wonderful people. But I just don't know if I was a fit there. At the end of the day, we talked about, 'Hey, we're gonna have a four-year plan, a five-year plan.' If you tell me, 'Hey, we got a two-year plan,' then I'm going to sign a bunch of free agents and do it. So what was a four-year plan became a two-year and five-game plan real quick."
Over that two-year and five-game timeframe, the Panthers went 11-27. Their 1-4 start to the 2022 campaign was the final straw for Tepper, as he dismissed the man he threw a seven-year, $62 million contract at on Oct. 10.
Rhule went on to say that he believes he had the franchise on the path to success, and it's starting to show now under his replacement in interim head coach Steve Wilks, who has gone 3-4. The 4-8 Panthers are third in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading at 5-6.
"I think the trajectory we were on was correct," he added. "It was to have a team that next year could maybe make a big trade. I think you see the signs of it now. When they play well on offense, they win. There's a good defense there. I give Steve all the credit, I give the coaches all the credit. But I'm part of that building process. So if that had just stayed through maybe this year and maybe made the big free-agent signing this year to get them over the top, I think that the Panthers could win the NFC South for years to come."