Matt Rhule was fired as coach of the Carolina Panthers on Monday, leading to a lot of speculation regarding his next move. Most believe Rhule will make his way back to the college game, but that may not happen quickly.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy said he had heard that Rhule would be open to “very few” jobs in the college game, none of which are currently open. As a result, Rhule will bide his time, which he can quite literally afford to do thanks to the money the Panthers still owe him despite his firing.
I’ve been told there are “very few” CFB jobs that Matt Rhule would take.
None of which are open currently and are unlikely to come open this year.
Money changes everything, but with the offset in his Panthers’ contract, he’ll be in no hurry.
My bet is he’s on TV in ‘23.
— Greg McElroy (@GregMcElroy) October 10, 2022
The Panthers owed Rhule another $40 million after firing him. If the former Baylor coach takes another college job, that contract would offset the money he’s getting from the Panthers, so he has little reason to rush into taking the first offer that comes his way. Essentially, he can do whatever he wants and continue cashing the Panthers’ checks as long as he doesn’t take another head coaching job somewhere else.
Rhule signed a seven-year, $62 million deal with the Panthers in 2020, then went just 11-27 as head coach. Both the hire and the contract appear to have been big mistakes, but Rhule will be profiting from Carolina’s poor decision for quite some time.
Even if Rhule intends to be picky about his next job, that has not stopped oddsmakers from naming some potential destinations for him.
