Report: Panthers owner has major regrets about Matt Rhule contract

The Carolina Panthers appear poised to keep Matt Rhule for the 2022 season, but that does not mean they are satisfied with the job he is doing.

Rhule’s contract appears to be a significant source of buyer’s remorse for the top of the Carolina organization. Panthers owner David Tepper is “unhappy and embarrassed” by the contract he gave Rhule prior to the 2020 season, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. Tepper gave Rhule a seven-year, $62 million deal to fend off interest from the New York Giants, a contract that now looks enormously undeserved.

That contract may be what saves Rhule and buys him a third year. The report states that Tepper still intends to give Rhule another season to try to salvage the coach’s tenure in Carolina.

Talk of Rhule coming back will not make Panthers fans happy based on their reaction during last week’s loss. Perhaps things will improve if Carolina can get a legitimate starting quarterback in the fold for 2022. For Tepper, this may be a lesson about overpaying for a head coach like Rhule who came in untested and unproven at the NFL level.

Photo: Aug 27, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports