Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule on Monday after the Panthers fell to 1-4 this season. Nell Redmond/Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers fired coach Matt Rhule on Monday, ending the former Baylor coach’s tenure five games into his third losing season.
Rhule, the first NFL coach to be fired this season, went 11-27 with Carolina and leaves with roughly $40 million remaining on the seven-year, guaranteed $62 million contract he signed in 2020. The Panthers fell to 1-4 with Sunday’s 37-15 home loss to San Francisco as 49ers fans made Bank of America Stadium their East Coast home.
Defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach Steve Wilks will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season. The 53-year-old Wilks spent one year as Arizona’s coach in 2018, going 3-13.
Rhule did not immediately respond to voice and text messages on Monday.
David Tepper, the second-wealthiest owner in the NFL, lured the 47-year-old Rhule away from Baylor with a deal that was notable for its length and dollar value for a rookie NFL coach. Tepper will have to pay out the rest of the deal unless Rhule takes another job. In that case, the money he makes will count against what he’s owed by the Panthers.
Tepper was initially patient with Rhule following Sunday’s loss, but grew increasingly agitated and changed his mind on Monday.
Rhule said after the game he didn’t want to discuss his job security because he didn’t want to make it about himself.
Rhule’s teams went 5-11 in 2020 and 5-12 last year.
The Panthers hoped Rhule could turn things around in his third year as he did at Baylor and at Temple before that. The team had constant turnover at quarterback under Rhule, with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter in 2020 and Sam Darnold and Cam Newton getting starts last year.
The Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield this offseason. But the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick has been awful, ranking last in the NFL in ESPN’s total quarterback rating. Mayfield has completed 54.9% of his passes and is averaging fewer than 200 yards passing per game with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
The poor play at the game’s most important position put unsustainable pressure on Carolina’s defense. Under Rhule, the Panthers were 1-27 when allowing an opponent to score 17 or more points.
n Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield has been diagnosed with a high left ankle sprain and is expected to miss several games, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person, who said Mayfield is expected to get a second opinion, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not yet released details of the injury.
The NFL Network was first to report the news.
P.J. Walker is expected to start Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
BROWNS: Deshaun Watson was back among his teammates, doing things he may once have taken for granted.
Cleveland’s franchise quarterback is still almost two months away from playing for the Browns, but took a major step Monday.
Watson returned to the team’s training facility for the first time since August, when he began serving his 11-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy following sexual misconduct allegations.
He’d been banned since Aug. 30 after agreeing to a settlement with the league over accusations of lewd actions during massage therapy sessions made by two dozen women in Texas when he played for Houston.
The three-time Pro Bowler can now attend team meetings, interact with coaches and participate in Cleveland’s game planning. He’s also free to work out in the weight room, but he’s not eligible to practice until Nov. 14.
• Looking to fix a defense with problems galore, the Cleveland Browns acquired former Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.
Cleveland sent a sixth-round pick in 2024 to Atlanta for Jones, a six-year veteran, along with a seventh-round pick in two years.
Jones opened the season on injured reserve after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. And while he hasn’t played in the regular season, he’s expected to be ready soon and the Browns need help.
On Sunday, they gave up 238 yards rushing and lost 30-28 to the Los Angeles Chargers, who came in as the NFL’s worst rushing team. Chargers running back Austin Ekeler gained a career-high 173 yards, getting 10.8 yards a carry.
SEAHAWKS: Seattle will be without running back Rashaad Penny for the rest of the season after he suffered a broken fibula in his lower left leg in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans.
Seattle Coach Pete Carroll said on his radio show on KIRO-AM that Penny suffered the fracture and also has a significant high ankle sprain. The two injuries combined will require surgery that will end Penny’s season after just five games.
Penny was hurt early in the third quarter when he was tackled from behind on a 6-yard run near the sideline. He eventually reached the sideline without putting any weight on the leg and was taken by a cart to the locker room.
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