Carolina Panthers fire head coach Ron Rivera with 4 games left in the season
After almost nine seasons in Carolina, the Ron Rivera chapter in Panthers history has come to a close.
The team announced Tuesday the coach had been fired from the position he has held since 2011.
Rivera was hired as the franchise’s fourth head coach. He accumulated a 76-63-1 regular-season record — the most wins in franchise history — and had a 3-4 postseason record. During Rivera’s tenure, Carolina had the 10th-best record in the NFL. This is the first time the Panthers have fired a coach prior to the end of the season.
The Panthers are currently 5-7 and in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Secondary coach Perry Fewell will take over as interim head coach. Quarterbacks coach Scott Turner will take over as offensive coordinator for his father, Norv Turner, who will transition to special assistant to the head coach. General manager Marty Hurney is remaining with the organization.
Owner David Tepper said Rivera was fired mid-season because he had heard other teams were beginning their coaching searches. He didn’t want the Panthers to be at a competitive disadvantage in finding a new leader for his team.
“I’m not going to start a search and not tell Ron Rivera I’m starting a search. Full stop,” Tepper said. “(Rivera is) too good a man, I have great respect for Ron, a great human being. I’m not going to disrespect anybody like that, especially a man like Ron Rivera.”
Rivera guided the team to one Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl 50) and three NFC South titles. He was also named Coach of the Year twice.
Tepper is in the second year of his Panthers ownership and made the decision to retain Rivera following the 2018 season, despite the team’s seven-game losing streak after a 6-2 start.
“I’ve been pretty patient,” Tepper said. “I came in and waited for awhile, like I said, I thought it was time.”
This season, the team lost starting quarterback Cam Newton, as well as numerous other starters, including kicker Graham Gano and defensive lineman Kawaan Short, to injury. The Panthers run defense has especially struggled this year. Since Week 8, the ’ defense is 32nd in rushing touchdowns allowed (15) and yards per attempt (5.85). The Panthers offense has also had its issues, despite Christian McCaffrey’s historic season. They are on pace to allow the second-most sacks in team history (60).
In its 25 years, Carolina has yet to put together back-to-back winning seasons.
Tepper told the media two weeks ago that any major decision would take into account the fact that Newton played injured for much of the 2018 season and played just two games in 2019 due to a Lisfranc injury.
As the Panthers prepare to take their next step, the questions at quarterback will remain for some time.
“Hopefully Cam’s healthy, I frankly don’t know and neither does Cam right now,” Tepper said. “Last time I looked there are three quarterbacks on this team. Kyle Allen, who you’ve seen a lot of, still young. Will Grier, who hasn’t been in yet, who we’re developing in a very traditional way, who may be very good at some point and Cam Newton. So there’s a lot of possibilities here for somebody to look at if they want to come here.”
Search for a new coach
The search for a new coach will be led by an internal committee made up of both the football and business side of the organization. It will begin immediately. Internal candidates, such as Fewell, will be considered for the job, but it will be a wide-ranging search.
In the initial statement released by the Panthers, Tepper indicated the next coach should have “the right mix of old-school discipline and toughness with modern and innovative processes,” showing an emphasis on analytics that the owner has already begun to bring to the organization.
The Panthers owner did say that type of coach tends to have experience on the offensive side, unlike Rivera’s defensive background.
“In the modern NFL I think there’s a preference for offensive coordinators. There’s reasons for that,” Tepper said. “That does not mean that if you find somebody fantastic on the defensive side I won’t consider it. The question is can you have a defensive guy who’s accepting of that too. You might think that offensive guys have that more. And then it’s how that gets implemented.
“The NFL has made rules to lean to the offense, to lean that way, that’s why you’re having more people go that way. But I think it’s more important and I think you have a lot of people on that side accepting the more modern processes.”
Tepper said a new head coach could come from a college program, but there is a more difficult transition that occurs when coming from that level.
What comes next
While the team is moving on from its long-time head coach, Hurney will apparently be retaining the job he has held since 2018. He was also the team’s general manager from 2002-12. The team will be adding an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations, who Hurney will play a role in selecting.
“Marty Hurney happens to be an excellent evaluator of college talent. You can look at the stats. That’s what it is,” Tepper said. “When I talk about this assistant GM, there’s other things. I believe in these football organizations should be two different people. ... I’m going to keep somebody who I think is very good, and put him in the best position for success.”
The new coach person who is hired will be responsible for communicating between the business and football side of things, especially when Hurney is on the road scouting. The new coach will also have “pro scouting chops.” The general manager will play a role in the hiring for the new position.
Scott Turner will be taking over offensive coordinator responsibilities from his father as Tepper wants to take a look at the different “talent” that is already within the organization. The younger Turner will have four games to showcase his play-calling abilities. Tepper elected to keep Norv Turner on staff as he has “great respect” for him and his knowledge.
While a new period of Panthers football may be beginning, Rivera is going out with an outpouring of support from former and current players and people around the NFL community.
Rivera was hired in 2011 following tenures as defensive coordinator in Chicago (2004-06) and San Diego (2008-10). The 57-year old was a linebacker in the NFL for nine years in Chicago (1984-92), including playing on the legendary 1985 Bears defense.
“I have great regard for Ron Rivera. He is one of the finest guys in this game. Period,” Tepper said. “That’s the way it is. That’s not bullshit.”
Rivera will be remembered in Charlotte for much more than what he did as a coach. He and his wife Stephanie became integral members of the community and spent time supporting a variety of causes.
Change is never easy and the impact Rivera made on this organization and Charlotte will remain. Whatever it may look like, a new era of Panthers football will start in 2020.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers fire head coach Ron Rivera with 4 games left in the season."