Matt Rhule contract buyout: How much will the fired Panthers HC get paid?

The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule five games into the 2022 NFL season after he was hired in January 2020. In his final game as head coach, the team lost to the San Francisco 49ers 37-15 at home. Carolina owner David Tepper had given Rhule a seven-year contract worth over $70 million. Now, Tepper and the Panthers owe Rhule a substantial amount of money.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the former Carolina head coach is owed more than $40 million just a bit over two years into the contract.

Before being hired by the Panthers, Rhule was the head coach of the Baylor Bears, who won 11 games in his final season with the team in 2019, the second-most wins in a season in Baylor football history. Overall, he had a 19-20 record with Baylor in three seasons with two Bowl-game appearances.

Before the Baylor job, Rhule took over as head coach of the Temple Owls from 2013 -2016. After going a combined 8-16 in his first two seasons at Temple, Rhule had consecutive 10-win seasons with the Owls and made two Bowl games.

One reason why Rhule was likely hired by Tepper was because of NFL experience, or lack thereof. Before the Owls job, he spent the 2012 NFL season with the New York Giants as an assistant offensive line coach.

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Matt Rhule and his tenure with the Carolina Panthers

In more than two seasons as Carolina's head coach, Rhule had an 11-27 record (.289 winning percentage), with a losing streak of five or more games in his first two seasons. In total, he leaves the franchise with the fewest wins in team history among full-time head coaches.

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach and current secondary/def. pass game coordinator Steve Wilks will be the interim head coach for the Panthers the rest of the way. The team will be in search of their sixth full-time head coach with many possible NFL coordinators in the mix.