NFL coaching hunt continues as Panthers, Giants reportedly find new HC’s
The Carolina Panthers are completing a contract to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule as their coach, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the deal is not done. The Panthers have not spoken publicly about the coaching search.
The person says Panthers owner David Tepper visited Rhule at his home in Waco, Texas, and decided he wanted the Baylor coach to succeed Ron Rivera, who was fired with four games remaining in the season. Rivera was the winningest coach in franchise history and was twice named AP NFL Coach of the Year.
The 44-year-old Rhule was scheduled to visit with the New York Giants this week and was believed to be a strong candidate there.
Panthers are giving former Baylor HC Matt Rhule a seven-year – seven year – deal worth $60 million that with incentives could be worth up to $70 million, per league sources.
—@AdamSchefter
Rhule was named Baylor’s coach on Dec. 6, 2016 after a scandal hit the program. He went 1-11 his first season there in 2017, then improved to 7-6 in 2018. The Bears went 11-1 in the regular season this past season, although they lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Rhule was a combined 19-20 in his three seasons at Baylor. This marks the first time the Panthers have gone with a college coach as their head coach. Previous coaches were Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox and Rivera. Perry Fewell was the interim coach the final four games this season, going 0-4.
Giants move on
The New York Giants and New England Patriots assistant Joe Judge are working on a deal for him to become the team’s head coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal is not done.
Judge has won three Super Bowls with New England in eight years as an assistant on Bill Belichick’s staff. He was the fifth candidate the Giants interviewed since firing Pat Shurmur last week.
New York Giants are finalizing a deal to make Patriots’ wide receivers coach Joe Judge their next head coach, league sources tell ESPN. Deal was in the works as of last night, which is another reason Matt Rhule took the Panthers’ HC job.
—@AdamSchefter
The third new coach tabbed for the NFC East in three days — Ron Rivera was hired by the Washington Redskins on Sunday — Judge would take over a team that went 4-12 and 5-11 in Shurmur’s two seasons and has been to the playoffs just once since winning the Super Bowl after the 2011 season.
But the Patriots’ special team co-ordinator and wide receiver coach would inherit a team with a talented young quarterback in Daniel Jones and former rookie of the year running back Saquon Barkley. The Giants have the fourth pick in this year’s draft.
The Patriots lost to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night in the wild-card round.
The 38-year-old Judge has coached for 15 years. He was part of the Patriots staff that helped guide the team to Super Bowls titles in the 2014, ’16 and ’18 seasons.
