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Wilks named interim head coach after Panthers fire Rhule

Panthers Rhule Football
Posted at 10:39 AM, Oct 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-10 12:39:37-04

Matt Rhule is the first National Football League coach to be fired this season.

On Monday, the Carolina Panthers announced they'd fired Rhule, who was in his third season at the helm.

The team named assistant coach Steve Wilks as interim head coach.

The firing comes after the Panthers fell to 1-4 after losing 37-15 at home to the San Francisco 49ers, the Associated Press reported.

The news outlet reported that Rhule left Baylor to become the Panthers' head coach in 2020 after signing a seven-year, $62 million deal.

According to USA Today, Rhule is the first Panthers coach in franchise history to serve fewer than three seasons.

Panthers owner brought Rhule in to replace longtime head coach Ron Rivera, who Tepper fired during the 2019 season, the Associated Press reported.

The team went through four quarterbacks during Rhule's tenure, beginning with Teddy Bridgewater in 2020. Then the team saw Sam Darnold and Cam Newton behind center before they traded for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield during the offseason, the news outlets reported.

According to the news outlets, Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, hasn't played well, only completing 54.9% of his passes this season for 962 yards.