Baker Mayfield's arrival was supposed to signal a turning point in head coach Matt Rhule's tenure with the Carolina Panthers. Instead, it spelled his demise.
After a 1-4 start to the 2022 season, the Panthers fired Rhule on Monday, the team announced.
"I think that there has been progress of some sort, but look, we're just not getting over the hump," Panthers owner David Tepper told reporters Monday, explaining his decision to move on from Rhule after fewer than three seasons. "We've got to get over the hump."
Panthers defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Steve Wilks will replace Rhule as the interim coach. Wilks, who spent one season as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, is expected to be seriously considered for the Panthers' full-time job, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday.
"There's a lot of season left and we'll see how the season goes," Tepper said regarding Wilks. "Ultimately, he's in a position to be in consideration for that position. I had a talk with Steve. No promises were made, but obviously, if he does an incredible job, he'd have to be in consideration for that."
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley were also fired, along with Rhule. Snow joined the organization with Rhule in 2020, following the head coach to the pros after stints at Temple and Baylor. Panthers defensive assistant head coach Al Holcomb is expected to be named Carolina's new DC, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported. Holcomb was Wilks' defensive coordinator in Arizona.
Unlike Rhule and Snow, general manager Scott Fitterer, who was hired in Carolina after Rhule in January 2020, is staying on for now.
"Scott is our GM," Tepper said definitively Monday. "There's no thought of mind right now. Right now, my focus is Wilks and how he can have success in his new role."
Tepper did add that a "better balance" in power between the next coach and Fitterer is more appropriate than the previous arrangement under Rhule.
Rhule's arrival came with much fanfare and a seven-year, $62 million contract in 2020. The former Temple and Baylor coach quickly built a reputation as a savior, turning both programs into winners in short fashion, and Tepper believed Rhule was the man to do the same in Carolina. What they received was far different.