The Carolina Panthers are in the midst of another disappointing season. It has cost coach Ron Rivera his job, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Panthers fired Ron Rivera.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 3, 2019
Panthers’ owner David Tepper on the firing Ron Rivera: “I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 3, 2019
According to the team’s website, Tepper added: “We are going to take a comprehensive and thorough review of our football operation to make sure we are structured for long-term sustained success. Our vision is to find the right mix of old-school discipline and toughness with modern and innovative processes. We will consider a wide range of football executives to complement our current football staff. One change that we will implement is hiring an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations. We all must recognize that this is the first step in a process, but we are committed to building and maintaining a championship culture for our team and our fans.”
Secondary’s coach Perry Fewell will take over as interim head coach.
Quarterback’s coach Scott Turner will take over as offensive coordinator and Norv Turner will transition to special assistant to head coach.
— Caroline Cann (@ncarolinecann) December 3, 2019
The final straw in a season that has Carolina at 5-7 came Sunday when the Panthers moved to a 14-0 lead against woeful Washington. However, Washington scored 29 unanswered points and held off a late rally by the Panthers, 29-21.
The Panthers have lost four in a row and are in third place in the NFC East.
This was Rivera’s ninth season as head coach in Carolina. His overall record with the Panthers was 76-63-1. He took over from John Fox in 2011. Fox had held the job from 2002-10.
Rivera led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. They went 15-1 before losing to the Broncos in the championship game. Since, he has had three seasons below .500, including 2019. He was 3-4 in the playoffs, winning two games after the 2015 season en route to the Super Bowl.
Rivera lost quarterback Cam Newton early in this season and turned to Kyle Allen, who has been serviceable.
Rivera is the second NFL coach to lose his job this season. Washington fired Jay Gruden earlier and gave Bill Callahan the interim tag. It was Callahan’s team that downed the Panthers in what turned out to be Rivera’s final game with Carolina.