Luke Kuechly suddenly announced his retirement from the NFL last week at the age of 28, stunning the sports world and leaving Panthers fans deflated. It sounds like he’s not going away, though. Over the weekend, Adam Schefter at ESPN reported Kuechly is interested in sticking around in Carolina for a post-retirement role.
For what it’s worth, the team’s new head coach seems enthusiastic about the idea. Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Matt Rhule said that he hopes Kuechly will rejoin the team as a coach at some point. Apparently, he’s already been spending time in the film room with Rhule’s staff.
.@Panthers HC Matt Rhule told Bill Polian, @CoachNeuheisel & me on @SiriusXMNFL that he hopes Luke Kuechly at some point will rejoin the @Panthers as a coach. Luke was already in the building post-retirement watching film with Matt's staff
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) January 23, 2020
Fish have to swim and Kuechly’s water is clearly the game of football, even if he’s not going to be on the field.
A lot of fans have been calling for Kuechly to be hired as the Panthers’ new linebackers coach. While he doesn’t have any prior coaching experience, Kuechly obviously knows what he’s talking about at that position and has all the qualities you’d want from a good leader.
Kuechly looks like an obvious candidate for Rhule’s staff, However, he is also considering other alternatives. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, he’s also exploring broadcast opportunities.
RE Luke Kuechly and coaching, obviously a natural fit if he wants to pursue it.
I’ve also been told he is exploring broadcasting opportunities, per industry source.— Joe Person (@josephperson) January 23, 2020
Tight end Greg Olsen has done pretty well for himself as an analyst and his resume continues to grow. He will be working this year’s Super Bowl pre-game show for FOX in addition to five games for the new XFL season. Kuechly has a close relationship with Olsen, so perhaps he’ll be inspired by No. 88 to go into the booth.
Whatever direction Kuechly chooses for his new career, we wouldn’t bet against him.
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