Baylor head coach Matt Rhule

Status: Reported interest

Pros: Team owner David Tepper says he wants a younger coach who is going to embrace new ways of thinking and analytics. That would make a candidate like Rhule better suited than those we have listed thus far. Plucking a coach from the college ranks is a risky proposition, but when it pays off it can bring revolutionary changes in a good way. If you need evidence, look at what the Cardinals have done in just one year with an innovative young coach like Kliff Kingsbury. Hiring Rhule or someone like him would mean the Panthers are actually thinking outside the box instead of just paying lip service to the idea like they usually do.

Cons: That said, for every Kliff Kingsbury who makes it in the NFL after a good college run there are a dozen coaches who crash and burn in the pros. Managing grown men who are professionals paid at the highest level is far different than coaching unpaid college athletes. Say what you want about McCarthy and McDaniels, but they at least know what it’s like to lead a locker room. That transition can be daunting for some. In any case, it sounds like Rhule is either going to land with the Giants or stay right where he is.