After firing of Matt Rhule, will Carolina Panthers job attract coaches? Maybe | Opinion

Monday morning, the Carolina Panthers – in a fairly anticipated move – became the first NFL team to make a head coaching change during the 2022 season, terminating Matt Rhule midway through his third campaign.

Rhule, who signed a seven-year, $62 million contract in 2020, went 11-27 in two-plus pro seasons, losing 11 of his final 12 games. And while he seems likely to head back to the college ranks where he made his bones – Nebraska, anyone? – and probably should have stayed there all along, where does that leave the Panthers? For one thing, Carolina owner David Tepper has at least created the opportunity to get a head start on filling his vacancy.

Let's explore the enticements and drawbacks of this job:

Quarterback situation

In a word: horrendous. The July trade for Baker Mayfield has been a definitive failure. His 71.9 passer rating is the worst in the league among qualified passers, and now he's down with a high ankle sprain. Mayfield's been even worse than Sam Darnold was last year, though at least he only came at the cost of a conditional fifth-round draft pick. Darnold is currently recovering from his own high ankle sprain, but it matters little as he and Mayfield will both be free agents after the season. Neither PJ Walker nor Jacob Eason have done anything to suggest they're more than backups. Third-round rookie Matt Corral has potential but is out for the year with a Lisfranc injury suffered in preseason.

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However, another word might ultimately describe Carolina's circumstances: opportunity. The Panthers are tied for the league's worst record (1-4) and positioning themselves well for what's expected to be a bumper quarterback crop when the 2023 draft arrives. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson are expected to be among the first-round options.

Roster

There's talent here, maybe not in overwhelming abundance but certainly enough to create a sense of optimism. LT Ickey Ekwonu, CB Jaycee Horn and DE Brian Burns are on rookie contracts – Burns does need an extension soon – and man football's premier non-QB positions. RB Christian McCaffrey, 26, and WR DJ Moore, 25, are highly capable weapons who could be cornerstones or trade bait. RT Taylor Moton, G Austin Corbett, DT Derrick Brown, S Jeremy Chinn, CB Donte Jackson and LB Shaq Thompson are also solid.

Salary cap

Per Over The Cap, Carolina needs to shed more than $11 million to comply with next year's cap projection of approximately $225 million. Thompson's and WR Robbie Anderson's contracts could render them cap casualties, though extending Burns could bring relief. Regardless, GM Scott Fitterer is not likely to be a major player in free agency.

2023 draft

Fitterer and Rhule aggressively used picks to obtain veterans with upside, but to little avail. Moving up for Corral this spring and earlier deals for Darnold and CB C.J. Henderson stripped this team of mid-round choices. Carolina had no second-rounder this year and isn't scheduled to have its selections in Rounds 3 or 6 next spring. But settling atop the board for a likely top-five slot in 2023 could solve a whole lot.

Outlook

This is obviously a mixed bag, but a situation any coach worth his salt will view with optimism – assuming he can work well with Fitterer, to the degree that's even a prerequisite. Having so much highly regarded talent in key spots means the franchise can largely focus its efforts on the ongoing quarterback quandary. Tepper is the league's second-richest owner and was willing, per reports, to make a run at Matthew Stafford in 2021 and Deshaun Watson this past spring despite all the baggage that would've come with that acquisition. And given what Tepper (an accomplished hedge fund manager) invested in Rhule, good bet he'll do whatever it takes to lure and enable the next coach to do what his predecessor couldn't – win – particularly given the owner's apparent interest in renovating Bank of America Stadium and desire to build a new training facility and headquarters for his franchise. "We have to build a culture of winning," Tepper said Monday.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carolina Panthers coaching job an attractive one? Answer is complex