Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera Plans To Continue Coaching

December 4th, 2019 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

Ron Rivera is out as the coach of the Panthers, but he’s not done with the NFL. The well-respected defensive guru told reporters that he “absolutely” plans to continue on the sidelines.

[RELATED: Panthers Fire Ron Rivera]

“Get ready for the next chapter,” Rivera said. “I’m kind of excited.”

Rivera figures to be one of the more sought-after coaching candidates of the offseason. At least, for the teams who are not dead-set on younger coaches of the Sean McVay mold. And, even though Rivera could comfortably retire at this stage, he’s still itching to achieve his ultimate dream of winning a Super Bowl.

In eight-plus seasons, Rivera coached the Panthers to a 76-63-1 regular season record, a 3-4 playoff record, and, most notably, a Super Bowl appearance. One can only help but wonder how things would have played out this year if the Panthers – and quarterback Cam Newton – managed to stay healthy.

Panthers Fire Ron Rivera

December 3rd, 2019 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have fired longtime head coach Ron Rivera. The search for a new head coach will begin immediately, with secondary coach Perry Fewell serving as the interim lead.

“I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community,” owner David Tepper said in a press release. “I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.”

The shakeup also will see offensive coordinator Norv Turner transition to special assistant to the head coach as quarterbacks coach Scott Turner moves to offensive coordinator.

Rivera became just the fourth head coach in Panthers history when he was hired in 2011. He went on to amass a 76-63-1 regular season record, a 3-4 playoff record, and, most notably, a Super Bowl appearance. The Panthers did not win it all under Rivera’s watch, but he was a beloved figure nonetheless.

Midway through a trying season, the Panthers opted for a change.

“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,” said Tepper. “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.”

Rivera was one of the major faces of the franchise, alongside one-time MVP quarterback Cam Newton. After the dust settles from the sideline shakeup, it’s quite possible that the QB will also follow him out the door. Newton is among the league’s most dangerous and electrifying signal callers when healthy, but he has been sidelined all year and is now far removed from his best work.

For the time being, Newton and GM Marty Hurney are still in the picture. Rivera, meanwhile, stands as one of the most respected defensive minds in the NFL and could easily find work elsewhere, if he wants to continue coaching.

Extra Points: Rivera, Hodges, Giants, Green

December 1st, 2019 at 8:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Panthers suffered an absolutely brutal loss Sunday, losing at home to the Redskins as massive favorites. Carolina is effectively eliminated from the playoff hunt, and Ron Rivera’s seat is starting to heat up. The ugly loss was “likely more than enough to prompt new owner David Tepper to make big changes in January,” writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Rivera was rumored to be close to getting fired after last year, but his staff was given one more season to prove themselves. Tepper only bought the team before last season, so he doesn’t have any particularly deep ties to the coach who guided them to a Super Bowl a handful of years ago.

It might not help or matter much, but the circumstances have been far from ideal for Rivera in 2019. Cam Newton was never healthy and barely played, and he’s had second-year UDFA Kyle Allen under center for most of the year. The Panthers went on a hot streak after Allen was inserted, but have since completely collapsed. For his part, Rivera insisted after the game he wasn’t worrying about his job status per Bill Voth of the team’s official site (Twitter link), although there’s not really much else he can say at this point. Assuming he gets fired it’ll be interesting to see what kind of interest he gets on the market, considering he’s had real success in the past. Notably, offensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Norv Turner would surely become available as well if Rivera is let go.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Steelers benched Mason Rudolph and are rolling with Devlin Hodges at quarterback, and they picked up a crucial win over the Browns on Sunday. Mike Tomlin’s decision to go with Hodges was “was well received throughout the organization,” La Canfora writes in a separate piece. JLC also adds that some people in the building were surprised Tomlin didn’t initially stick with Hodges after he won a game over the Chargers while Rudolph was sidelined with a concussion. He notes that the staff loves Hodges’ scrambling ability, and that he’s been compared to Gardner Minshew by some in the organization. Pittsburgh is apparently pretty high on Hodges and barring injury, it doesn’t sound like we’ll see Rudolph again any time soon.
Speaking of embattled coaching staffs, the Giants’ is up against it right now. Rumors of a potential Pat Shurmur firing continue to percolate, and the Giants got routed by the Packers on Sunday as pictures of a mostly empty stadium went viral online. The staff has yet another problem on their hands now, as cornerback Janoris Jenkins publicly blasted the way he’s being used after the game.”You’ve got to use your weapons. I’m the only one in the league that doesn’t travel (w/the opponents top WR). I don’t understand why,” Jenkins said via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter links). “It’s common sense. I’m on the left side of the field all game. I get two passes thrown my way. All the top corners in the league travel. Rabbit doesn’t travel anymore.” Jenkins is apparently clashing with defensive coordinator James Bettcher. Jackrabbit has one year left on his five-year, $62.5 MM deal after this one. He could be cut following this season for only around a $3.5MM penalty, but he’s still by far the best player in their secondary.
Some slight positive news to pass along in the continuing A.J. Green watch, as the Bengals receiver said “everything’s trending up” with his troublesome ankle, per Ben Baby of ESPN.com. The talented wideout still didn’t give any concrete timetable for a return, saying “when my ankle feels good enough to play, then I’ll play.” Green returned to practice a few weeks ago and appeared to be returning imminently, but then suffered a setback. Even without their top offensive option, Cincy managed to pick up their first win of the season Sunday.

Latest On Ron Rivera’s Future With Panthers

November 24th, 2019 at 10:01am CST by Rory Parks

Panthers owner David Tepper recently spoke with the media about the state of his team, though he specifically told reporters that he would not answer questions about head coach Ron Rivera. However, the fact that Tepper held the impromptu session at all led some members of the organization wondering about Rivera’s future, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes.

Tepper was considering major changes last year, but he ultimately stuck with the status quo for 2019. The hedge fund billionaire purchased the club in 2018 and focused more on the business side of operations during his first year in charge, but he was clear about his desire to eventually become more involved in the football side. As such, 2019 was always going to be a defining year, and, in the wake of Carolina’s recent slump — including last week’s blowout loss to the 3-7 Falcons — Tepper is once again mulling a significant shakeup.

Rivera is under contract through 2020, though Tepper may be inclined to part ways in favor of a head coach with an offensive background and an analytics-based approach. Indeed, sources close to Tepper say that, barring a major turnaround, the owner is likely to make a change at season’s end.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) confirms that the manner in which Rivera’s 5-5 Panthers close out the season will go a long way towards determining his future in Carolina. Regardless of whether or not Tepper fires Rivera, the team will have to figure out what to do with QB Cam Newton, though Tepper said that no decision would be made in that regard until Newton is fully healthy.

NFC Rumors: Kaepernick, 49ers, Panthers

November 19th, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The only team connected to Colin Kaepernick since his 49ers run ended, the Seahawks had a representative in Atlanta for the free agent quarterback’s workout Saturday. However, they were one of the many teams who opted not to trek from the Falcons’ Flowery Branch, Ga., facility to Riverdale. Roughly an hour separates these Atlanta-area locales, and 18 teams on hand for the would-be showcase at the NFL facility did not travel to the high school where the workout ended up occurring.

“Disappointed,” Pete Carroll said of the Seahawks missing the workout, via Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR (via Pro Football Talk). “We had planned to be at that workout. It got changed around, and we couldn’t hang with it. Unfortunately, we sent somebody, but we couldn’t stay with the changes that happened. We missed it. We were real curious. I was real curious to see how the workout went. Just competing as always, you know.”

While Carroll said he has seen some of the workout, no team has yet expressed interest in the 32-year-old passer. Kaepernick’s agent is not optimistic a deal will materialize. The Seahawks met with Kaepernick in 2017 but cancelled a 2018 summit.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

In a state-of-the-union-style address, Panthers owner David Tepper asked that no Ron Rivera– or Marty Hurney-related questions be asked. The second-year owner said multiple times this week he will not accept mediocrity, via Joseph Person of The Athletic (subscription required). Carolina made the playoffs four times from 2013-17 but is 12-14 since. Tepper overhauled the Panthers’ business operations since taking over and considered making major football-ops changes after last season. Rivera is signed through the 2020 season. With Hurney also rehired as GMbefore Tepper took over, it is safe to assume both decision-makers’ jobs will be on the line over the season’s final six weeks.
Tepper did discuss Cam Newton‘s status, indicating the quarterback’s foot injury would be factored into the overall evaluation of the team and that no decision will be made on Newton until he is healthy again. With that potentially being months away, teams interested in trading for the former MVP may have to adjust their offseason blueprints. Tepper added that ideally Newton would be back and lead the Panthers to another Super Bowl but did not guarantee the 30-year-old passer would return.
The 49ers‘ retooled roster has restored the franchise as an NFC contender after five years off the radar. The team should not be expected to be a major player in 2020 free agency, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required). However, the one exception would be at receiver, Barrows adds. Kyle Shanahan opted against adding a big-ticket receiver in 2018 or ’19, after 2017’s failed Pierre Garcon move. But the team traded for Emmanuel Sanders this year to address a key need. Sanders is a free agent at season’s end. The 2020 UFA receiver class as of now includes Amari Cooper, A.J. Green, Robby Anderson and Josh Gordon. But with Cooper and Green candidates to stay in their respective cities, this receiver class could be thin.
On the subject of NFC receiver situations, Cowboys wideout Noah Brown will not play this season. Stashed on Dallas’ PUP list after a June knee surgery, Brown recently underwent another procedure, Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes. The 2017 seventh-round pick played in 21 Cowboys games between 2017-18. He is expected to be ready for the team’s offseason program.

Coaching Notes: Kaczor, Redskins, Panthers, Goodwin

January 19th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Ben Levine

The Redskins announced yesterday that they’ve hired Nate Kaczor as their new special teams coordinator. The long-time coach had interviewed with the organization earlier this week.

“We are excited to have Nate join our staff. We have had the opportunity to face his special teams play during his time at Tampa Bay and respected competing against him,” said head coach Jay Gruden. “He is a competitor and we have noticed and admired the intensity his units have played with through the course of his time as a special teams coordinator and assistant coach in the NFL.”

Kaczor had spent the past three seasons in the same role with the Buccaneers, and he previously served as the Titans’ special teams coordinator. He also had a stint as an assistant with the Jaguars. Prior to his tenure in the NFL, Kaczor spent 17 years in the NCAA, with jobs at Idaho and Nebraska-Kearney.

Let’s check out some more coaching notes from around the NFL…

Panthers owner David Tepper told reports that he didn’t want to “make rash decision[s]” on the status of head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney (via Joe Person of The Athletic on Twitter). Ultimately, the owner judge the duo throughout the entire 2018 season (not just the stretch run), and this led to him retaining the pair for the 2019 season.
Buccaneers assistant head coach Harold Goodwin wasn’t happy that Steve Wilks lost his job with the Cardinals, noting that his friend never got a chance to succeed. “That hurt a little bit,” Goodwin told ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “He’s a friend of mine. We worked together back in the day with the Bears. It’s hard to build something from the ground up with one year. It’s like, ‘Hey, I want you to start this Fortune 500 company, but you’ve got one year.’ That’s impossible. And that’s what he was tasked with.”
Goodwin also grumbled about the lack of minority hires around the NFL, noting that teams really don’t take the Rooney Rule seriously. “Every time I went in to interview, ‘You don’t call plays.’ Well, I did call plays in the preseason,” Goodwin said. “Are we looking for play-callers or are we looking for leaders? Leaders of men, who can help build an organization from the ground up on the football side…The next excuse was, ‘Well, we don’t like your staff.’ A lot of my staff is still coaching. Some guys are coordinators in the NFL now that have had a lot of success that were on my list.”
We learned yesterday that the Cardinals added another name to their offensive coordinator search, as former Browns head coach Hue Jackson is scheduled to interview for the gig.

South Notes: Jaguars, Bevell, Panthers, Texans

January 8th, 2019 at 7:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will interview with Jaguars for their vacant OC job on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bevell did not coach this year but took part in some interviews during the 2018 hiring period, which featured his Seattle ouster. It’s been Bevell’s plan to coach in 2019 and he could realize that goal if he is hired by Jacksonville.

Bevell previously interviewed for the Falcons job, but that position has already been filled by ex-Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter.

Here’s more from the South divisions:

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera called plays during the final month of the season and he’ll continue to do so in 2019, a source tells Joseph Person of The Athletic. Speculatively, Person wonders if that will prevent Rivera from luring a seasoned defensive coach such as Steve Wilks, who has obvious ties to the team.
Texans defensive star Jadeveon Clowney earned a payment of $1.005MM to resolve a dispute over the position designation for his fifth-year option, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In the event of a franchise tag, the Texans have been planning to designate him as a linebacker, which would pay him roughly $16.3MM in 2019. However, he was pushing to be tagged as a defensive end, which pays at least $18MM. The settlement more or less splits things down the middle, which may remove one complication in tagging him or ultimately signing him to a long-term extension.

Coaching Rumors: Rex Ryan, Gase, Dolphins, Harbaugh, Broncos

December 30th, 2018 at 7:32pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There will be a ton of coaching rumors in the coming days, and we’ve already seen our first post-season firing. We’ve got a whole new round of notes ready, including an interesting tidbit about a very high profile name. Former Jets and Bills coach Rex Ryan is reportedly telling potential assistant coach candidates that he expects to land an interview with the Dolphins, sources told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Ryan is an out of left field name who hasn’t been talked about much recently, but he’s apparently eager to get back into coaching. One important caveat here is that there’s no guarantee Adam Gase gets fired by the Dolphins, but Ryan is apparently expecting him to. Salguero notes that Ryan is also a candidate for the University of Miami’s open job, and that Ryan is telling associates he has a “solid chance” to land one of the two jobs, but that he’d prefer the Dolphins one. If Ryan somehow ends up coaching the Dolphins next year, it’ll be the third AFC East team he’s led.

Here’s more on the coaching carousel:

Speaking of Gase, there have been conflicting reports about his job security recently. For his part Gase denied thinking about it much after his team’s blowout loss to the Bills, saying “I mean I’m not even thinking about that right now because we just got drummed on the road”, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wolfe also notes that Gase said he didn’t speak much with owner Stephen Ross, who was in the locker room after the game.
We heard earlier today that multiple teams were considering trying to trade for Ravens coach John Harbaugh, and now we have a better idea of which teams. The Dolphins and Broncos are two teams that have expressed interest in trading for Harbaugh, according to Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders (Twitter link). While he notes the Buccaneers haven’t yet been linked, he thinks they “could get into the mix” eventually. The Ravens won the AFC North today, but Harbaugh could still be available, especially if Baltimore goes one and done in the playoffs.
It’d already been reported that Ron Rivera was likely safe in Carolina, and now it’s official. New owner David Tepper has informed Rivera personally that he’ll be back coaching the team in 2019, a source told Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). It was a disappointing season for the Panthers after they completely collapsed after jumping out to a 6-2 record, but the explanation of injuries and Rivera’s track record with the team saved his job for at least another year.

Latest On Ron Rivera, Marty Hurney, Panthers’ Vets

December 30th, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Last week, we heard that Panthers head coach Ron Rivera would likely remain with the team in 2019, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirm as much. Both reporters believe there could be changes made to Rivera’s coaching staff, however, and Rapoport expects such changes would be made primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Having Rivera take over defensive play-calling duties earlier this season has already paid dividends, but Rapoport suggests that the team could look to reunite with former DC Steve Wilks if Wilks is fired by the Cardinals (as is expected).

In any event, JLC says that Rivera and new owner David Tepper will have a candid conversation after the season, and if Rivera balks at Tepper’s demand for changes to the composition of Rivera’s staff, then the situation could deteriorate. But for the moment, it appears as if Rivera will be back for his ninth year at the helm, though he will have at least a few different subordinates. Rapoport says that GM Marty Hurney is likely safe as well. David Newton of ESPN.com spoke to Tepper today, but Tepper declined to comment on Rivera’s status.

Meanwhile, as Joe Person of The Athletic writes, the Panthers are expected to bid adieu to at least a couple franchise icons. Julius Peppers is expected to retire, and Thomas Davis has indicated he would like to be back with the club, but his contract is up at the end of the year and there is no guarantee he will be back. Of course, Ryan Kalil announced back in January that this season would be his last, and he has not given any indication that he has changed his mind. While Greg Olsen expects to return in 2019, and though the team is exploring a new deal with safety Eric Reid, there will be significant turnover to a roster that has been one of the league’s oldest over the past several seasons. Person offers his take on what the Panthers should do with their top ten players on expiring contracts.

It has become clear to most everyone, including Person and Newton, that Devin Funchess will not be back with the club in 2019. Funchess is inactive for today’s finale, and his playing time had already decreased significantly in the second half of the season.

South Coaching Rumors: Koetter, Quinn, Marrone, Rivera

December 23rd, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Rory Parks

It has been assumed that the Buccaneers and head coach Dirk Koetter would be parting ways at the end of the season, but Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) does not necessarily believe that assumption is a safe one. Rapoport says Koetter could certainly be fired — which would then make him a very appealing OC candidate for rival clubs — but the Glazer family has not ruled out keeping Koetter and the entire “upper structure” of the team. After all, Tampa Bay’s offense is the most prolific in franchise history, and the club’s defense has become a league-average unit since former DC Mike Smith was fired in October.

Now for more rumors on head coaches in the league’s south divisions:

Rapoport also says Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is expected to be back for 2019. There has not been much national chatter about Quinn’s job security anyway, so that does not come as much of a surprise. but Rapoport does expect “significant changes” at the coordinator spots. We already learned that offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is likely on his way out, and Rapoport confirms that Darrell Bevell will be on the short list to replace him. Defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel also appears in danger of losing his job [SOURCE LINK].
At the end of November, Rapoport said that Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is in no danger of losing his job, and he doubled down on that report today, saying that Jacksonville owner Shad Khan and executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin believe in Marrone. The team will seek a new QB and a new offensive coordinator, but it currently sounds as if Marrone will get another shot in 2019. Of course, there have been rumblings that Coughlin himself will consider taking over the head coaching reins, but Rapoport’s sources seem to refute to notion.
Despite rumors of a potential shakeup, Rapoport says the Panthers are expected to retain head coach Ron Rivera. New owner David Tepper reportedly believes in Rivera, who recently took over defensive play-calling duties and who would become one of the top head coaching candidates on the market if he were let go. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, though, suggests that Tepper could indeed go in another direction at season’s end, but if he does, it will be difficult to find someone who would represent a clear improvement over Rivera [SOURCE LINK].

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