When Ricky Proehl played for the Carolina Panthers, he did plenty of coaching.

He might be able to make it a full-time job, depending on how Thursday's interview went.

The former Wake Forest and NFL wideout met with coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney for the team's vacant receivers coach job, according to two league sources.

The Panthers also hired veteran offensive line coach John Matsko, adding some seniority to a young staff.

Proehl, 42, has been retired and working with prospects at his Greensboro training complex in recent years.

However, he has gotten the itch to get into coaching full-time, according to his agent, who said Proehl turned down inquiries the past two offseasons from NFL teams. Agent Alan Herman wouldn't confirm Thursday's interview, but said "Ricky has talked to them (the Panthers) recently about it."

"Just hearing from the guys who work out with him, everyone's amazed at how detailed and exacting he is," Herman said. "To put him in a team situation, especially with the Panthers and all their young receivers, they'd have an outstanding receiving corps if they offered him the job and he accepted."

Proehl played his last meaningful football for the Panthers from 2003 to 2005, finishing up with a cameo for Indianapolis in 2006.

He was originally a third-round pick of the Phoenix Cardinals in 1990, out of Wake Forest. He logged 17 years in the league, also playing with Seattle, Chicago and St. Louis. In his career, he caught 669 passes for 8,878 yards and 54 touchdowns, but was known for making spectacular plays at the right times.

Of his eight regular-season touchdown receptions in three years with the Panthers, perhaps none was bigger than his first, which capped the Panthers' come-from-behind win against Jacksonville in the 2003 opener. That one helped established quarterback Jake Delhomme as their leader, and the Panthers' comeback personality, which lifted them to a Super Bowl run.

But Proehl's reputation as a clutch player began long before he came to the Panthers.

It started with his game-winning touchdown for St. Louis in the 1999 NFC Championship Game against Tampa Bay, and he'd eventually add game-tying touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXVI for the Rams and Super Bowl XXXVIII for Carolina. In both Super Bowls, his heroics were spoiled by last-second field goals by Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Former Panthers wide receivers coach Richard Williamson said those experiences would help his former pupil if he ended up with the job.

"I think he'd be really good at it," the retired coach said Thursday. "Obviously Ricky was always a student of the game, and he had success everywhere he went. But the biggest thing I think would help him is the way he communicates with the young guys.

"What Ricky did, he always knew exactly what his niche in the game was, what he had to do and how to do it. He knows the way the game's supposed to be played."

With three receivers drafted last year the Panthers hope to develop (David Gettis, Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards), that would obviously be a benefit. But Proehl also made a profound impression on Steve Smith, as the Panthers star has long regarded him as a mentor.

"Everywhere he went, younger receivers revolved around him, looking for advice," Herman said. "Whether it was Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt in St. Louis or Smith in Carolina, guys sought out his advice and counsel instead of their position coaches a lot of times.

"Players know Ricky's been there, and done that at the highest level."

Matsko, who will turn 60 in February, was fired by Baltimore Wednesday and the Panthers moved quickly to get him.

His most notable work was in St. Louis (during the Proehl years), but he's also had recent success with the Ravens. In three years there, the Ravens went to the playoffs each year, and finished in the top five in rushing twice.

"John is regarded as an outstanding teacher in both the rushing and pass blocking aspects of offensive line play," Rivera said in a statement released by the team. "A good offensive line is vital to the success of any offense and John has a history of overseeing some outstanding units."

The Panthers have also interviewed Jacksonville quarterbacks coach Mike Shula for the same job here.