What we learned about Matt Rhule’s plan for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have a head coach. Now the rest of the offseason questions need to be answered.
At Matt Rhule’s first news conference as Panthers head coach, there was some light shed on the many decisions and areas that the team needs to address this offseason. But there was also a lot of information not shared about the big questions. Here’s what we learned Wednesday and what questions still need to be answered.
On Cam Newton:
When it comes to the roster, Rhule said that he hadn’t had time yet to truly sit down and get to know the team. Both he and general manager Marty Hurney were looking forward to having a few days to get together and go over things.
Because of that, not a lot was learned about what comes next with quarterback Cam Newton. And that wasn’t a surprise. As has been the case since he went on injured reserve in November, the big key is him being healthy and he’s currently still recovering from his December surgery on his left foot. Newton is doing rehab in Atlanta and currently has a boot on his foot, as seen on his Instagram story Wednesday.
Along with other players like linebacker Luke Kuechly, Rhule had a chance to speak with Newton on the phone after accepting the job Tuesday.
“I had a chance to talk to Cam (Newton) yesterday and I have the utmost respect for him and what he’s done and I love the way he talked to me, to be quite honest,” Rhule said Wednesday. “He didn’t want to talk about the past, he wanted to talk about the future. But outside of that I’d rather talk to those guys, and not just Cam, but everyone on the roster and go through the process moving forward for the entire roster.”
When asked again by NFL Network’s Tiffany Blackmon later, Rhule did expand on what Newton could do for the team in 2020.
“At the end of the day I know this. I know you need to win with a winner at quarterback and I know Cam’s done a lot of winning,” Rhule said. “I look forward to working with him, but at the same time I’ll talk to our ownership, our GM and really establish all the guys in the locker room, him, Kyle Allen and Will Grier.”
Hurney also spoke on Newton and what the future of the quarterback position may be. If the franchise quarterback is healthy, the $21.1 million he would cost to be on the roster is very reasonable for a starting quarterback with his experience. It’s just the health question.
“(The quarterback position is something) we’re going to have to sit down and talk about, the whole team. We’ve got a guy that’s been an MVP in the NFL and (Rhule) knows that. This is all going to be a process, he’s going to have to get to know these guys, get to know the roster,” Hurney said. “It’s a process, day-to-day, but that’s what I love about him. That’s the thing about this job, you wake up every morning and you’re excited to come in and get better.”
On the Assistant GM
Rhule and Hurney will work together on hiring the assistant general manager/vice president of football operations. Owner David Tepper created the position after firing Ron Rivera to assist Hurney while he is out scouting and to help out the team. The exact duties of the role are still unclear. Hurney said that filling that role won’t happen right away.
On Rhule’s contract
The Panthers gave Rhule a seven-year contract reportedly worth around $62 million, putting him among a handful of the top paid coaches in the league. Tepper also paid off Rhule’s buyout at Baylor to free him from that contract. The Panthers simply offered Rhule a deal that was too good to pass up.
The coach was scheduled to interview with the Giants Tuesday, the day he agreed to the deal with the Panthers. Tepper certainly helped make the job more appealing with the contract he offered. Rhule’s agent sent New York what the Panthers were offering Tuesday morning and the Giants declined to match it. Team owner John Mara told reporters in New York Thursday that the contract was too much for them saying, “for a new head coach in the NFL, I just didn’t think that was a reasonable way to go” and that weren’t going to offer anyone a seven-year deal. Mara also said that things may have been different if they weren’t so excited about how things went with Joe Judge, now the Giants head coach.
Rhule even acknowledged the seven-year commitment played a role in his decision to join the team and was evidence of a goal to build “sustained excellence” that has been emphasized by Tepper in the last month.
“Listen I knew what his contract was down at Baylor. I think if you find the guy you want… I told you guys again and again I want to be the best. We’re going to do this. We’re going to get this done. we’re going to be the best, we’re going to do everything we can at the best level,” Tepper said. “You don’t walk on under Joe Paterno at Penn State, Linebacker University (as Rhule did).… that’s determination to do what you can with what you’ve got. And that’s what this guy can bring. And if you marry that with potentially the resources that can be provided for this individual, there can be some very interesting things that can happen in Carolina.”
The resources Tepper can offer as the richest owner in the NFL are unquestioned. Rhule revitalized two college programs that were in disarray for various reasons when he arrived. Tepper’s vision is that with the money he’s putting into the Panthers, from the facility in Rock Hill that is scheduled to open in August 2022 to investing in a sports science program like Rhule had at Baylor, there’s no reason the coach can’t succeed in Charlotte. Look at what he was able to do with so little. Only time will tell if he’s right.
“(Rhule) used that the best he could down at Baylor with limited resources,” Tepper said. “Remember one thing about the NFL: It’s an 8-8 league. OK, they call it an 8-8 league. You all get so much, and you get the same players. That’s why it’s an 8-8 league. It’s not an 8-8 league when you build facilities. It’s not an 8-8 league when you get trainers. It’s not an 8-8 league for other sorts of things you bring in here.
“And I heard this: Carolina Panthers have an owner who has some resources.”
Other notes:
- Rhule spoke about what his staff will look like, saying that it will be a mix of his assistants from Baylor and elsewhere. He also emphasized that at Temple and Baylor he hired a veteran coach to help teach him things and he expects that to continue with the Panthers.
“I want to have a diverse staff and a mixed staff, I think I have one of the best staffs in football at Baylor. A lot of my guys got to Baylor from the NFL, so a lot of my guys have NFL experience,” Rhule said. “A lot of guys that I know are interested in coming here and there are a lot of people who are really excited about this organization. They are excited about what Mr. Tepper and Marty have already started, so I’m getting calls from guys saying I want to be a part of that.”
- Rhule will not be bringing his signature smock to Carolina. There were reports that the look would be retired at Baylor after the Sugar Bowl and he confirmed to Blackmon that it would not be coming to the Panthers.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 1:26 PM.
