After their disappointing regular season came to an end, the Carolina Panthers moved quickly to hire Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, inking him to a seven-year deal worth $60 million.
That's a large sum of cash for a man who's never coached at the professional level. And apparently, other NFL teams are enraged at the Panthers-- namely owner David Tepper -- for throwing Rhule that much money.
"Tepper just drove the price of pork up, and I know the owners are pissed," an unnamed NFC South coach said to Robert Klemko of the Washington Post. "They're gonna hurt him at the next league meetings. They might just shut him out of the room."
Despite never coaching an NFL game up to this point, Rhule already ranks sixth among the highest paid head coaches in the league. He makes even more than Super Bowl-winning head coaches such as Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Doug Pederson (Philadelphia Eagles).
In fact, Rhule (close to $8.6 million annually) isn't far off of Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (around $9 million annually). The latter is also a Super Bowl-winning coach, who guided Baltimore to the top record during the 2019 regular season at 14-2.
But now that the Panthers have thrown money at Rhule, other established head coaches have good reason to seek long-term deals worth more than $10 million annually. Owners may not like it, but the coaches will have plenty more leverage now.
Rhule was also in the running to become head coach of the New York Giant, but co-owner John Mara stated that the team wasn't going to do a seven-year term for anyone.
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While the Panthers got Rhule, the Giants landed a big name in Joe Judge, who served as the special teams coach of the New England Patriots.
Tepper fired beloved Panthers head coach Ron Rivera late in the season, and the latter has since been hired by the Washington Redskins. Rhule and Tepper now have to decide on the future of MVP quarterback Cam Newton, who's been hampered by injuries over the last two years.
Only time will tell if the Panthers receive a good return in their $60 million investment. In the meantime, 31 other NFL head coaches should be thrilled with Rhule's big contract, because it bodes well for their financial futures.
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