Matt Rhule Responds to Panthers, Sean Payton Speculation

Earlier this week, a report came out saying that Panthers Owner David Tepper is interested in possibly hiring former Saints head coach Sean Payton next season, after Payton tested his interest in making television.
However, Matt Rhule seems unconcerned. On Friday, the Panthers coach said Tepper informed him that the report was getting there and that it was not true.
Payton retired as head coach of New Orleans after 15 years in the organization. Instead of coaching, he will be a studio analyst for Fox Sports this fall. However, he did not rule out the possibility of returning to coaching in the future.
Rhule is already entering his third season with Carolina, but he has yet to make it into the playoffs or even finish with a winning record. In his first two years, Rhule compiled a 10-23 record, and Carolina ended the 2021 season by losing 12 of their last 14 games.
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However, Tepper said he is committed to Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer before the upcoming season.
“I think Coach Rhule and Scott did a good job of building that foundation,” Tepper said. “I think we’ve made improvements to the teaching staff. I think we’ve done a good job during the free will filling in the gaps. I’m pretty optimistic about the new season.
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