Carolina Panthers fire head coach Matt Rhule in third year of $62m contact

• Panthers have not recorded winning season under Rhule
• Carolina have started 2022 season with 1-4 record

The Carolina Panthers have fired their head coach Matt Rhule after the team started the new season with a 1-4 record.

Rhule joined the Panthers on a seven-year, fully guaranteed $62m contract in 2020 after head coaching spells in college football with Baylor and Temple, where he boosted his reputation by turning both into winning programs. But the 47-year-old struggled to do the same in the NFL with a franchise that has had only one winning season since reaching Super Bowl 50 in February 2016. His overall record with the Panthers was 11-27 and many fans began calling for his head after the team finished bottom of the NFC South last season.