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The Matt Rhule and Carolina Panthers divorce keeps getting messier and messier, and it's not looking like the former Panthers coach will leave his former employers alone. Rhule alleges that the Panthers owe him around $5 million in severance. That comes to a couple of months after the Panthers had fired Rhule from his first NFL job.
According to reports, Rhule filed an arbitration lawsuit against the Carolina Panthers, claiming that the team refused to pay him a severance compensation worth nearly $5 million.
Per reports, Carolina had appointed Rhule on a seven-year contract worth over $60 million with an annual base salary of $8.5 million running through the 2026 season. Rhule's contract with Nebraska would have paid him $29 million in base salary during that time, creating a difference of about $5 million between the two contracts.
The matter is ongoing, as parties in the suit have declined to make public statements. It looks like a game of who blinks first, and it might take a while to resolve. The Panthers hope to get the issue over with, as they recently employed Frank Reich as the new coach. The last thing the organization will want is a cloud of drama hovering around the franchise.
Hopefully, we will get a clearer picture in a few weeks or months, as the back and forth between Rhule and the Panthers are not pretty. One side will most certainly have to make concessions.
How have Carolina Panthers performed after firing Matt Rhule?
To say that Matt Rhule's time in Carolina disappointed would be an understatement, as the former college coach didn't move the needle in the NFL. Rhule had a sordid 11-27 as coach of the Panthers. He started the season with a 1-4 record, which was Carolina's last straw.
He was relieved of his coaching duties ahead of week 6 of the 2022 NFL season and was replaced by interim coach Steve Wilks. Wilks did an awesome job with the disjointed team he inherited from Matt Rhule, leading them to a 7-10 record, including four wins out of the last six games.
The Panthers came close to qualifying for the playoffs, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just edged them in the NFC South. The Panthers will look forward to new beginnings under Reich, but the spectre of Rhule still lurks in the background.
