With so much change coming in the post season, the Carolina Panthers make a key decision to keep Ron Rivera as head coach.
The Carolina Panthers 2017 season came to an end with a 31-26 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the NFL Playoffs. Looking back there will be a number of insightful articles and opinions about many of Carolina’s moves throughout the season. However, before the team took to the field on Sunday the organization reached an agreement for an extension to keep the head coach for two more years.
Consistency is a major talking point within the Carolina organization. Over the years the team has made specific moves to keep veteran players on their roster. Men such as Charles Johnson, Jonathan Stewart, Thomas Davis and the returning Julius Peppers are examples in which deals were made to ensure that important players remained a part of the team. Keeping Rivera allows the team to keep a vital leader on the team at a point of uncertainty heading into the post season.
“I’m very excited about it because I really like where we are as a football team,” Rivera said in a statement released on Saturday. “We’ve done some really good things and we have an opportunity to do more. And I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten from our fans in the Carolinas. That’s a big reason why I want to continue my association with this organization.”
As the Panthers head into a tumultuous offseason, keeping Rivera under the headset allows them to keep a central figure that’s played a large part in recent success. Owner, Jerry Richardson is planning to sell the team after news of multiple allegations of sexual and racial misconduct reached the public before the end of the season. This is the first major move attributed to Tina Becker, the Chief Operating Officer now that Richardson has been removed from football operations.
Much of Rivera’s tenure with the Panthers can be deemed a success. His overall record is 64-48-1 which includes reaching the playoffs four of the last five seasons. This run includes winning the NFC South three years in a row and reaching the Super Bowl in 2015. At one time there were concerns around whether or not Rivera would be brought back to coach the team but seeing the Panthers to an 11-5 record without key Pro Bowl players earned him the two-year deal.
Next: 2018 NFL Playoffs: Picks, predictions for Divisional Round
The Carolina Panthers season is over and it’s back to the drawing board to prepare for the 2018 season. Keeping Ron Rivera at the helm helps this team keep key pieces together that helped build much of the success seen in recent years. As the organization prepares for new ownership and the uncertainty that comes with that change, keeping Rivera as the head coach shows players and fans a level of commitment from the front office that’s needed right this moment.