7 NFL head coaches who should be on the hot seat in 2019
By Adam Patrick
Ron Rivera – Carolina Panthers
“Riverboat Ron” is what Rivera is known as these days. But he could end up as “Out of a Job Ron” if the Panthers have another miserable season in 2019. After leading Carolina to the Super Bowl in 2015, the head coach has only been able to get his team into the playoffs once in the last three seasons. And that one appearance resulted in a first-round exit.
In 2018, Rivera and the Panthers finished with a 7-9 record despite winning six of their first eight games. Carolina ended up on an embarrassing seven-week losing skid and it cost them an appearance in the postseason.
It’s not like the Panthers don’t have the talent to earn a trip to the playoffs in 2019. Cam Newton will still be their starting quarterback, Christian McCaffrey will be even better than he was this season, and the defense will still have Luke Keuchly leading the charge.
Carolina doesn’t make head coaching changes very often (just four in 24 seasons), but a second-straight year with no playoff football could cause the franchise to think long and hard about whether or not they want to move forward with Rivera as their guy.