Matt Rhule and the Carolina Panthers parted ways early in the 2022 regular season yet the former Panthers and current Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach can't stop talking about his old team.
After getting fired by the Panthers five games into the 2022 season, Rhule took a job with the Nebraska football team. In the past, Rhule has struggled out of the gates with college teams but turned it around by year three or so. In year one at Nebraska, Rhule helped lead the Cornhuskers to a 5-7 record, and this offseason, locked down the No. 8 recruit in the country, Dylan Raiola, who switched from Georgia to Nebraska.
In other words, Rhule is a good college coach proven by his time at Temple and Baylor but his team in Carolina didn't go so well. Maybe that's why he's so eager to throw his old squad under the bus.
When asked about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Rhule claims that he brought up Purdy's name in Carolina but was vetoed on drafting the then-Iowa State signal-caller.
Former #Panthers HC Matt Rhule on Brock Purdy: "When I was in the draft room at Carolina, I brought his name up. I said, 'Hey guys, he should be on the draft board.' I got vetoed on that one."
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 8, 2024
(📽️ @MattFosterTV)pic.twitter.com/drCGBJd47H
Matt Rhule claims he wanted to draft Brock Purdy in Carolina.
This could be true but even if it was and the Panthers did go on to draft Purdy, he's likely not the story he is right now. The Panthers didn't (and still don't) have the same weapons that would help a young quarterback succeed like the 49ers do.
It's also easy for coaches and executives to say "Oh we were going to take Purdy!" now but the fact of the matter is that no one did until the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. That team, the 49ers, is in the Super Bowl, and Purdy's one of the players who helped get them there. I'd probably have claimed that I wanted to draft him too!