Panthers head coach Dave Canales can’t be in danger of losing his job already . . . right?
Well, that might be a possibility according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio—who believes a disastrous campaign could spell the end of Canales’ run. Florio named the second-year head coach as one of five candidates he thinks may feel the heat of the hot seat in 2025.
He writes:
There’s a glass-half-full vibe around the Panthers, given that they finished relatively strong in 2024 after a disastrous start. If that comes to fruition for the 2025 Panthers, all will be well.
If the wheels come off, it could spell doom for Canales, who enters his second season on the job.
The key becomes owner David Tepper. Will the hard-charging, results-demanding, drink-throwing (at least once) owner tolerate, say, a 4-13 finish?
It won’t be easy for Canales, if that happens. Mainly because of the guy who signs the checks, and who issues the pink slips.
That glass-half-full vibe comes after a noted improvement in the first year under Canales, who led the Panthers to a three-win jump from the season prior. Carolina was also more competitive than they were in 2023, as evidenced by their near-upsets of the eventual AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 and the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
But Florio surmises that a step back could ignite the itchy trigger finger of Tepper, something we saw after just 11 games of Frank Reich in 2023. Tepper is now in his eighth year as team owner, and still has yet to experience a winning season.
The Panthers, in addition, are entering 2025 on the longest playoff drought in franchise history.
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