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It’s been a pretty rough few years for Carolina Panthers fans who haven’t really had a ton to cheer for since the team punched its ticket to Super Bowl 50 in 2016 before losing to the Broncos. Since then, the franchise has appeared in the playoffs a single time (a one-and-done wild card showing in 2018) and struggled to find its footing since the Ron Rivera Era ended toward the conclusion of the 2019 campaign.
Perry Fewell failed to win a single one of the four contests where he served as the team’s interim coach, and while the Panthers eventually found a permanent replacement in the form of Matt Rhule, he was fired just five games into his third season after posting an 11-27 record during his time at the helm.
Steve Wilks has fared slightly better after he was tapped to temporarily replace Rhule, as he’s salvaged things about as well as possible while leading Carolina to a 5-6 record under his watch. While he’ll undoubtedly be a candidate when the coaching search officially begins in the offseason, recent reports have suggested the Panthers are a bit more interested in poaching Jim Harbaugh from Michigan (although the Wolverines skipper has downplayed the rumors he has plans to defect to the NFL if given the chance).
Panthers owner David Tepper, GM Scott Fitterer, and the rest of the front office will ultimately play the biggest role in deciding who will become the team’s next head coach. With that said, it would be foolish to not consult the players in the locker room before extending an official offer—and it sure sounds like a few guys aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of Harbaugh coming aboard.
On Wednesday, Fox’s Will Kunkel posted a video of Derrick Brown, Sam Darnold, and others throwing their support behind Wilks. None of the players explicitly mentioned Harbaugh while endorsing the current coach, but it’s pretty clear some of the team’s leaders are fairly content with the current state of things.
The Panthers locker room has made it clear — they want Steve Wilks to be their next head coach.
"For us to be able to have Coach Wilks again next year and finally have some stability around here, that's what it's all about." – @DerrickBrownAU5
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/raqjWkyx9K
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) January 4, 2023
As I alluded to above, Harbaugh has also repeatedly stated he’s very content with his current situation at Michigan, but this will undoubtedly be one of the more intriguing job hunts to keep an eye on.