Panthers New Coach Matt Rhule Will Be One of NFL’s Highest-Paid as a Rookie

(Bloomberg) -- Matt Rhule, who’s been leading college teams for the past seven years, immediately becomes one of the National Football League’s highest-paid head coaches under his deal with the Carolina Panthers.

Rhule signed a seven-year deal worth $60 million with the David Tepper-owned team, and incentives could take it up to $70 million, according to ESPN. His $8.6 million in average annual pay ranks sixth in the NFL, according to figures compiled by Forbes magazine. The five ahead of him, including New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick ($12 million) and the Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll ($11 million), have all won Super Bowl rings.

Rhule, 44, has spent almost his entire coaching career in college. He was the head coach at Temple from 2013 to 2016 and, most recently, had the top job at Baylor. His new Panthers salary would rank him third among college football coaches, trailing Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Alabama’s Nick Saban.

The Panthers, which also reportedly bought out Rhule’s Baylor contract for $6 million, were one of five NFL teams with coaching vacancies so far this offseason. The Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants have also filled their spots, leaving just the Cleveland Browns.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eben Novy-Williams in New York at enovywilliam@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, John J. Edwards III, Rob Golum

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