The Carolina Panthers are one of eight teams currently looking for a new head coach. As of this posting, the team has already reached out to several potential candidates, and the team probably won’t make a final decision for a few more weeks. A lot can happen between now and then, but the fine folks at Vegas know that there is money to be made by predicting who ultimately ends up being hired.
Nobody can deny that Vegas can be wrong, but the bettors usually have a reason for making the decisions that they do. After all, they are in the money game, and if they were consistently wrong, the entire city would’ve gone under a long time ago. So, with that in mind, it’s worth noting that Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is the current favorite to be the Panthers next head coach.
Betting Odds Say Panthers Next Head Coach Could Be A Surprise
Kellen Moore has a solid resume and it would be easy enough to justify hiring him as the Panthers next head coach. However, he would be a surprising hire, seeing as Carolina has not officially requested an interview. This may change in the coming days but, as of this posting, the organization has yet to publicly show interest in the Chargers offensive coordinator.
On top of this, Moore’s stock as a coach is probably lower now than it was one year ago. Last year at this time, the majority of the world believed that Kellen Moore was one of the brighter offensive minds in the league and was being held back by Mike McCarthy’s old-school style of football. However, he joined the Chargers in the offseason and the offense did not improve in any notable fashion. The Cowboys, meanwhile, had a great season and quarterback Dak Prescott had arguably the best season of his career with Moore elsewhere.
Nobody should ever overreact to one season, especially when Moore’s tenure in Los Angeles wasn’t a disaster. However, the Panthers were looking for a head coach last year and never even looked Moore’s way. So, if he wasn’t good enough in 2023, then why is he suddenly a top commodity in 2024?
Ultimately, at this point, this is nothing but speculation from Vegas insiders. If the Panthers want to hire Kellen Moore as their next head coach, they’ll need to make a formal request to the Los Angeles Chargers. Once that’s approved, Moore will have to stand out against other bright minds across the league, including but not limited to Detroit’s Ben Johnson.
Other Notable Names
Of course, Kellen Moore is not the only person in the running to be the Panthers next head coach. According to Vegas, Moore leads the way with +200 odds, but Ben Johnson (+400), Mike MacDonald (+500) and Bill Belichick (+700) are not far behind. Johnson, of course, has two phenomenal seasons with Detroit under his belt and could be exactly who Bryce Young needs to succeed in the NFL. MacDonald, meanwhile, oversees arguably the best defense in the league with the Baltimore Ravens. Bill Belichick needs no introduction, and hopefully, a change of scenery can bring out the best in the eight-time Super Bowl champion.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
