In a somewhat surprising move, the Carolina Panthers fired former head coach Ron Rivera prior to Week 14’s action. The Panthers appear to be looking for a new voice, but Rivera shouldn’t struggle to find a new job. Rivera has a career 76-63-1 regular season record as a head coach and even brought the Panthers to a Super Bowl back in 2015. He should be in hot demand when the hiring season rolls around, but which team is going to ultimately make him their next head coach?
Possible Ron Rivera Head Coaching Destinations
New York Giants
This is the most obvious choice. The New York Giants are probably going to be looking for a new head coach in 2020, and Ron Rivera figures to be a frontrunner for the position. Rivera and head coach Dave Gettleman have a history from their Carolina days, as the duo led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance. Gettleman is an old-fashioned mind who would probably welcome a defensive-minded coach like Rivera.
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of a reunion is Daniel Jones. The former sixth overall pick has put together some impressive throw in between a series of head-scratching decisions. Nobody knows whether Jones can develop into a true franchise quarterback, and Gettleman might want to hire an offensive-minded coach like Josh McDaniels or Kevin Stefanski to increase Jones’ odds of turning into “the guy”.
Detroit Lions
In today’s pass-happy NFL, most teams are looking for the next offensive genius to mold a young quarterback. Because of this, coaches like Rivera probably won’t garner much attention from most teams with young, inexperienced quarterbacks. However, if a team already has an established passer, Rivera could be a perfect fit to help build a complementary defense around the franchise quarterback.
Detroit could very well be a perfect fit for Ron Rivera. The Lions have a true franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, but they need some help on the defensive side of the ball. Current head coach Matt Patricia wanted to build a team around running the ball and playing stout defense, and the Lions aren’t particularly good in either category. If the Lions choose to move on from Patricia in the offseason, Rivera should be able to come in and immediately bring the team back to playoff contention.
Atlanta Falcons
Much like the Detroit Lions, the Atlanta Falcons have a franchise quarterback and a defensive-minded head coach who is probably on the way out. After an impressive start to his head coaching career, Dan Quinn simply isn’t getting the most out of the talent on his roster. There are a few interesting defensive pieces, and perhaps a new voice can get the most out of the current roster talent.
Matt Ryan is having a relatively underwhelming season, but he should still have two or three seasons of high-level play left in his tank. The offense has the pieces to be one of the best in the league, regardless of coaching, so Rivera could bring the Falcons back to the playoffs if he can make the defense play at even an average level.
Honorable Mentions: Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins
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