Panthers Owner David Tepper Involved In Practice Facility Investigation
The Panthers appeared to be in line for a new practice facility in the near future, but the project which was planned to take place in Rock Hill, South Carolina was abandoned earlier this year. Owner David Tepper and his his real estate company are now the subject of a probe into the matter. 
As detailed by Jeffrey Collins of the Associated Press, a criminal investigation has been opened by the York County Sheriff’s Office into Tepper and GT Real Estate regarding the potential misuse of public funds during the short-lived process of attempting to build the facility. In question is the $21MM in sales tax money which the company is accused of using on a “failed vanity project” before they recently declared bankruptcy.
That figure is roughly equivalent to the amount paid out to York County following a settlement reached between the two parties. That process very recently ended a lawsuit filed against Tepper and the Panthers, one which has yet to be formally approved, Collins notes. The organization has suggested the announcement of a criminal probe could be related to the timing of the settlement agreement.
“An investigation is simply an inquiry and should not create any inference that wrongdoing has been committed by any party,” a joint statement issued by Sherriff Kevin Tolson and Solicitor Kevin Brackett reads. Tepper’s company has denied any wrongdoing, and argued that the project collapsed because funding from Rock Hill and other governments was never provided to facilitate its completion.
“This is a straightforward commercial matter that is being fully resolved,” GT Real Estate said in a statement of its own. “The underlying disputes arise under contracts that were jointly negotiated by the parties and are publicly available. The funds paid by the county were handled consistent with the terms of those contracts.”
Tepper, 65, bought the Panthers in 2018 for a then-record price of $2.2 billion. One of the NFL’s wealthiest owners, his tenure has most notably been marked to date by the failed head coaching hire of Matt Rhule and a years-long inability to acquire a long-term franchise quarterback. This story will remain worth watching in the event criminal action is deemed necessary against him and/or his company.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Hayward, Wirfs
Next year’s running back market stands to feature a glut of starter-caliber options. Even if the Giants and Raiders respectively keep Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs from hitting free agency, potential first-time free agents Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, David Montgomery, Damien Harris, Devin Singletary and Alexander Mattison are unsigned through 2023. Ditto Kareem Hunt, who is expected to hit the market after the Browns held off on a deadline trade. Jeff Wilson and Jamaal Williams would also be intriguing second-go-round UFAs, but the Panthers have a player in a similar position.
D’Onta Foreman signed a one-year, $2MM deal to relocate from Charlotte to Nashville this offseason, and he has continued his Titans pace. Christian McCaffrey‘s replacement, who ended up being Derrick Henry‘s top fill-in last year, now has seven 100-yard games over his past 13. Teams are monitoring the former third-round pick’s status, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. The Panthers have Chuba Hubbard signed through 2024, and although they are likely to change coaching staffs come January, Foreman makes sense as a re-sign candidate. Despite being a 2017 draftee, he is just 26. And thanks to a lengthy hiatus that covered much of a three-year stretch from 2018-20, the ex-Texas Longhorn only has 366 career carries. That bodes well for more quality seasons being ahead.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Casey Hayward has been on IR since mid-October; he has been eligible to return for a bit now. But the Falcons cornerback is not a lock to come back this year, per AtlantaFalcons.com’s Scott Bair, who notes the 11th-year veteran underwent shoulder surgery after hitting the injured list. Hayward and the Saints’ Chris Harris are the NFL’s oldest active-roster cornerbacks, at 33, and the former represents a key defender for a team gunning for an unexpected division title. Hayward signed a two-year, $11MM deal to come over from Las Vegas. The Falcons have used second-year man Darren Hall in his place. Pro Football Focus does rank Hall, a fourth-round pick out of San Diego State, 35th overall among corners this season.
- The Buccaneers are expected to be without Tristan Wirfs for a bit because of a high ankle sprain. While the team is hoping the All-Pro right tackle can return in three or four weeks, Fowler adds the third-year blocker could be facing a five- or six-week absence. Some ligament damage occurred, per Fowler, but Wirfs is not expected to need surgery. This timetable would put run up against the end of the regular season, though the Bucs have not placed Wirfs on IR yet.
- Whereas Foreman’s free agency stock is rising, Baker Mayfield‘s keeps tumbling. Steve Wilks announced Sam Darnold will start in Week 14 against the Seahawks but stopped short of declaring Mayfield the backup, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Mayfield’s QB2 status depends on P.J. Walker‘s health, according to Wilks. This certainly points to Wilks having more confidence in the ex-XFLer. Despite pushing for Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim and playing a lead role in snapping one of major American sports’ longest playoff droughts two years later, Mayfield will likely need to sign a one-year deal and attempt to prove himself once again. Mayfield, 27, remains last in QBR among qualified starters.
Latest On Steve Wilks’ Future With Panthers
There’s not much optimism that Steve Wilks will retain the Panthers head coaching gig after this season, but it sounds like the organization will at least give him a chance. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that people around the NFL believe Wilks is a “long shot for the long-term job.”
However, Fowler cautions that the Panthers have held off on the hiring process as they look to give Wilks a legitimate chance to keep the full-time gig. Meanwhile, Joseph Person of The Athletic writes that owner David Tepper will use the final five games to determine Wilks’ future with the organization.
While sources believe Tepper could be targeting an offensive-minded coach, there’s plenty going for Wilks. Tepper is reportedly a fan of the coach, and Wilks has also won over the locker room in recent weeks. The head coach also told reporters that he’s in “constant communication” with the team’s owner, although the discussions generally revolve around “team-related topics” vs. the coach’s future with the squad.
“We don’t get into the future. I’m not about the future right now. It’s about winning the day,” Wilks said recently (via Person). “As I told you guys from Day 1, I’ve got 13 weeks. And I’m gonna try to do it my way within those 13 weeks and whatever happens at the end, we’ll deal with it.”
Wilks was named interim head coach after the Panthers fired Matt Rhule in early October. The Panthers have gone 3-4 with Wilks at the helm despite uncertainty at the quarterback position and the subtraction of star RB Christian McCaffrey. Wilks was a long-time collegiate coach before getting hired by the Bears in 2006. He had a six-year stint with the Panthers before getting hired as the Cardinals head coach in 2018. Wilks went 3-13 in Arizona before getting canned. He was the defensive coordinator with the Browns and Missouri before re-joining the Panthers as their defensive passing-game coordinator and secondary coach for the 2022 campaign.
Matt Rhule Takes Issue With Panthers’ Rebuild Timeline
Matt Rhule‘s Nebraska agreement severs the ties between he and the Panthers, who are now evaluating to see if Steve Wilks can become the first interim HC in six years to stick around as a full-time hire. But the team’s previous coach offered candor regarding his Carolina tenure.
When asked what he would do differently as Panthers HC, Rhule said he would have steered clear of the job he accepted in 2020. The Panthers gave Rhule a monster contract — seven years, $62MM — and the deal led the former college rebuild architect to believe he had more time than he did to turn the team around.
“I think I probably would just probably [have] taken another job,” Rhule said during an appearance on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “It’s a great place. Wonderful people. But I just don’t know if I was a fit there.
“You know, at the end of the day, you know, we talked about, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have a four-year plan, a five-year plan.’ You know, if you tell me, ‘Hey, we got a two-year plan,’ then I’m gonna go sign a bunch of free agents and do it. So what was a four-year plan became a two-year-and-five-game plan real quick.”
In most cases, NFL coaches in this era cannot execute four- or five-year plans without progress in the win column. The Panthers went 11-27 under Rhule. Rhule’s college rebuilds progressed much faster, with Temple going from two to six to 10 wins in the longtime college coach’s first three seasons and Baylor vaulting from one to seven to 11 victories during his three-year stay at the Big 12 school. This made Rhule a coveted commodity, leading to David Tepper‘s blockbuster offer.
At the time, reporting linked Rhule to preferring the Giants over the Panthers. The Giants represented the New York native’s only previous NFL experience — a one-year stint (2012) on Tom Coughlin‘s staff — but John Mara balked at matching Tepper’s offer. Rhule also had a pretty clear idea of his standing late in the 2021 season, when hot-seat rumors swirled. The Panthers brought Rhule back for a third season, but he took issue with how the franchise changed the timetable. This would not be the first time Tepper has drawn criticism for his ownership style and it is certainly not the first time in recent years a college coach has been unable to replicate success at the NFL level.
“I’m not angry about it,” Rhule said. “At the end of the day, I understand. But if it’s gonna be that quick, then we’re gonna sign some more free agents, we’re gonna go make the blockbuster trade, we’re gonna do those things. I think the trajectory we were on was correct.”
Highlighted by their three-year, $63MM Teddy Bridgewater deal in 2020, the Panthers made some notable free agent signings during Rhule’s run. They did not, however, wade into the market’s deep waters. The team gave ex-Rhule Temple charges Robbie Anderson and Haason Reddick midlevel deals (a two-year, $20MM pact for Anderson in 2020 and a one-year, $6MM Reddick accord during 2021’s reduced-cap offseason) and handed out a three-year, $26.25MM contract to Austin Corbett this year. Carolina also sent Jacksonville a third-round pick for C.J. Henderson and added Stephon Gilmore. These players supplemented a Carolina core that drew trade interest after Rhule’s firing. Though, teams’ top Panthers trade targets — Christian McCaffrey, Brian Burns, D.J. Moore — were on the roster before Rhule’s arrival.
The Panthers did try to make what would have been the biggest trade in their history, being a finalist for Deshaun Watson. But the then-Texans quarterback did not have them first on his list. And Tepper, joining Arthur Blank on this front, was uncomfortable with the Browns’ five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed proposal. The Panthers pursued Watson for two years. In 2021, Watson was only believed to have waived his no-trade clause for the Dolphins. By 2022, Rhule’s uncertain status impacted Watson’s view of the Panthers. The team also traded three picks for Sam Darnold and added Baker Mayfield via lower-level swap; it is safe to say Rhule is back in the college ranks because the Panthers whiffed on the quarterback position under his watch.
It will be interesting to see how Rhule fares in attempting to rebuild the Cornhuskers while simultaneously observing if his cornerstone Panthers draft picks — Derrick Brown, Jeremy Chinn, Jaycee Horn, Ikem Ekwonu — end up being part of a contender in the future.
Matt Rhule To Add Panthers’ Terrance Knighton To Nebraska Staff
The Panthers have seen extensive staff turnover this season. A handful of Matt Rhule‘s assistants are no longer with the team. Former nose tackle Terrance Knighton represents the latest departure.
Hired as Nebraska’s head coach late last week, Rhule is bringing Knighton along to be the Cornhuskers’ defensive line coach, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Added as Carolina’s assistant D-line coach last year, Knighton had been helping Don Johnson helm the unit since interim HC Steve Wilks fired D-line coach Paul Pasqualoni earlier this month.
[RELATED: Wilks Making ‘Strong Push’ For Panthers’ Permanent HC Gig]
Knighton’s Charlotte departure is effective immediately. In addition to firing Rhule, the Panthers axed DC Phil Snow, Pasqualoni and cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper. Rhule has also added Cooper to his Cornhuskers staff, according to ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel (on Twitter). The Panthers are also losing assistant strength and conditioning coach Corey Campbell to Nebraska, per Person. Considering the likely staff turnover for the Panthers in 2023, it is unsurprising to see ex-Rhule staffers opt for more security now.
A 2009 Jaguars third-round pick who was a starter on the Broncos’ Super Bowl XLVIII team, Knighton hung up his cleats in 2017. “Pot Roast” has been in coaching since taking over as Wagner’s D-line coach in 2019. Rhule brought him to Carolina in 2021. Like several of Rhule’s Panthers acquisitions, Knighton is a Temple alum. While Knighton did not play under Rhule at the then-Big East program, Rhule was an Owls assistant at the time.
Part of Rhule’s staffs at Temple and Baylor, Cooper joined the Panthers in 2020. That marked his first NFL job. The DBs coach will head back to the college ranks. Rhule’s Nebraska hiring will take the Panthers off the book for the bulk of the $34MM remaining on his contract.
Sam Darnold To Remain Panthers’ Starter In Week 14
Sam Darnold made his season debut during yesterday’s win over the Broncos, serving as the third different option under center for the Panthers in 2022. His tenure back in the No. 1 role will not be a one-off, however. 
Interim head coach Steve Wilks said on Sunday that Darnold will get the nod once again in Week 14 when Carolina plays Seattle following their bye. The announcement comes after Wilks had indicated his intention to have him see game action in 2022, which was confirmed with the Week 12 start. The team’s No. 1 option for most of last season, Darnold was long seen as a replacement candidate this past offseason.
To little surprise, the team brought in Baker Mayfield from the Browns through a trade the team had been eyeing well before it was consummated in July. It was the former No. 1 overall pick who won out Carolina’s training camp competition, but he struggled mightily before going down with a high ankle sprain. With Darnold having suffered the same injury in the preseason and being unavailable, Carolina turned to P.J. Walker as their starter for a stretch.
Mayfield was thrust back into the No. 1 role during Week 11, a 13-3 loss to the Ravens during which he threw a pair of late interceptions. Darnold’s return to health allowed him to guide the team’s offense yesterday, though, and help lead them to a 23-10 win. The USC product competed just 11 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown, but generated a passer rating of 103.8 and will have the opportunity to build on that performance this week.
With both Darnold and fellow 2018 draftee Mayfield pending free agents, the closing weeks of the season will be highly important for both of them from a financial perspective. Solid performances from the former could help erase the struggles of the past in Charlotte (and help earn him at least consideration for a deal to compete with injured rookie Matt Corral for a 2023 roster spot), which could also have an effect on the sidelines. With Wilks reportedly making a case to remain the team’s permanent HC, plenty will be at stake as the calendar flips to December despite the Panthers’ 4-8 record.
Steve Wilks Making “Strong Push” For Panthers’ Permanent HC Post
Since taking over for Matt Rhule in October, Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks has been making the most of a difficult situation. Although Carolina is 2-4 with Wilks at the helm, a missed extra point was the deciding factor in a Week 8 loss to the Falcons, and the Panthers and Ravens were tied 3-3 midway through the fourth quarter of their Week 11 contest before several late turnovers sealed a Baltimore victory.
Simply put, the Panthers have been more competitive under Wilks, and as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, owner David Tepper has taken notice. Earlier reporting indicated that Tepper would want an experienced option as his permanent replacement for Rhule, and while Wilks’ previous head coaching gig lasted only one season — a disappointing 3-13 campaign with the Cardinals in 2018 — his time in Arizona and his stint as Carolina’s interim HC will give him 28 games as a sideline general by the time the 2022 season comes to an end.
Whether that is sufficient experience for Tepper remains to be seen. One factor working against Wilks is that his background is on the defensive side of the ball; outside of his time as a head coach, all of his jobs in the collegiate and professional ranks have been as a defensive coach or coordinator, and per Jones, Tepper is seeking an “up-and-coming offensive mind.”
It’s worth noting that Jones’ report and the prior reports concerning Tepper’s desire for an experienced former NFL head coach do not necessarily mesh. Someone with significant NFL head coaching experience probably does not qualify as an “up-and-coming” offensive guru, which puts one in mind of Sean McVay before he was hired by the Rams, or Kevin Stefanski before he was hired by the Browns. If Tepper does tab someone other than Wilks as his permanent HC, perhaps it will be a candidate like Lions OC Ben Johnson, who — unlike Rhule when he joined the Panthers — at least has considerable NFL experience, even if none of it has come at the head coaching level.
One way or another, Jones says Wilks is “making a strong push” to have the interim label removed from his title. Carolina’s recent fortunes have been undermined by the team’s quarterback situation, as its 2020 Teddy Bridgewater acquisition and subsequent trades for former top draft choices Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have yielded nothing but disappointment. The locker room support that Wilks presently enjoys, the adjustments he has made due to inconsistent QB play — adjustments that have resulted in an improved running game despite the trade of Christian McCaffrey — and the club’s competitive fire under Wilks will certainly give Tepper a lot to consider.
Of course, as Jones acknowledges, Wilks’ win-loss record over the final six games of the season will also factor into Tepper’s decision. Wilks’ efforts to secure the permanent HC post will continue in Sunday’s Week 12 battle with the Broncos, a game in which Darnold will make his 2022 debut.
Nebraska Hires Matt Rhule
NOVEMBER 27: Rhule and Nebraska have agreed to an eight-year, $72MM contract, per Rapoport (via Twitter). RapSheet says the deal will offset the “vast majority” of the ~$34MM the Panthers owed to Rhule.
NOVEMBER 26: Matt Rhule has found his next gig. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the recently fired Panthers coach will indeed be taking the Nebraska head coaching gig. Rapoport adds that the two sides have agreed to a deal.
NOVEMBER 25: The Panthers may soon have a way out of the nearly $34MM owed to Matt Rhule beyond this season. Nebraska has honed in on the former Temple and Baylor HC, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Low, who adds the sides are hoping to finalize a deal soon (Twitter link).
Rhule’s seven-year, $62MM Panthers contract includes offset language that would allow the team to avoid paying Rhule beyond 2022, should he be hired as a college HC for the 2023 season. The Cornhuskers may be close to fully clearing that path, with ESPN’s Pete Thamel adding a deal is expected. The Panthers’ part in this is not completely done, per Thamel, who adds that lofty through-2026 contract is part of the Rhule-Nebraska negotiations (Twitter links).
Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost earlier this season. The one-time college powerhouse has not hit the 10-win benchmark since 2010 and has dipped in stature since its run at a national title in 2001. The Big Ten program is finishing out what will be its sixth straight losing season. Rhule’s status as a program-building coach would naturally be attractive for a team that has largely struggled to compete since leaving the Big 12. This would also be a new challenge for Rhule, whose previous rebuilds came in the American Athletic Conference and Big 12.
Rhule resurfaced this week, writing a piece for the33rdteam.com and appearing on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football; that re-emergence can be taken as a sign the veteran coach is ready to resume his career. The Panthers fired Rhule after a 1-4 start this season.
Once coveted by NFL teams, Rhule saw his stock around the league take hits during his time in Carolina. The Panthers went 11-27 under Rhule, but he has always been viewed as a candidate to land another college HC gig. Rhule is 47-43 as a college coach. His first years at Temple and Baylor are largely responsible for that near-.500 mark; Rhule led three 10-win seasons prior to trying his hand in the NFL. He looks set to follow several coaches who failed to make the college-to-NFL transition — Chip Kelly, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban among the recent examples — to return to their former level.
Should this Nebraska hire come to fruition, it will take David Tepper off the hook for the widely criticized contract he gave Rhule in 2020. The Giants were also courting Rhule that year, and the seven-year college HC wanted to return to that organization — where he previously operated as O-line coach — over accepting Tepper’s offer. But John Mara bowed out of the Rhule sweepstakes, hiring Joe Judge instead of matching Carolina’s offer.
Quarterback issues derailed Rhule in Charlotte, but the Panthers did add some pieces under Rhule — Derrick Brown, Jeremy Chinn, Jaycee Horn — that came up at the trade deadline. Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks axed Rhule’s defensive coordinator, Phil Snow, as well. Snow having worked with Rhule at Temple and Baylor would make it logical to expect he will resurface in Lincoln.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/22
The league’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations for Week 12:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: WR Marquise Brown (story)
- Signed to active roster: WR Andre Baccellia
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Pharoh Cooper, TE Maxx Williams
- Placed on IR: TE Zach Ertz (story), T D.J. Humphries (story)
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: C Jonotthan Harrison
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: CB Daryl Worley
- Promoted from practice squad: WR DeSean Jackson, LB Julian Stanford
- Placed on IR: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB T.J. Carrie, DE Kobe Jones
Chicago Bears
- Signed to active roster: RB Darrynton Evans
- Promoted from practice squad: LB DeMarquis Gates
- Waived: CB Lamar Jackson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: P Drue Chrisman, WR Kwamie Lassiter II
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Jermaine Carter
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Brandon Johnson, CB Faion Hicks
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Innis Gaines, RB Patrick Taylor
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Jacobi Francis, CB Will Redmond
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Zayne Anderson, WR Cornell Powell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tyler Hall, DT Kyle Peko
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: RB Joshua Kelley
- Signed to active roster: T Foster Sarell
- Promoted from practice squad: S Raheem Layne
- Waived: OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, RB Larry Rountree III
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: T AJ Arcuri, RB Ronnie Rivers
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Roger Carter, G Jeremiah Kolone
- Placed on IR: DT A’Shawn Robinson (story)
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: T Max Mitchell
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chazz Surratt, DL Tanzel Smart
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: DL T.Y. McGill
- Waived: DL Kemoko Turay
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Laquon Treadwell, LB Vi Jones
- Placed on IR: WR D’Wayne Eskridge (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from PUP: K Caleb Shudak
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Greg Mabin, LB Andre Smith
Washington Commanders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Alex Erickson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/22
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Arron Mosby
- Released: QB D’Eriq King
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Breon Borders
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Bubba Bolden, T Will Holden
- Released: C Jordan Meredith
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Tyreik McAllister, LB Ray Wilborn
- Released: LB Harvey Langi
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB D’Angelo Ross
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: LB Tyrell Adams
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Nick Vannett
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Marquiss Spencer
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Auden Tate
- Released from IR: OT Jarrid Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: DB Quincy Wilson