The Panthers fired Ron Rivera with a month left in the season, with the stated purpose of giving him and them a head start on coaching searches.
And the Panthers have a second interview lined up.
Via Joe Person of TheAthletic.com, interim coach Perry Fewell said he’s been asked to interview for the permanent post, and he will interview.
Fewell hasn’t had much to work with, losing all three games since he took over for Rivera. Rivera had lost the four before that, which kind of illustrates that this is not Fewell’s fault (or totally Rivera’s since the Cam Newton injury scuttled their season in August).
Fewell said he had thoughts about his potential staff, but didn’t want to elaborate.
“My focus is to win on Sunday right now,” he said. “I have not and will not talk about what I plan to do, how I plan to approach that situation, just because I want to stay focused on the job at hand.”
Fewell was also a finalist for the job when Rivera was hired in 2011.
The Panthers have already interviewed former Packers coach Mike McCarthy as well. Talking to Fewell will satisfy the league’s Rooney Rule requirement to interview at least one minority candidate, and will allow them to make a quick decision if they choose. Which was ostensibly the point when they made their move a month ago.