Matt Rhule doesn’t shy away from the scars left by his time in Charlotte. While the $62 million contract he signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 was meant to be a seven-year rebuild, it ended in an 11-27 record and a midseason firing that left the coach questioning his own approach. Now, he is looking back at his NFL time with absolute honesty.
What Matt Rhule Learned From His Time With the Carolina Panthers
Rhule, appearing on “Next Up with Adam Breneman,” talked candidly about his transition from college to the pros and admitted that the barrier wasn’t just the playbook. It was the connection.
“It makes me a way, way better head coach. Because, you know, that first year was COVID and so it was really hard to connect, and especially when you’re a college coach coming to the NFL, it’s really hard to connect. And then that second year was kind of half-COVID,” Rhule shared.
“But it was going into that third year, you know, I was on the hot seat,” Rhule added. “Chants had started even in my second year: ‘Hey, fire him, fire him.’ And it was those relationships that last year with Christian McCaffrey, with Brian Burns.”
The mistake wasn’t just the record. It was the realization that his process couldn’t function without the deep-seated relationships he had mastered at Baylor and Temple.
When Baker Mayfield grabbed the game ball to give to Rhule after a win over the Saints, Rhule finally understood that he didn’t want the ball. He wanted the journey.
So, Rhule concluded, “I learned like life is all about connection, life is all about relationships. So when I came back to the college level, it was not sitting here telling everybody, ‘Hey, I have everything figured out,’ because I don’t.”
That hard-earned wisdom has dictated Nebraska’s aggressive 2026 offseason. Key transfer additions like Brendan Black and Paul Mubenga have joined returning 2025 standout Elijah Pritchett to create a front that finally looks the part of a Big Ten powerhouse.
In the backfield, the quarterback competition was settled early. UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea has officially taken the reins. Colandrea brings a gunslinger mentality that Nebraska has lacked in Dylan Raiola.
So, the expectations for 2026 are the highest they’ve been in a decade. With a $15 million personal buyout recently added to his contract and a new clause that grants him a $1 million annual raise for every College Football Playoff appearance, the university has tied its future to Rhule’s redemption.
Currently, Nebraska has a 0.2% chance to make the College Football Playoff, per PFSN CFB Playoff Meter.
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