The Panthers were clearly thinking about the long-term future of the organization when they gave head coach Matt Rhule a seven-year contract this offseason and team owner David Tepper is continuing to take a wide view heading into the 2020 season.
Tepper said on Tuesday that the team still has “to figure out what we’re doing with players” while making it clear that he believes Rhule has put together a staff well suited to the task of building talent over time. He cited offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s work with quarterback Joe Burrow at LSU as evidence to support that feeling.
“With Rhule and Brady, we got people who really develop talent, OK?” Tepper said, via the team’s website. “I don’t want to give too much credit to anybody, but you can see what happened with Burrow down there. Whether it was (Brady) or something else, it’s a heck of a coincidence. When you look at Matt and what he’s done at other places, I think with this staff now we have some of the best developers of talent in the league.”
Tepper also briefly discussed Cam Newton on Tuesday and said there’s no discussion to have on his status until he’s healthy. Given the departures of Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen and Tepper’s belief in Rhule’s ability to nurture talent, it’s fair to think the team completely turns the page this offseason.