Panthers’ Coach Ron Rivera: “I’m Not Worried About My Future”

Ron Rivera during his time with the Panthers in 2016
Ron Rivera during his time with the Panthers in 2016. Photo by Jacob Kupferman/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (6899018o)

Carolina Panthers’ season took a bad turn in the past several weeks, with the team suffering four straight losses and seeing their playoff chances brought to a minimum. However, despite this bad run and the fact that his team probably won’t make it to the postseason for the second year in a row, Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera doesn’t seem concerned about his job.

“I’m not worried about my future,” – said Rivera after a shocking 29-21 defeat to Washington Redskins on Sunday. “I’m worried about the future of this football team and we have a game coming up on Sunday.”

Rivera is considered to be on a hot seat for a while now with the team’s owner David Tepper recently saying that he won’t accept long term mediocrity. The loss to Redskins, who had only two wins prior, certainly didn’t help and only furthered the talks that 2019 might be Rivera’s last in Carolina.

Carolina Panthers had a surprisingly good start of the season, despite seeing their starting quarterback Cam Newton suffering a season-ending injury. Backup Kyle Allen stepped in, and the team entered Week 10 with 5-3 record and good chances to clinch at least NFC’s wild-card spot. Still, Panthers managed to blow their chances with some bad performances in the last weeks, and they are now facing some major decisions ahead of 2020 season, including Rivera’s future and who will be their QB of the future.

Rivera took over Panthers in 2011 and has since led them to playoffs in four seasons which also included Super Bowl 50 appearance. His overall record with Carolina is 76-63-1.

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