KVSP 
It’s safe to say that Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule isn’t exactly having the season that he envisioned. After all, the Panthers are currently in last place in the NFC South with a 5-10 record with two games remaining in the 2021 regular season.
The losing ways continued Sunday as the Panthers fell 32-6 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following the game, Rhule compared his struggles to rapper Jay-Z in an analogy that caught many off-guard.
“I believe it’s 1,000 percent working,” Rhule told reporters when he was asked about the rebuilding efforts in Carolina. “I just know no one can see it, and I apologize. As I tell our team all the time, it took Jay-Z like seven years. He had to start his own agency to become famous, to become an overnight sensation. It takes time.”
Rhule is referring to Roc Nation, which is the entertainment agency that was founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Since then, Jay-Z has become one of the biggest moguls in entertainment and the company even came up with a sports division that represents the likes of Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
This came after “Fire Rhule” chants broke out at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday as the Panthers were being dominated by the Buccaneers.
Rhule is currently in the second year of a seven-year contract that is worth $62 million. The Panthers finished with a 5-11 record in 2020 then haven’t progressed much in Year 2 under Rhule. Over the past two seasons, star running back Christian McCaffrey has missed significant time and is currently out of the lineup due to an ankle injury.
One of the biggest issues for the Panthers has been inconsistent quarterback play. The franchise chose to move on from Teddy Bridgewater after the 2020 season and has replaced him with a combination of Sam Darnold and Cam Newton. Both have had their fair share of struggles and haven’t made life any easier for Rhule’s offense.
It’s unclear if Rhule is actually on the chopping block, but it’s clear that the fans have had enough. If Rhule does make it to Year 3 in Carolina, it appears that this upcoming offseason could be a huge one for the franchise.
