Posted by Will BrinsonRon Rivera's been all but locked-in as the next coach of the Carolina Panthers for the past few days and the fans/media/etc have simply been waiting for an announcement from the team.
While that's yet to come, multiple reports surfaced on Tuesday afternoon that Rivera and the Panthers reached an agreement to make him the next head coach of the franchise. Including the most telling "report" of them all, a tweet from Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who tweeted "Congrats to Coach Rivera being named new Panthers HC!!!"
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the sides are "putting finishing touches on the contract" and an agreement has been reached. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that Rivera "has been hired," but, again, the team has yet to announce anything.
Chris Mortensen reports that Rivera's deal will be for $11.2 million over the course of four years with no option.
It's been known/expected for about a day and a half that Rivera would land the gig in Carolina, and this means the 5:00 PM EST press conference at Bank of America Stadium on Tuesday should lock Rivera into the gig.
As covered previously, Rivera's track record is similar to that of the Panthers' last coach, John Fox. Rivera had success as a defensive coordinator (albeit in two locations and with two different defenses), saw his star rise in the coaching ranks, received two interviews with the Panthers, and landed the job.
Rivera's staff will be critical to his success, particularly the offensive coordinator. Rob Chudzinski, the current tight ends coach with the Chargers, has been rumored as a possible candidate for the OC position with the Panthers when Rivera's officially announced. Ron Turner, who worked with Rivera in Chicago, is expected to be in the mix as well.
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