The first shoe to drop in the 2022 NFL coaching turnstile came as no surprise, with the Carolina Panthers firing Matt Rhule on Monday.
Rhule was installed as the favorite to be the first coach fired by SportsBetting.ag over the summer and had remained near the top throughout the Panthers' 1-4 start to the season.
Who will be the next to go?
The current favorite is the Arizona Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury, who opened at +150 at the sportsbook following the news of Rhule's firing. Next is Denver's Nathaniel Hackett (+200), who has come under intense scrutiny during the Broncos' 2-3 start.
Both coaches are considered offensive gurus, but 2-3 Arizona is ranked 15th in total offense while the Broncos are 18th despite a blockbuster offseason trade for quarterback Russell Wilson.
Right below Denver is Washington with the 19th-ranked offense behind quarterback Carson Wentz, whom coach Ron Rivera pushed his chips to the center of the table with over the offseason. Not surprisingly, the third shortest odds belong to Rivera (+450), who is 1-4 in his third season at the helm with the Commanders already three games behind in the NFC East cellar.
Detroit's Dan Campbell appeared to have an ascending team entering the season, but the Lions are coming off a shutout loss against a rookie quarterback in New England that dropped them to 1-4. Campbell's odds of being the second coach fired this season have shortened to +900.
Next NFL Coach Fired Odds
Kliff Kingsbury, Cardinals: +150
Nathaniel Hackett, Broncos: +200
Ron Rivera, Commanders: +450
Dan Campbell, Lions: +900
Frank Reich, Colts: +1200
Kevin Stefanski, Browns: +1600
Matt Eberflus, Bears: +1600
Pete Carroll, Seahawks: +2000
Mike Tomlin, Steelers: +2200
As for Rhule, he may not be out of work for long despite leaving Carolina with an 11-27 record in two-plus seasons.
A highly respected program builder at the college level, his name has already surfaced in connection with several current and potential openings.
Matt Rhule Next Head Coach Job Odds
Nebraska: +150
Auburn: +300
Wisconsin: +500
Arizona State: +750
Colorado: +800
Stanford: +1000
Oklahoma: +1200
Texas A&M: +1600
Any NFL Team: +3300
Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arizona State and Colorado have already parted with their coaches this season, likely with an eye toward getting ahead of other teams in the race for candidates such as Rhule.
Carolina gave Rhule, 47, a seven-year, $62 million deal in 2020 while paying $6 million to buy him out of his Baylor contract. The Panthers still owe him more than $40 million, but reportedly would not be on the hook for the full amount should he land another coaching job.
Rhule has a 47-43 record in seven seasons in the college ranks with Temple and Baylor. Auburn (Bryan Harsin) and Stanford (David Shaw) are among the programs that could be interested in Rhule should they move on from their current coaches.
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