Panthers owner shares how interim HC Steve Wilks can earn full-time label

The Carolina Panthers fell to 1-4 on the season after Sunday's 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and responded by parting ways with head coach Matt Rhule on Monday. 

Carolina promoted defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach Steve Wilks to the role of interim head coach, and it seems that Wilks will have to do more than win merely a handful of games to earn the full-time job this coming winter.

"He’s in a position to be in consideration for that position," Panthers owner David Tepper said about Wilks possibly having "interim" removed from his title come January, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I had a talk with Steve, no promises were made, but if he does an incredible job, he has to be in consideration." 

The Panthers could soon look to shop certain stars ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline, and they've already been linked by multiple knowledgeable insiders with one-time Super Bowl champion coach Sean Payton. Payton stepped away from the New Orleans Saints after the 2021 season, but the Saints still hold his rights through 2024 and likely would want to be compensated for relinquishing those rights to any team, let alone a division rival. 

"There’s numerous reasons why you make a decision," Tepper added about choosing now to go in a different direction, per PFT's Josh Alper. "Might have been a little bit of lost intensity on the field yesterday, which was different from the first four games." 

It appears Wilks will have to start third-string option P.J. Walker at quarterback for Sunday's game at the 2-3 Los Angeles Rams with both QB1 Baker Mayfield and backup Sam Darnold dealing with ankle injuries. ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t David Newton) reported Mayfield will be out "at least a couple of weeks'' with the high-ankle sprain he suffered on Sunday.