Report: Panthers Interviewed Ex-Packers HC Mike McCarthy After Sunday's Loss vs. Colts

When the Panthers fired Ron Rivera on Dec. 3, owner David Tepper made it explicitly clear what his next step was going to be. "I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers," he said in a statement.

And the latest news coming out of Carolina’s on-going search pertains to former Packers coach Mike McCarthy. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Panthers interviewed McCarthy for the team's head coach position after the team's 38–6 loss on Sunday to the Colts.

McCarthy was fired in December 2018 and was out of coaching this season after a serving as Green Bay's head coach since 2006.

McCarthy left the Packers with a career 61.2 winning percentage but just a 10–8 record in the playoffs. His dismissal last year was just one episode in what was a season of discord in Green Bay.

In the hours following Rivera’s dismissal, it was noted that Carolina may want to go in a more analytics-based direction with its next head coaching hire.

In a recent conversation with the MMQB's Albert Breer, Tepper said he had profile for a coach in mind, but wouldn't provide any specific traits.

"I always have an open mind about it, that some things may be more important,” he said. “Part of an interview process is learning new things by talking to people. I might be mistaken in some of my beliefs. I’m open to knowing what I don’t know. I have an idea of what I want. But if you ask me if it’s cemented in, I’m not gonna tell you it’s 100% cemented in. There are things around the edges that could be pulled around.

"Good managers are good managers, good coaches are good coaches. But there’s a lot of aspects to what makes that person that way—leadership, toughness, discipline, new modern process.”

The 62-year-old Tepper added he didn't think the club would be formally hiring a search firm. He did emphasize to Breer, however, he's learning more about the areas he might not have known as much about before purchasing the team.

“I didn’t come in there and just buy a team, [thinking I knew what I was doing],” he said. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. My greatest strength—my greatest strength—is knowing how stupid I am and what I don’t know. I wanted to figure out what was going on and have a better idea of what should make a successful organization.”

One of the decisions the team’s new head coach will have to weigh in on is what to do with quarterback Cam Newton. Newton was placed on injured reserve in early November with a foot injury.

The 5–10 Panthers close out their season Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.