If Ron Rivera joins a team, will he poach any Carolina Panthers coaches?

Could Ron Rivera take some from his former team?

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Panthers owner David Tepper talks with former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera during pregame warmups at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

There is apparently some serious momentum behind Ron Rivera joining the Dallas Cowboys as their head coach. The former Carolina Panthers coach spent the last few seasons with the Washington Commanders before he was fired last year and replaced with Dan Quinn. He is still interested in coaching and could have a job soon.

If he does, he will presumably fill out his staff with former assistants. Coaches like to work with other coaches they're familiar with, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Rivera called up former coworkers to see if they'd join him in Dallas. Does that put some current Panthers coaches at risk?

Will the Carolina Panthers lose any coaches if Ron Rivera is hired?

Fortunately, most of the current Carolina Panthers regime comes from Dave Canales, the current head coach. Others are holdovers from the Frank Reich era, which lasted just 11 games. Before that, and in between Ron Rivera and Canales, Matt Rhule was the coach.

Of the few coaches who aren't directly tied to Canales, Frank Reich is responsible for all of them. Every single coach on the Panthers staff was hired in 2023 or 2024. No one still exists from the Rhule or Rivera regimes.

That means that the Panthers should be safe from any poaching by Rivera. He has plenty of assistants to choose from should he be hired, but none of them currently work with the Panthers. He took a lot with him to Washington, so they are much more at risk of losing coaches if the former Coach of the Year gets a new job.

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