How the Ron Rivera firing could impact the Eagles

The Carolina Panthers made some pretty big news on Tuesday afternoon by firing their head coach, Ron Rivera. The Panthers made the Super Bowl under Rivera back during the 2015 season but have only gone 29-31 since then.

It’ll be interesting to see where Rivera, a two-time Coach of the Year winner, ends up next. Especially because his landing spot could be the NFC East.

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The Philadelphia Eagles could have interest in Rivera if they move on from defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Rivera has familiarity with Doug Pederson considering they’re both Andy Reid disciples who overlapped in Philly back in 1999. Pederson had the following to say about Rivera prior to when the Eagles and Panthers played back in 2017:

“Just overall he’s a genuine human being. A lot of respect for him and what he’s done not only on the field but off the field. His wife and my wife are old friends as well. Look forward to seeing him.”

A look at his defensive track record:

Rivera might not be rushing into a defensive coordinator job, though. The Panthers are still paying him in 2020 so he could take a year off from football.

It’s also entirely possible Rivera could land a new head coaching job. The New York Giants seem like an obvious fit given Pat Shurmur’s shaky standing there. Not to mention Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and Rivera overlapped in Carolina from 2013 through 2017.

The Dallas Cowboys could also be a team to watch. The writing is on the wall for Jason Garrett; he’s likely to be replaced after this season. Maybe the Cowboys want to go after Rivera.

And then there’s Washington. Unless they just give the job to interim head coach Bill Callahan, Washington could look to hire Rivera.

We’ll see where Rivera lands. As far as who should replace him in Carolina, I think the Panthers should really look into Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh!