
NFL insider shares wild take about the future of Panthers HC Dave Canales
Well, that might be a possibility according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio—who believes a disastrous campaign could spell the end of Canales' run. Florio named the second-year head coach as one of five candidates he thinks may feel the heat of the hot seat in 2025.
He writes:
There's a glass-half-full vibe around the Panthers, given that they finished relatively strong in 2024 after a disastrous start. If that comes to fruition for the 2025 Panthers, all will be well.
If the wheels come off, it could spell doom for Canales, who enters his second season on the job.
The key becomes owner David Tepper. Will the hard-charging, results-demanding, drink-throwing (at least once) owner tolerate, say, a 4-13 finish?
It won't be easy for Canales, if that happens. Mainly because of the guy who signs the checks, and who issues the pink slips.
That glass-half-full vibe comes after a noted improvement in the first year under Canales, who led the Panthers to a three-win jump from the season prior. Carolina was also more competitive than they were in 2023, as evidenced by their near-upsets of the eventual AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 and the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
But Florio surmises that a step back could ignite the itchy trigger finger of Tepper, something we saw after just 11 games of Frank Reich in 2023. Tepper is now in his eighth year as team owner, and still has yet to experience a winning season.
The Panthers, in addition, are entering 2025 on the longest playoff drought in franchise history.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Patriots to wear new ‘Rivalries' jerseys against Jets this season
The Patriots have announced that they will be wearing their new 'Rivalries' uniform against the Jets this upcoming season. In a recent social media post, the Pats teased their new uniforms, which are set to be revealed on August 28. In a follow-up post, the Pats also revealed that they will be wearing the jerseys against the Jets on November 13. Earlier this year, the NFL announced that eight teams will be donning the 'Rivalries' jerseys this year: the AFC East and NFC West. To speculate, in the previous teasers, the Patriots say to prepare for a Nor'easter, and in the teaser announcing their matchup against the Jets, the New England Patriots refer to themselves as Boston. Could we possibly see the old Boston 'Pat the Patriots' away jerseys? The last time the Pats donned those was 2009, when the NFL commemorated the anniversary of the AFL. In the past year, plenty of fans have also wanted to see the return of the Patriots 90's 'Flying Elvis' jerseys, a royal blue colored jersey with a pinstripe pattern on top of it, and who can forget the giant logo on the shoulder pads? Only time will tell what the Patriots' new alternate jersey will be. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carolina Hurricanes Build A Stellar Core Through The Turn Of The Decade
For a few years now, the Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the sexy picks to win the Stanley Cup. Pundits, fans and hockey executives see Carolina as a team with a terrific core – and clearly, Hurricanes management feels the same way.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Farcical': NRL fans make same complaint about referees as Panthers roll Tigers
Angry NRL fans have slammed the inconsistency of referees after a seventh-straight win for Penrith that keeps their incredible top-four charge alive. The Panthers thumped the Tigers 36-2 on Saturday evening to surge into fifth spot on the table, but it came after viewers all made similar complaints about the unpopular move from officials to penalise teams for incorrect play-the-balls. The Tigers started the match brightly and led 2-0 after an early penalty goal from right in front. But things soon unravelled for Benji Marshall's side, who were guilty of gifting the four-time defending premiers field position with a series of six-again restarts. Referee Peter Gough also pinged the Tigers for a 'roll-ball' after they failed to play the ball correctly and it helped give the Panthers the impetus as they scored three quick tries to establish a 16-point lead by halftime. The officials have made it clear that they will penalise players for not making a genuine attempt to rake the ball back with their foot in play-the-balls. But as many viewers pointed out, several Panthers players appeared to do the same thing as the Tigers, without being penalised for it. Tries for Lindsay Smith, Casey McLean and Dylan Edwards set up Penrith's big lead at the break but there was a widespread belief from viewers across social media that the lead-up to many of the Panthers' tries included numerous 'roll-balls' that went unpunished from the officials. Quick play-the-balls have become a much bigger factor in the NRL since the introduction of six-again restarts and Penrith are one of the best teams in the comp in that regard. But the reality is that players from every side seem to be getting away with incorrect play-the-balls and the decision-making process from referees around which ones to penalise has been labelled 'farcical' by many fans. These roll ball calls are a farce! #nrlpantherstigers — SupercoachKing (@supercoachking) July 26, 2025 Taking 4 months off the stupid roll ball penalties and bringing them back in round 21 is farcical #NRLPanthersTigers — Anthony (@roosterman1997) July 26, 2025 Tigers get penalised for not playing the ball with their ENTIRE next set of 6 from the Panthers, not one foot touched a played ball. All rolled. This is the bullshit that the fans hate. The gross inconsistencies & subjective rules. @NRL#NRLPanthersTigers — Matt (@MC_Hammer75) July 26, 2025 Panthers just scored their second try from a straight up roll ball… the inconsistency is a joke #nrlpantherstigers — ShireTiger (@ShireTiger) July 26, 2025 Just watched the Tigers get pinged for a roll ball, 25m from their own line. Foot made the movement, missed it by an inch. I figured I'd watch the Panthers next set… they had two, a late six again… and not a single foot touched a ball. Not one. Then they scored. — Sean Doherty (@seano888) July 26, 2025 Panthers close in on top-four with seventh-straight win Despite the backlash against the officials, the Tigers were ultimately outclassed by Ivan Cleary's Panthers, who took another giant step towards finishing the season in the top four. The fourth-placed Warriors' slip-up against the lowly Titans has given Penrith fresh hope and Brisbane's loss against the Eels allowed the defending champs to leapfrog the Broncos into fifth. Penrith will need the Warriors to lose at least twice on the run home to snatch fourth spot but Penrith's red-hot form and return to their premiership-winning defence gives them a massive chance. The situation is a far cry from a 1-5 start to the season from Penrith, who sat dead-last just two months ago, before their stunning winning streak started. "I'll be happy to make the top eight, really," Penrith coach Cleary said after the Tigers game. "I'm very proud of the boys, the whole club really, the way we've just sort of hung in there and essentially just trusted what we do. Penrith fullback Edwards was a standout after running for a game-high 322 metres, while also chiming in with a try and try assist. Nathan Cleary was also in imperious form with three try assists - one of which appeared to include a forward pass in the build-up though. Cleary kicked a perfect six-from-six with the boot too, with the champion Penrith halfback controlling the game superbly to all but end the Tigers' hopes of playing finals footy. "I thought we got taught a lesson on game management, field position, kicking game and choking - we got strangled to death by them tonight," Tigers coach Benji Marshall said after the 34-point belting. "They were outstanding." Cleary turns on the burners and finds Edwards!📺 Watch #NRLPanthersTigers on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: BLOG MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 26, 2025