Before the season had even begun, there was little doubt that Carolina would be spending the early part of their off-season next year searching for a new head coach, as the current holder of the position, John Fox, had almost no chance to retain his job regardless of how well his team played.

What little chance that remained has quickly evaporated, with the Panthers on track to pick up the #1 overall pick with a 1-10 record through week 12 of the season, and a multitude of capable coaching candidates expected to be available.

One name that’s popped up multiple times in recent years for head coaching vacancies around the league is Cardinals assistant head coach Russ Grimm, and despite the fact that he’s failed thus far to land one of those positions, Grimm is still expected to be on the short list for several teams this off-season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Panthers are one of those clubs that’s likely to show a strong interest in Grimm being their next head coach. Money will undoubtedly be a major factor in Carolina’s decision, especially if the collective bargaining agreement discussions between the owners and the players goes south and a work stoppage ensues, and Grimm would give the Panthers a much cheaper option to work with when compared to the headliners of the potential coaching class in Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden.

Obviously, a hiring of Grimm won’t do much to drive fan excitement, but fundamentally, the Panthers would be hard pressed to find a better candidate to take the helm, as Grimm brings a wealth of experience as both a player and coach to the table.  In any case, Carolina would be wise to seek out every possible option before making their choice, as they can ill afford to spend the next three years struggling to right the ship under another failed head coach.

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