CHARLOTTE — With all the head coaching vacancies now apparently filled, the Panthers can move forward with the stability they're longing for on defense and build on last year's significant improvements.
After the Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as head coach on Sunday, and multiple reports indicated that the Raiders intended to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak after the Super Bowl, all 10 head coaching jobs are now spoken for.
That means Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero remains in place, just where they want him.
"Absolutely, yeah, 100 percent," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said earlier this offseason when asked if Evero would remain if he didn't get a head coaching job.
2026 NFL head coaching changes
| Team | Previous coach | New coach | Date filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Raheem Morris | Kevin Stefanski | Jan. 17 |
| Miami | Mike McDaniel | Jeff Hafley | Jan. 19 |
| NY Giants | Brian Daboll | John Harbaugh | Jan. 20 |
| Tennessee | Brian Callahan | Robert Saleh | Jan. 22 |
| Baltimore | John Harbaugh | Jesse Minter | Jan. 22 |
| Pittsburgh | Mike Tomlin | Mike McCarthy | Jan. 27 |
| Cleveland | Kevin Stefanski | Todd Monken | Jan. 28 |
| Buffalo | Sean McDermott | Joe Brady | Jan. 28 |
| Arizona | Jonathan Gannon | Mike LaFleur | Feb. 1 |
| Las Vegas | Pete Carroll | Klint Kubiak | Feb. 1 (reported) |
Evero interviewed for three of the openings, meeting with the Falcons (who hired Kevin Stefanski) and Steelers (Mike McCarthy), along with a pair of interviews with the Raiders (who reportedly locked in on Kubiak Sunday).
That's welcome news for the Panthers, who had previously extended Evero's contract when Canales was hired.
"I have complete trust in Ejiro," Canales said. "Love the way he's brought this group to play quality football together. He's got my full support. Love our scheme, love what we do there. You know, getting our guys to play together when we execute this scheme, it's really difficult to play against, and the guys have found a way to play together, communicate together, and really like you saw [in the playoffs] in glimpses, just the style of play that we're looking for. The big hits, tackling, you know, the coverage on the back end, and the rush at times. The pressure packages, the different things he was able to do to create rush, to create pressure for quarterbacks.
"I just love where we are headed that way, and as always, with all our schemes we'll look at it and continue to evolve, push the envelope, and move forward from there."
It's hard to understate the progress the Panthers made last season.
In 2023, they set an all-time NFL record for points allowed in a season and yielded the third-most rushing yards in league history.
With Derrick Brown returning this year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2023 opener, the improvements under Evero were immediate.
The Panthers went from 32nd to 15th in the league in points allowed, and from 32nd to 16th in yards allowed.
The 77.3 yards per game improvement was the 13th-best in a single season in the league in the last 25 years.
The 56.5 rushing yards per game allowed difference was the ninth-largest improvement in the league in the last 25 years.
They also tied for 10th in the league in takeaways last season.
All of those numbers point to the confidence they have in Evero and his staff.
"We think highly of EJ," general manager Dan Morgan said. "EJ has a really great football mind. We love his defense. It's a really aggressive defense. I think as we continue to add players to the defense, I think that you'll see this defense kind of come together. We made a lot of improvements on the defensive side of the ball this year, and we'll continue to get better and add pieces. We're up for that challenge. . . .
"Yeah, I think if you look at EJ, if you're around him every day, you see the way he works, how smart he is. I believe in his defense. I believe in his philosophy. He's really good at developing players. Again, it's my job as well to equip him with the right personnel, and again, it's a patience thing to where we're going to attack those needs, and we're going to get better across the board. I think as you see us keep adding talent on our roster, players on our roster developing, I think you'll see that defense keep ascending."
Check out some of our favorite photos of Panthers fans throughout the 2025 season.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
