The deal is significant given how much the Panthers still owe the 47-year-old coach.
Matt Rhule is headed to Nebraska to be the Cornhuskers’ next football coach and will reportedly receive a massive payday to do so.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who broke the news of the hiring prior to the school’s announcement, Rhule will earn approximately $72 million over the next eight years in Lincoln. Nebraska announced the duration of Rhule’s contract in a press release, but the school has yet to confirm any compensation details.
The amount is significant as the Panthers–Rhule’s former employer–still owe the 47-year-old approximately $34 million after firing him just five games into the 2022 NFL season. However, any salary paid to Rhule by Nebraska in the first four years of the new deal is subtracted from the amount owed by the Panthers, according to The Athletic.
Based on Rapoport’s report, Nebraska agreed to offset the “vast majority” of the $34 million still owed the Panthers. No additional details were provided.
Rhule will take over a Nebraska team that finished the year 3-6 under interim coach Mickey Joseph. The Cornhuskers (4-8) fired head coach Scott Frost after a 1–2 start to the season and a 16–31 performance across more than four years.
Prior to his time in the NFL, Rhule boasted successful stints at Temple and Baylor, performances which he’ll now hope to replicate in Lincoln. He last went 11–3 as the coach of the Bears, leading the Big 12 program to the Sugar Bowl in the 2019 season.
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For more Nebraska coverage, go to All Huskers.