Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule files arbitration suit against Carolina Panthers for offset pay

Matt Rhule has filed an arbitration suit against the Carolina Panthers for severance compensation, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

Rhule — who was fired by the Panthers and later hired by the Nebraska Cornhuskers months later — is claiming the franchise is refusing to give him his offset pay.

“Former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule filed an arbitration suit last week against the franchise, sources tell CBS Sports,” wrote Jones. “The suit claims the Panthers are refusing to pay Rhule’s severance compensation following his firing from Carolina and subsequent hiring at the University of Nebraska.

“In the suit, which was filed with the NFL on Jan. 25, Rhule seeks to receive the offset money he claims is due to him from the Panthers. According to sources, the suit doesn’t allege specifically how much money Rhule is seeking, but contract terms indicate there’s roughly $5 million in dispute.”

Moreover, John Singer — an employment attorney who filed the suit on behalf of Rhule with the league office — had no comment when reached, according to Jones. Additionally, the Panthers and the NFL also declined to comment.

While Rhule is now happily coaching in Lincoln, the Panthers made his replacement official, hiring former Indianapolis Colts leader Frank Reich last week. During the latter’s press conference, Panthers owner David Tepper took questions, where he called the hiring of Rhule “a mistake.”

Alas, there’s unfinished business between Matt Rhule and the Panthers, and it looks like it’ll be up to the courts to handle it.

Former Carolina Panthers player Mikey Daniel joins Matt Rhule’s Nebraska staff as analyst

Meanwhile, Mikey Daniel, who played for Matt Rhule and the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 NFL preseason, was hired by Rhule to join his staff at Nebraska.

“A couple of weeks ago I was offered and accepted a position working in player development as a player performance analyst at the University of Nebraska. After playing for coach Rhule in Carolina I couldn’t be more excited to join his staff and have the opportunity to help lead more importantly minister to these young men,” Rhule said in a LinkedIn post.

Daniel played his college football at South Dakota State from 2015-2019. He was undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons. He was one of the team’s final cuts.

He then signed the next offseason with the Panthers but was cut again before the start of the season.

On3’s Peter Warren contributed to this article.