The Carolina Panthers lost for a variety of reasons last night in the playoffs, but one of the biggest was the decision to play soft zone and essentially get into prevent defense when they had a late lead.
They immediately surrendered the go-ahead score in two minutes, and that final tally would hold. Matthew Stafford had zero trouble dicing up the secondary and finding open guys to throw to without any pressure.
This has happened before on numerous occasions. It has cost the Panthers a game or two here and there. Yet, despite that and the overall struggle it’s been under Ejiro Evero, the Panthers aren’t parting ways with him at defensive coordinator.
Dave Canales says Ejiro Evero’s contract has been extended. Was originally set to expire after the ’25 season.
Add Evero “absolutely” will be back as defensive coordinator.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) January 11, 2026
Dave Canales revealed the day after the game that Evero was coming back on a contract extension. The DC’s contract was up after this year, so the two sides could’ve amicably parted ways without a firing, but instead, Carolina re-upped. In fact, they did so before the season began.
#Panthers DC Ejiro Evero is signed through 2027, a league source confirmed. The deal was inked before the season.@josephperson had length of deal first.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) January 11, 2026
This is, to put it mildly, a big decision for the team. It’s also sure to be a controversial one. Plenty want Evero fired for the soft zone scheme that has often bit the team. However, with Derrick Brown back and more talent on defense, the Panthers jumped from historically bad to middle of the pack.
With more investments, namely off the edge, this defense could be even better, and that’s what the Panthers are banking on. Right now, they’re big on continuity, which is why Evero survived last season.
Dec 23, 2018; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
If he wasn’t fire after giving up the most points in NFL history, then it’s not altogether shocking that he’s being brought back after having a pretty solid year.
The Panthers seem to believe, and it’s not hard to see why, that the scheme would work better if they had more viable pass rushers. They currently don’t have any major threats off the edge and are understandably last or next to last in most pass-rush stats.
Assuming they do invest in the edge (and maybe grab a linebacker or two), then it stands to reason that Evero’s scheme can work much better. The Panthers are banking on that, and the future of the franchise might hang in the balance.
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