Sept. 5, 2026, 1:40 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
There is no indication whatsoever that Dave Canales is on the hot seat going into his third year as head coach of the Carolina Panthers<\/a>. He brought the team from two wins to five in his first season at the helm, then guided the franchise to their first division title<\/a> since 2015 in his second\u2014so, things are looking up.<\/p>\n But what if the 2026 campaign gets heated in a hurry for Canales?<\/p>\n Well, the Panthers could\u2014according to Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton\u2014look into hiring a Super Bowl-winning head coach to take over. Moton has recently listed Carolina as one of the five best fits<\/a> for Mike Tomlin:<\/p>\n Head coach Dave Canales isn’t on the hot seat after winning a division title, but if Carolina regresses, owner David Tepper may at least look for an upgrade. Postseason appearance or not, a lead skipper with three consecutive losing seasons should be up for evaluation at his position.<\/p>\n Tomlin has expertise on the defensive side of the ball and may be intrigued by the addition of Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd, edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips and rookie second-round defensive tackle Lee Hunter. The Panthers could also give him some say-so on how to handle the quarterback position.<\/p>\n After 19 seasons, all of which ended with a non-losing record, Tomlin parted ways with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past January. He left having amassed a combined mark, including playoffs, of 201-126-2 with eight AFC North titles, two AFC championships and a Super Bowl XLIII win\u2014and now works as an analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America.<\/p>\n