The Panthers announced Friday that John Fox and his coaching staff will not be retained for 2011.
According to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, Fox met with owner Jerry Richardson and was informed he intends for "both sides to move in different directions." Fox was the ultimate lame duck in 2010, just finishing out the string in the last year of his contract with the worst football team in the league. The Panthers are expected to target a young, cheap replacement. Fox should land on his feet as a defensive coordinator at the very least. He went 73-70 in nine seasons, guiding Carolina to its lone Super Bowl in 2003.
Well that didn't take long.