Report: David Tepper's Panthers Block DC Ejiro Evero from Interviewing with Jaguars

The Carolina Panthers have blocked the Jacksonville Jaguars' request to interview defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for the same position, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler added that the Panthers plan to interview Evero for their vacant head coaching gig.

Carolina owner David Tepper has cleaned house after a 2-15 season, previously firing first-year head coach Frank Reich after a 1-10 start and also letting go of general manager Scott Fitterer following the end of the 2023 campaign.

However, the defense was the bright spot on an otherwise downtrodden team. Evero's unit allowed the fourth-fewest yards overall (and sixth-fewest yards per play) in the NFL despite missing key players for most of the season (Shaq Thompson and Jaycee Horn among them) due to injury.

The Panthers can block Evero from seeking other opportunities elsewhere in a lateral move, but they can't prevent teams from interviewing him for a head coaching position.

From Evero's standpoint, though, not being able to seek other DC opportunities right now when it's unclear what his future in Carolina holds isn't ideal. If Evero doesn't get the head coaching job, then the new Panthers leader can come in, clean house entirely and bring in his own defensive staff.

That would leave Evero out in the cold in Carolina and perhaps prevent him from seeking other opportunities which might be filled in the interim while the Panthers sort out their own coaching situation.

The Jags' opportunity, for example, is a good one after head coach Doug Pederson let go of some staff members, including defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell.

Although Jacksonville crashed at the end of the season to finish 9-8 and outside the playoffs, the Jags have talent on the roster (led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence) to be in postseason contention for years to come. Given Evero's track record, he could come in and help galvanize a unit that struggled in 2023 (11th-most yards allowed) and in turn, put the Jags back in the playoffs.

However, Evero reportedly won't be getting the chance to seek that opportunity. From the Panthers' perspective, it does make sense to hold onto a talented assistant coach with a bright future for the time being, but it's still a tough situation for Evero, who very well could be leading his own team in due time.