The Carolina Panthers were moments away from a stunning playoff upset against the Los Angeles Rams before Matthew Stafford once again authored a late-game march, finishing with a game-winning touchdown that broke Carolina’s hearts.
Much of the postgame criticism centered on how efficiently Stafford moved the ball on the final drive. Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero took some heat for the soft coverage calls that allowed the Rams quarterback to carve up the defense when it mattered most.
Despite that frustration, Panthers fans can expect to see Evero patrolling the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Contract Extension
At his season-ending press conference, head coach Dave Canales addressed the status of Evero, whose contract was originally set to expire at the conclusion of the season.
Joe Person of The Athletic shared Canales’ comments on social media.
“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.”
Evero has been with the Panthers since 2023, and the 2024 season represented a low point, as Carolina set an unfortunate franchise record for points allowed. That year marked rock bottom for both the defense and its coordinator.
In 2025, however, the unit showed major improvement. The Panthers finished 15th in scoring defense and 16th in total defense, a significant rebound that ultimately justified the organization’s decision to extend Evero, regardless of how the playoff loss unfolded.
Canales believes in Evero’s long-term vision and is confident the defense will continue to build on this progress.
Canales Has Confidence in Evero
Although the Panthers did not advance beyond the wild-card round, pushing the Rams to the brink reinforced the belief that the team is moving in the right direction. Canales has made it clear that Evero is central to the future of Carolina’s defense.
Darin Gantt and Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com detailed Canales’ explanation for retaining Evero during his Sunday press conference.
“I have complete trust in Ejiro,” he said. “Love the way that he’s brought this group to play quality football together, and he’s got my full support. Love our scheme, love what we do there, and getting our guys to play together when we execute this scheme, it’s really difficult to play against, and the guys have found a way to play together, communicate together.”
Canales also pointed to the playoff loss as an example of the identity he wants the defense to maintain moving forward.
“And really, like you saw last night and glimpses of the style of play that we’re looking for, the big hits, the tackling, the coverage on the back end and all that, and the rush at times and the pressure packages, the different things that he was able to do to create rush, to create pressure for quarterbacks,” Canales said. “I just love where we’re headed that way and as always, with all of our schemes we’ll look at it and we’ll continue to evolve, we’ll continue to push the envelope and move forward from there.”
Carolina may have exited the playoffs quickly, but it did not go unnoticed. With optimism building around the franchise, Evero’s defensive blueprint is set to remain a key piece of the Panthers’ future.