Ron Rivera has had a tough season as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. It has been a rough few seasons for the franchise actually, even though they have had some success at times during his tenure. Unfortunately, things are heading in the wrong direction and the Panthers were forced to make a move.

According to a report from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Panthers have made the decision to fire Rivera and move in a different direction.

With the head coaching tenure in Carolina coming to an end for Rivera, it will open the door for him to pursue another opportunity. There are quite a few teams around the league that could use a coach like him. One of those teams could end up being the Dallas Cowboys, who are expected to fire Jason Garrett.

Carolina, on the other hand, will be an interesting job opening for coaching candidates. It wouldn't be shocking to see them go after a name like Josh McDaniels, or even Garrett if the Cowboys do fire him.

All of that being said, Rivera's coaching career with the Panthers will end with a 76-63 record. He led the franchise to the Super Bowl in 2015, but was unable to lead them to a win over the Denver Broncos. It was a good time for the Panthers, but the time to move on was upon them.

Expect to see Rivera get a new coaching job in the near future and the Panthers should be able to find a good replacement for him this offseason as well.