With a young, talented roster in a star-studded town, the Los Angeles Rams' head coaching job quickly became the hottest gig on the market after the team fired Jeff Fisher.
The list of candidates for the job is already long. The names of several any current coordinators -- from Kyle Shanahan to Josh McDaniels to Vance Joseph -- are twittering their way around the internet in connection with the L.A. opening.
It's not just hot coordinators being linked with the Rams job.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that one name to watch is Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
Rivera could join a young team in need of discipline in a city with a large Hispanic population. His arrival would likely be celebrated as a splash hire that could quickly turn the program around.
There are several hurdles to any Rivera-Los Angeles connection: 1) It's not certain Rivera would want to leave Carolina. 2) Coaching trades are complicated (but not impossible). 3) How would Rivera handle the offensive side of the ball? Rapoport noted that veteran offensive coordinator Norv Turner -- living in California nearby and has a close relationship with Rivera -- would be a name to keep an eye on.
Until the job is filled, expect the speculation on the next Rams coach to continue to be far-ranging and include every splashy name possible. The L.A. brass might not settle on a big-name hire, but that won't stop names like Rivera or Sean Payton from being connected to the best job on the market.
