The Carolina Panthers announced Friday that coach John Fox will not return next season and that the contracts of his assistant coaches will not be renewed. "I told John today that I appreciate everything he has done for us over the last nine years, but as happens in this business, it is time for both sides to move in different directions," Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement. Fox was first denied a contract extension after the 2008 season and entered the last year of his deal this fall after the Panthers began a youth movement that's left them an NFL-worst 2-13 and the league's worst offense, but they will have the No. 1 overall draft pick in April. "It's not new," Fox said of his impending departure. "It's something I've been preparing for actually for a couple of years." League sources told ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas that Fox was allowed to explore other options before this season and that he was a candidate for the Buffalo Bills' opening that eventually went to Chan Gailey, but Fox elected to finish out his contract with the Panthers. A rift had developed between Richardson and Fox since Carolina's 33-13 loss to Arizona in the team's last playoff game in January 2009, and Fox was more vocal this season in showing displeasure for several personnel moves that left the Panthers short on experience and talent. The 55-year-old Fox, who is making more than $6 million this season, is 78-73 in Carolina, which includes the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance after the 2003 season, but the Panthers have never had consecutive winning seasons under Fox, who inherited a 1-15 team from George Seifert in 2002. Source: ESPN
