A strong finish to the season was enough to save Ron Rivera, according to one report.

Prior to Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports reported that Ron Rivera would return to the Carolina Panthers in 2013. Speaking to WFNZ Monday Morning, he expanded on that report. On Ron Rivera:

"I've been hearing for a couple of weeks that he's safe for another season."

Cole talked about the strides the team made down the stretch, and while Jerry Richardson wasn't always happy with the team, the improvement in play made him believe in the team's direction under Ron Rivera. Jason Cole believes that keeping Rivera is the right move, calling making a change at head coach "making a change for change's sake".

The conversation shifted to interim GM Brandon Beane, where Cole expanded on that aspect of his report. He talked about how Jerry Richardson prefers a general manager who will watch the team's fiscal interests, and defer to coaches and scouts on the football decisions. This is how Marty Hurney operated (despite fan's desire to hang every draft pick on him), and Cole asserted this is what Richardson would look for again.