Earlier this morning NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi restated a report from him on December 26th, saying he expected Ron Rivera to be fired by the Carolina Panthers today. A report he today qualified, taking away the strict deadline.

Until a new general manager is in place Lombardi reports that Ron Rivera will be "in limbo", which isn't anything we haven't heard before. It would be foolhardy to fire any head coach without input from the man set to lead the entire front office, and vision for the team. Couple this with a spate of head coach firings today, and it allows the Panthers some space to make a final determination on Rivera without making a rash decision, or parting ways with him only to miss out on a coveted head coach.

Judging from Ron Rivera's press conference today, he has not spoken with owner Jerry Richardson about his future. That is expected to happen in the coming days.