With Rob Chudzinski seeking his fame and fortune up north as the new coach of the Cleveland Browns, the Carolina Panthers find themselves short of an offensive coordinator.
The answer might come in the form of Pat Shurmur, Chudzinski's predecessor in Cleveland, who interviewed for Carolina's coordinator role on Monday, a source told NFL.com's Albert Breer.
Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer earlier reported the news of Shurmur's interview.
Out of the chute, a strange option for the Panthers. Cam Newton grew into a multi-threat weapon in Chudzinski's offensive scheme, which leaned liberally on read-option concepts.
Shurmur is a committed disciple of the West Coast offense in its purest form. That system would represent a radical and peculiar shift away from the aggressive, vertical passing game Newton has played under. Shurmur, it seems, would have to commit to shrugging off those offensive roots for a chance at this role.
Cincinnati Bengals secondary coach -- and former Oakland Raiders head coach -- Hue Jackson also interviewed for the job, a source told Breer. Jackson also is considered the front-runner to be the Bengals offensive coordinator if Jay Gruden gets a head-coaching job, according to Breer. The Jets also have expressed interest in Jackson's services.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
