Somewhere in Cincinnati this weekend, Luke Kuechly will be planted on his parents' couch.

He'll have Skyline Chili for lunch. And dinner.

When Kuechly does get up, it'll be to check out his younger brother's basketball games. Then, it's back to the couch.

It's quite a lifestyle change for a guy who famously lives in front of a film projector during the season.

"There will be a lot of relaxing and sleeping," Kuechly said about his early offseason plans.

"Coach will tell guys to take some time and clear your mind, it's been a long season, and we'll have plenty of time to get better."

With the Panthers playing into February for the first time in 12 years, Ron Rivera's going a step further. He's asked the league and the NFL Players Association if it's OK to give his players some extended time off.

"The whole idea is that we’ve had five extra weeks of work, our young guys have gotten five more weeks that they normally wouldn’t have gotten, or may not have gotten. So that I think is important," Rivera said. "The idea in talking with the trainers, the doctors, the strength and conditioning staff – it’s about rest right now."

An NFL coach fighting to get his players rest goes against the grain, but it's another example why Rivera is beloved by his guys. He's willing to do things differently in a league that treats every rep of every practice like gold.

So the plan now is for the Panthers, who usually begin their offseason training in mid-April, to report a bit later this spring. Rivera wants to give them as much time off as they've previously had, while wrapping up, as normal, in mid-June.

What's lost is some stuff in the middle, with the on-field portion of the program — 10 OTAs and minicamp — likely unaffected. The biggest change will come under the watch of strength and conditioning coach Joe Kenn.

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"These guys are highly driven, and they may not take as much rest on their own," Kenn said. "I've talked to a couple who usually have a specific date in mind when they start their prep to get ready for offseason conditioning program, so I say you need to push that back a little further.

"One of my best guys said he was pushing it back, and I said why not a little more?"

Who?

"Greg Olsen."

Shocking.

"Well, he agreed because he'll be a 10-year guy next year."

As Kenn further explained, the Panthers' foundation isn't built on the legs of young players. Of the 53 guys who finished the year on the active roster, 20 are headed into what will be at least their 7th NFL season.

"There will be some adjustments to the guys who have had a tremendous amount of snaps," Kenn said. "It has to be addressed, whether you like it or not.

"You watch these guys, their invincibility cloak sometimes warps their sense of reality and I'm the voice of reason. That's something that you have to be when you continue to build a level of trust and a communication process with these guys."

And Kenn, who like Rivera, came to Carolina in 2011, has earned that buy-in. For someone like Kuechly, it may not feel natural to sit on the couch for more than a few days, but if the Panthers want to play into February next year, the first step is relaxing right now.

"I'll take some time off, but before you know it, I'll start getting that itch again to do something," Kuechly said. "I'm sure Joe is going to tell me, 'Luke you can't come in until now.'

"He does a great job of developing a plan that lets you get that rest and puts you in that position to be ready to go for OTAs. He's going to have to do his best because guys like Greg are going to want to be in there next week."

Normally? Sure. But after a Super Bowl run? Even Olsen's willing to make some sacrifices.

"I'm a big routine guy. I believe in my offseason preparation and all of that, but you have to make adjustments to the circumstances," he said.

"Usually, my wife wants me to be a normal person for a couple weeks —  eat pizza and relax a little bit. So I always give her when the season ends, if we don't make the playoffs, I give her until Valentine's Day.

"We're going to have to push it back a few weeks, which is a good problem to have."