CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Carolina Panthers sacked their coach on Monday after an NFL-worst 1-10 start in his first year in charge. After only 11 games, Carolina’s Frank Reich era is finished.
The Carolina Panthers sacked their coach on Monday after an NFL-worst 1-10 start in his first year in charge.
Panthers owner David Tepper made the announcement hours after numerous news sources reported that he used profanity as he exited the locker room following Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Tepper recruited Reich to improve one of the league’s worst offenses in recent seasons and develop Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick he acquired this offseason for four draft picks and top wideout D.J. Moore in the hopes of winning multiple Super Bowls.
Instead, the Panthers will have a franchise-record sixth consecutive losing season.
Since Tepper purchased the Panthers from Jerry Richardson in 2018 for $2.275 billion, they have gone 30-63 and have never made the playoffs.
Chris Tabor, special teams coordinator, will serve as temporary head coach. The team’s offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown, will take over as play caller, with senior assistant Jim Caldwell serving as his special adviser.
According to someone familiar with the issue, Tabor’s first step as interim coach was to fire quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley. The individual spoke anonymously to The Associated Press on Monday because the changes had not been announced.
Reich handpicked McCown and Staley to be his assistants.
When Tepper hires his next head coach after the season, he will be the sixth full-time or temporary head coach in his tenure.
Tepper is slated to speak to reporters at Bank of America Stadium on Tuesday. Monday, the Panthers canceled all media access.
Reich is the second head coach fired in the NFL this season, following Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Reich was sacked earlier in his career than any other head coach since Pete McCulley led San Francisco to a 1-8 record in 1978. He is the fifth NFL head coach dismissed during or after a single season in the last six years, joining Nathaniel Hackett (Denver, 2022), Urban Meyer (Jacksonville, 2021), Freddie Kitchens (Cleveland, 2019), and Steve Wilks (Arizona, 2018).
Reich did not immediately return phone calls or text messages seeking comment.
As a team owner, Tepper has demonstrated a need for more patience. Reich is the Panthers’ third head coach to be sacked this season by Tepper.
He also owns the Major League Soccer team in Charlotte, and in the organization’s first two years, he sacked two coaches.
Panthers Fire Frank Reich In His First Season With Team Off To NFL-Worst 1-10 Record
In the NFL, Tepper hired Ron Rivera as his head coach in 2018 but sacked him during the season less than two years later. Perry Fewell ended the season before Tepper hired Matt Rhule, a former Baylor coach, to a seven-year, $63 million contract. However, Rhule only lasted 2 1/2 seasons until Tepper fired him and replaced him on an interim basis with Wilks, the Panthers’ defensive coordinator.
Tepper then hired Reich, who helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl as offensive coordinator before becoming head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, who dismissed him last season. Wilks is now San Francisco’s defensive coordinator.
Carolina is still near the bottom in practically every offensive category. The Panthers are 30th in total offense and 30th in passing yards per game, and they have scored at most 15 points since the bye week.
Reich agreed to terms with the Panthers on a four-year deal that runs through the 2026 season. Tepper will owe an estimated $9 million every season for the following three seasons.
Reich has prior experience guiding successful NFL offenses, but that did not translate to the Panthers.
Young has been sacked 40 times this season, and the Panthers’ offensive line has given up 43 total sacks in 11 games, ranking fourth in the NFL. Young has been under intense scrutiny throughout the season, making it tough to assess his progress as a quarterback.
However, the former Alabama product has struggled as a quarterback, ranking at the bottom of the league in most statistical categories. He has yet to throw for 250 yards in a game and has eight interceptions to nine touchdown passes.
Because of their record, the Panthers may receive the No. 1 choice in next year’s draft, but that pick would instantly go to the Chicago Bears due to the Young trade.
SOURCE – (AP)
