The first domino of the hiring cycle has fallen into place with the Panthers hiring Frank Reich as their head coach, the team announced Thursday.
Reich was fired by the Colts after a 3-5-1 start in 2022, and after nearly three months away from coaching, his return comes with the team he played for in 1995. Reich was Carolina’s first starting quarterback in its franchise history.
The November firing marked the end of Reich’s five-year run in Indianapolis, where he earned his first head coaching job after back-to-back successful offensive coordinator stints — which followed tenures as a positional coach with various teams — for the Chargers and Eagles. He won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia in 2017. That year, he helped Carson Wentz compile an 11-2 record before the quarterback suffered a season-ending injury. Reich then ensured a seamless transition when backup Nick Foles quarterbacked the offense for its late-season run, ending in a Super Bowl conquest over the Patriots.
Frank Reich coached the Colts for five years, but he was fired mid-season after a 3-5-1 start. Getty ImagesReich led the Colts to the postseason in 2018, his first season, and in 2020, but they never advanced past the Divisional Round. Indianapolis was close to clinching another playoff berth in 2021, but it collapsed and lost to the Jaguars in Week 18. The last three seasons also featured a revolving door of veteran quarterbacks — from Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan and even briefly Foles.
With the Panthers, Reich will inherit a team that went 7-10 last season, fired head coach Matt Rhule after five games, and still nearly made the playoffs under interim coach Steve Wilks. If the Panthers had defeated the Buccaneers in Week 17, they would’ve likely won the NFC South despite a sub-.500 record. However, Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to a 30-24 comeback win over Carolina.
A combination of Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and P.J. Walker took snaps under center for the Panthers in 2022. They also selected Matt Corral in the third round of last year’s draft, but he sustained a season-ending Lisfranc injury in the preseason.
Frank Reich, who played for the Panthers in 1995, was the first starting quarterback in franchise history. Getty ImagesAs a player, Reich started three games for the Panthers — and appeared in 14 total — in 1995, in between stints with the Bills, Jets, and Lions. Eight years after retiring in 1998, he got his coaching start as an intern with the Colts.
Four NFL teams still have head-coaching vacancies, with the Broncos, Cardinals, Colts, and Texans all interviewing candidates.
