Frank Reich’s time with the Carolina Panthers ended Monday morning, one day after another loss.
“I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers,” owner David Tepper said in a statement on Monday. “I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well. Effective immediately, Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as our interim head coach. Senior Assistant Jim Caldwell will be a special advisor to Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown, who will take over play calling duties.”
The Panthers have an NFL worst 1-10 record, and lost 17-10 on Sunday to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Reich came to the Panthers after being fired last year from the Indianapolis Colts.
According to ESPN, there have only been six NFL head coaches since the merger who didn’t finish their first season with their team, with three of those instances having come in the past three seasons: Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars), Nathaniel Hackettt (Denver Broncos) and Reich.
Tepper bought the Panthers in 2018 for $2.2 billion. Since then, the Panthers are 30-63. This will mark their sixth consecutive losing season.
The Panthers started this season not only with a new coach, but also new quarterback. The Panthers made a trade with the Chicago Bears to select Bryce Young as the overall No. 1 draft pick this year. The former Alabama quarterback has struggled along with the Panthers offense.
The Panthers top pick next year – which could also be the top pick in the draft – belongs to the Bears because of the trade to acquire Young.
The Panthers fired Matt Rhule in his third year as head coach after starting the 2022 season 1-4. The team then named Steve Wilks as interim head coach. The Panthers went 6-6 under Wilks and finished the season with a 7-10 record.