Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich because the little progress

The 1-10 Panthers parted ways with their head coach Monday, 11 games into a season that saw them make little progress on the side of the ball upon which they invested so many resources this offseason.

"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. "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."

Reich said he was told that he was being fired during an in-person meeting with Tepper on Monday morning.

"I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers," Tepper said in a statement. "I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well."

Reich told the Observer that he wasn't done with coaching, but he added "this is probably the final chapter of my NFL journey."

Frank Reich has had a notable football career. He will always be associated with the Buffalo Bills and leading that team to the largest comeback in playoff history against the Houston Oilers. When Reich was at Maryland, he also led a comeback against Miami that was the largest at the time in college football history.

Reich became a coach and his work as the offensive coordinator of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, who won a Super Bowl, got him the Colts' head coaching job. He was 37-28 through four Colts seasons with two playoff appearances despite no stability at quarterback following Andrew Luck's retirement. Then he went 3-5-1 with the Colts last season and got fired, then went 1-10 this season with Carolina and got fired.

If this is the end for Reich's coaching career, he sounded at peace about it. Having a four-year guaranteed contract from the Panthers that still has more than three years on it probably helps.

Given the investment the Panthers made in Young, including giving up a 2024 first-round pick, which currently sits No. 1 overall, seeing progress from the young signal-caller is paramount in the final six games. Ownership clearly didn't believe the development would come with Reich running things. Now it's on Brown and Caldwell to change the narrative down the stretch.

Reich, who the Indianapolis Colts dismissed after Week 9, 2022, became the third head coach in NFL history to be fired in back-to-back seasons -- Chip Kelly (Eagles and 49ers) and Ray Rhodes (Eagles and Packers).

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Sarah H

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