Panthers fire coach Frank Reich after 11 games

 

[November 28, 2023]  The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday just 11 games into his tenure.

The Panthers dropped to 1-10 with a 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Special teams coach Chris Tabor has been installed as the interim head coach, the team announced.

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

Reich, who turns 62 next week, was fired for the second year in a row after being dismissed by the Indianapolis Colts in November 2022.

"There's a heart-pounding disappointment in not hitting the marks that we needed to hit to keep this going and try to get it turned around," Reich told the Charlotte Observer on Monday. "It hurts me for the guys, the team, the coaches and the fans."

Reich said Tepper fired him in person on Monday morning at Bank of America Stadium.

"I want to convey that I have nothing but positive thoughts about Mr. Tepper," he told the Observer. "On a personal level, I saw a side of him that I deeply respect and care about. But the NFL is a meritocracy. It's not unconditional love. I understand from a professional standpoint Mr. Tepper is going to have certain standards that he expects to have met. I have no hard feelings, and my personal relationship with him was actually a real highlight of this short time."

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take over offensive play-calling duties with help from senior assistant coach Jim Caldwell.

Carolina also fired assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, according to multiple reports.

The Athletic reported Sunday afternoon that Tepper angrily exited the Panthers' locker room after Sunday's loss and shouted an expletive in frustration.

Reich was hired in January as the sixth head coach in Panthers' franchise history. Tepper fired Matt Rhule in October 2022 after a 1-4 start to that campaign despite owing Rhule more than $40 million.

Reich has three-plus years' worth roughly $30 million remaining on his four-year deal.

Reich posted a 40-33-1 record in four-plus seasons in Indianapolis and guided the club to two postseason appearances.

Carolina has been a carousel of coaching changes since 2018 when Ron Rivera was fired before the end of the regular season. Including that move, Tabor is the sixth head coach of the franchise since 2018, counting interim coaches Perry Fewell (2018) and Steve Wilks (2022).

--Field Level Media

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