Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have agreed to hire Frank Reich as their new head coach, the team announced Thursday.

The Colts ranked last in points per game (14.7) and sacks allowed (35), 27th in yards per game (315.1) and tied for last in turnovers (17) at the time of the firing, which came after a 26-3 loss to New England in which the offense had just 121 yards. "David Tepper is really looking to take advantage of offensive expertise," he said. [Buffalo Bills](/nfl/team/_/name/buf/buffalo-bills), where he was primarily a backup. And he has a great football mind." He's building a franchise. That stood as the biggest comeback in NFL history until this past season, when the Reich was 0-3 as the starting quarterback for Carolina before being replaced by first-round pick Kerry Collins. "He's a great person," said Polian, the first general manager of the Panthers. Since then, Carolina has had eight different quarterbacks start at least one game and has finished no better than 19th in the NFL in scoring. ... He's one of my biggest mentors." "He's one of the best damn football coaches I've ever been around. It ultimately came down to Reich and Wilks, who went 6-6 after Matt Rhule was fired following a 1-4 start.

Frank Reich was a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers when the NFL franchise debuted in 1995. Three decades later, he has been hired as head coach.

In 2022, the Panthers went through multiple quarterbacks, including Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. Injuries and retirements soon depleted the roster, and Carolina has yet to settle on a quarterback since it He received a seven-year, $60 million contract from Tepper, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. Reich started three games for the Panthers in 1995, his lone season with Carolina. He went 7-9 in 2018 and, after a 5-7 start the following season, Tepper fired Rivera. Ron Rivera, the coach with the most wins in Panthers history, was head coach when Tepper bought the franchise. Carolina went 6-6 under Wilks, who was a finalist this month to take over on a full-time basis before Tepper opted for Reich. Wilks joined the suit last year. Three decades later, he has been hired try to lead the Panthers out of a five-year playoff drought as head coach. His overall record was 40-33-1 with three winning seasons; his teams reached the playoffs twice. Indianapolis had a record of 3-5-1 when Reich was fired. [Frank Reich](charlotte/search/results?q=Frank Reich) was a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers when the NFL franchise debuted in 1995.

The NFC South Divison had one of the worst seasons overall in the NFL as a division, with the Tampa bay Buccaneers somehow taking the title after an 8-9 ...

Per Ian Rapoport, the Panthers are set to hire former Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich to be their next head man in Carolina. 15 pick in this year's upcoming draft and still have numerous question marks surrounding the team including the quarterback position and what they'd like to do potentially testing free agency for a solution. The rest of the division all finished their 2022 seasons with a 7-10 record, including the Carolina Panthers who have reportedly found their new head coach.

The first team to join the 2022-23 NFL head coaching market is the first to make a hire.

Reich played from 1985-98 and returned to the league as a coaching intern for the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. Playing in a wide-open (that's code for bad) NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the 4-team race with an 8-9 mark in 2022, and may or may not return Tom Brady in 2023. All that to say: Reich's expectations will be to find a quarterback this spring and get the team to the playoffs in January 2024.

The Carolina Panthers are hiring Frank Reich as their next head coach. Reich spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, ...

Mayfield was [waived](https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-expected-to-release-qb-baker-mayfield-waivers) in December and claimed by the Los Angeles Rams; he, Darnold and Walker are all heading to free agency; and [Matt Corral](/players/matt-corral/) and [Jacob Eason](/players/jacob-eason/) are the only QBs currently on Carolina's roster for 2023. 9 overall) on one of the top signal-callers in the 2023 draft. [acquiring](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-trading-baker-mayfield-to-panthers-for-2024-conditional-fifth-round-draft) [Baker Mayfield](/players/baker-mayfield/) and adding him to a depth chart that included fellow 2018 draft class member [Sam Darnold](/players/sam-darnold/) and backup [PJ Walker](https://www.nfl.com/players/phillip-walker/). All three ended up playing, but not until after Carolina [fired](https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-fire-head-coach-matt-rhule-after-1-4-start-to-season) owner David Tepper's first head-coaching hire, Matt Rhule. The coach had spent the last four seasons with the Colts, leading them to two playoff appearances in their first three seasons together, but instability at quarterback contributed to their downfall and led to his in-season dismissal. Reich eventually moved on from Carolina as a player, but returns to Charlotte as the new leader of the club nearly 18 years after he became its first starting quarterback.

Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich was named the Carolina Panthers' head coach, besting interim coach Steve Wilks for the job.

So this is a bit of a back-to-the-future moment in a couple of ways: Reich took the first offensive snaps for the Panthers. At Carolina, Reich was 0-3 as a starter before getting benched for rookie Kerry Collins before the fourth game and never seeing the field again. His NFL claim to fame as a player was leading what was then the biggest comeback in NFL history, coming back from a 35-3 deficit to win a playoff game for Buffalo over Houston in the 1992 postseason. In 2006, he briefly served as the pastor of a Presbyterian church in the Ballantyne area before catching the coaching bug. His next two games were poor and resulted in lopsided losses, and after that Collins came in and Reich never saw the field again in Charlotte. Reich impressed the Panthers in two interviews with his thorough plan for rebuilding the team and his list of potential assistant coaches, a source said. Carolina is 29-53 in those five years and has gone 0-for-5 trying to make the playoffs since Tepper got here. “There is a legitimate race problem in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.” Tepper then promoted Wilks to interim head coach, saw him stabilize a team that started 1-4 in 2022 and stay in the playoff hunt until January, and didn’t retain him. Now comes Reich, who is very familiar with hands-on owners given that he worked for the mercurial Jim Irsay in Indianapolis. Reich, the first head coach with an offensive background the Panthers have hired, has to find a quarterback (it sounds even more likely now that Carolina will draft one at No. [ wrote a column ](https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article270853592.html)before the season ended pushing for Steve Wilks, the no-nonsense interim head coach who went 6-6 with the Panthers after taking over in difficult circumstances in October.

Frank Reich, the first quarterback in Panthers franchise history, will be the team's next head coach. He was picked over interim Steve Wilks and Kellen ...

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What comes next for Steve Wilks after the Carolina Panthers opted to make Frank Reich their permanent head coach despite the interim's success?

Wilks might not get the permanent task of coaching his hometown team. This is a disappointing end to Wilks’ second coaching stint with the Panthers. There is a legitimate race problem in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.” Now that he is free to explore other opportunities, Carolina’s fierce NFC South rival could offer him the chance to become their defensive coordinator in the not-too-distant future. But that does not detract from how much belief Wilks restored to a franchise that was crying out for optimism. Wilks did a phenomenal job after replacing the floundering Matt Rhule.

After months of doing homework on potential candidates and a couple of weeks of interviews, the Carolina Panthers are in the home stretch of its coaching ...

[@AllPanthers_ ](https://twitter.com/AllPanthers_)and Schuyler Callihan at [@Callihan_](https://twitter.com/Callihan_). In addition to Reich, Wilks, and Moore, the team has also interviewed Jim Caldwell (former Lions and Colts head coach), Shane Steichen (Eagles offensive coordinator), Ejiro Evero (Broncos defensive coordinator), Ken Dorsey (Bills offensive coordinator), Mike Kafka (Giants offensive coordinator), and Sean Payton (former Saints head coach). He owns a 40-33-1 career record.

Similarly to Wilks, Reich has a reputation as a player's coach. (Heck, he's a coach's coach, too.) A one-time Panther himself, the former quarterback has ...

[the hiring of](https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2023/01/26/panthers-to-hire-frank-reich-hc/) Frank Reich—who, obviously, beat out Wilks for the position. And now, they’ll be in business with one of the most respected men in the sport. (Heck, he’s a

Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich is taking the same position with the Carolina Panthers, a team he played for in its first NFL season.

Carolina is the first team to fill a head coaching vacancy this offseason. Carolina is scheduled to host Indianapolis during the [NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport](https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1618686716080177154) reported that Wilks and [Dallas Cowboys](https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/tag/dallas-cowboys) offensive coordinator Kellen Moore were among the other top candidates for the Panthers’ vacancy. He had been in Indy since 2018 and led the organization to a 40-33-1 record during his tenure. Reich made history with the Panthers long before becoming their head coach. Steve Wilks filled in as the interim head coach and led the team to a 6-6 record the rest of the way.

And according to Joe Person of The Athletic, Carolina also did not ask Wilks to stay on with the organization as part of Reich's coaching staff. (Good move.).

Reich most recently served as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 to 2022, when he was fired mid-season. The Panthers last made the playoffs in 2017 ...

Reich went to four Super Bowls as a player with the Buffalo Bills, where he was primarily a backup. His firing came a little over one year after extending his contract through the 2026 season. The Panthers last made the playoffs in 2017 and fired head coach Matt Rhule this past season.

The Carolina Panthers have turned to a familiar face in their search for a new head coach.

Reich was fired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts in November 2022 following the team’s 3-5-1 start to the season. [NFL](http://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/sport/dallas-cowboys-disappointing-loss-49ers-nfl-playoffs-spt-intl/index.html) franchise [announced](https://www.panthers.com/news/panthers-agree-terms-frank-reich-head-coach-2023) Thursday that Frank Reich will take up the reins as he becomes just the sixth head coach in Panthers history. [familiar face](http://www.cnn.com/2023/01/27/sport/quarterbacks-younger-playoffs-nfl-spt-intl/index.html) in their search for a new head coach.

What were some major observations from the Carolina Panthers appointing former quarterback Frank Reich as their new head coach in 2023?

But it’s a sign of growth that Tepper didn’t act on the impulse that cost him so dearly with Matt Rhule. The insider stated that Kellen Moore’s impressive interviews almost tipped the scales in his favor before David Tepper went with Frank Reich. 4 major observations from the Carolina Panthers hiring Frank Reich

Steve Wilks is taking the high road after being passed over for the Panthers head coaching job. The day after Carolina announced it hired Frank Reich as its ...

Thank you to my family, friends and the community for your overwhelming support. Many people aren't built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through. "The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I," Wilks wrote.

State of play: Reich, who was the franchise's first starting quarterback in 1995, will become the sixth head coach in franchise history this season, ...

- There was no better time for the Panthers to hire the first offensive head coach in their franchise’s history than now. “There is a legitimate race problem in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.” - NFL rule changes over the years have created more advantages for offenses to succeed. While the team has made two trips to the Super Bowl, they don’t have a ring to show for it. [Steve Wilks](https://charlotte.axios.com/310523/8-things-to-know-about-carolina-panthers-interim-head-coach-steve-wilks/), a Charlotte native, was named interim head coach. Linebacker Shaq Thompson was direct about it: “We want Wilks,” [he told reporters](https://twitter.com/josephperson/status/1612210265042329600?s=20&t=lD00N0TCWGgAWQ7ucGiW0w) earlier this month.

Steve Wilks, who went 6-6 as interim coach of the Panthers, was "disappointed but not defeated" after Frank Reich was hired for the full-time job.

Statistically, the Panthers improved a lot after the change from Rhule to Wilks, particularly on offense. Wilks has not yet been interviewed by any of the other four. Thank you to my family, friends and the community for your overwhelming support. It was Tepper who gave Wilks the opportunity to lead his hometown team after firing Matt Rhule following a 1-4 start. "The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I," Wilks wrote. He was gracious in his congratulations to Reich.

Even if he's not the permanent, full-time head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Steven Bernard Wilks will always be a part of the black and blue family.

We may not know exactly where he winds up as of yet, but we do know that he’ll keep on [winning the day](https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2022/10/11/panthers-interim-hc-steve-wilks-matt-rhule/)—as he always does. So after one heck of a ride in his interim tenure during a tumultuous 2022 campaign, the Panthers [parted ways with Wilks](https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2023/01/26/panthers-didnt-ask-steve-wilks-frank-reich-coaching-staff/)—who first received the message in a call from owner David Tepper. The Panthers, without star running back Christian McCaffrey in 11 of them, went a relatively impressive 6-6 in their 12 games under Wilks—falling just one game shy of their first NFC South title in seven years.

Reich beat out Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks. Friday morning, Wilks took to Twitter to share his ...

In addition to that, he lost several members of the coaching staff and had to hire a coach mid-season. Interim head coaches typically have a lot of challenges that they have to deal with for obvious reasons and because of it, they rarely put themselves in a position to get the job full-time. In his first game, the team had to start P.J.

The Lebanon native was officially named head coach of the Carolina Panthers Thursday − just two months after being fired by the Indianapolis Colts. He is the ...

As a player, Reich was best known for his dramatic quarterback comebacks, first at Maryland and then as a backup with the Buffalo Bills. Reich was 40-33-1 during four-plus seasons as head coach in Indianapolis. He ultimately earned the new job over candidates such as interim head coach Steve Wilks and former New Orleans Saints HC Sean Payton. And, now, he becomes the team's first permanent head coach since Rhule, who was a backup linebacker for Joe Paterno in the mid-1990s. He was fired last season after the team started 3-5-1 and was struggling badly on offense. He is the sixth head coach in Panthers' history and the first, truly, as an offensive specialist.

Former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks posted a message to social media one day after the organization named Frank Reich as head coach.

[STEVE WILKS’ LAWYERS SAYS THERE IS A ‘LEGITIMATE RACE PROBLEM’ IN NFL AFTER PANTHERS HIRE FRANK REICH OVER HIM](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/steve-wilks-lawyers-says-legitimate-race-problem-nfl-panthers-hire-frank-reich-over-him) [said on Twitter](https://twitter.com/ScoreonD/status/1618976326928699396). Thank you to my family, friends and the community for your overwhelming support. [ripped the Panthers organization](https://www.foxnews.com/category/sports/nfl) in a statement. Players, coaches and staff, thank you for your hard work and dedication. [Carolina Panthers locker room](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/panthers-running-back-apologizes-fight-game-actions-out-of-character) as the interim head coach.

Former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks issued a statement on Friday following the hiring of new coach Frank Reich.

Carolina has started five different quarterbacks over the last three seasons - Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, and Baker Mayfield. The ...

If you want to know why he's the top quarterback in the class, all you have to do is just turn of the Georgia tape. If not, he could certainly be an option but he's going to come with a hefty price tag and honestly, it's just not in the Panthers' best interest. Although he would be an upgrade over what Carolina has had at the position, I don't believe it makes sense to trade for a guy that will be owed $40+ million in two of the next three seasons. Derek Carr - It's a matter of when the Raiders will trade Carr, not if. He's not going to be vying for the starting job but is definitely someone that could be in the mix for a backup/practice squad spot. Wouldn't be a bad idea to roll the dice with him at No. He's a talented prospect but I'm not so sure he's worth the risk of what it would take to get up to No. He's a good option to have on the roster, especially if he can continue to learn behind a veteran. But if you want my opinion, this is QB1 of the class and it's really not even close. Because of it and a coaching staff change, you'd have to imagine the likelihood of him being QB1 is minimal. The offensive line is built to win now. The defense is built to win now.

The Carolina Panthers hired the former Buffalo Bills quarterback as their next head coach this week. Reich inked a four-year deal with Carolina, according to ...

Reich, 61, has a noted and storied history as a QB with the Bills. The AFC East and NFC South are slated to faceoff against one another that year. Reich also has a background with Carolina, too.

Steve Wilks' heartfelt statement after being snubbed for the Carolina Panthers head coaching job typified his integrity and class until the end.

This statement was a far cry from what the lawyers representing Wilks and others in Brian Flores’ class-action lawsuit against the NFL had to say. Reports that the Atlanta Falcons [are ready to swoop](https://twitter.com/Sheena_Marie3/status/1618317510767677441) might mean he remains in the NFC South, but additional employment won’t be long in the offing based on his exceptional track record in various coaching roles. The respected figure is a supreme leader. Thank you to my family, friends and the community for your overwhelming support. It was an honor for me to coach those men in the Carolina Panthers locker room as the interim head coach. But after a thorough interview process, the