Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 11 games

The Carolina Panthers have reportedly fired head coach Frank Reich after a 1-10 start in his first season with the team, according to Tom Pelissero. After falling to the Tennessee Titans in a 17-10 game on Sunday, the Panthers and team owner David Tepper are moving on from the former Colts skipper.

Carolina’s sole win so far this season came against the Houston Texans. It was a 15-13 victory. Through the first 11 games, the Panthers scored more than 20 points just three times.

The firing comes after the organization went all-in to grab rookie quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

David Tepper released a statement shortly after the news broke 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. I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well. Effective immediately, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will be a special advisor to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who will take over play-calling duties.”

As a head coach for the Colts and Panthers, Reich accumulated a 41-42-1 record. He went 40-33-1 with Indianapolis, with his best season reaching 11 wins in 2020. Prior to taking over his own teams, he was offensive coordinator for the Chargers and the Eagles.

Panthers moving on from Frank Reich

With Thomas Brown assuming play-calling duties, it’s likely that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will continue calling the defense. Evero is in his first season as DC for the Panthers. Brown spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, first as running backs coach, then as assistant head coach.

The signs were there that Tepper was potentially done with Frank Reich after Sunday’s loss. Tepper, who bought the franchise in 2018, was heard yelling, ‘F---,’ as he exited the team’s locker room post-game.

After firing Matt Rhule last season, the Panthers installed Steve Wilks as the interim head coach. Wilks went 6-6 as the interim and won four of his last six games before Tepper opted to go in a different direction – with Frank Reich.

Since 2018, Tepper has fired five different head coaches of his two teams – the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte F.C. He moved on from Ron Rivera in Dec. of 2019, Charlotte F.C. head coach Miguel Angel Ramirez in May of 2022, Matt Rhule in Oct. of 2022, Charlotte F.C. head coach Christian Lattanzio in Nov. of 2023 and now Reich.