Report: Panthers owner's personnel history dissuaded potential HCs

Frank Reich was let go on Monday after just 11 games at the helm, with the Panthers holding the worst record in the NFL at 1-10. Soon after the Reich news was reported, Carolina announced that they had also fired assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.

Reich was hired in January, while Staley and McCown were brought on in February.

This is the second straight year where Tepper has cut ties with head coaches in the middle of a season. Matt Rhule was fired in October 2022 following a 1-4 start. Rhule is now the head coach at the University of Nebraska.

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks took over after Rhule's departure and guided the Panthers to a 6-6 finish and near-playoff berth in the lowly NFC South with a 7-10 overall record. This came despite a mid-season fire sale that saw Carolina trade away star running back Christian McCaffrey (ironically to the Niners) among others.

Wilks was the other finalist alongside Reich, but the latter's longstanding connection to the franchise may have put him over the top in the decision. Prior to his coaching career, Reich spent 13 seasons as an NFL quarterback, including the 1995 campaign with the Panthers and started the first three games in Carolina franchise history.

The 61-year-old's 11-game run on the sidelines with Carolina was the shortest the league has seen since 1978.