The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich only after 11 games in charge as they thought he would give them the answers they needed, but he didn’t.
“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.”
The Panthers are currently 30th in the League and through 11 games, they rank near the bottom of the league in total offense and scoring and haven’t scored more than 15 points in a game since the bye week. They are also 30th in passing yards per game.
Reich’s dismissal is the quickest a new coach has been fired since 1978, when the 49ers let Pete McCulley go after a 1-8 start.
Carolina had managed to score the same or fewer points in six straight weeks, managing 24, 21, 15, 13, 13, 10, and 10 points in their last seven. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take back offensive play-calling duties for the remainder of the season.
“There’s a heart-pounding disappointment in not hitting the marks that we needed to hit to keep this thing going and try to get it turned around,” Reich said. “It hurts me for the guys, the team, the coaches, and the fans.”
“This is probably the final chapter of my NFL journey,” he added.
The Panthers have the worst record in the NFL, but won’t have a high draft pick to show for it. They sent their 2024 first-round pick to the Bears as part of a massive package to trade up for the No. 1 pick and add Young this spring.
