Frank Reich didn’t even make it through a full season as the Carolina Panthers’ head coach. Reich was fired Monday after another loss dropped the Panthers to 1-10 on the season, the team announced.
Reich, 61, was hired by the team in January. The team bypassed then interim coach Steve Wilks, who went 6-6 down the stretch to finish out 2022, to hire Reich.
Panthers owner David Tepper announced the firing in a statement, which read:
“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 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.”
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will take over as the team’s interim head coach. Tabor is a long-time coordinator in the NFL. He served as a head coach for one game with the Chicago Bears in 2020 after Matt Nagy — the Bears’ head coach at the time — tested positive for COVID-19. The Bears lost the game, 33-22, giving Tabor an 0-1 record as a head coach.
The team also announced former Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell will serve as a special advisor to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who will call plays now that Reich is gone. Reich opened the 2023 season calling plays, but eventually turned that responsibility over to Brown as the team struggled to put points on the board. Brown called plays for three games before Reich took back play-calling duties.
Players reportedly first saw the Reich news on social media, according to Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer. A team meeting was called after Reich’s firing hit X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
The team also fired quarterback coach Josh McCown and running back coach Duce Staley, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
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