Panthers fire Frank Reich

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich in the middle of his first season with the team.

The team made the announcement Monday morning.

The news comes after the Panthers lost on Sunday to the Tennessee Titans, bringing the team’s record to 1-10 on the season.

Reich was in his first season with the Panthers.

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Frank Reich speaks at weekly team news conference on Nov. 20, 2023 Panthers coach Frank Reich said he's not fazed by rumors swirling around his future

This is the second time in two years that Reich has been fired as an NFL head coach before the season was over. In November 2022, the Indianapolis Colts replaced Reich after losing three consecutive games. He’s now the first NFL head coach since the NFL-AFL merger to be fired in back-to-back seasons.

It’s a similar refrain for the Panthers -- Reich’s predecessor, Matt Rhule, was also fired before the season ended last year.

On Sunday, Carolina Panthers Owner David Tepper’s frustration showed following the team’s loss to the Titans.

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NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report Reich’s firing, adding that Panthers Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor will be the interim coach.

Tabor was reportedly addressing the team on Monday.

Jim Caldwell will be moving to a special advisor position to work under offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, the team announced.

Later Monday, the Panthers announced that assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown would no longer be with the team.

‘Flawed’

Even after the announcement of Reich’s firing, many who follow the Panthers say Reich shouldn’t shoulder all of the blame for the team’s woes. Our partners at The Charlotte Observer published a column outlining a case against Tepper’s involvement, including key personnel decisions in recent years.

Channel 9 spoke with former Observer Panthers columnist Tom Sorensen, and he agreed, saying the problem doesn’t lie solely with Reich. Sorenson said this is a team that lacks continuity.

“Reich never had a chance,” Sorensen said on Monday. “You ask people around the NFL if Reich is a good coach -- they’ll tell you yes.”

Sorensen said Reich was at a disadvantage while racking up 10 losses.

“He hasn’t been [good] this season, but he hasn’t had a [full] season, and he has a flawed roster, and there are flaws across the board,” Sorensen said. “One coach can’t fix it.”

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