Panthers fire Reich in his first season after Panthers notch 10th loss
Posted November 27, 2023 10:01 a.m. EST
Updated November 28, 2023 12:27 p.m. EST
Frank Reich now has the distinction of the second-shortest NFL head coaching tenure – just 11 games with a sole win.
The Carolina Panthers announced Monday morning that Reich would not continue as head coach. He held the position for less than a year, having been named coach after 2022's mid-season firing of Matt Rhule.
The move came a day after the Panthers fell 17-10 to the Tennessee Titans for their fourth straight loss. The Panthers are 0-6 on the road.
Through 11 weeks, the Panthers 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're 30th in the league in total offense and 30th in passing yards per game.
Victoria Vodenichar, producer at 99.9 FM The Fan and a life-long Panthers fan, says Reich is only a symptom.
"In my opinion, it’s (Panthers owner) David Tepper," she said. "Since Tepper has arrived, Ron Rivera has been fired, Matt Ruhle was hired and fired, Steve Wilkes was interim head coach."
Tepper hired Reich – who was the Panthers' inaugural quarterback in 1995 – to develop quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, and to invigorate an offense that has been among the league's worst over the past few seasons.
But Carolina still ranks near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category and the Panthers are assured of a sixth straight losing season since Tepper bought the team in 2018 for $2.275 billion. They are also on the hook for an estimated $9 million per season to pay out Reich's contract.
All of the losing has taken a toll on fan loyalty, says Dennis Cox, 99.9 FM The Fan producer.
"Panthers fans aren’t showing up. You’ve reached a level of apathy with the fan base, because you’ve not given them anything to be excited about, nothing to root for, nothing in terms of hope for the future. You haven’t given them anything," he said.
Because of their record, the Panthers could possibly land the No. 1 pick in next year's draft, but that immediately would go to the Chicago Bears because of the trade for Young.
"All there really is is hope, honestly. And it’s not a lot, but you hope if you can just chip away at some of this, because we need to just start fresh, we need to just clean house," Vodenichar said.
