CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Frank Reich is returning to the Carolina Panthers as their coach, more than 27 years after he started the franchise’s first game at quarterback in 1995.
The Panthers announced Thursday that they have agreed to terms with Reich to become the sixth head coach in franchise history. An introductory press conference is scheduled for Tuesday.
Reich was selected from among nine candidates who interviewed for the job, including former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and this season’s interim head coach Steve Wilks.
Reich received a four-year contract from the Panthers, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team does not release details about coaching hires.
Reich, 61, joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired Nov. 7 after a 3-5-1 start. The Colts went to the playoffs twice as a wild card team under Reich, going 1-2 in the postseason.
Prior to joining the Colts, Reich spent two years as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, helping them win the Super Bowl in his second season under head coach Doug Pederson.
NFL analyst and former Panthers general manager Bill Polian, who brought Reich with him from Buffalo to Carolina in 1995 to help draft Kerry Collins in the first round and provide stability at quarterback, called Reich ” as lovely a man as you will ever meet ” and a head coach with a “great football mind”.
“I think he’s going to fit in perfectly at Carolina,” Polian said. “This is where he wants to be. He literally knows the building and has been there as a player. He’s going to connect with the players and put together a great staff. There’s still a lot to build with this team, but he’s going to work great with ( general manager) Scott Fitterer.”
Polian added that Reich is low-key but detail-oriented.
“He’s inspirational when he needs to be,” Polian said. “And he’s very rational, honest and direct with his players.”
Wilkes, who is black, was already part of a lawsuit involving Brian Flores alleging racist hiring practices by the NFL.
Douglas Wigdor, the attorney representing Wilkes in the lawsuit, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that “we are shocked and dismayed that after the incredible job coach Wilkes has done as interim coach, including returning the team to playoff contention and winning player and fan support, he was passed over for the head coaching job by David Tepper.”
Wigdor continued: “There is a legitimate racial issue in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.”
Reich inherits a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 — and hasn’t won a postseason game since winning the NFC Championship in 2015 with league MVP Cam Newton at quarterback.
The Panthers have been looking for stability at quarterback since Newton began battling injuries shortly after the team’s 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers cut Baker Mayfield this season and Sam Darnold is an unrestricted free agent, so Reich will have key word for the future of the team’s quarterback situation.
Reich becomes the Panthers’ first head coach to come from an offensive background.
The Panthers finished 29th in the league in offense and 29th in passing this season after struggling at quarterback.
Reich is no stranger to dealing with a revolving door of quarterbacks.
In his four full seasons in Indianapolis, the Colts had three top-10 scoring offenses with three different quarterbacks — Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz.
Reich also served as Peyton Manning’s coach.
He also knows a little about winning big games as a quarterback. Reich spent 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback. In the 1992 AFC playoffs, Reich orchestrated the greatest postseason comeback in league history as the Buffalo Bills rallied from a 35-3 deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers.
Panthers owner David Tepper has been eager to build a winning program since buying the team for a then-record $2.3 billion in 2018 from Jerry Richardson, who sold the team amid allegations of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.
The Panthers are 29-53 since Tepper bought the team and have never won more than seven games in a season.
Reich follows Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox, Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule as the franchise’s sixth full-time head coach.
Rivera is a minority, but the Panthers have never hired a full-time Black coach. They had two black coaches who worked on an interim basis – Perry Fewell and Wilkes.
Wilkes went 6-6 last season. He took over for Rhule, who was fired by Tepper less than three seasons after giving him a seven-year, $72 million contract. Rhule was 11-27 overall and the Panthers were 1-4 when he was fired.
Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Wilkes also received heavy consideration for the job.
Others who interviewed for the position were Payton, former Detroit Lions and Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and NFL offensive coordinators Shane Steichen of Philadelphia, Ken Dorsey of Buffalo and Mike Kafka of New York Giants.
The Panthers are now expected to turn their attention to Reich, who is hiring his own staff.
The Panthers have already interviewed former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio for the position. Fangio was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator in 1995 when Reich was a quarterback.
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