Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich

Context: Reich, who was the Panthers’ first starting quarterback in 1995, led the team to 1-10 this season and drafted No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young last spring. Reich’s 11-game run in Carolina was the shortest tenure for an NFL head coach in 45 years.

Details: Panthers owner David Tepper met with Reich this morning and told him the news, per a team statement.

• Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as interim head coach.
• Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take over play-calling duties. Jim Caldwell will serve as a special advisor to Brown.
• Assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown were cut Monday afternoon.

Why it matters: Since Tepper bought the team in 2018, the Panthers have had six head coaches, three of them interim.

• The Panthers are 30-63 under Tepper.

Zoom out: The Pittsburgh Steelers have had three head coaches over the past 50 years.

The big picture: In Charlotte, inconsistency at the head coach position doesn’t stop on the football side. Charlotte FC, which Tepper also owns, recently fired head coach Christian Lattanzio.

• Tepper Sports & Entertainment has also seen executives exit and multiple team facilities projects fall through.

Yes, but: TSE built its MLS headquarters in east Charlotte. The group also turned Bank of America Stadium into a concert destination, bringing artists like Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones and Kenny Chesney to Mint Street.

The bottom line: Many football fans tell Axios they don’t care about Tepper bringing MLS to Charlotte or concerts at Bank of America Stadium. They just want a winning football team again — something they haven’t had under the current ownership.

Here’s a timeline of Carolina Panthers head coaches under Tepper:

Ron Rivera was fired in December 2019. He is the last head coach to lead the team to a winning season, a playoff appearance or a Super Bowl.

Perry Fewell served as interim head coach for the rest of the 2019 season. The team went 0-4 under Fewell. 

Matt Rhule was Tepper’s first hire as head coach in 2020. He was fired in October 2022 with an overall recored of 11-27. 

Steve Wilks, a Charlotte native, served as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2022 season. The team went 6-6 under Wilks.

Frank Reich was named head coach in January 2023 and fired in November 2023.

Chris Tabor will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the 2023 season.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include the firing of Duce Staley and Josh McCown.