Once upon a time, Frank Reich was the Carolina Panthers' first quarterback. Now, he's their head coach.
The team announced Thursday that the 61-year-old is now their head coach, replacing Matt Rhule (the former full-time head coach) and Steve Wilks (the long-term interim, and Reich's primary competition for the job).
After a 1-4 start, the Panthers finished 6-6 with Wilks at the helm.
Reich played from 1985-98 and returned to the league as a coaching intern for the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. He coordinated the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LII title and led the Colts to two playoff appearances in four and a half seasons as head coach, a run that ended in November.
The first NFL team to join the 2022-23 coaching market, the Panthers are now the first team out with the hiring of Reich.
#Panthers agree to terms with Frank Reich to become new head coach pic.twitter.com/spUljJKdBz
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 26, 2023
Many observers view Carolina as the most playoff-ready roster among the five teams on the coaching market, and the team has not reached the playoffs since David Tepper bought them in 2018. Playing in a wide-open (that's code for bad) NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the 4-team race with an 8-9 mark in 2022, and may or may not return Tom Brady in 2023.
All that to say: Reich's expectations will be to find a quarterback this spring and get the team to the playoffs in January 2024.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.