Head coach Frank Reich was fired by the Panthers on Monday. His 11-game run is the shortest of any non-interim NFL head coach in 45 years. Pete McCulley lasted all of 9 games with the Niners in 1978 before being eventually replaced by Bill Walsh the following season. 

Reich’s interim replacement in Carolina will be special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. Senior Assistant Jim Caldwell moves into a special advisor role and assists with the offense, which will be run by coordinator Thomas Brown.

Reich is considered a QB guru. He was brought in to help nurture and develop No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Unfortunately, Young’s rookie season has been a disaster. The 1-10 Panthers have the worst record in the NFL. Young has taken a beating. He was sacked 4 times in Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Titans and has been sacked 40 times this season. 

Young has averaged just 187 passing yards per game and boasts an anemic 74.7 passer rating. His 9 TDs have been nearly matched by 8 interceptions. Young is one of 10 rookie QBs to start in the NFL this season. Only one, Clayton Tune, has won fewer games than Young as a starter. And Tune had just one start. 

All of this is magnified by what Carolina gave up in drafting Young last spring, moving from the No. 9 to No. 1 spot. The Panthers swapped first-round picks with Chicago. The Panthers also gave the Bears a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025, and WR D.J. Moore. 

Panthers owner David Tepper has now fired his head coach in mid-season in consecutive years. Mike Rhule was shown the door of Bank of America Stadium last season after a 1-4 start. Tepper has churned through a half-dozen head coaches since buying the Panthers in 2018. 

They are Ron Rivera, Perry Fewell, Matt Rhule, Steve Wilks, Reich, and Tabor. Fewell, Wilks, and Tabor all carried the “interim” label. Tepper is worth an estimated $16 billion, so he can afford a seventh while paying several of that coach’s predecessors. 

Bookies.com veteran oddsmaker Adam Thompson has used his resources of NFL contacts developed over 20 years covering the league to create his NFL futures odds on who’s leading the Panthers out of the tunnel in 2024. 

Carolina Panthers Next Head Coach Odds

Odds above have been created by Bookies.com and do not reflect odds that may be available on legal betting apps.

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There are three general approaches an owner can take in finding a new head coach: A veteran leader, an up-and-coming coordinator or a blue-chip college coach. 

Since firing Ron Rivera in 2019, the Panthers have had two head coaches go down in flames. Matt Rhule was snatched from Baylor before going 11-27 in two-plus seasons in Charlotte. Reich was brought in after five seasons leading the Indianapolis Colts. 

There are several coordinators who appear poised to take that next career step, and few would be surprised if Panthers owner David Tepper looks that route this time around. 

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith lead the way. Offense-minded coaches are expected to lead the next wave, and Carolina has struggled mightily to field a competitive offense. 

Kellen Moore of the Chargers may get a better shot than either of them. Moore, just 35, interviewed for the Panthers’ opening the last round, one of six interviews he’s had over the last three seasons. His success in Dallas as the OC and now L.A., and his reputation as a high-I.Q. offensive mind, puts him in strong play for a head coaching gig sooner than later. 

Few offenses are as multi-faceted and productive as the ones in Detroit and Miami are among the most-prolific offenses in the NFL. The Dolphins are rife with elite weaponry and rank No. 2 behind the Cowboys in scoring. The Lions rank No. 7, thanks to a huge turnaround on that side of the ball. Johnson’s work with Jared Goff has turned heads and made the coach a leading candidate to be a head coach somewhere soon, perhaps 2024. 

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Eagles OC Brian Johnson, 36, and Texans OC Bobby Slowik, 36, have turned heads in their first seasons as offensive coordinators or play callers. Would Carolina pull the trigger on coaches just getting their feet wet in such a position. 

Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy has been shunned multiple times after several interviews. He was a key part of the Chiefs’ prolific offenses before going to Washington, where he’s helped turn Sam Howell into one of the top young QBs. The Commanders may have their own head coach vacancy soon. Bieniemy could be in contention for more than one spot. 

The Patriots are one of several teams linked to Patriots legend Bill Belichick, who is now widely expected to be elsewhere for 2024. Adding Belichick offers immediate credibility, even if his no-nonsense approach and age (72 by next season) don’t mesh in some modern NFL circles. 

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Panthers DC Ejiro Evero might get a consideration to step up, too. His unit ranks sixth in yards allowed. So, too, could Steve Wilks, who was the interim coach for Carolina last year after the Rhule firing. He didn’t get the gig, so instead went to San Francsico and has been guiding the NFL’s stingiest defense in 2023. 

The college ranks aren’t as likely to be searched after the Rhule debacle, but Matt Campbell of Iowa State is considered a hot commodity if he can be wrestled out of Ames. If Ohio State parts ways with Ryan Day after another loss to Michigan, that could entice Tepper. 

The Field includes successful defensive coordinators on the rise, including Rams’ Raheem Morris and the Ravens’ Mike Macdonald, as well as former coaches-turned-talking heads such as Urban Meyer, Rex Ryan and Bill Cowher, plus Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce, if Vegas doesn’t lock him up. 

Dallas DC Dan Quinn gets the best of two worlds. He is currently guiding a Cowboys defense that ranks fourth in points allowed, and previously guided the Falcons to the Super Bowl as a head coach. Lions DC Aaron Glenn should also get looks for the work he’s done in Detroit’s major turnaround. 

Other OCs, including Press Taylor of the Jaguars, start in The Field but could move up quickly once the off-season officially starts.