The Carolina Panthers have hired a new head coach, and they went with an experienced candidate.
Frank Reich has agreed to a deal to become the new head coach of the Panthers, the team announced on Thursday.
Reich, 61, was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for four-plus seasons from 2018-2022. He was fired halfway through the season this year after the team got off to a 3-5-1 start.
Reich had two winning seasons with the Colts. He led them to the playoffs his first year on the job in 2018 after a 10-6 year. Indy beat the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. Andrew Luck then shockingly decided to retire, but the Colts still got back to the playoffs two years later.
The Panthers fired Matt Rhule this season and named Steve Wilks interim head coach. Wilks was a finalist for the full-time job before Carolina hired Reich.
Reich has strong ties to the Panthers organization. He was a quarterback for the team in their inaugural season in 1995. His daughter also recently started working in Carolina’s marketing department. It is not all that surprising that the Panthers chose him given those connections and his strong resume.
