As the Carolina Panthers’ season quickly unraveled, it became every man for himself.
A report by The Athletic describes a dysfunctional organization in which staffers texted owner David Tepper “behind [Frank] Reich’s back about issues they saw with the team” before Reich was ultimately fired on Nov. 27 after a 1-10 start.
It marked the second straight year Reich was fired midseason after his Colts dismissal in 2022 and the second straight year Tepper made an in-season firing after he dumped Matt Rhule five games into last season.
People within the organization told The Athletic there was a “Hunger Games” culture in which survival became a priority as Reich’s grip on the head coaching job slipped.
“People just finger-pointing hoping they don’t get exposed,” an assistant coach told the outlet.
The report said Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer and an unnamed offensive coach went straight to Tepper about a concern related to quarterback Bryce Young, whom the Panthers traded up for to select with the No. 1 overall in this year’s draft.
Tepper then told Reich to get Young’s footwork in order during Thanksgiving week.
Reich choosing some coaches he hadn’t worked with before for his Panthers staff, at Tepper’s behest, proved to work against him as the offense, lacking in playmakers, has been a mess all season.
“It’s just not a good offense,” a Panthers staffer told The Athletic. “You didn’t see Indy’s offense when they (were second in) the league in rushing (in 2021). You didn’t see Philly when he was there or when he was with the Chargers and those dynamic offenses. You didn’t see any of that.”
The Panthers’ 267.3 yards per game are the third-fewest in the NFL this season, ahead of only the Jets (260.1) and Giants (258.7), and Carolina’s 15.9 points per game are the fourth-fewest in the league.
Young, 22, has 2,055 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in 11 games this season while completing 60.6 percent of his passes.
The mess in Charlotte could mark the end of the 62-year-old Reich’s NFL career, which included four-plus seasons as the Colts’ head coach and runs as the offensive coordinator for the Eagles and Chargers.
“This is probably the final chapter of my NFL journey,” Reich told the Charlotte Observer after he was fired.