Timeline: Frank Reich’s short but doomed stint with David Tepper, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers announced Monday morning that Frank Reich has been relieved of his head coaching responsibilities — ending a stint that has been short but undeniably consequential.

Reich was hired in January and lasted through the team’s final game in November. His tenure ended on a sputter, with his team putting up 15, 13, 13, 10 and 10 points after their Week 7 bye.

Here’s a look at the nine moments that defined Reich’s tenure — one that oozed with optimism before the season and crumbled as it went on.

1. Frank Reich’s arrival

The announcement of Reich’s hire came Jan. 26, not long after the Panthers salvaged a 7-10 2022 season following the firing of Matt Rhule. In many ways, as what tends to happen in the NFL, the veteran play-caller with Super Bowl credentials was the antithesis to the young college conqueror in Rhule. He also was offensive-minded, which was important to owner David Tepper at the time.

“You want to get somebody who’s really good on offense or really good on defense,” Tepper said in Reich’s introductory January press conference. “And we think that Frank is really good on offense.”

His hiring didn’t cause an upheaval — his winning record at Indianapolis, rave reviews from players across the league and his history as Carolina’s first starting quarterback prevented that — but it wasn’t completely embraced, either. Many fans in the community publicly called for Steve Wilks to get his shot as the head guy for his hometown NFL team and were disappointed when he didn’t.

Wilks joined two other Black coaches in a lawsuit against the NFL alleging racist hiring practices in April 2022. The lawsuit came on the heels of Brian Flores’ firing by the Miami Dolphins, and the suit was thrust into the spotlight again after the Panthers didn’t hire Wilks, with Wilks’ attorneys at Wigdor Law tweeting that they were “shocked and distrubed” that he was passed over.

2. The experienced NFL staff Reich assembled

By Feb. 17, the Panthers were well on their way to compiling one of the most tenured staffs in the league.

That was the day they’d hired Thomas Brown, a rising young NFL mind, as the team’s offensive coordinator — and he joined a staff that included running backs coach Duce Staley, offensive line coach James Campen, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, as well as senior assistants Jim Caldwell (who made a Super Bowl as a head coach) and Dom Capers (the franchise’s first head coach).

3. The blockbuster trade and drafting Bryce Young

On March 10, the Carolina Panthers made a move that galvanized the fan base in ways it hasn’t been able to in over a decade, when it made a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bears. The move ensured that the franchise will have the overall No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.

What did the Panthers give up? A lot. They gave up the ninth overall pick, the 61st overall pick (which they acquired from a trade with San Francisco for Christian McCaffrey), a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and wide receiver DJ Moore.

It was essentially a means to locking down their quarterback of the future. And 2023, no doubt, was a decently deep year for quarterback prospects. The Panthers elected to draft Alabama star Bryce Young, with Tepper being so excited that he declared Young would deliver “Super Bowls” to the franchise on April’s draft night, despite all the talent the team had to give up to get him.

4. Carolina Panthers fall to 0-6 start

A lot happened from April’s draft night to Week 6 of the NFL season.

Positivity oozed at the start. The Panthers offensive line was lauded after a steely end to the 2022 campaign and with the arrival of more help in the draft. Young’s legend grew to apocryphal levels. Offseason signings such as tight end Hayden Hurst and wide receiver DJ Chark and running back Miles Sanders (who received one of the largest running back deals in the offseason) drew a bunch of excitement and had at least one writer on the Observer staff consider them playoff-bound in a weak NFC South.

It all quickly fell apart, though, and early.

The front office couldn’t agree to terms on a contract extension with the team’s best player, pass rusher Brian Burns. The offensive line had a come-to-Jesus meeting after the first preseason game against the Jets. The defense lost its best corner for a chunk of the season after Week 1 in Jaycee Horn and its veteran captain at linebacker in Shaq Thompson after Week 2. The offense hadn’t had offensive guard Austin Corbett all year because of an injury — and that was hurting them — but his impending return alone surely couldn’t mend the broken start.

By the end of Week 6, they were 0-6, and only one of those margins of defeat was by seven points or less. Reich kept preaching patience and going to work every day, even invoking the team’s battle cry “Keep Pounding” after a blowout loss in Detroit. Young was being outshined by both of his draft-class lottery quarterbacks in CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson. Change was on the horizon.

5. Thomas Brown earns play-calling duties

The change that arrived wasn’t a firing but a promotion of sorts: Reich handed off play-calling duties to Brown, the team’s offensive coordinator, and did so with excitement. Brown became one of three Black offensive play-callers at the time. Headlines raved about Brown’s upside and contemplated how long he’d be an assistant before getting his shot at a head job one day.

6. Panthers’ first (and only) win

After the bye, the Panthers notched their first win, a 15-13 rock fight that featured a last-second field goal, over the Houston Texans. Reich got emotional postgame when handing the game ball off to Brown, who Reich said called a perfect final drive to get the team in game-winning field position.

7. Team stays put at trade deadline

The Panthers didn’t budge at the trade deadline, which arrived on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. Carolina not making any moves in many ways made sense: While the team could’ve used wide receiver help on offense and front-seven reinforcements on defense — the Panthers elected to avoid trading long-term, cost-controlled assets for veterans.

In other words, the goal was no longer to “win now.” They were playing for the future, which was already shrouded in doubt because of the team’s light draft haul in 2024.

8. The unraveling of the season

The unraveling came shortly thereafter, though. The Panthers had two matchups to build off their momentous win over Houston — against Indy and Chicago — but turnovers and a lifeless offense sent the team into the gutter.

Reich unceremoniously took back play-calling duties after Week 10, a move widely perceived as a last-ditch effort to save his job.

And against Dallas at home, Cowboys fans swarmed Bank of America Stadium, a statement that fans were bordering on apathy.

9. The loss to Tennessee Titans

It’s unclear when Reich’s tenure became a matter of “when” and not “if” — but after the loss to Tennessee, it was pushed to a point Tepper didn’t want to see any more.

After a snoozefest of an offensive performance Sunday, one punctuated by a fourth-and-6 play that saw a WR screen pass completed for no gain, Tepper announced Frank’s firing Monday morning.

Young, the quarterback the team gave so much up for, is struggling in his development, only with 187.7 yards, nine touchdowns and a passer rating of 74.9 to his name. He also has tacked on eight interceptions — three of which were pick-6s — and has suffered 40 sacks.

For a season that quickly transitioned from playoff contending, to building for Young, to keeping Young’s confidence afloat — those numbers weren’t enough to justify keeping Reich, and so the search for a second coach in as many years commenced Monday.