Panthers hire Reich as coach

The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms Thursday with Frank Reich to become their head coach.

The 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired Nov. 7 after a 3-5-1 start. The Colts went to the playoffs twice as a wild-card team under Reich, going 1-2 in the postseason.

For Reich, the hire represents a return to Carolina, where he spent one season as the team’s quarterback and started the franchise’s inaugural game in 1995.

Reich inherits a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2017 — and hasn’t won a postseason game since winning the NFC championship in 2015 with league MVP Cam Newton at quarterback.

The Panthers have been searching for stability at quarterback since Newton began struggling with injuries shortly after the team’s 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers cut Baker Mayfield earlier this offseason, and Sam Darnold is an unrestricted free agent, so Reich will have a key say in the future of the team’s quarterback situation.

As of now, Scott Fitterer remains the team’s general manager.

Prior to joining the Colts, Reich worked two years as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, helping them win the Super Bowl in his second season under head coach Doug Pederson.

Reich spent 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback and has been in coaching since 2006, when he joined the Colts as an intern.

Panthers owner David Tepper has been eager to establish a winning program since purchasing the team for a then-record $2.3 billion in 2018 from Jerry Richardson, who sold the team amid allegations of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.

The Panthers are 29-53 since Tepper purchased the team and have not won more than seven games in a season.

Reich becomes the sixth fulltime head coach of the Panthers, following Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox, Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule.