In something of a surprise move, the Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday, reliving him of his duties after just 8 games at the helm. It makes him the shortest-tenured NFL coach since 1976, as even Urban Meyer lasted two more games than Reich, but things are apparently bad enough with the 1–10 Panthers that a move needed to be made immediately.
Greg Olsen Would Be The Latest To Skip The Line For NFL Job
Greg Olsen would be open to making the transition to coach. 😲 pic.twitter.com/BX3FH3tg7F
— theScore (@theScore) November 27, 2023
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will take over the head coaching duties on an interim basis for the remainder of the season, but there will be a search for a new head man as soon as the regular season concludes for Carolina. And according to a report from The Athletic on Monday afternoon, one former Panthers player could be interested in filling the job vacancy.
Olsen has been working as an in-game analyst for Fox Sports since 2021, and has already gained impressive ground in the industry. He is considered one of the best up-and-coming talents, is on Fox’s #1 NFL broadcasting team, and was on the call during the most recent Super Bowl.
But according to sources that spoke with The Athletic, the former Panthers tight end would be open to returning to the organization as the team’s head coach.
Jeff Saturday Had No Experience When Hired In 2022
The big question is if the #Panthers didn’t make the mistake of passing on C.J. Stroud, is Frank Reich fired today?
At his Pro Day, it seems Reich/Josh McCown wanted Stroud
Reich later said Tepper “didn’t stay away” on decisions..pic.twitter.com/rSypmd79kihttps://t.co/l13uG1DxaV pic.twitter.com/lmRO4R6nzL
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 27, 2023
There are plenty of former players who have become coaches around the league, and there has been some discussion about their qualifications when it happens. Just last season, when the Indianapolis Colts fired their head coach during the middle of their schedule (which was ironically Frank Reich), they turned to former center Jeff Saturday to take the job for the rest of the year.
Some had issues with Saturday getting the job simply based on the fact that he played for the team. He had no coaching experience otherwise, and was working as an NFL analyst on ESPN when he got the call. He was accused of “jumping the line”, obtaining a high-profile job without first paying the dues that offensive coordinators and other assistants around the league do.
Should the Panthers look to Olsen as their next coach, he too would be receiving similar accusations. The current broadcaster has no head coaching experience outside his son’s Pop Warner team, and would be getting the job based on previous merit more than anything else.
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