The Carolina Panthers opened up a new era in franchise history on Thursday, as they hired Frank Reich to fill their head coaching vacancy. The Panthers interviewed multiple candidates for the position, from Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but in the end, they decided to pick the former Indianapolis Colts head coach for the role.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni worked alongside Reich for three seasons while with the Colts. He served as Indianapolis’ offensive coordinator before leaving for Philadelphia in Jan. 2021.
For Sirianni, he believes that the NFC South side hit a home run with its call to hire Reich.
“Yeah, I actually did get a hold of Frank [Reich] yesterday and was happy too,” Sirianni said during a press conference on Friday ahead of the NFC title game. “I’m really excited for him, obviously. Well deserved, very well deserved. They’ve got a great head coach in Carolina. I know Frank is a great head coach, and I’m really happy for him.
“And he will do a great job there, there’s no doubt in my mind. I know what type of leader he is.”
Sirianni and Reich were slated to face off for the first time in their head coaching careers last November, but the Colts elected to fire the longtime coach on Nov. 7. After the Eagles’ road win over Indianapolis in Week 11, Sirianni gave his stamp of approval to Reich.
“I’m emotional because I love Frank Reich,” Sirianni said in November. “I really do. … I was hoping that him and I would be able to coach against each other in this game. He’s one of my biggest mentors. … Frank is such a good football coach. You don’t want to know what I think of if he should be here or not. You guys can probably imagine what I really think.”
The Eagles and the Panthers will not meet in the 2023 regular season, although they could very well go up against each other in next year’s NFC playoffs.
Carolina is set to hold an introductory press conference for Reich this Tuesday.
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