The Carolina Panthers were the worst team in the NFL in 2023, which has led them to look for a new head coach and general manager this offseason. Both searches appear to be heating up, as the Panthers have lined up their second round of head coach interviews. One guy who didn't even end up getting a first interview, though, was Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

Johnson was one of the 12 candidates that Carolina said they would interview for their vacant head coach position. But that never ended up happening, and with the second round of interviews getting underway, it looks like the two sides have decided to move in opposite directions, with reports confirming that Johnson is not going to interview for the job after all.

“The Panthers appear to have quietly moved on from Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, whom they had previously requested to interview. The Panthers have announced their completed interviews on their website or social media platforms, which they had done with 11 of the 12 known candidates — everybody but Johnson. And with the Panthers now starting second interviews, Johnson apparently won’t get a first one. (A league source confirmed Johnson is no longer expected to interview with Carolina.)” – Joseph Person, The Athletic

Panthers narrowing down candidates in their head coach search

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The Eagles certainly didn't have the greatest season, but Johnson's overall success with his offense has helped him generate quite a bit of interest in the head coach market. The Panthers initially were one of those teams, but for whatever reason, they decided to not even bother interviewing Johnson after they said they would, which makes this a somewhat unique situation.

Either way, it's clear that the Panthers are narrowing down the candidates for their head coach search, and Johnson wasn't going to be a finalist one way or another from the looks of it. It's an unusual decision, but both sides will save some time by not having an interview just to have it. With Johnson out of the running, it will be worth keeping an eye on Carolina's next interviews to see who ends up emerging as a frontrunner.