The Carolina Panthers made the surprising decision to fire offensive coordinator Joe Brady during the bye week, and head coach Matt Rhule has since offered some explanation for the change. Via NFL.com's Kevin Patra, Rhule addressed the firing of the once-highly-coveted coordinator.
“The decision was made. So I didn't see any reason to wait,” he explained on the timing of the move. “I felt that this was the right move. It was just purely football. This was in the best interest of us moving forward. I feel like we can play better on offense. That's not about any one person or any one thing. But I just feel like this was the best way that I can help us move this forward offensively.”
“We've got to coach our best and play our best these coming weeks. But I thought that with the bye week this was the appropriate time.”
Brady was brought on board in 2019 as one of the most coveted coordinators in football, following a tremendously successful spell at LSU under Ed Orgeron. Brady boasts one of the most brilliant offensive minds in football, however, his style didn't mesh well with Rhule's thus prompting an early divorce.
From NFL Now: There were plenty of warning signs for #Panthers OC Joe Brady, whose first stint as an NFL OC ended Sunday. pic.twitter.com/nIKEcTZ3FQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 6, 2021
Rhule said his intentions were to make the move on Saturday but Brady wasn't available to meet in person until Sunday.
With Brady no longer in town, the Panthers are expected to transition to a run-focused offense, despite star running back Christian McCaffrey being out for the season. The team is 5-7 and still in the hunt for the playoffs, so any changes to the offense will need to be implemented hastily.
In Brady's stead, the Panthers have named senior offensive assistant and running backs coach as the new offensive coordinator, which goes in line with Rhule's run-first philosophy. As for Brady, the 32-year-old shouldn't be out of a job long, especially considering the coaching carousel currently ongoing at the college ranks. Should he desire to remain in the NFL, there are bound to be teams calling to get a creative offensive mind like his on their staff.
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