After a recent report that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales had become a front-runner for the Carolina Panthers head coach job, the organization is now allegedly finalizing a contract with the 42-year-old.
Heading into the offseason the biggest priority for the Panthers — beyond finding a new general manager — was to finally hire a head coach that can get the team back to being a major player in the NFC South. Over the last couple of months, Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson, and even New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick were linked to the team.
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However, when it came time to hire their next head coach, the organization went in an unexpected direction on Thursday. After building momentum earlier this week, NFL Media league insider Ian Rapoport was the first to report that the franchise is close to locking up a deal to make first-time offensive coordinator Dave Canales a first-time head coach in 2024.
What Dave Canales hire means for Carolina Panthers
Canales and new general manager Dan Morgan have a history dating back to their time working together with the Seattle Seahawks. While he may have became an offensive coordinator for the first time in 2023, he has entensive history working in Pete Carroll’s Seahawks system.
He was their wide receivers coach from 2010-17, then became quarterbacks coach from 2018-19, that was followed by a two year stint as the passing game coordinator, and then he became QBs coach again in 2022. In Seattle, Canales was credited with helping quarterback Geno Smith win NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors with his massive and shocking season in 2022.
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Canales then showed that was no fluke when he took over as the OC in Tampa this past season and helped former No. 1 overall draft pick Baker Mayfield have a career year as he posted a 94.6 rating, with 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.
The hope is that after an awful rookie season for 2023 top pick Bryce Young, Canales can again work his magic and turn the former Alabama star into the elite player the Panthers organization envisioned him to be when they traded up to take him with the No. 1 overal selection last year.
