After the Carolina Panthers swung for the fences by trading for the right to select Bryce Young No. 1 overall, team owner David Tepper didn’t give head coach Frank Reich a very long leash. Fired after a 1-10 start, Reich was gone, and interim coach Chris Tabor was in.
While players view Tabor favorably, judging on his placement among a recent NFLPA survey regarding the top special teams coordinators, no one believes he’ll get true consideration to land the full-time head coaching job. The team’s 1-4 record under Tabor’s guidance likely etches his departure in stone.
Yet, there’s another significant change that could be coming to Carolina’s front office this offseason.
Related: Carolina Panthers head coaching candidates
Carolina Panthers expected to fire GM Scott Fitterer
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, not only will the Panthers be looking for a new head coach, the expectation is that general manager Scott Fitterer will be asked to leave too.
But this time around, instead of trying to vet the top coaching and general manager candidates, Tepper, who’s admitted fault for the team’s recent mistakes, is hiring an outside consulting firm to help find the Panthers’ next organizational leaders.
Specifically, Tepper is working with Sportsology, which is run by former Chelsea FC executive Mike Forde. Their website’s first message is this: “We work with global leaders in sport and world-class collegiate institutions to transform organizational behaviors and performance.”
There’s no doubt the Panthers could use an organizational transformation, but one person who may be safe is former Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan, who operates as the team’s assistant GM. Sources close to the situation indicate Morgan still has support within the Panthers’ franchise, and that doesn’t seem likely to change, no matter what changes occur this offseason.
