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The Panthers sent six coaches to the lectern this week, giving us plenty to chew on. But here are the biggest takeaways from their three days of press conferences.
The Carolina Panthers have assembled themselves a murderer’s row of coaches. And this week, it was time for some of them to speak.
Here are the biggest takeaways from this week’s string of press conferences.
Caldwell, now 68, is a senior assistant with the Carolina Panthers after failing to land that team’s head coaching position this offseason
Since the Detroit Lions fired Jim Caldwell after the 2017 season, the former head coach has interviewed for at least six other head coaching positions. Even though he guided the Lions to a 36-28 record in his tenure, and also guided the Colts to an overall winning record and a Super Bowl appearance prior to that, Caldwell has not been able to land another NFL head coaching gig.
Now that Caldwell has joined the Carolina Panthers as a senior assistant to new head coach Frank Reich, the 68-year-old is done chasing those jobs.
“Right now, the only job that I’m concerned about is the job I do here, right here and now,” Caldwell said via David Newton of ESPN. “I’m not worried about the future or anything else. I don’t plan on being a head coach from this point forward.”
Caldwell interviewed for openings with the Panthers this offseason and the Jaguars and Texans in 2022.
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Jim Caldwell, in his first presser with the Panthers, explained why he took the job as a senior assistant.
In a surprise move to many, Jim Caldwell—who was reportedly not interested in taking up a job that would’ve made him anything but a head coach—took up a job that made him something other than a head coach.
Last Tuesday, the 68-year-old—who had also previously interviewed for the team’s head-coaching vacancy—agreed to join the Carolina Panthers as a senior assistant. And exactly one week later, in his first press conference as a member of the organization, he explained why.
“Yeah, ‘cause it makes sense in a number of different reasons,” he replied. “And when you say outside of the relationship with Frank [Reich], I think that’s one of the main reasons. Guy who I’ve worked with, who I know. He knows me. He knows my strengths, my weaknesses as well—and there are many. So that’s a huge reason.”
Reich and Caldwell had worked alongside one another in Indianapolis from 2006 to 2011. Caldwell, in fact, promoted Reich to his quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach when he headed the Colts from 2009 to 2011.
Caldwell, in addition to the desirable location of the franchise, also mentioned the positive interactions he’d had with owner David Tepper and general manager Scott Fitterer.
“But also the organization,” he added as another reason for his decision. “I had an opportunity to visit with Mr. Tepper and Scott and the rest of the crew that were doing the interview process and felt a really good synergy there as well. So that was also part of it.”
It’s clear that Reich, Tepper and Fitterer are building something new and exciting in Carolina. And the fact that Caldwell has bought into it is a major testament to where the Panthers may be going.
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Panthers fans are absolutely loving their all-star coaching staff, one that’ll now include Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant.
The hits just keep on coming for the Carolina Panthers and their new coaching staff.
On Tuesday morning, the team announced the hiring of Jim Caldwell—who will serve as a senior assistant under Frank Reich. He is now the second man to join the team despite losing out on the head-coaching gig and the third with prior head-coaching experience.
So, of course, Panthers fans were ecstatic about the move. Here are some of their best reactions to the news.
Jim Caldwell is joining Frank Reich’s staff with the Panthers.
Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell is joining Frank Reich’s staff with the Carolina Panthers as a senior assistant, the team announced Tuesday.
Caldwell hasn’t been in the league since 2019 when he was the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins. He also interviewed for the Panthers’ head coach vacancy before Reich was hired for that role.
Caldwell served as the head coach of the Colts for three seasons (2009-2011). He was a combined 24-8 in his first two seasons with Peyton Manning, but the team went 2-14 in his third season without him, which led to Caldwell’s firing.
He finished his Colts tenure with a 26-22 record, and Reich was with him the entire time serving as the quarterbacks coach (2009-2010) and wide receivers coach (2011).
Reich has been putting together a solid staff in Charlotte, and his latest hire in Caldwell brings plenty of experience to the group.
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Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell hired by the Panthers as a senior offensive assistant
Former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is back in the NFL coaching ranks. The Carolina Panthers have hired Caldwell as a senior assistant to work with new head coach Frank Reich.
Caldwell will serve as the Panthers’ senior assistant on offense, per Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer.
Caldwell, 68, was the head coach in Detroit from 2014-2017. He previously served as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts as well. He’s been out of the NFL since leaving his position as the assistant head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2019 due to health reasons.
Before hiring Reich, the Panthers had interviewed Caldwell for the head coach opening.
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The Panthers are adding Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant. He is now the second man to join Frank Reich’s staff after previously interviewing for the team’s head-coaching job.
Another day, another exciting addition to the Carolina Panthers coaching staff.
The team announced on Tuesday morning that they’ve agreed to terms with Jim Caldwell, who will join on as a senior assistant. Per the release, the 68-year-old and two-time Super Bowl champion staffer will report directly to head coach Frank Reich and provide support on offense, defense and special teams.
Caldwell’s coaching career spans back to 1977, as a graduate assistant for the University of Iowa. Since then, he’s chalked up decades of sideline experience—including an almost 20-year run in the NFL.
That stretch was highlighted by his stint with the Indianapolis Colts, where he’d cross paths with Reich. Reich—who worked as a coaching intern, offensive assistant, quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach—served under Caldwell from 2006 to 2011.
Caldwell heads to Charlotte with two prior head-coaching stints under his belt, having led the Colts from 2009 to 2011 and the Detroit Lions from 2014 to 2017. He’s also the second man to join Reich’s staff after previously interviewing for Carolina’s head-coaching vacancy, joining defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
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Here is an updated look at 10 offensive coordinator candidates the Philadelphia Eagles could target with Shane Steichen likely to accept the Colts’ head coaching job
Eagles’ QB coach Brian Johnson, one of the NFL's most sought-after assistant coaches, who has received multiple requests to interview for offensive coordinator positions, would be expected to replace Shane Steichen as Philadelphia’s OC.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 12, 2023
Nick Sirianni now appears just days away from officially having his own coaching tree and with the expectation that Shane Steichen (Colts) and Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals) will land jobs, we’re taking an early look at potential replacements.
Sirianni rightfully gets a lot of credit for the Eagles’ success.
Philadelphia’s second-year head coach has far exceeded expectations and proven that he was the perfect target for the role. However, it’s important to remember that Steichen had a massive role in the offense.
Sirianni described this last summer how involved Steichen is with everything the Eagles have done offensively. He started calling plays late in the 2021 season, playing a pivotal role in the Birds’ offense taking off. It’s a change that carried over into 2022 with Philly boasting one of the top offenses all season.
Interest in Steichen will go beyond his work in Philadelphia. He served as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in 2020, working alongside Justin Herbert in a record-setting rookie season.
Combine his work with Herbert and Jalen Hurts, and that’s a future NFL head coach.
Here’s an updated list of potential candidates with Steichen set to take his talents to the AFC.
If recent reports are accurate, the Broncos might have to begin a new coach search from scratch.
After firing Nathaniel Hacketet, the Denver Broncos created a list of eight candidates for their head coach opening. That list might now be down to zero.
The Broncos have informed Raheem Morris, David Shaw, Jim Caldwell and Ejiro Evero that they are “going another direction,” according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
That’s four.
Dan Quinn was also a candidate for the job, but he announced last week that he will remain with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s five.
Sean Payton was also a presumed top candidate for the job, but it does not appear that Denver — or any other team — plans to hire him this cycle. Six.
DeMeco Ryans was believed to be “a top candidate” for the Broncos job, but it sounds like he is leaning toward joining the Houston Texans. Seven.
Jim Harbaugh might have been the team’s No. 1 choice, but he announced earlier this month that he plans to remain at the University of Michigan. Unless Harbaugh changes his mind (which is apparently a possible scenario), Denver appears to have struck out in its head coach search.
So what happens next?
Unless the Broncos decide to circle back to one of their original eight candidates, the team will have to expand its search. In a since-deleted tweet, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka could be a candidate for the job.
Rapoport and Pelissero also wrote on Saturday evening that Denver could circle back to a pair of candidates from their search last year: Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
This is a strange scenario and if the reports are to be believed, the Broncos might have to start a new coaching search from scratch.
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If the 49ers lose to the Eagles, DeMeco Ryans could be hired next week. If the Niners win, Ryans can’t be hired until after the Super Bowl.
While the Denver Broncos’ ownership group has kept details of their head coach search tight-lipped, fans and pundits have started connecting the dots and reading between the lines.
The Broncos have not set up any known second-round interviews with any of their coach candidates. The only coach that would not be available for a second-round interview at the moment is San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
Ryans could interview again next week, but he can’t be hired until San Francisco’s season has ended. If the 49ers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, Ryans won’t be available until after the Super Bowl. If the Niners lose, Ryans could be hired as early as Monday.
Perhaps that helps explain why Denver hasn’t appeared to be in any rush to set up second-round interviews. If Ryan is their primary target, they have to wait for him.
Adding fuel to the fire of speculation, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported Thursday that Ryans is “a top candidate” for the Broncos. He is not the only candidate, however, as Klis also listed Dan Quinn, Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell among the top candidates for the job. (Quinn later announced that he will remain with the Dallas Cowboys in 2023.)
Quinn, Payton and Caldwell all could have had second-round interviews this week, but none of them did — at least not that we know of. So it’s not hard to connect the dots and come to the conclusion that Ryans seems to be the team’s preferred choice to replace Nathaniel Hackett this offseason.
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