The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday following a 1-10 start to the season, and owner David Tepper will need to hire a new head coach in the coming weeks for the second straight year.
Stability certainly isn’t something the Panthers have had under Tepper’s ownership. He’s already fired three head coaches midseason: Ron Rivera in 2019, Matt Rhule last year and then Reich on Monday.
Rookie quarterback and 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young has endured a tough rookie year (1,877 passing yards, nine touchdowns, eight picks and 40 sacks taken). It’s absolutely crucial that the Panthers hit a home run with their next head coaching hire.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) floated one marquee name for the Panthers to pursue as their next head coach: Young’s old mentor in Alabama HC Nick Saban:
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2011 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III listed Saban as one of the top five candidates for Carolina to pursue as well.
The idea of Saban coming back to the NFL to try and fix the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is exciting and all, but it’s also highly unlikely to happen. Saban has a well-paid position at a marquee college football program, for starters.
Secondly, his lone NFL head coaching stint with the Miami Dolphins nearly two decades ago (2005 to 2006) left a lot to be desired, as he finished with 15 wins and 17 losses. So it’s hard to imagine that at age 72, Saban will be keen on coming back to the NFL.
