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Interest for Frank Reich, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is heating up. Off the heels of an interview with the Carolina Panthers last week for their head coach vacancy, Reich scored his second chance at a head coaching job this hiring cycle when he interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals on January 17. Dan Graziano of ESPN was the first with the report.
In addition to interviewing for head coaching vacancies, according to reporting from Zak Rosenblatt of The Athletic, Reich is on the “short list” for the New York Jets open offensive coordinator position. Rosenblatt noted Reich would not seriously consider the job, with interviews for head coaching vacancies taking priority.
On November 8, Reich spoke with Mike Chappell of Fox59 about his goals for the future.
“I think you keep all your options open,’’ Reich said. “Obviously my desire is to be a head coach. I love the game. I love everything about the game, so you keep all of your options open.’’
Frank Reich’s Resume
With his tweet on November 7, 2022, Jim Irsay owner of the Colts, announced the firing of Reich in just the seventh week of the NFL regular season. Reich was head coach for the team for five seasons and he had recently been handed a contract extension through the 2026 season that will continue to pay out through the duration of the deal. Reich finished his career with the Colts with a record of 40-33-1 and a 1-2 playoff record.
Before being hired as head coach of the Colts in 2018, Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles (2016-2017). In that role, Reich helped guide an offense that saw an improbable Super Bowl run in 2017.
Reich also had an extensive career playing in the league as a quarterback. Reich played quarterback for the Buffalo Bills from 1985-1994.
His connection with quarterbacks
On January 10, owner of the Cardinals, Michael Bidwell, spoke with the media about the pending head coaching search and the input he will seek form within the organization, including their franchise quarterback Kyler Murray.
“We’re in communication and we should be talking later today, we’ve texted,” Bidwill said when asked about Murray’s input. “Absolutely want to get the input of our leaders, including Kyler. We’ve spoken with a number of leaders already.”
This should bode as good news for Reich, as he is known for establishing deep connections with his quarterbacks. Dubbed the ‘quarterback whisperer’ by former Colts GM Bill Polian, Reich has had good history working with quarterbacks throughout his career. Reich’s ability to connect with a quarterback was cited as one of the main reasons Reich got his first stint as head coach with the Colts.
Nick Foles would certainly back up that claim. In 2017, Foles, then quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, took over as the starter for the team when Wentz went down with a season ending injury late in the regular season. Foles credited his relationship with Reich as one of the reasons behind their Super Bowl victory in 2017.
“I think the big thing with Frank was, it wasn’t so much about football. When we talked, it was just about life and our faith. It was really simple; he was the one who really figured me out as a player.” Foles said in his media availability in 2020.
Despite the success in his career, quarterback play under Reich has certainly fell off in the last two years with subpar play from Carson Wentz in 2021 and Matt Ryan this season. Despite this, Reich still is respected throughout the league, with ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reporting his integrity is “unquestioned” in NFL circles.
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