With the Indianapolis Colts set to begin their own interviews for their next head coach in the coming weeks, two of the franchise’s former head coaches will reportedly have their own interviews.
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported on January 8 that Frank Reich will interview for the head coaching position with the Carolina Panthers.
According to Jay Glazer, Frank Reich will interview with Panthers for their head coaching position.
Ironically, Glazer also reported that another former Colts head coach, Jim Caldwell, will also interview for head coach opening in Carolina.
Like the Colts, the Panthers fired their head coach, Matt Rhule, midway through the season.
But unlike Jeff Saturday, who posted a 1-7 record as Reich’s replacement in Indianapolis, Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks went 6-6.
Reich, Caldwell Candidates for Panthers
The Colts fired both Reich and Caldwell after disappointing seasons about a decade apart from each other. But despite those embarrassments, both experienced success in Indianapolis.
Reich went 40-33-1 in about four and a half seasons with the Colts. In his first three years, Reich led the Colts to the playoffs twice with two double-digit win seasons.
During 2020, the Colts went 11-5 with veteran free agent quarterback Philip Rivers in his final NFL season.
But after that early success, the expectations grew for the Colts and Reich, who acquired Carson Wentz going into the 2021 season. The same was the case when the organization added quarterback Matt Ryan last March.
Including the final game of the 2021 season, though, Reich led Indianapolis to a 3-7-1 record in his final 11 games. The Colts moved on from him after they fell two games below .500 this season.
The trigger was pretty quick for Caldwell as well despite him also holding a winning record.
Caldwell led the Colts to two playoff appearances in 2009 and 2010. In his first season, Indianapolis went 14-2 and earned a trip to the Super Bowl.
But in 2011, with Peyton Manning out the entire season with a neck injury, the Colts went 2-14. After that embarrassment, Indianapolis cleaned house, firing Caldwell and general manager Bill Polian.
Caldwell posted a 26-22 record in Indianapolis.
Wilks Also a Candidate for Panthers, Saturday’s Future Unclear
Reich and Caldwell are both good candidates for any team with a head coach opening this offseason. But don’t rule out Wilks retaining the position in Carolina.
“Interim head coach Steve Wilks is also expected to be a candidate in Carolina,” wrote ProFootballTalk’s Josh Alper.
After a 1-4 start under Rhule, the Panthers responded to the coaching switch to Wilks and finished the season 7-10.
Wilks lost three of his first four games as interim head coach in Carolina. But the Panthers won five of their last eight games for Wilks to go 6-6 overall.
That’s a resume that Saturday simply won’t have when he presumably goes in for his interview with the Colts. Indianapolis had problems under Reich at the beginning of the 2022 season, but things progressively got worse under Saturday.
After a shocking first win following the coaching change, the Colts ended the year on a seven-game losing streak. They lost to the Houston Texans in Week 18, ending the season 0-1-1 versus their division rival, who against the rest of the league, went 2-13.
If Saturday has coached his final game with the Colts, he will leave as the first losing head coach in franchise history since Lindy Infante, who went 12-20 from 1996-97.
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2 Former Colts Head Coaches Set to Interview for Same Opening: Report