NFL exec trolls Panthers owner for reputation with coaches

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL exec trolls Panthers owner for fast-and-loose reputation with coaches

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 1/8/24

Of the five head-coaching vacancies in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers may just be the least desirable of them all.

The Panthers have one of the worst rosters in the league with the worst scoring offense and fourth-worst scoring defense, but that’s not what makes Carolina such an unappealing destination.

No, that would be the unpredictable nature of Panthers owner David Tepper, who’s cultivated a reputation for having a quick trigger finger when it comes to firing head coaches — such a reputation that’s made him the butt of many jokes in NFL circles.

“We should probably predict who his next interim head coach is going to be,” an anonymous league executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando.

In the six seasons that Tepper has owned the Panthers, he’s run through six head coaches. He’s had an interim head coach in three of those six seasons (Perry Fewell, Steve Wilks, Chris Tabor), and Matt Rhule was the only one who made it more than two full seasons.

Under David Tepper the Carolina Panthers have gone 31-68.

They have had 6 different head coaches in 6 seasons.

During that time Tepper has overseen the trades of several prominent players, cancelled the construction of a new practice facility and thrown a drink at a fan. https://t.co/Xvc5UAdOHU
— Guy Incognito (@CanesIncognito) January 8, 2024

All three times Tepper has named an interim head coach, the coach he fired never made it past Week 12.

Whoever takes the Panthers head-coaching job has their work cut out for them.

Not only do they have to deal with Tepper’s shenanigans, but they also have to be OK with hitching their wagon to quarterback Bryce Young and not having a 2024 first-round pick to draft him a No. 1 receiver or a top-tier offensive lineman to protect him.

They’ll also have to be cool with likely working alongside a first-year general manager as they both try to figure out the ebbs and flows of their respective jobs all the while worrying about their job security given Tepper’s impatient nature.

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