The Carolina Panthers search for a head coach is either going exactly as planned, with the team taking its sweet time and doing the extras in due diligence, or frustratingly long.
Either way, some top names are being taken off the board. The Los Angeles Chargers have landed one of the most sought-after coaches over the last few years, appointing Jim Harbaugh as their new HC on Tuesday.
The Las Vegas Raiders have made Antonio Pierce their full-time man in charge; the former linebackers coach did more than enough to earn himself an opportunity to have the interim tag removed. The Washington Commanders are believed to be on the verge of hiring Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach, while the Tennessee Titans have also filled their vacancy by bringing in Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
Bill Belichick is still on the market following his departure from the New England Patriots, though the Atlanta Falcons are thought to be his next destination.
Former Titans HC Mike Vrabel is another coach boasting top credentials and is reportedly set to meet with the Panthers on Thursday.
“The former Tennessee Titans head coach will meet with the Panthers on Thursday, a league source confirmed to The Charlotte Observer — an interesting development in a coaching search that underscores just how loaded this offseason’s candidate pool is,” The Charlotte Observer reports.
“ESPN and The Athletic reported the news first. Those media reports also specify Vrabel will interview in-person with the Falcons on Wednesday.”
Vrabel is not among the betting favorites to end up in NC. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales is the outright favorite at +350 while Ejiro Evero, the team’s own defensive coordinator, is next up at +425 on the back of an interview. Sports betting in North Carolina will be a thing in the coming months, so perhaps residents can take advantage of such odds should the Panthers end up in a similar position in a year.
Vrabel reportedly met with the Falcons on Wednesday and the Panthers should be his next stop.
Vrabel is one of a handful of top candidates remaining following his departure from the Titans. His firing was shocking, to say the least, given the 56-48 record he put together after taking over in 2018.
With options dwindling, the race to sign the best head coach out there is heating up. Carolina is one of four NFL teams that haven’t filled their head coach vacancy ahead of the offseason, with the Seattle Seahawks, Commanders, and Falcons also still conducting searches.
As to whether Belichick is a possibility seems unlikely at the moment. ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported that there isn’t much interest in the six-time Super Bowl winner beyond Atlanta, and even they’re not a lock.
“The Carolina Panthers, at a high level, has made informal inquiries regarding (now former) Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and its vacancy,” CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported earlier in January.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also noted the following:
“The Carolina Panthers did dig into Bill Belichick a little bit last year before they hired Frank Reich. And that’s a rare organization here.
“There’s not that many of them that have a coach and GM opening, so if Bill Belichick still wants to have personnel control and be the head coach. which he has said he’d be willing to work in New England in either model, it is unclear if that’ll be the case at another place but that would be one of the rare places that he could have personnel control, be the GM, be the head coach.
“Atlanta has a GM in Terry Fontenot. The Los Angeles Chargers also have a GM and coach opening. I’d be a little surprised if they went in that direction. Las Vegas, they have interims but I don’t see them going in that direction with the Patriot way again.”
In the meantime, the Panthers have hired a new General manager, promoting Dan Morgan, who was the assistant GM under Scott Fitterer. He was also a linebacker with the team for seven seasons.
“Dan has a thorough knowledge of our football personnel and a clear vision to take us where we all want to go,” owner David Tepper said in a statement. “We know he will attack this opportunity with the same intensity he did as a Panthers player.”
One of Morgan’s first tasks will be to hire a head coach for the team.