Carolina Panthers OC search: Tracking the coaches who have interviewed with Matt Rhule
Panthers coach Matt Rhule is onto his second round of interviews for the vacant offensive coordinator position, and at least two coaches will interview in person.
Former East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery had an in-person interview with Rhule on Wednesday, while former Washington Football Team coach Jay Gruden will interview on Thursday, per a league source with knowledge of the situation.
Rhule has said he plans to look at a variety of candidates, but noted that he’d like to have someone who has had experience calling plays at the NFL level.
The Panthers interviewed their first two candidates virtually last week: Vikings OC Klint Kubiak and Colts receivers coach Mike Groh, the source said.
They also interviewed Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy and former Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who was fired last week along with head coach David Culley, the source said.
“There’s lots of really, really smart people out there,” Rhule said. “So to me, we’ll go find the best offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers that can take advantage of the guys we have here and help us ascend on offense.”
Here is a running list of the candidates and their background:
Jay Gruden
Rhule said he’d like to hire an offensive coordinator who has had experience calling plays at the NFL level.
Gruden fits that bill.
He was first an offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011-13, where the Bengals made three straight playoff appearances and an AFC North title.
That helped earn him the head coaching job with Washington Football Team from 2014 to 2019.
In those 5 1/2 seasons, Washington made one playoff appearance (2015), and he was fired after five games in 2019.
As the offensive coordinator of Jacksonville, the Jaguars had the 28th ranked offense in the NFL and averaged only 19.1 points per game, which was 30th in the league in 2021. The Jaguars finished that season 1-15.
He was also previously an offensive assistant under his brother, John Gruden, at Tampa Bay from 2002-08. The Bucs won a Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002.
Scottie Montgomery
Montgomery, 43, served as the Colts running back coach last season, helping Jonathan Taylor rush for a league-high 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns. It was his first season back in the NFL since 2012.
Prior to joining the Colts, Montgomery spent eight years coaching major college football. As the head coach of East Carolina, he held a 9-26 record. In 2017, he led East Carolina to the fifth-best passing season in program history.
After parting with the Pirates, he spent one year at Maryland as its offensive coordinator. While there, Maryland had two running backs combine for 1,350 yards and 16 touchdowns. They were the only duo in the Power Five to have at least eight rushing touchdowns each.
Montgomery conducted his second interview with the Panthers on Wednesday. It was done in person. His first interview with the Panthers was virtual.
Tim Kelly
Kelly, 35, had been the Texans’ offensive coordinator since 2019, first under coach Bill O’Brien and then David Culley.
He started with the Texans in 2014 before moving up the ranks.
In 2019, the Texans had the 13th ranked offense (362) in the NFL and finished 10-6. In 2020, they also had the 13th ranked offense (375.3) under Kelly, but finished 4-12.
But in 2021, the Texans offense struggled. The Texans were without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is facing 22 different civil lawsuits from women alleging that he exhibited inappropriate behavior with multiple massage therapists.
Luke Getsy
Getsy, 37, is the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers have the eighth-best passing offense in terms of yardage in the NFL. But quarterback Aaron Rodgers is considered the front runner for the NFL’s MVP award.
The Packers finished the regular season with 13-4 record. Rodgers has 37 touchdowns to only four interceptions.
This is Getsy’s second stint with the Packers.
Getsy was the offensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2018.
Klint Kubiak
Kubiak, 34, was elevated to the offensive coordinator role for the Minnesota Vikings before to the 2021 season. He had previously been the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach for two years before that.
In 2021, the Vikings were ranked 12th in the league in total offense, 11th in the league in pass yards per game (249.3), 17th in rushing yards per game (113.5) and 14th in points per game (25).
Before joining the Vikings, Kubiak was an offensive assistant for the Broncos for three seasons under his father Gary Kubiak.
Mike Groh
Groh has been the wide receivers coach for the Colts for the past two seasons. He has spent nine seasons in the NFL in various positions, including two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Eagles from 2018-19.
The Eagles made the playoffs in each of the three seasons he was there, including winning Super Bowl LII when he was wide receivers coach.
But he didn’t call the plays for the Eagles while he was OC. Head coach Doug Pederson did.
Not having called plays was one of the criticisms of Brady before he came to the Panthers.
The Eagles ranked 14th in total offense (360.8 ypg) this season, 11th in the league in passing offense (239.6), 11th in rushing offense (121.2) and 12th in points per game (24.1).
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 5:19 PM.
