Reich’s quick return to NFL with Panthers no surprise to Eagles’ Sirianni, Jags’ Pederson
Frank Reich was unemployed for fewer than three full months.
The longtime NFL coach was fired by the Indianapolis Colts this past November. By late January, Reich, 61, had already lined up his next gig as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
That quick turnaround might have surprised some around the NFL, but Reich’s most notable coaching buddies were anticipating a fast bounce-back for the former NFL quarterback-turned-play-caller.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni — who worked under Reich as the Colts’ offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2020 — frequently mentions the Panthers’ head coach among his most notable coaching mentors. Fresh off a trip to Super Bowl LVII, Sirianni noted that Reich was able to get another job quickly because of who he is as a leader.
“He’s a top-notch person, and even more so, he’s a top-notch coach,” Sirianni said Tuesday. “So anyone would be happy to have him in their building, leading their team, right? And Frank, he is meant to be a head football coach in the National Football League, because he knows how to lead men. And I think he does a great job of that, and if you spend any time with Frank, and that’s obvious to you right away.”
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was Reich’s boss with the Eagles from 2016 to 2017. With Reich as his offensive coordinator, Pederson was able to lead Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl win following the 2017 season.
Pederson is a believer in Reich, and he knew his friend wouldn’t be out of the game for an extended period of time.
“He means a lot to me, obviously helped me win a championship in Philadelphia,” Pederson said. “I knew (his unemployment) wouldn’t last for long. He’s a great coach, a great mentor and a great teacher. He played this game for a long time, so just excited to get him out of our division, and get him in Carolina.”
Sirianni and Pederson have seen firsthand how Reich can ready a team for success. The fellow coaches have watched him prepare multiple quarterbacks for battles in big moments, and Pederson — who was also a longtime NFL backup quarterback — thinks Reich’s experience at the position helps him in that regard.
“He played it — he understands the mentality, he understands the mindset of the quarterback,” Reich said. “And sometimes, that’s what it takes. He played this game, he played it as a backup — just like I did for so many years — and I think there’s a mentality there that you really pass on to quarterbacks, he’s got a really good feel for that.”
Sirianni says Reich’s leadership stands out to all who work around him.
“You guys feel it as media — us, as his former coaches that coached under him, felt it all the time,” Sirianni said. “The people that he interviews with are going to feel that, his players are going to feel that. ... He is who is and he shows it, and you can just tell how good of a leader he is and how good of a coach he is.”
Sirianni — who just lost his offensive and defensive coordinators to head coach jobs this month — acknowledged that Reich helped him prepare for his job at the top of the totem pole in Philadelphia. New Colts head coach Shane Steichen and new Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon received similar preparation from Sirianni.
As Reich prepares for his first season as head coach of the Panthers, his impact is being felt by several coaches and organizations around the league because of the examples he put in place in his NFL travels.
Said Sirianni: “The things he did for me, I really do try to repay that back to them.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
