BREAKING: Carolina Panthers name former Colts coach Frank Reich as new head coach

The Carolina Panthers are hiring former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich to be the next head coach, the franchise announced on Thursday. The announcement came less than an hour after it was reported that Reich was among the two finalists. The other was interim head coach Steve Wilks.

Reich takes over as the Panthers head coach after a nearly five-year run as the Colts head coach. Previously he was an offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won a Super Bowl in 2018.

Reich played in the NFL as a quarterback, spending much of his career as a backup to Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly. After 10 years in Buffalo, he spent one season with the Panthers in 1995 as the first starting quarterback in the history of the franchise, before brief stints with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions to finish his playing career.

Additionally, Reich is the first head coach in franchise history to come from a background of playing and coaching offense. All the pervious coaches, from Dom Capers in 1995 through Matt Rhule and Wilks in 2022, every Panthers head coach had been a defensive coach prior.

WATCH: NFL insider reveals what’s next for Carolina Panthers after hiring Frank Reich as head coach

The Carolina Panthers have finally made a hire to permanently replace Matt Rhule as head coach. Frank Reich will be the coach who the Panthers turn to for the future of the franchise.

Now, an NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed what’s next for the Panthers now that they have Reich in place as head coach.

You can watch Rapoport explain the next steps for Carolina, here:

From NFL Now: After the #Panthers hired Frank Reich, two important notes — 1. The #Panthers are poised to move quickly on their DC hire given the legwork they've already done; 2. #Cowboys OC Kellen Moore was a darkhorse candidate & set himself up for future head coach openings. pic.twitter.com/SfGJpEHu4Z

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 26, 2023

The first question for Carolina to answer is the quarterback position. Given Reich’s track record as a quarterback friendly coach, this should be a good situation for a new quarterback. After that, the Panthers need to determine the defensive coordinator position.

“What the Carolina Panthers have done during this process is also interview several defensive coordinators,” Rapoport said. “Some of the top names, including Vic Fangio, Kris, Richard, Marquand Manuel, some of the really top ones.”

Rapoport also pointed out that Frank Reich may bring someone like Gus Bradley over from Indianapolis, though that depends on Bradley’s contract situation there.