Report: Carolina Panthers to hire new offensive coordinator

Ben McAdoo is heading back to the assistant coaching ranks.

The Carolina Panthers are expected to hire him as their new offensive coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He spent this year as a coaching consultant for the Dallas Cowboys.

The #Panthers are expected to hire former #Giants HC and ex-#Packers OC Ben McAdoo as their offensive coordinator, sources say. They need to work out the contract, but there aren’t expected to be issues. McAdoo is back as an OC, where he initially rose to prominence.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2022

McAdoo rose to prominence with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-13, starting as the tight ends coach before moving to quarterbacks coach. The Giants brought him on board as their offensive coordinator from 2014-15 and promoted him to head coach from 2016-17.

During his time as New York’s headman, McAdoo totaled a 13-15 record — and the two years were drastically different. The Giants went 11-5 in his first year, but went just 2-10 before they fired him the next season.

After some time away from the game, he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as a quarterbacks coach in 2020 before heading to Dallas this year. In fact, McAdoo had to jump into the coaches booth for a game this year due to the Cowboys’ COVID-19 outbreak.

He’ll take over in Carolina for Joe Brady, who was fired in December. The Panthers went 5-12 this season after starting the year 3-0.

ESPN reveals biggest offseason priority for the Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers started the season on fire, and similar to the Arizona Cardinals, looked like a team destined to make their way into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Panthers quickly fizzled out after their Week 3 win against the Houston Texans.

Afterward, Carolina struggled to be competitive at times, and barely mustered two more wins in the season to finish with a 5-12 record.

So, it’s safe to say, after a burnout like that, that the Panthers are indeed in need some work in the offseason. ESPN has put together a list of what Carolina needs to do this offseason to get back on the winning track.

“The Panthers need an offensive line and a quarterback to play behind it. You can’t say one without the other here because both the line and quarterback Sam Darnold have been a failure this season. Coach Matt Rhule said he has to make a “true investment” in the line this offseason. Outside of right tackle Taylor Moton and center Pat Elflein, this group needs a complete overhaul. Finding a replacement for Darnold, who has one year left on his deal, is just as vital for future success,” wrote David Newton.