After firing third coach in four years, Carolina Panthers owner wants next coach to be able to eulogize him

By Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) — David Tepper’s time as the owner of the Carolina Panthers hasn’t been wrought with much success.

Since taking the reins in 2018, the team has had a 30-63 record and has missed the playoffs every season.

And on Monday, Tepper fired his third head coach in his five years in charge, with Frank Reich being let go after a 1-10 start in his first year at the helm.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Tepper rejected the notion that his impatience has led to the carousel of coaches which in turn has resulted in a feeling of uncertainty within the organization.

“I do have patience,” Tepper told reporters. “My reputation away from this game is one of extreme patience. There’s no reason why that doesn’t come here, too – it does.

“Now, that patience comes with good performance and things that you want to see. Progress being made in different aspects. As I said, I would like to have somebody here for 20, 30 years. I would like to have somebody that would say a eulogy at my funeral.”

The team’s record since he replaced former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson in 2018 is the second worst in the NFL in that span.

Tepper said that the shifting sands within the franchise wouldn’t hamper his ability to find the perfect long-term appointment.

“Look, things are constantly evolving, and they’ll continue to evolve,” he said. “Try to make things better is what you always try to do.

“Obviously, that record is not good enough. There’s no hiding it. It is what it is like everything in this sport. Everything is left on the field. Everybody knows what it is every week. That record is that record. Like I said, it is not good enough. We’re going to self-reflect to make it better.”

A key factor in Reich’s firing was the inability to provide a platform for the 2023 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young, to have success in his rookie season.

The former Alabama star has struggled since he arrived in Carolina, with the Panthers slumping to a league-worst record through Week 12.

In his first 10 NFL starts, the 22-year-old quarterback is completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,877 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

What makes Young’s struggles even more stark is the success of the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, CJ Stroud, with the Houston Texans. Stroud has had a historic start to his rookie season, setting records for passing in his debut campaign, with Houston in place to make a playoff run in his first year in the NFL.

When asked by reporters whether the organization has any regrets over choosing Young over Stroud, Tepper said they were “totally confident in that pick.”

“Now, it’s been reported, and we’ve talked about it, originally, we were going to go with the No. 2 pick, and we thought we’d get CJ because we thought the Texans were going to pick Bryce,” Tepper said. “Listen, we preferred Bryce. He was our No. 1 pick.”

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