A stunner in Charlotte: Joe Brady is out as Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator with five games left in the season, a stunning fall from grace for a once-rising star who was viewed as a hot head coaching candidate in the 2022 cycle. Running backs coach Jeff Nixon will serve as Carolina’s offensive coordinator the rest of the season.
Panthers fire OC Joe Brady
“I met with Joe this morning and informed him that I have decided to make a change,” said Panthers coach Matt Rhule. “I’m very grateful to him for his time and effort in helping us get established over this past year and a half.”
Brady oversaw a Panthers offense that has had ugly quarterback play almost all season and entered Sunday’s game 28th in yards (308.7), 31st in yards per play (4.8), 31st in interception rate (3.6%), and 23rd in scoring (19.7 points per game).
Rock bottom came Sunday when Cam Newton — signed midseason to fill in for an injured Sam Darnold — completed just 5 of 21 passes, and Carolina managed a mere 198 yards in a blowout loss.
Brady arrived in Carolina with much fanfare before the 2020 season after serving as LSU’s passing game coordinator the year before. The Panthers weren’t great in his first season on staff (21st in yards, 24th in points), but few blamed Brady for those struggles.
Christian McCaffrey is out for the season
This season has largely been a disaster for the Panthers, who have twice placed star running back Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve.
The hopes were high that Brady would breathe new life into Darnold’s career. Yet, the former Jets QB had completed just 59.5% of his passes for 7 touchdowns and 11 interceptions before suffering a shoulder injury that landed him on the IR last month.
The Panthers are on their bye and finish their season against the Falcons, Bills, Saints, and Buccaneers twice. While they have lost seven of their last nine games, they’re still technically alive in the playoff race.
Nixon followed Rhule from Baylor to the NFL in 2020 after serving as the program’s offensive play-caller. He has spent more than a decade in the NFL, with stops in Philadelphia, Miami, and San Francisco.