Panthers Seeking Permission To Speak With Notable Jaguars Coach

The Carolina Panthers made a bold, correct, yet still questionable decision for their Head Coaching position.

Even though Steve Wilks did an outstanding job as their interim coach and nearly led them to a divisional title and unlikely playoff berth, they still decided to go with Frank Reich, one of the best names available in the coaching free agency.

Now, the former QB needs to put together his coaching staff, which could be a tricky thing considering most of the top-notch assistants have already been taken.

With that in mind, the Panthers requested permission to interview Jacksonville Jaguars’ passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for their Offensive Coordinator job, as well as Detroit Lions’ assistant Head Coach Duce Staley for another position in their staff, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The #Panthers have requested permission to speak with #Jaguars pass game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for their OC job, source said. They’ve done the same for #Lions assistant head coach Duce Staley for an elevated position on their staff.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2023

The Jaguars had a much-improved passing game under Jim Bob Cooter this season, which doesn’t seem like much of a surprise considering anything would’ve been better than what Urban Meyer and his coaching staff did.

The Panthers need to address multiple areas of their roster, especially after losing Christian McCaffrey.

Also, their quarterback situation is still quite a blur at this point, with Sam Darnold competing with PJ Walker and second-year pro Matt Corral for the starting position, and none of them seem like a solid choice at this point.

So, Jim Bob Cooter will have to make a tough call ahead of next season, as it doesn’t seem like the Panthers will do better than the Jaguars any time soon, truth be told.