Panthers request to interview Bengals OC Brian Callahan
Two Cincinnati Bengals players left to join the Carolina Panthers last year, and their former coach could join them. NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reports that the Panthers requested Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to interview for their head coaching job. Callahan has been the Bengals' OC for the last five seasons. He helped the Bengals stay […]
Two Cincinnati Bengals players left to join the Carolina Panthers last year, and their former coach could join them.
NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reports that the Panthers requested Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to interview for their head coaching job.
Callahan has been the Bengals' OC for the last five seasons. He helped the Bengals stay afloat this year by orchestrating a new scheme for backup quarterback Jake Browning during the final seven weeks of the season, something that other clubs have surely taken notice of. He was a candidate to become the Indianapolis Colts head coach during last year's hiring cycle.
Callahan was previously a quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, and Oakland Raiders. His father, Bill Callahan, is a revered offensive line coach and a former head coach himself.
This would be the younger Callahan's first crack at becoming a head coach, which is something to keep in mind in this particular case.
The Panthers were the first team to fire their head coach this season when they canned Frank Reich just 11 games into his short-lived tenure. Carolina ended up winning just two games all season, but do not own their first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft.
Factor all of that with owner David Tepper showing time and time again he's not cut out to own an NFL franchise, and this looks like the least attractive of the current head coaching gigs.
Callahan, who was recently voted as a top OC by his players, would be taking a risk trying to establish himself as a quality head coach in a messy situation. The Panthers traded away their immediate future for quarterback Bryce Young, who just capped off an underwhelming rookie season, and now need to surround him with another new staff.
The counter to this is simple. Callahan might be one of the best candidates Carolina could attract due to his inexperience. It's also a very rare opportunity to claim one of the 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL.
Without having to coach in the playoffs this year, Callahan will have more time on his hands to interview with the Panthers if he so chooses.
Bengals executive attracting interest for GM opening
An interview has been requested from another AFC club.
