The Carolina Panthers’ offense struggled with the efficiency for the better part of the 2021 NFL season, and the team’s offensive coordinator Joe Brady is the one paying the price for it. The Panthers, who were on a bye this past week, announced the decision to part with Brady on Sunday.
Following the move, the team’s head coach Matt Rhule issued a statement in which he confirmed that he was the one who decided to let Brady go.
“I’m very grateful to him for his time and effort in helping us get established over this past year and a half,” Rhule added.
Carolina is currently ranked in the bottom half of the league in scoring, managing 19.7 points per game. The offense also ranks 28th in yards per game, generating just 308.7 yards on average in 2021. This, combined with three losses in the past four games, prompted Rhule to make a surprising move to keep Panthers’ postseason hopes alive.
The Panthers opted not to hire a new offensive coordinator to replace Brady and will instead turn to a committee approach. According to the team, senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon will take on the OC duties with the rest of the offensive coaching staff also providing input.
Joe Brady was one of the most sought-after young coaches in football after helping the LSU Tigers to win the national championship as their passing game coordinator in 2020. Brady had multiple jobs on the table after that but opted to join Rhule in Carolina. The Panthers finished 5-11 in Brady’s first year, ranking 21st in total yards per game and 24th in points per game.
