Panthers owner David Tepper says he has patience despite coaching changes, confidence in Bryce Young pick

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said he does possess patience despite firing three coaches in-season since buying the team. He fired Frank Reich from the position Monday , moving special teams coach Chris Tabor into the interim job.

Tepper, who spoke at a Tuesday news conference, said he doesn’t think it will make it harder to hire a full-time coach despite having fired Reich (2023), Matt Rhule (2022) and Ron Rivera (2019) during the regular season.

“If I had my druthers, I’d like to have a coach here 20 years, 30 years,” Tepper said.

When asked about letting coaches go so quickly, he said, “I do have patience. My reputation away from this game is one of extreme patience ... That patience comes with good performance and progress.”

Tepper added that in his business and staff outside of football, “nobody ever leaves me.”

Tabor spoke after Tepper and said he’s been given no assurances that he’ll get to interview for the full-time job.

Tepper also said he’s “totally confident” in the decision to select quarterback Bryce Young over now Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud .

Tepper says choice of Bryce Young was unanimous among scouts and coaches and Panthers remain confident in him. pic.twitter.com/TvxntOnbCu

— Joe Person November 28, 2023

Tepper was asked by The Athletic about the future of the Panthers general manager as the owner walked off the riser as the news conference was ending. Tepper didn’t respond.

Will Tepper change his management style?

Tepper has been heavily criticized for being too hands-on in the football operations during his six years as owner, during which time the Panthers have gone 30-63 and own the league’s second-worst winning percentage behind the Jets .

“That record’s that record. It’s not good enough,” Tepper said. “We’re going to self-deflect and make it better.”

Tepper did not offer any specifics — he spoke in generalities for most of the 14-minute news conference — and did not address a question about whether the Panthers planned to use a search firm as he prepares to hire his third coach since 2020. — Joseph Person, Panthers beat writer

What did he say about Young?

As has reported, the Panthers initially had a trade to go up to No. 2 in the draft behind Houston at No. 1. Tepper said they expected the Texans to draft Young in that scenario and the Panthers would take Stroud. But Tepper said the Panthers’ preference was Young, who has struggled this season while Stroud is in the midst of one of the best seasons by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.

“In the case of Bryce, it was almost — I believe it was a unanimous decision by the coaches and the scouts.” — Person

Stroud vs. Young

It’s really been no contest. Stroud is the front-runner for the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. Via TruMedia, Stroud ranks fifth in expected points added per dropback, fourth in total EPA and sixth in passer rating. Young ranks 31st in EPA per dropback, 31st in total EPA and 30th in passer rating. — Larry Holder, NFL senior writer

(Photo: Grant Halverson / )