Frank Reich reportedly ‘driving’ Panthers’ pursuit of Derek Carr
It seems as though Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich has a bit of faith in Derek Carr.
According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Reich has been leading the team’s charge for the free-agent quarterback. Person writes:
The Panthers are scheduled to speak with Carr again Monday, and their interest is real, according to league sources who were granted anonymity to speak freely on the topic.
First-year coach Frank Reich, who had five veteran quarterbacks in five seasons with the Colts, seems to be driving the Panthers’ pursuit of Carr, although owner David Tepper and his wife, Nicole, were part of last week’s interview, as well.
Reich spoke highly of the four-time Pro Bowler during his media availability at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He said that while drafting and developing their own quarterback has its obvious perks, getting Carr at this point in his career can speed up the process for the Panthers.
“Whatever decision we make is what is best not just for this year, but you’re looking on the horizon,” Reich said on Wednesday. “Obviously if you draft a guy, you’re looking on a very long-term horizon. If you go free agent like we go Derek Carr, the nice thing with Derek is he’s gonna be 32 years old. So, it’s kinda prime quarterback years. So, there’s still a good five-year window there. Sure, we’re like every team—we wanna win the division next year. But we really have to look beyond that as well.”
Now, we’ll see where today’s talk with Carr leads Carolina next.
