The New York Jets have hired former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich as their next offensive coordinator, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday.
Reich joins the team after serving as interim head coach at Stanford through the 2025 season. The team ultimately hired Tavita Pritchard as a full-time option, with Reich expected to serve as an advisor going forward. That will no longer be the case when Reich takes over the Jets.
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Prior to coaching at Stanford University, Reich served as an NFL head coach. He has six years of experience at the position, five of which were with the Colts. Under Reich, Indianapolis went 40-33-1 and made the playoffs twice.
Reich joined the Panthers in 2023 after being released by the team during the 2022 season. His time with the team was short-lived as he only played 11 games before being fired during the 2023 season. The Panthers were 1-10 when Reich was fired.
After a tumultuous season, Reich is now tasked with leading the Jets offense forward — with no answer in sight at quarterback amid the struggles of 2025 free agent signing Justin Fields.
After a poor 3-14 season and the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, New York decided to retain head coach Aaron Glenn despite a number of personnel changes elsewhere.
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Those shakeups began with defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes, who was fired one day after the team’s 48-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15. In Wilkes’ lone season as D.C., the defense ranked 25th in points allowed and 31st in points scored. The defense made unfortunate history at the end of the year, becoming the first team in NFL history to not throw an interception all season.
In late January, reports surfaced that the team would also part ways with quarterbacks coach Charles London, passing game coordinator Scott Turner, defensive assistants Roosevelt Williams and Alonso Escalante, defensive line coach Eric Washington and linebackers coach Aaron Curry.
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A few days later, it was announced that the team would also be parting ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Engstrand played just one season with the Jets, joining the team after five seasons with the Detroit Lions, most recently as their passing game coordinator. In 2025, the Jets offense ranks 29th in yards and 29th in points allowed.
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Reich will have his hands full as the organization continues on the path to a complete rebuild. In addition to the No. 2 pick, the Jets also hold the No. 16 pick, which originally belonged to the Indianapolis Colts. The pick was acquired when New York traded away All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Jets also own Indy’s 2027 first-round draft pick.
This will provide the organization with some solid funds to rebuild. But time will tell if that (and the projected $80-plus million in cap space) will be enough to inject enough talent into the team to remain viable in the competitive AFC East.
