Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich doesn’t seem like a vindictive man. Heck, he’s a man of God.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t exact a little revenge.
NFL.com writer Adam Rank recently tabbed the best “revenge games” for the upcoming campaign. Among them is Carolina’s home date with the Indianapolis Colts, who fired Reich nine games into the 2022 season.
Rank writes:
Not only was it insulting to have been fired and held accountable for quarterbacks who were past their primes (Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan), but Frank Reich was replaced by former Colts center Jeff Saturday, who was just chilling as a TV analyst and had no high-level coaching experience. A move that was as shocking as it was infuriating to Hall of Famer Joe Thomas. There are layers here. Both teams are in the market for a new starting quarterback for 2023, and it’s Reich and the Panthers who find themselves with the No. 1 overall pick to take a QB of their choosing. This could get ugly.
Reich already got the jump on Jim Irsay and Indianapolis by literally jumping them for that first pick. Carolina, saddled in the ninth overall spot before their trade with the Chicago Bears, soared past the equally passer-needy Colts—who sat idly by at No. 4.
Now, it’s up to the Panthers to cash in on that opportunity and draft the right quarterback atop the 2023 NFL draft. And hopefully for them, that quarterback is good enough to win it for Reich so Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t have to anymore.
