TAMPA, Fla. — The Carolina Panthers have agreed to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their new head coach, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Canales has informed the Buccaneers that he is taking the job, although there are still details that need to be finalized before the move is announced, according to the people who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity.
Canales will be the seventh head coach since owner David Tepper took over as owner in 2018. He inherits a Panthers team that went 2-15 last season and does not have a first-round draft pick in 2024.
The 42-year-old Canales helped the Bucs reach the NFC divisional playoffs with Baker Mayfield at quarterback in his first year as an NFL offensive coordinator.
He spent 13 seasons in Seattle where he worked with Dan Morgan, who was recently hired as the Panthers general manager and president of football operations. Morgan replaced general manager Scott Fitterer, who was fired after the season.
The big question might be how much patience Tepper will have with Canales.
The Panthers fired Frank Reich just 11 games into his first season as head coach this season after giving him a four-year contract. Tepper, who is 31-68 since taking over, hasn’t shown much patience with head coaches, also having fired Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule during the middle of previous seasons.
Canales will be entrusted with the development of quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft who struggled as a rookie. Young went 2-14 as a starter and averaged fewer than 180 yards passing per game and had just 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.