After being fired midseason by the Indianapolis Colts, Frank Reich became the first head coach to get a new job in the following hiring cycle.
The Carolina Panthers officially agreed to name Reich the franchise’s next head coach on Thursday. And yet, Reich, who was replaced by Jeff Saturday, who had no professional coaching experience when he was hired, was congratulated on Twitter by a franchise that fired him just over two months ago.
“Congratulations to this good man!” the Colts wrote in a tweet.
Congratulations to this good man! https://t.co/wsISESVsAe
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 26, 2023
A bit of a puzzling reaction, to say the least.
The NFL world took the Colts to task for a tweet that was not only bizarre but seemingly in bad taste. Here are some of those reactions:
Yo if my company tweets at me after I get fired I am throwing hands
— Will Blackwell (@WillyB60) January 26, 2023
Sure man https://t.co/Ad70ZMy2RL
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) January 26, 2023
https://t.co/ApXRSYNhSz pic.twitter.com/aAdnICjTOT
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) January 26, 2023
this tweet is so irsay https://t.co/QgfPl2QrKW
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) January 27, 2023
Colts said… pic.twitter.com/4kN4FPoOrC
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) January 26, 2023
Nah y’all left him out to dry his whole tenure
— Calvin (@FlockCwood) January 26, 2023
They only posted this because now they don't have to pay his full contract
— AnthonyD (@AnthonyD32713) January 26, 2023
Reich wasn’t blameless for the Colts’ shortcomings, but the timing of his firing certainly made him seem like he was a scapegoat for their lack of success in recent years. Reich was unable to recreate the same success that he had in a season with reclamation projects like Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, as he did with one season of Philip Rivers.
The Colts, who started the season 3-5-1 under Reich, finished out the year 1-7 under Saturday, securing the No. 4 overall pick in April’s draft.