Former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich is returning to the NFL with the New York Jets.
The Jets have hired Reich to serve as Aaron Glenn’s offensive coordinator, the team announced Wednesday.
Reich previously spent four seasons as an offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, where he won a Super Bowl after the 2017 season.
He served as head coach of the Colts from 2018 to 2022, then led the Panthers in 2023. Reich most recently worked as Stanford’s interim head coach in 2025.
Reich managed top-ten NFL offenses during the Eagles’ championship season and in his first campaign with the Colts, although those units struggled later in his head coaching career.
During his partial season as head coach in Carolina, the Panthers ranked 31st in points and 32nd in offensive yards during a 1-10 start to the season before Reich was fired in the middle of a season straight season.
Reich most recently worked in the NCAA, where he was hired as Stanford’s interim head coach by his former Colts quarterback and current Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck.
Stanford finished the 2025 season under Reich’s interim leadership with a 4-8 record, breaking a stretch of four consecutive 3-9 seasons for the Cardinal.
Prior to his coaching career, Reich played 13 seasons as an NFL quarterback between 1985 and 1998.
That included one season with the Jets as a teammate of Glenn’s during the 1996 season, during which he recorded a career-high 2,205 passing yards in 10 appearances and seven starts with the franchise.
Reich will now replace Tanner Engstrand, who was fired in late January after one season with the Jets.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that Engstrand’s firing, which took place a month after the Jets dismissed former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, came as a surprise to the former OC.
Reich will now be charged with overhauling an offense that ranked 29th in both points and offensive yards last season.
Glenn said in a statement that Reich “understands offense and how to utilize the strengths of players.”
It’s not clear which quarterback Reich will be working with next season. The Jets currently have Justin Fields, Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook under contract for 2026.
After a 3-14 finish to the 2025 season, however, the Jets could decide to bring in another quarterback for Reich to work with either through free agency, a trade or with the No. 2 pick of the upcoming draft.