The Panthers have lost an assistant coach to the Jaguars.
Carolina assistant offensive line coach Keli’i Kekuewa no longer is listed on the team’s website. He is expected to join the Jaguars’ coaching staff in an unspecified role, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports.
Kekuewa joined the Panthers a year ago and worked with Joe Gilbert and Harold Goodwin as the three turned around the team’s offensive line.
Kekuewa previously worked for the Seahawks. Kekuewa was an offensive assistant in 2020 before becoming the assistant offensive line coach for three seasons.
The Panthers have announced their full coaching staff for the 2025 season.
Head coach Dave Canales added four assistants to the stable and three returning coaches have new titles. The latter group includes senior coaching advisor Jim Caldwell and assistant quarterbacks coach/pass game specialist Mike Bercovici.
Bercovici joined by newly hired offensive assistant Keyshawn Colmon on an offensive staff headed up by offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. Assistant head coach/run game coordinator Harold Goodwin, offensive line coach Joe Gilbert, quarterbacks coach Will Harriger, tight ends coach Pat McPherson, wide receivers coach Rob Moore, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, and offensive quality control coach Dean Petzing.
Outside linebackers coach AC Carter, secondary coach Renaldo Hill, and defensive assistant Kevin Peterson were hired since the end of the 2024 season and Mayur Chaudhari will now be the assistant linebackers coach. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, senior defensive assistant Dom Capers, defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, linebackers coach Peter Hansen, and defensive line coach Todd Wash.
Tracy Smith will be the special teams coordinator and Daren Bates is the special teams assistant. Director of coaching development and culture Scott Cooper, game management coordinator George Li, head coach assistant/coaching operations manager Jessica Beckenstein, coaching assistant Ilir Emini, vice president of player health and performance Danny Kellington, and director of performance Josh Hingst round out the staff.
Quarterback Andy Dalton didn’t need to wait for the start of free agency to know where he wanted to be for the next couple of years.
The Panthers announced on Tuesday that Dalton has signed a new two-year deal with the team. Dalton’s move came after Bryce Young regained control of the starting job with a strong run of play over the second half of the season and Dalton said that the improved outlook for the future is why he and his family “want to be part of” the team’s push to go from the bottom of the barrel to better results.
“I think the trajectory of this team is trending in the right direction, and you want to be a part of it,” Dalton said, via Darin Gantt of the team’s website. “From when it wasn’t as easy to win games and to see where it’s going to go and to feel where it’s going to go. The right people are here, and they’re going to keep adding to it, so it’s something that I didn’t want to just be part of at the beginning of it and then be away and then see the success and see where it goes. But now I want to be part of the whole building of this thing.”
If all goes well, Dalton’s role in helping the Panthers will consist of mentoring Young while the first overall pick of the 2023 draft continues to improve and it’s clear that suits the veteran just fine.
The Eagles promoted Kevin Patullo to their offensive coordinator position on Wednesday and they’re moving quickly to fill his former spot on head coach Nick Sirianni’s staff.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they will hire Parks Frazier as their pass game coordinator.
Frazier was an offensive assistant with the Dolphins in 2024 and he was the pass game coordinator for the Panthers in 2023. He spent the previous five seasons with the Colts and finished out his time in Indianapolis as the team’s interim offensive coordinator.
Patullo will be the Eagles’ fourth offensive coordinator in the last four seasons and he’ll work with Frazier to ensure the transition doesn’t dirupt the offense’s effectiveness in 2025.
Andy Dalton will be back with the Panthers in 2025.
A pending free agent, Dalton signed a two-year deal with Carolina on Tuesday, the club announced.
Dalton, 37, has been with the Panthers for the last two seasons. He started five games for the franchise in 2024, but Bryce Young’s improvement kept Dalton on the bench after he recovered from an injury suffered in a car accident.
Dalton completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 989 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions in 2024.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Dalton’s new contract is worth $8 million with $6 million guaranteed. It has a maximum value of $10 million.
Dalton’s relationship with Young was likely a factor in him re-signing with Carolina, as the two are reportedly close.
A Bengals second-round pick back in 2011, Dalton has started 168 games for Cincinnati, Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, and Carolina. He’s completed 63 percent of his career passes for 39,500 yards with 253 touchdowns and 150 interceptions.
