Ex-Stanford Football Coach Returning to the NFL in Key Role with the New York Jets

Stanford football is losing a key part of its program from the past year. On Wednesday, the New York Jets confirmed that they hired former Stanford interim head coach, Frank Reich, as their new offensive coordinator, bringing Reich back to the NFL after a few seasons away.

Reich, the former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, won Super Bowl LI as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles and will look to revitalize a Jets offense that was among the NFL's worst in 2025.

After Stanford fired Troy Taylor right before the start of spring practice in 2025, the program hired Reich to serve as the interim head coach for the '25 season.

While the focus was on growth and development, the Cardinal finished 4-8, which was an improvement over four straight 3-9 seasons from 2021-24. Following the '25 campaign, the Cardinal hired Tavita Pritchard as the new head coach, but Reich was originally expected to stay with the program as a senior advisor.

But after a tough season in which the Jets finished 3-14 and ended the year with an offense that ranked 29th in the league in total yards and points, offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand was fired. Reich was then listed among the candidates that the Jets interviewed for the job, flipping the script in Reich's career.

At one point, Reich did not expect to return to coaching, let alone return to the NFL, but after a promising run at Stanford and proving that his leadership is still a necessity in the locker room, Reich gets another shot to coach football at the highest level.

The Jets are a perfect fit for Reich's return. A former teammate of Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, Reich is working with someone he is already familiar with while returning to coach in the same area he is from, as he was born in Freeport, New York.

A quarterback in the NFL from 1985-98, Reich was primarily a backup. He is known for his 10-season stint with the Buffalo Bills and was on the Bills when the franchise made four straight Super Bowls from 1990-93, losing all four.

Leaving the Bills following the 1994 season, Reich spent one season each with the Carolina Panthers and the Jets before retiring as a player after the '98 campaign following two seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Beginning his coaching career in 2006 as an intern with the Indianapolis Colts, Reich earned his first official coaching role with the Colts in 2008 when he was hired as an offensive coaching staff assistant.

From 2009-10, Reich was the Colts' quarterbacks coach and then became the wide receivers coach in 2011 before leaving to serve as the Arizona Cardinals wide receivers coach in 2012. In 2013, Reich became the quarterbacks coach for the Chargers franchise, and then was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2014, serving in that role for two years.

The Chargers' offense struggled under Reich, especially in 2015, and he was fired. But he was quickly hired by the Eagles ahead of the 2016 campaign to be their offensive coordinator. Following the franchise's Super Bowl LI win, Reich was hired to be the Colts' head coach, serving in that role from 2018 until his firing midway through the '22 season.

During his time in Indianapolis, the Colts' offense was ranked in the top half of the league and he compiled a 40-33-1 record, with playoff berths in 2018 and '20.

After he was fired by the Colts, Reich was hired to be the Panthers' head coach in 2023 but after a 1-10 start, he was fired midway through his first season. Now, Reich will look to change the narrative on his coaching career and find success once again at a level that he is all too familiar with.

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