CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Panthers are hoping Joe Brady can bolster a sagging offense like he did at LSU.
Carolina officially announced Thursday that Brady will be their new offensive coordinator after one year as LSU’s passing game coordinator. Brady won the Broyles Award given annually to the top assistant coach in college football after helping the Tigers to a 15-0 season and a national championship.
LSU finished first in the nation averaging 568.5 yards and 48.4 points per game on offense.
The 30-year-old Brady becomes the NFL’s youngest active offensive coordinator.
“To win a national championship with all the hard work those players put in and to be able to call yourself a champion at the college level – that’s something they can’t take away from you,” Brady told the team’s website Thursday. “And now here I am in Charlotte representing the Panthers. It’s hard to put into words. But I’m really excited for the future.”
Behind Heisman Trophy winning QB Joe Burrow, the Tigers finished second in passing offense with 401.6 passing yards per game. Burrow completed 76.3 percent of his passes to lead the nation and set a FBS single-season record with 60 passing touchdowns. Burrow’s 65 total touchdowns are also an FBS record.
Burrow’s passer rating of 202.0 set a FBS single-season record, while his 5,671 yards passing tied for third all time.
Before joining LSU, Brady spent two seasons as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints.
He helped the Saints win back-to-back division titles while finishing third in the NFL with 911 total points scored in those two seasons. With Brady on the staff, quarterback Drew Brees posted a cumulative passer rating of 109.5 over those two seasons, second-best in the NFL.
Before the Saints, Brady spent two years as a graduate assistant at Penn State from 2015-16. He started his coaching career at his alma mater William & Mary, coaching linebackers from 2013-14.
In Carolina, Brady inherits an offense with uncertainty at the quarterback position. Cam Newton is rehabbing from an foot injury, and his status with the team remains unclear. The Panthers can clear $19 million if they trade or release Newton.
BROWNS: The Browns passed on a chance to hire one of the Patriots’ coaches. Now, they’ll consider someone who helped build New England into an NFL dynasty.
With Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski on board as their new coach, the Browns have accelerated the search for a general manager. They will interview Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort, a person familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press.
Ossenfort, who has been with New England for 15 seasons, will talk with the Browns on Friday.
Cleveland will also meet Friday with Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry, the person said. The Browns also intend to interview Vikings vice president of player personnel/assistant general manager George Paton at some point.
AWARDS: San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch won the Pro Football Writers of America Executive of the Year award.
Lynch was honored for his role in helping transform the 49ers from a four-win season in 2018 to a 13-3 record this past season. San Francisco earned the top seed in the NFC for the first time since 1997 and is playing Green Bay in the NFC championship game on Sunday.
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