The Panthers have parted ways with senior advisor/assistant Jim Caldwell, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. He was first hired in 2023 by then-head coach Frank Reich, reuniting the pair after working together in Indianapolis from 2006 to 2011.
Caldwell served as the Colts’ head coach for the last three years of that period and has since spent time with the Ravens, Lions, and Dolphins with a four-year stint in the top job in Detroit.
Caldwell’s successor, Carl Smith, similarly has connections to the Panthers’ current coaching staff. He overlapped with head coach Dave Canales on the Seahawks’ offensive staff from 2011 to 2018. For the first seven years, Smith served as Seattle’s quarterbacks coach with Canales coaching wide receivers. Smith was promoted to associate head coach in their final year together with Canales moving into his vacated role.
Smith is also the father of Tracy Smith, the Panthers’ special teams coordinator. The father and son duo previously worked together in Cleveland (2009-2010), Seattle (2011, 2021-2023), and Houston (2019-2020).
The Panthers are also adding former Bears and Giants assistant Mike Adams to their coaching staff, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The 45-year-old spent 16 years in the NFL, including two seasons in Carolina, before beginning a coaching career as an assistant defensive backs coach in Chicago. He was not retained in 2022 and made his way to New York the following year as an assistant special teams coach. For the last two years, Adams served as the Giants’ assistant secondary coach. His role in Carolina is not yet known.
Carolina made an addition in their front office as well, promoting football operations intern Joshua Krieger to scouting assistant, per InsideTheLeague’s Neil Stratton. Krieger previously served in recruiting roles at Pitt and Temple.
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