Hayden Hurst not shocked Panthers fired Frank Reich amid disastrous season, discusses how team moves forward

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The news of Frank Reich's firing as head coach of the Carolina Panthers took tight end Hayden Hurst off-guard. 

But he knew that, with a 1-10 record after falling to the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday, a change could be around the corner even if no one wanted it to happen. 

"I was actually in the training room because unfortunately I’ve been in concussion protocol for the last couple weeks, so been a little bit removed from the team just trying to build my way back up," Hurst told Fox News Digital over the phone. "Caught me a little off-guard as far as the finality of it. But I think if you’re in that building, you kinda knew something potentially was going to happen unfortunately."

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Nov 9, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich watches his team play against the Chicago Bears in the second half at Soldier Field. (Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)

Hurst added: "Frank’s a great man with a great message. It’s just unfortunately in the NFL sometimes that doesn’t correlate to wins and I think that was the situation we found ourselves in. We wish Frank the best, but having a new voice in there will hopefully jump start some things, and we can start piling some wins at the end. Just get momentum heading into the offseason."

While unfortunate, it's the reality of how the NFL works: No matter your past as a coach or player, wins trump everything. Reich was a solid coach with the Indianapolis Colts before heading to Carolina this year, going 40-33-1 during his five-year stint with the team as their head coach. 

However, Reich's past didn't match the present,