After serving as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach/passing-game coordinator over the past four years, Darrell Bevell emerged as a finalist to take over as the Jets’ offensive coordinator. The Jets ended up hiring Frank Reich for the position on Feb. 4, but Bevell has landed a different job a week later. He’s leaving Miami to join the Panthers’ staff as associate head coach/offensive specialist, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Carolina will be the seventh NFL team for the 56-year-old Bevell, whose pro career began in 2000 as an assistant quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. Between his six-year run with the Packers and his four seasons with the Dolphins, Bevell coached in Minnesota, Seattle, Detroit and Jacksonville. He was the O-coordinator with the Vikings (2006-10), Seahawks (2011-17), Lions (2019-20) and Jaguars (2021).
Bevell is best known for a successful tenure in Seattle, which won the Super Bowl in 2013 and then came within a yard of repeating the next year. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler had other ideas, though, as he intercepted a Russell Wilson pass at the goal line to seal a 28-24 Pats victory in Super Bowl XLIX.
Bevell and former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll have since drawn no shortage of criticism for passing instead of handing off to Marshawn Lynch in the game’s waning moments. Bevell nonetheless remained in charge of their offense for three more seasons.
Dave Canales, now the Panthers’ head coach, was the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach during Bevell’s entire seven-year stay as their O-coordinator. Panthers general manager Dan Morgan was in the Seahawks’ front office for that stretch.
The three are now reuniting in Carolina, which won the NFC South in 2025 despite an 8-9 record. Quarterback Bryce Young, the former first overall pick, made enough progress in his third season for the team to pick up his fifth-year option. The jury is still out on whether Young will turn into a franchise signal-caller, but Bevell will now have a hand in his development after drawing mixed results from Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
With assistance from Bevell, Tagovailoa led the league in passer rating (2022), yards (2023) and completion percentage (2024) in separate seasons. Tagovailoa also received a Pro Bowl invitation in 2023, but he bottomed out in 2025 – Bevell’s last year in South Florida – and the Dolphins now hope to trade him.