Panthers' Frank Reich Named Best HC Hire in NFL Insider Poll; Sean Payton Got 0 Votes

With Frank Reich at the helm, the Panthers' future is in good hands, at least according to several people around the NFL in a poll conducted by The Athletic.

Nine people were polled, including general managers, personnel executives, head coaches and assistant coaches, all of whom were granted anonymity. They were all asked who their favorite coaching hire from this cycle was.

Not included in the poll were people from the coaches' current or most recent organizations to avoid any sort of bias, according to the report.

Reich, who was hired by Carolina in January, received the most votes with 5.5. He had two more votes than DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans.

As coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-22, Reich finished with a 40-33-1 regular-season record. The 61-year-old led the organization to the postseason twice but never managed to win the division or make it past the divisional round.

The Colts fired him in November after a 3-5-1 start to the season.

Perhaps the most surprising result from the poll was that Sean Payton, the only new hire who's won a Super Bowl as a head coach, received no votes.

The 59-year-old is returning to coach the Denver Broncos after taking a year off from the profession. He coached the New Orleans Saints for 15 years, winning Super Bowl XLIV against the Colts and making it to three NFC Championship Games.

He was voted the AP Coach of the Year in 2006.

Shane Steichen of the Colts and Jonathan Gannon of the Arizona Cardinals also received zero votes in the poll.