Reports: Joe Brady to leave LSU to become Panthers OC

LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady has agreed to terms to become the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.

The news comes less than 24 hours after the LSU offense reinvented by the 30-year-old Brady won the College Football Playoff National Championship and three days after Brady agreed to a contract extension that has yet to be executed.

The contract would have doubled his current salary of $410,000 and forbid him from taking another college job but left an opt-out for a professional offer.

The Panthers recently fired Ron Rivera and replaced him with Baylor’s Matt Rhule, Carolina owner David Tepper’s first choice. Brady was Rhule’s first choice as offensive coordinator. Per reports, Brady will be given total control of his offensive staff.

Under Brady, the LSU offense has broken countless records including setting NCAA season records for points scored (726) and total offense (8,526 yards). LSU quarterback Joe Burrow swept all the major awards, including the Heisman Trophy. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase won the Biletnikoff as college football’s best receiver.

The LSU offense jumped from averaging 402 yards a game in 2018 to 568 in 2019. The Tigers are the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard quarterback, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers.

For his contributions to LSU’s offensive turnaround, Brady was awarded the Broyles Award given to the college football’s top assistant coach.

BBrady was hired last January after being an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints since 2017. He signed a three-year deal that was the eighth lowest salary among the 10 LSU assistants this past season with raises set of $425,000 in 2020 and $450,000 in 2021.

With his role at LSU become more pronounced as the season wore on, he began attracting more and more attention for NFL job vacancies.

With the Saints, he learned the high-powered offense ran by Sean Payton, Pete Carmichael, and Drew Brees. Before going to New Orleans, Brady was a graduate assistant at Penn State and a linebacker coach at William & Mary, his alma mater.