Darrell Bevell coached quarterbacks with the Dolphins last season. Kirby Lee / Imagn Images
Feb. 11, 2026 12:39 pm EST
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers’ quiet offseason became a little more interesting Wednesday.
Panthers coach Dave Canales is hiring veteran offensive coach Darrell Bevell as his associate head coach and offensive specialist, according to a league source. Canales and Bevell were together seven seasons on Pete Carroll’s staff in Seattle, where Bevell was the offensive coordinator and Canales served in a variety of offensive roles.
Canales counts Bevell among his mentors, and his hiring gives Canales an experienced option if he decides to cede offensive play-calling duties in the future. At a minimum, Bevell is expected to have a hand in helping Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.
Canales had only year as a NFL play caller — with Tampa Bay in 2023 — before he was hired in Carolina in 2024. Canales said in January he planned to retain play-calling responsibilities for “right now.”
“Yes, right now — and again, all these questions and all the stuff we’re going to be talking about as a staff coming up in the next couple of days, getting a chance to regroup on the whole season and how it came out,” he said. “We’re always going to look for ways to improve what we’re doing.”
Bevell, who turned 56 in January, played quarterback at Wisconsin and coached the position in Green Bay when Brett Favre was the Packers’ QB. Bevell then was offensive coordinator for Minnesota (2006-10), Seattle (2011-17), Detroit (2019-20) and Jacksonville (2021). He spent the past four seasons as QBs coach and passing game coordinator in Miami.
Bevell won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2013. The next year he infamously called a Russell Wilson pass that the New England Patriots’ Malcolm Butler intercepted at the goal line in the final minute of the Super Bowl.
Under Bevell, the Seahawks were in the top 10 in scoring each year between 2012-15, while ranking in the top four in rushing each season during that stretch. His work with the 5-foot-11 Wilson could benefit Bryce Young, another short-statured quarterback.
Feb 11, 2026
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