Coach Brad Idzik hails from a sports-oriented family, with his dad, John, having previously served as an NFL executive for various NFL teams.
Brad Idzik most recently served as a wide receiver coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, he is rumored to be the Panthers’ new OC.
Brad Idzik is an American football coach expected to take over as the new OC for the Carolina Panthers in 2024.
He has worked in the NFL for the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.
Additionally, he is a former collegiate athlete for Wake Forest University, where he played as a wide receiver.
Who Is John Idzik, Brad Idzik Dad?
John was born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised in a footballing family as his father was a former football coach.
This makes Brad a third-generation football coach of the family. Speaking of John, he attended the prestigious Duke University.
At Duke, he earned a master’s degree in liberal studies to accompany his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Dartmouth College.
John began his coaching journey in 1982 when he assumed the role of wide receivers coach at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Following this, he also had short stints as a coach at Duke and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL.
In 1993, he joined the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization. Over eleven years with the franchise, he began as a pro personnel assistant.
In 1996, he was promoted to director of football administration. Subsequently, in 2001, he advanced to become the assistant general manager.
During his time with the Buccaneers, the franchise managed to win their first Super Bowl title in 2002.
His Various Executive Roles
John would have a long and successful career as an executive figure in the league.
Following his departure from Tampa in 2004, he signed for the Arizona Cardinals as their senior director of football operations.
Subsequently, in 2007, he inked a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to become vice president of football administration.
While with Seattle, Idzik held responsibilities that included managing player negotiations and verifying the salary cap calculations.
Additionally, he acted as the team’s foremost liaison to the NFL higher-ups and represented the club at league meetings.
Working for multiple franchises, the crown jewel of his resume came when he became the GM of the New York Jets in 2013.
Unfortunately, his tenure did not go as planned, as he was fired in less than two years.
He was criticized for his poor draft strategy and conservative spending.
Although things looked positive in 2013 with an 8-8 record, the Jets collapsed the following year with an embarrassing 4-12 record.
Subsequently, this led to Idzik’s dismissal from the franchise.
Idzik faced criticism from fans and media, with some even accusing him of tricking the Jets into getting the GM job.
Additionally, his cold attitude towards the media was also disliked by many.
Most recently, he worked as a special assistant for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2015 to 2020.
He worked in what he felt most comfortable in this stint, managing salary cap operations.
