David NewtonFeb 27, 2026, 11:00 AM
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Brad Idzik couldn't hide his enthusiasm late Tuesday afternoon at the NFL combine.
The Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator was only a few hours removed from being handed playcalling duties by Dave Canales less than two months after the head coach emphatically said he wouldn't give them up.
With his father, former New York Jets general manager John Idzik, standing a few feet away, the 34-year-old jokingly told reporters he prepared for this day by playing "a lot of Madden.''
He was beaming.
"Yeah, I'm excited,'' Idzik said. "I'm allowed to be excited about this. You get into coaching and everyone's like, 'Oh, I want to be a head coach.'
"My next step was to get a chance to call plays and building something and watching it unfold and being a part of how it unfolds. Just the next step for me.''
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It's a big step for Canales too.
Canales loves calling plays. That's why he was so adamant during and after the season that he would keep that role. That he chose Idzik, whom he watched grow from a teenager to one of his most trusted friends and colleagues, could be considered a smart gamble.
Idzik is the only Seahawks assistant Canales took with him to Tampa Bay in 2023 when he became the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. A year later, Canales made Idzik the offensive coordinator at Carolina when he took his first head coaching job.
In many ways, they are joined at the hip.
"I was excited to be a first-time position coach when I moved to Tampa,'' Idzik said. "And [Dave] said, 'I need more out of you. I need you to think like I do so I can have a good sounding board.'
"And over the last three years we've continued to build this offense. We've had joint experiences through this journey as a playcaller. ... I do think I'm ready to go. I know I'm ready to go.''
Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik will take over playcalling duties and hope to elevate QB Bryce Young's production in 2026. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
Canales has put a lot of faith into a colleague he calls the "architect'' of his offensive system. He insists he did it so he could spend more time running the entire team during the week and on game days, when calling plays sometimes got in the way of things such as dealing with officials.
There is also no doubt that the offense needs to improve in order for the Panthers, 8-9 in 2025, to take the next step after making the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They ranked 29th in total yards and points per game (20.1) in 2024 and 27th in total yards and points per game (18.3) last season.
Quarterback Bryce Young is still trying to prove worthy of being the top pick of the 2023 draft, and general manager Dan Morgan said Andy Dalton will have to compete for the backup role with a younger quarterback Carolina plans to add through the draft or free agency.
The offensive line has to be addressed, as well. The Panthers have not announced a recovery timeline for left tackle Ikem Ekwonu after he suffered a ruptured right patellar tendon in the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, though it typically takes six to 12 months to completely heal, leaning more toward the latter.
There's also the rehabilitation of 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette, who had a disastrous second season that rendered the wide receiver essentially a non-factor.
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"Hopefully, Dan's able to give us some offensive players,'' he said of the GM's plans for free agency and the draft. I'm going to fight for all those offensive slots so we can go ahead and expand our playbook a little bit more.''
The good news for Idzik is he grew up in a football family, born when his dad was a graduate assistant at Duke. Brad recalled late nights in high school throwing routes with his dad after John finished work and how being around football helped put him in this position.
"Just all that experience kind of culminates for me,'' Brad Idzik said. "And now I get to carve my own journey.''
The elder Idzik has no doubt his son will succeed.
"He's been involved at every different level,'' John Idzik said. "So nothing's really new to him. So I think it's just focus on the job.''
Brad Idzik also has a good relationship with Young, who was one of the first people he called after being promoted.
"I told him how jealous I was he was in California right now and I couldn't wait to link back up,'' Idzik said from chilly Indianapolis. "He's excited for the opportunity, just like it's honestly us growing as an offense, us growing as a team.
"He really supports my journey, just like I support his.''
Morgan believes the team will benefit from Canales' decision to give Idzik playcalling duties, allowing the head coach to give his full attention to the entire team.
Morgan also knows Idzik and his father well. He worked with the elder Idzik for three years with the Seahawks when John was vice president of football administration and Morgan was making his entry into management as a scout.
"He's super smart,'' Morgan said of Brad Idzik. "He loves the game. He has a lot of good ideas, a lot of things I'm excited to kind of see come about. And that's not to put pressure on him, but I'm excited to see what he can do.''