Long-time NFL head coach Jeff Fisher spent 2022 coaching the USFL’s Michigan Panthers. Fisher won’t be back in 2023.
The USFL has announced that Fisher has stepped down for personal reasons.
“I have made the tough decision to step away from coaching in the USFL to spend more time with my family, including our five grandbabies, and enjoying my semi-retirement to the fullest,” Fisher in a press release.
Fisher will be replaced by former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan.
“We are honored to welcome Mike Nolan to the USFL family as the new head coach of the Michigan Panthers,” Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston said in a press release. “When Coach Fisher informed us that he needed to step down, we immediately started the challenging process to find another experienced, charismatic leader to replace him while at the same time, create excitement for Michigan Panthers players and fans as we open our Detroit Hub to start USFL Year Two. Mike was the perfect fit for that role. He has coached for more than 30 years in the NFL. His extensive football knowledge and coaching experience will maximize his players’ talents and help them succeed at the professional level. We couldn’t have found a better fit for the Michigan Panthers and the USFL.”
The 64-year-old Fisher coached the Oilers/Titans from 1994 through 2010. He then coached the Rams from 2012 through 2016. Fisher went 2-8 last year with the Panthers.
Nolan, 63, last coached with the Cowboys in 2020, serving as defensive coordinator for one year under Mike McCarthy.
The rebooted USFL, which first debuted in 1983 before flaming out after shifting its schedule from the spring to the fall, returns in April for its second season.