Mike Priefer is the special teams coordinator for Pittsburgh football in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and entered his first season with the Panthers in 2026 after serving as North Carolina's special teams coordinator in 2025.
Priefer owns more than 30 years of coaching experience, including 17 seasons as an NFL special teams coordinator. He held that position with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006-08, the Denver Broncos from 2009-10, the Minnesota Vikings from 2011-18 and the Cleveland Browns from 2019-23, and was named the NFL's Special Teams Coach of the Year in 2008. Across his NFL career, his units produced 42 scores and blocked 20 kicks on punts, field goals and PATs. He coached Pro Bowl specialists and returners including David Tyree, Chris Hanson and Cordarrelle Patterson. In Cleveland, rookies Austin Seibert and Jamie Gillan earned PFWA All-Rookie recognition in 2019, and Gillan set the Browns' franchise record for net punting average.
