Steve Wilks was left "disappointed but not defeated" after the Carolina Panthers appointed Frank Reich as head coach.

Wilks missed out on landing the job on a permanent basis after guiding the team to a 6-6 record following Matt Rhule's firing in October.

Reich was installed on Thursday, but Wilks took the blow of being overlooked on the chin.

"The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I," Wilks tweeted on Friday. "I'm disappointed but not defeated.

"Many people aren't built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.

"It was an honour for me to coach those men in the Carolina Panthers locker room as the interim head coach.

"I do wish Frank Reich all the best. I will always be a fan of the Carolina Panthers Football Team."

Wilks took over after the Panthers fired Rhule following a 1-4 start to the season.

He was Carolina's defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach at the time.

Wilks went 3-13 in 2018 with the Arizona Cardinals in his only previous head coaching experience in the NFL.