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Vance Joseph ‘Strong Candidate’ For Cardinals’ HC Job?

By | at January 15, 2026 2:01 pm

With John Harbaugh appearing to be out of the mix, other dominoes should soon start to fall on the HC market. But the Cardinals were not viewed as a serious contender for the longtime Ravens leader’s services. Their search should not be affected much by the Giants’ expected hire.

Arizona has 13 other names in this race. One of them would be a familiar hire. Vance Joseph was the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator for four seasons under Kliff Kingsbury, and 9News’ Mike Klis notes the current Broncos DC is expected to become a strong candidate for the Cards’ top job. Joseph has a strong relationship with Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, per Klis.

Joseph has gained steam during his third season back in Denver. The Cardinals initially hired Joseph after the Broncos fired him as their head coach, and Joseph coached the likes of Patrick Peterson, J.J. Watt and Zach Allen in Arizona. One of those seasons included a playoff berth (2021) despite Watt missing most of it and Peterson having defected to the Vikings in free agency. Joseph’s Arizona tenure produced two top-12 defenses (2020, ’21) but ended on a down note, with the Cards ranking 31st in 2022.

Joseph, 53, interviewed for the Cards’ HC job in 2023 but lost out to Jonathan Gannon. That led him back to Denver under Sean Payton, and the move has paid off for both sides. Denver enters the divisional round as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and Joseph’s defense finished the regular season ranked third in points for a second straight year. Joseph has overseen Allen’s rise into a first-team All-Pro, after second-team honors came the interior D-lineman’s way in 2024, and Patrick Surtain‘s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year campaign looks good on the second-chance HC option’s resume.

Joseph has also interviewed for the Falcons, Ravens, Raiders, Giants and Titans’ HC jobs. The Cardinals would be making an interesting move by going defense-defense with their past two HC hires if they choose Joseph, but that scenario appears firmly in play. Joseph’s candidacy will partially be determined by how far the Broncos’ season extends. He will be free to interview in-person anywhere next week if the Bills eliminate the Broncos, but if Denver wins, he cannot conduct an in-person interview until the Super Bowl bye week.

Via PFR’s HC Search Tracker, here is how Arizona’s process stands as of Thursday afternoon:

5 comments Arizona Cardinals Denver Broncos

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/13/26

By | at January 13, 2026 8:43 pm

Four playoff teams made minor moves on Tuesday. Here’s a look:

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks 

In the wake of Kittle’s season-ending Achilles tear, the 49ers are calling on Willis to serve as depth behind Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell. Willis, a 2023 seventh-round pick from Oklahoma, has appeared in 23 games with the 49ers in three seasons. He played in six of the 49ers’ regular-season contests in 2025 and logged 98 of his 111 snaps on special teams.

Surratt, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 12, missed the Seahawks’ last six games of the regular season. He got an extra week to recover after top-seeded Seattle earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. With the Seahawks preparing to host the 49ers in a divisional round matchup Saturday, Surratt could return to action. The 28-year-old wasn’t a factor on defense in the regular season, but he posted a 40% snap share on special teams. Surratt finished second among Seahawks special teamers in tackles (11).

0 comments Denver Broncos Los Angeles Rams Seattle Seahawks Transactions

Broncos S Brandon Jones Undergoes Surgery; C Luke Wattenberg In Play To Return

By | at January 13, 2026 5:00 pm

While some injured Broncos are likely to return for the team’s divisional-round Bills matchup, two others will not. Brandon Jones and Luke Wattenberg are on IR. Wattenberg cannot come back until at least the AFC championship game. Jones is eligible to return now, but he is not expected to do so.

The Denver safety starter underwent pectoral surgery, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. Although Klis keeps the door open to a potential Super Bowl LX reemergence for Jones, Sean Payton said later (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) the sixth-year veteran is unlikely to play again this season.

Jones suffered a pec injury during the Broncos’ Week 15 win over the Packers. Jones sat out the final three regular-season games, and with the Broncos booking the AFC’s bye, he would have been eligible to be activated from IR this week. But that will not happen.

The Broncos have used Jones as a starter since giving him a three-year, $20MM deal in free agency in 2024. The ex-Dolphin has played well in Denver, teaming with 2025 FA pickup Talanoa Hufanga. P.J. Locke, who teamed with Jones as a starter last season, is now working alongside Hufanga — whom the AP named a second-team All-Pro last week.

A better piece of Broncos injury news comes along their offensive line. Wattenberg is in play to return if the No. 1 seed reaches the AFC championship game, Klis adds. Wattenberg suffered a shoulder injury against the Jaguars in Week 16. Because of Denver booking a first-round bye, he would be allowed to return after only missing three games — as opposed to the usual four required with an IR placement.

Wattenberg has been the Broncos’ center starter for the past two seasons; the team gave the Lloyd Cushenberry successor a four-year, $48MM extension during its bye week. The Broncos have turned to 2023 seventh-round pick Alex Forsyth as their Wattenberg fill-in. Forsyth, who snapped to QB Bo Nix at Oregon during the 2022 season, is the only rookie contract along Denver’s O-line — which has veterans Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz and Mike McGlinchey all signed through at least 2026. Wattenberg’s deal runs through 2029.

Payton called J.K. Dobbins “close” to returning, though the veteran running back — who is rehabbing a Lisfranc injury — did not see his practice window opened today. Previously, a Super Bowl appearance was viewed as the requirement for a Dobbins comeback timeline to make sense. Defenders Dre Greenlaw and John Franklin-Myers, however, returned to practice after missing time. Greenlaw, whose first Broncos season has been filled with various maladies, is returning from a hamstring issue. Franklin-Myers, who sits as the Broncos’ highest-profile 2026 free agent after not receiving an extension, is battling a strained hip sustained in Week 17, per Klis. Greenlaw was limited Tuesday, while Franklin-Myers practiced fully.

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Extension For GM George Paton On Broncos’ Radar?

By | at January 12, 2026 3:12 pm

The Broncos have drawn a rather difficult assignment for a No. 1 seed in a divisional round, entering their playoff opener as underdogs to the No. 6-seeded Bills. Regardless of that game’s result, however, the team has completed a remarkable turnaround considering the past two years have seen a record-setting dead money bill (from the Russell Wilson release) appear on its cap sheets.

Denver has recovered from both the Wilson trade and extension and the regrettable 2022 Nathaniel Hackett hire to go 14-3 and book its first No. 1 seed since 2015. Sean Payton replaced Hackett effectively, and while the high-profile head coach is the Broncos’ top decision-maker now, GM George Paton remains a central part of the team’s operation. Paton was in the GM chair for the Hackett and Wilson decisions, making his status on this resurgent team impressive considering he had no past with Payton prior to engineering the 2023 trade for the HC’s rights.

[RELATED: Assessing Extensions’ Impact On Broncos’ Turnaround]

Installed as Broncos GM when John Elway kicked stepped down in January 2021, Paton is on a six-year contract. He will enter a lame-duck year in 2026, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler points to an extension being on the Broncos’ radar. Fowler indicates signs point to Paton remaining in Denver. It would take an extension for that to happen, but considering the success the Broncos have attained despite Wilson counting $32MM on their 2025 cap, it would surprise if the Payton-Paton tandem separated.

Rumblings about Payton bringing in someone he was more familiar with circulated in 2023, but nothing has come out about a potential split since. The Broncos secured a second straight playoff berth this season, going 14-3, and Paton’s extensions and draft picks have been a key part of this equation. Paton’s first draft (2021) brought Patrick Surtain, Quinn Meinerz and Jonathon Cooper to Denver; all have since been extended. The GM’s second draft lacked a first-round pick (thanks to the disastrous Wilson trade), but Nik Bonitto arrived in Round 2. Denver’s most notable draft choice during this period, Bo Nix, is tied more to Payton. But Paton engineered the route to land the Oregon prospect at No. 12, closing out a six-QB first round.

The Broncos extended Surtain, Meinerz and Cooper in 2024 and paid Bonitto, Zach Allen and Courtland Sutton this offseason. Sutton earned his second Pro Bowl nod this season, while Allen and Meinerz were first-team All-Pros. The Broncos have most of these players on team-friendly extensions, with Paton finalizing extensions for Surtain before his Defensive Player of the Year season and Meinerz before his 2024 All-Pro cameo.

Were the Broncos and Paton to split, Fowler adds the veteran exec — previously the Vikings’ assistant GM — would become a coveted GM candidate. Paton, who had withdrawn his name from the Browns’ GM search in 2020, was given time to turn things around in Denver. Now that he has, he has done well to restore his reputation with the Broncos and around the league.

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NFL Appeals Portion Of Brian Flores Lawsuit To SCOTUS

By | at January 11, 2026 11:52 am

A portion of Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and a handful of its clubs may be heading to the United States Supreme Court. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the league has filed a petition for writ of certiorari with SCOTUS in an effort to keep all of Flores’ claims in arbitration rather than open court.

In August, Flores’ claims against the league and three teams – the Broncos, the Giants, and the Texans – were allowed to proceed to court rather than remain in arbitration. In affirming that decision and ruling against the NFL, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reasoned that Flores never signed contracts with mandatory arbitration language with those clubs (the basis for his claims against those three teams is that they allegedly conducted sham head coaching interviews to comply with the Rooney Rule). 

On the other hand, because Flores and co-Plaintiffs Steve Wilks and Ray Horton had signed contracts with the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans, respectively, and because those deals included a mandatory arbitration provision, the claims against that trio of teams remained in the purview of Peter Harvey, the arbitrator whom commissioner Roger Goodell appointed.

The NFL sought a rehearing of the Second Circuit’s decision – originally made by a three-judge panel – before the court’s full 13-judge bench, but that request was denied. Left with no other alternative, the league is now seeking review from the highest court in the land.

Of course, the Supreme Court grants only a small fraction of the petitions for writ of certiorari it receives each year. The NFL has presented the following question for review: 

Whether an arbitration agreement governing disputes in a professional sports league is categorically unenforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act because it designates the league commissioner as the default arbitrator and permits the commissioner to develop arbitral procedures.

By narrowing the scope of the question to professional sports leagues, the league is allowing the court – if it chooses to hear the case – to narrow the scope of its eventual holding in the same way. In other words, even if the court rules in the league’s favor, it would not necessarily be greenlighting CEOs of all industries to preside over arbitration claims involving their companies in the same way that Goodell (or his designee) has presided over arbitration claims involving the NFL.

The NFL’s petition will further delay any trial or hearing on the merits of the suit, which Flores initiated nearly four years ago. In the meantime, Flores’ coaching career is still going strong.

The 44-year-old just finished a successful three-year run as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, and now that he is out of contract, he and Minnesota are discussing a new deal. Though he has been mentioned as a candidate for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy, only the Ravens have put in a formal HC interview request as of the time of this writing.

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Minor NFL Transactions: 1/10/26

By | at January 10, 2026 7:37 pm

Here are Saturday’s moves around the NFL as the first day of wild-card weekend continues:

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Sanders was limited to four games last season due to an Achilles tear. The 25-year-old then suffered a foot injury in training camp which kept him sidelined for the entire regular season in 2025. As Mike Klis of 9News notes, Sanders will not be available in the divisional round but a return deeper into the postseason will be at least a faint possibility with him now on the practice field.

3 comments Buffalo Bills Denver Broncos Green Bay Packers Jacksonville Jaguars Los Angeles Chargers New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Transactions

Cowboys Denied Request To Interview Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich; Matt Patricia On Radar?

By | at January 9, 2026 9:33 pm

JANUARY 9: According to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys concluded their interviews with Jones and Banda today, and Leonhard’s interview will take place tomorrow.

JANUARY 8: Now in the market for a defensive coordinator to replace the fired Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys struck out in their attempt to interview Falcons D-coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. The Falcons denied their request, Jordan Schultz reports.

The firing of head coach Raheem Morris has left Ulbrich and Atlanta’s other assistants in limbo. It’s unclear if any of them will return, but Falcons owner Arthur Blank has made it clear he doesn’t want to lose Ulbrich.

If Blank has his way, Ulbrich will remain the Falcons’ defensive coordinator under their next head coach, per Schultz. However, Blank will leave Ulbrich’s future up to Morris’ successor. If that individual doesn’t want to retain Ulbrich, he may end up with the Cowboys or another team in the next few weeks.

While Ulbrich is not a candidate for Dallas right now, other possibilities have emerged. The Cowboys have also requested interviews with Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, Broncos assistant HC/pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. The team has since received permission to interview Leonhard, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. The Cowboys’ list of potential Eberflus replacements will extend beyond those names, Archer adds.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that the team would consider hiring a first-time defensive coordinator (via Archer). It so happens that nobody from the Daronte Jones-Leonhard-Banda trio has held that position in the NFL. However, they’ve all worked as college D-coordinators.

Jones, LSU’s coordinator in 2021, has garnered pro coaching experience with the Dolphins, Bengals and Vikings since 2016. He began his second Vikings stint in 2022, the first year of the Kevin O’Connell era, and has worked under DC Brian Flores since 2023. The 47-year-old Jones interviewed with the Bears and Saints for their DC openings last winter, but those teams passed. He’s now regarded as a potential replacement for Flores, whose contract is up. Flores could leave for another DC job (perhaps in Dallas, which is reportedly interested) or a head coaching gig.

Leonhard, a former NFL defensive back, coordinated Wisconsin’s defense from 2017-22. He made his pro coaching debut in joining Sean Payton‘s staff in Denver a year ago. The 43-year-old Leonhard aided a Broncos defense that finished the 2025 regular season seventh against the pass.

Banda, the former co-DC at Miami and ex-DC at Utah State, has been the Browns’ safeties coach since 2023. The Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski, which leaves the 44-year-old’s Banda’s future murky. However, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is in the running to take over for Stefanski. If that happens, it may give Banda a better chance of remaining in Cleveland.

While the Cowboys would like to meet with Banda, they could also turn their attention elsewhere in the state of Ohio. Matt Patricia, Ohio State’s DC, is a name to watch in the Cowboys’ search, Albert Breer of SI.com relays.

Patricia, who’s coming off his first year with the Buckeyes, was Bill Belichick‘s defensive coordinator in New England from 2012-17 before a rough three-year run as the Lions’ head coach. He most recently worked in the NFL in 2023 as a senior defensive assistant with the Eagles.

Hiring Patricia would give the Cowboys a sixth straight DC with previous NFL head coaching experience. Before Eberflus’ one-year stint, Mike Zimmer, Dan Quinn, Mike Nolan and Rod Marinelli (another ex-Lions HC) held the role for various periods.

14 comments Atlanta Falcons Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Minnesota Vikings

Giants To Interview Darren Rizzi For HC; Team Prioritizing Experience In Search

By | at January 8, 2026 4:45 pm

It is certainly not a secret any longer the Giants are quite interested in John Harbaugh. They are not the only ones, and they may not have the best sales pitch to make. Though, the recently fired HC is believed to hold at least some interest in the position.

The Giants are still moving through their candidate list, however. The latest is Darren Rizzi, the current Broncos special teams coordinator. Big Blue requested a Rizzi HC meeting, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Rizzi has worked under Sean Payton on multiple occasions in Denver and New Orleans, but he has a lengthy history with Giants GM Joe Schoen. Rizzi is the third coach on the Broncos’ staff to receive an interview request, joining Vance Joseph and Davis Webb. Both are on the Giants’ radar.

Schoen and Rizzi were both in Miami from 2009-16. Rizzi served as the Dolphins’ assistant ST coach and then ST coordinator (2010-16) during that span, as Schoen was in the front office before leaving for Buffalo in 2017. Rizzi, 55, is also a New Jersey native. The interview is expected to take place Friday or Saturday, per Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero.

Rizzi received consideration for the Saints’ job, one a few candidates — Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Brady, Mike McCarthy — withdrew from. Some Rizzi momentum developed, but Kellen Moore ended up being the hire. Rizzi also interviewed for the Jets’ HC post last year. Payton had offered Rizzi the Broncos’ ST coordinator position as a fallback option.

Rizzi spent 2019-24 as the Saints’ ST coordinator, finishing last season as New Orleans’ interim HC post-Dennis Allen. Rizzi went 3-5 as the Saints’ interim boss, with most of that stint coming after Derek Carr was shut down.

This Giants search now includes seven former head coaches or interim leaders, with Rizzi and Mike Kafka checking the latter box. Experience matters during this Giants search, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. The team went with two former coordinators with its past two hires — Brian Daboll, Joe Judge — but whiffed on second-chance HC option Pat Shurmur in 2018.

The Giants were obviously successful when they last hired a retread, with Tom Coughlin guiding the team to two Super Bowl championships during his 12-year tenure. Still, it would be a major surprise if Rizzi landed the job. ST coordinators almost never rise to the HC level. And this is one of the few teams that tried that route, with Judge faceplanting as the Patriot Way brand sustained a series of hits during this time.

Assuming the Giants move on from Kafka, his interim DC — Charlie Bullen — is expected to draw coordinator interest elsewhere, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. The Giants’ defense improved under Bullen, though the team’s two wins did come against fairly unmotivated teams (Raiders, Cowboys) to close the season. Bullen, 41, coached with Rizzi in Miami before stops in Arizona. Daboll hired him to succeed Drew Wilkins as outside linebackers coach in 2024.

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Ravens To Conduct HC Interview With Davis Webb, Matt Nagy

By | at January 8, 2026 8:53 am

Vance Joseph is not the only Broncos staffer drawing attention early in the head coaching hiring cycle. Davis Webb is now on the radar of at least three teams.

The Ravens will conduct an interview with Webb this afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The virtual summit will come shortly after Joseph speaks with the Ravens. This represents the third HC vacancy Webb has been connected to over the past few days.

Denver’s quarterbacks coach/pass-game coordinator has already interviewed with the Raiders for their opening. Webb, 30, was also recently mentioned as a name to watch regarding the Giants. The former quarterback has increasingly gained traction as a head coaching candidate in short order. Webb has worked with Sean Payton during each of his three seasons at the helm of the Broncos, generating interest as a presumed offensive coordinator target but also, as it turns out, an in-demand staffer when it comes to early HC interviews.

The Ravens will look into Webb but also one of the more experienced coaches in the 2026 pool. Chiefs OC Matt Nagy will interview with Baltimore on Sunday, per Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Nagy has been linked to the Giants while also arranging a number of other interviews. He will speak with Raiders, Titans and Cardinals over the next two days.

Nagy’s stint leading the Bears came to an end following the 2021 season. Since then, the 47-year-old has been with Kansas City for the second time in his career, serving as QBs coach for one year before replacing Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. Webb, like Joseph, faces restrictions on the timing of his interviews and a potential hire with the Broncos in the playoffs. Nagy, by contrast, is free to interview with and (if applicable) join a HC-needy team at any time.

Here is an updated look at the Ravens’ search for their John Harbaugh replacement:

  • Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): To interview 1/8
  • Kliff Kingsbury, former offensive coordinator (Commanders): Mentioned as candidate
  • Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interview requested
  • Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): To interview 1/11
  • Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interview requested
  • Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): To interview 1/8
3 comments Baltimore Ravens Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs

2026 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at January 7, 2026 9:50 pm

The Browns, Cardinals, Falcons and Raiders followed the Giants and Titans in firing head coaches, making those calls between the Week 18 conclusion and Black Monday. The Ravens then moved on from John Harbaugh after 18 seasons; two days later, the Dolphins canned Mike McDaniel. Now, following a wild-card loss, the Steelers and Mike Tomlin are separating. Here are the candidates connected to all nine of the HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 1-16-26 (12:20pm CT)

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

10 comments Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New York Giants PFR Originals Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans
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