Ernie Accorsi - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Notes: Manning, Beckham, Apple, OL

December 29th, 2017 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dave Gettleman met with media for the first time as Giants GM on Friday, and he addressed the Eli Manning situation. Working under Ernie Accorsi when Manning was selected and staying on through the Giants’ second 21st-century Super Bowl title in 2011, Gettleman looked to show some faith Manning has quality football left. The new GM said he expects Manning to start in 2018.

“Eli’s won a lot of games,” Gettleman said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “A great competitor, very intelligent. He and I are gonna talk and if what I saw in Philadelphia was not a mirage — and I don’t believe it is — we’ll keep moving.”

Saddled with one of the league’s worst offensive lines and ground attacks, Manning has not enjoyed a good season. But he threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns against the NFC’s No. 1 seed earlier this month. Manning’s only other 300-plus-yard game this season came against the Eagles as well. Gettleman, however, said the Manning situation wouldn’t affect a possible first-round quarterback pick and added the “as of now” caveat to his Manning-in-2018 remarks, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv.

Here’s the latest out of New York on a busy day for the franchise.

John Mara has not wavered on his Odell Beckham Jr. stance. Although the co-owner said he’s unsure when an extension will be discussed for the rehabbing superstar, he remains committed to the wideout long-term. “Let’s face it, players with his ability don’t come along very often. So, yes, I want him to be a part of this team’s future,” Mara said, via Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (on Twitter). Gettleman, however, wasn’t as firm on a Beckham deal. Although, the new GM’s hesitance on an “obviously extremely talented kid” was largely based on a lack of interactions with Beckham, Vacchiano tweets. Beckham’s headed into his fifth-year option season.
Giants ownership wanted to wait until after the season when they could talk to other GM candidates, but after meeting with Gettleman, Mara and Co. decided to proceed in order to be ready to conduct a head-coaching search after Week 17’s conclusion, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Eli Apple‘s status with the Giants may be in the murky-at-best category after his disastrous sophomore NFL season. But Mara isn’t ready to throw in the towel on the cornerback yet. “You don’t want to quit on talent,” Mara said, via Jones (on Twitter). “I happen to like him personally. I’m obviously disturbed with what’s happened this year. … I think we have to figure out what’s going on with him. But I’d like for him to be a part of this team’s future.” The Giants suspended Apple for Week 17, and a source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson he would soon be done in New York. Apple is under contract through 2019, although this suspension makes that deal less binding.
Gettleman wasn’t vague about one area in need of repairs. The new Giants GM said the offensive lined needs to be fixed (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). Big Blue’s boasted one of the NFL’s worst fronts for the past two years, and both Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg are in line to be free agents — and two of the best available. Ereck Flowers has not lived up to the billing as a top-10 pick, but his contract is guaranteed through 2018. Last year’s O-line draft class was not viewed as strong; this one has received higher marks early in the pre-draft process.
Accorsi could well seek Bill Belichick‘s counsel regarding a potential hire, but Garafolo reports (video link) he’s heard nothing to suggest the Patriots coach is playing a role in the Giants’ HC search thus far. A report earlier today indicated some buzz about Belichick advising Accorsi to get the Giants to hire Eagles DC Jim Schwartz.

Jim Schwartz On Giants’ HC Radar?

December 29th, 2017 at 1:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having moved rather quickly to replace Jerry Reese with former Reese lieutenant Dave Gettleman, the Giants now are focused on filling their HC vacancy.

Ernie Accorsi will not “officially” be part of this search for their next head coach, John Mara said (via James Kratch of NJ.com, on Twitter). Accorsi won’t sit in on interviews, but the ex-Big Blue GM will be a resource in the process, per Mara. The Gettleman hire occurring — after myriad reports of the former Panthers GM being the favorite — leads some around the league to believe they have a coaching candidate ready to pair with Gettleman, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears.

Florio writes Eagles DC Jim Schwartz is the name that’s been most connected with this vacancy and floated an interesting reason for this buzz. Accorsi is believed to lean heavily on Bill Belichick‘s advice and Florio’s heard the Patriots HC has suggested Accorsi recommend Schwartz’s hire to Gettleman.

This would make for an interesting route, and Florio adds some in the league regard this recommendation as a way for Belichick to keep Josh McDaniels in the fold for another season. However, McDaniels has been connected to an HC avenues alongside New England VP of player personnel Nick Caserio as GM. A previous GM candidate, Caserio looks to be out of the picture for the Giants after Gettleman’s hire.

Mara said he would prefer an experienced head coach to take over, per Kratch (Twitter link). This would match up with Schwartz, who has extensive experience as a defensive coordinator and served as the Lions’ HC for five years. Schwartz has also had supporters within the Giants organization for years, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes, adding some sources believe Gettleman is high on the HC candidate as well.

Steve Spagnuolo will interview, but Mara is unsure OC Mike Sullivan will. Mara opened Gettleman’s presser today by saying he sought an exec with GM experience, so it would stand to reason the traditional organization wants a more seasoned HC. Mara’s Ben McAdoo hire — after only two years of coordinator experience — did not work out, so he’s planning to take a different route this time.

The Giants could interview Schwartz next week since the Eagles have booked a bye. The Ringer’s Mike Lombardi tweets the Giants wanted their GM search to conclude before the season ended in order to be ready to “act quickly” on a coaching search by the time interviews could be scheduled.

There’s certainly some unique reasoning associated with it, but Schwartz — who runs a 4-3 defense like the Giants do and has long been regarded as an upper-echelon DC — looks to be firmly on New York’s radar.

Giants To Interview Kevin Abrams On Friday

December 21st, 2017 at 5:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants will interview interim general manager Kevin Abrams for the club’s full-time position on Friday, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Abrams will become the fourth candidate to interview for the job, joining ex-Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross, and ESPN commentator Louis Riddick.

Abrams, who has spent 16 seasons as the Giants’ assistant general manager, has reportedly been endorsed by former New York GM Ernie Accorsi, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Accorsi, who is advising the Giants as they search for a Jerry Reese replacement, also has close ties with Gettleman, who is considered the frontrunner for the vacancy.

The Giants could conceivably retain Abrams as general manager and hire Gettleman with a “personnel chief” title, opines Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Although Garafolo appears to be speculating and not reporting, such an arrangement could make sense. Gettleman’s ouster from Carolina was reportedly tied to his communication issues and gruff style, so assigning more interpersonal issues to Abrams could be a perfect compromise.

Meanwhile, if Riddick is chosen as the Giants’ new GM, he’s expected to attempt to hire Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the club’s head coach. Riddick and McDaniels were reportedly viewed as a “package deal” during the hiring cycle earlier this year.

East Notes: Jets, Petty, Giants, Cowboys

December 13th, 2017 at 3:24pm CST by Zachary Links

This is Bryce Petty‘s last call to prove that he can be the Jets‘ quarterback in 2018 and beyond, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes.

“I have all the confidence in the world in Bryce,” center Wesley Johnson said this week. “He’s great in the huddle, he’s great in the locker room and I know he works hard. He prepares like a starter every week, so I’m not worried about him at all. I’m actually excited for the opportunity that he could get.”

While some of Petty’s teammates believe in him, the same can’t necessarily be said for team brass. Petty was a draft pick of the previous regime and he has only a small sample of real NFL work to show the new bosses. In his latest outing against the Broncos, Petty failed to impress, so he’ll have to turn it up in the final games of the season if he wants to stay in New York.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

Ernie Accorsi is helping the Giants in their search for a new GM and if history is any indicator, it won’t take long to make a hire, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Raanan rightly notes that Accorsi drew from a small pool of candidates when he helped the Panthers (2013), Bears (2015), and Lions (2016) make their respective choices. In each case, a hire was made roughly one week after the conclusion of the regular season.
Giants owner John Mara says the league will discuss changes to the “composition” of the Compensation Committee at the league meeting in March (Twitter link via Jim Trotter of ESPN.com). The Compensation Committee is currently comprised of six owners with Falcons owner Arthur Blank acting as the group’s leader. Up until recently, Cowboys boss Jerry Jones served as an unofficial seventh member.
Jones says that the incentive-based structure of Roger Goodell‘s new contract will force him to deliver big results for the league. “If Roger comes in and knocked it out of the ballpark, he’ll really be rewarded,” the Cowboys owner told Jarrett Bell of USA Today. “You’ve got to hope that he has that kind of performance. There are no easy layups here on his bonuses. He’s got to come in there and lead the division in high scoring.” Goodell’s new contract is said to be 90% incentive-based and will take him through the 2024 season. After that, the NFL says Goodell will step aside.
The Patriots are not expecting wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell to return from IR in time for the end of the regular season or the playoffs (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald).

Lions Hire Ernie Accorsi As Special Advisor

January 10th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After acting as a consultant during the Lions’ search for a new general manager, Ernie Accorsi‘s time with the club won’t be coming to an end just yet, as Detroit has hired the longtime NFL executive as a special advisor to team president Rod Wood, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.

Accorsi, who also consulted with the Bears during their GM hunt last offseason, will bring a wealth of experience to the table as he works alongside Wood and first-time general manager Bob Quinn. The 74-year-old Accorsi has worked in the NFL since 1970, but his most memorable time came with the Giants, with whom he was employed from 1994-2007 (acting as GM from 1998 onward).

The move to bring in Accorsi could have wide-ranging implications for the Lions as a whole, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says that Accorsi’s hiring should indicate that head coach Jim Caldwell is likely safe, as Accorsi has been very pragmatic regarding head coaches in the past. However, Accorsi himself told reporters, including Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that he will have nothing to do with Caldwell’s fate, as that decision will be left entirely to Quinn.

In other Lions news, Quinn will be officially be introduced as the club’s next general manger at a 2pm ET press conference tomorrow afternoon, tweets Twentyman.

Ernie Accorsi To Consult On Lions’ GM Search

November 25th, 2015 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have selected former NFL general manager Ernie Accorsi to help guide them through the process of finding a new GM of their own, the team announced today in a press release. Accorsi, who previously served as the general manager of the Colts, Browns, Giants, will act as a consultant for Detroit as the team attempts to identify a permanent GM to replace Martin Mayhew.

“We are most pleased that Ernie Accorsi will serve as consultant for our GM search,” new Lions president Rod Wood said in a statement. “Ernie’s reputation is impeccable. Not only did he succeed as a general manager in the NFL, but his work as a consultant with teams like Chicago and Carolina is well documented.”

Less than a year ago, Accorsi acted as a consultant when the Bears were looking to replace former GM Phil Emery, eventually helping to identify Saints executive Ryan Pace as the man for the job. As Wood notes, Accorsi also took part in the Panthers’ search for a GM, which saw the team land on Dave Gettleman.

Per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Wood said today that Accorsi has pledged exclusivity to the Lions during this winter’s hiring cycle, meaning he won’t be consulting for any other teams that may have a position open up in the front office in the coming weeks or months.

Wood reiterated today that interim general manager Sheldon White remains a candidate for the permanent job in Detroit. When asked if the coach and the GM could end up being the same person, Wood said that’s not the team’s plan at the moment (Twitter links via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Extra Points: Browns, Carter, Cobb

January 19th, 2015 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at some assorted notes from around the league as we wrap up this Monday evening…

Jets assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn will interview for the Browns offensive coordinator opening tomorrow, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
CFL wideout Duron Carter is likely finished with workouts, tweets ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling. The writer notes that the player’s agent is currently talking with the Vikings, Colts and Browns.
While Sunday’s crushing loss could be Randall Cobb‘s last game with the Packers, the potential free agent made it clear after the game that his first choice is to return to Green Bay, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.
Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi is currently a consultant for the Bears, but Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that the executive’s last day with the organization is Tuesday.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Suh, David, Accorsi, Draft

December 29th, 2014 at 10:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Lions star Ndamukong Suh has a chance of winning the appeal of his suspension, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. If Suh can win the appeal, he’ll be in action for Sunday’s playoff game against the Cowboys. While we wait to see how that plays out, let’s take a look at more news from around the NFL..

Discussing linebacker Lavonte David, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said the team would “like to lock him up now,” tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, adding that negotiations on a new deal are underway. The 2012 second-round pick becomes extension-eligible this offseason for the first time.
The Bears announced today that they’ve hired former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi as a consultant as the team searches for a new GM and head coach, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Meanwhile, team president and CEO Ted Phillips confirmed today that besides offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, whose contract was terminated, all of the other Bears assistants are still with the team (Twitter link). That includes defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.
Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown and Arkansas defensive tackle Darius Philon may be playing their final college games tonight, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link), who says both players are leaning toward entering the 2015 draft. The two players’ teams square off in the Texas Bowl.
Former star NFL wideout Cris Carter indicated today (via Twitter) that his son, CFL receiver Duron Carter, will visit the Colts on January 5 and the Vikings on January 9.
According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (all Twitter links), Carter isn’t the only notable CFL player drawing significant NFL attention. Caplan reports that Hamilton Tiger-Cats cornerback Delvin Breaux has 18 teams interested in bringing him in for a visit and/or a workout, including the Eagles, Patriots, Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Cardinals, Steelers, Lions, 49ers, and Broncos.
Utah offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi announced that he will enter the 2015 draft, as Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports tweets. Poutasi projects as a mid-round prospect.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

La Canfora’s Latest: Newton, Houston, Hoyer

October 12th, 2014 at 9:59am CST by Rory Parks

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports has a number of interesting notes this morning, including several pieces on possible contract extensions for big name stars. Let’s jump right in:

Although the Panthers have not talked with quarterback Cam Newton about a possible extension since this summer, and no such talks are imminent, La Canfora writes that Newton is not interested in a “pay as you go” contract like those signed by Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton. Joel Corry tweets that Newton’s agent, Bus Cook, will certainly not accept that type of deal for Newton given that he was able to procure $38MM in (virtually) guaranteed money for Jay Cutler.
La Canfora writes that the Chiefs would like to extend outside linebacker Justin Houston during the season, but unnamed sources indicate that is unlikely. After locking up quarterback Alex Smith long term, Kansas City wants to revisit negotiations with Houston, which went nowhere in the preseason. However, the two sides do not currently appear likely to bridge that preseason gap, and Houston could be slapped with the franchise tag next year, which would be worth about $13MM. Even with Kansas City’s ample cap room, Joel Corry tweets that the mega-deals signed by J.J. Watt and Robert Quinn did not make it any easier for the Chiefs to extend Houston.
La Canfora writes that the Browns have not yet begun contract talks with Brian Hoyer, but after his performance against the Titans last week, the time for locking him up at a reasonable rate may be running out. Joel Corry adds (via Twitter) that Cleveland may even consider an $18MM franchise tag for Hoyer for 2015, since the club has plenty of cap room to work with.
Although new Bills owner Terry Pegula is not planning any immediate changes to his front office, La Canfora writes that Pegula ultimately wants to “bring in an experienced football man” to oversee the team’s transition. Ernie Accorsi, Mike Holmgren, and Ron Wolf have all been named as possibilities. Pegula would also like to see an organizational restructure to separate the football side and business side of the club.
Many NFL owners, despite lauding commissioner Roger Goodell for his overall efforts, would like for him to allow others to handle disciplinary matters.
La Canfora has the the value of 2015 franchise tags for each position.