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Falcons, Cardinals Request HC Interviews With Packers’ Jeff Hafley

By | at January 8, 2026 8:55 pm

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has emerged as a popular candidate in this year’s head coaching carousel. The Falcons and Cardinals have requested interviews with Hafley, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. The Titans were the first club to request a meeting with the 46-year-old.

With the Packers preparing to face the Bears in a wild-card round matchup on Saturday, Hafley can’t interview with anyone until next week. His defense, which ranked 11th in scoring and 12th in yards during the regular season, helped the Packers to the postseason. They’ll enter the playoffs shorthanded, though, after superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15. In his first season under Hafley, the former Cowboy produced 12.5 sacks in 14 games.

With Parsons’ season over, he may have played his last game in Hafley’s defense. That’s assuming another team hires Hafley as its head coach. While Hafley doesn’t have head coaching experience at the NFL level, he did lead Boston College from 2020-23. BC went 22-26 and made trips to two bowl games during that four-year span.

Hafley, previously an assistant with the Buccaneers, Browns and 49ers, returned to the pros in 2024. The Packers’ defense ranked fifth in scoring and sixth in yards last year, which earned Hafley a head coaching interview with the Jets. They went on to hire Aaron Glenn instead.

A year after the Jets passed on him, Hafley will have more chances to convince teams he’s worthy of his first head coaching job in the pros. He’d be the second straight defensive-minded hire for Atlanta or Arizona. The Falcons sputtered to a 16-18 record in two years under Raheem Morris, who’s also among Arizona’s HC candidates. The Cardinals gave Jonathan Gannon the ax after he posted a disastrous 15-36 mark in three seasons.

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Commanders Interview Lunda Wells For OC Job

By | at January 8, 2026 8:51 pm

The Commanders have interviewed their first potential replacement for Kliff Kingsbury. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported earlier today that the organization had requested permission to interview Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells for their OC vacancy. ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported that Wells completed an interview this evening for the job.

[RELATED: Commanders, Kliff Kingsbury Part Ways]

As Dan Quinn is tasked with rebuilding his coaching staff, he’s considering a familiar face to guide his offense. Wells served as the Cowboys TEs coach throughout Quinn’s three-year stint as the team’s defensive coordinator. Quinn actually pursued Wells two years ago to lead his offensive line, so the Commanders HC clearly thinks highly of the coach.

Wells had an eight-year stint with the Giants to begin his NFL coaching career, working his way up from an offensive quality control coach to tight ends coach. During his two seasons in that latter role, Evan Engram had two of the best yards-per-game showings of his career. Wells moved to the Cowboys in 2020, where he guided Dalton Schultz to his most productive NFL season before developing Jake Ferguson into a Pro Bowl-quality tight end.

Wells was also recruited by the Bears last offseason, so the 42-year-old has clearly been emerging as a popular name in coaching circuits. The Cowboys made an effort to retain him last offseason, including signing the coach to an extension. Now, he may have an opportunity to take that next step of his career with a division rival.

After being forced to move on from his offensive and defensive coordinator, Quinn also fired offensive line coach Bobby Johnson yesterday. The team kicked off their DC search by requesting an interview with Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

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Mutual Interest Between John Harbaugh, Browns For HC Job?

By | at January 8, 2026 7:54 pm

John Harbaugh could end up sticking around the AFC North. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are “definitely doing their diligence” on the former Ravens head coach. Interestingly, that interest may be mutual.

Cabot says that Harbaugh is “believed to have legitimate interest” in the Cleveland job, even with their uncertainty on offense. Besides an opportunity to play his former team twice a year, Cabot notes that there a handful of reasons why Harbaugh could be a logical fit for the organization.

For starters, the coach has deep Cleveland roots. Both John and Jim Harbaugh grew up as Browns fans, and their parents even honeymooned at a Browns game. Both of their parents are Ohio natives, with Jack Harbaugh once playing football at Bowling Green. John Harbaugh, of course, ended up tormenting his favorite childhood team throughout his Baltimore tenure, going 27-8 during his 18 seasons as the Ravens head coach (including a 12-5 record in Cleveland).

Next, Harbaugh also has interest in working alongside a pair of Browns coaches. Cabot says that Harbaugh would consider retaining defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and the former Ravens head coach is also a big fan of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. That duo already interviewed for the Browns HC opening this week, and Cabot notes that the franchise would love to keep both of the coaches in some capacity depending on the outcome of their search.

Of course, there are also rumblings that Harbaugh would likely recruit Ravens OC Todd Monken to his next stop, per Armando Salguero of Outkick.com. There have been a handful of reports that Harbaugh’s unwillingness to fire Monken in Baltimore may have contributed to his ouster with the Ravens. Interestingly, the Browns requested a head coach interview with Monken.

To top it all off, Cabot notes that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has admired Harbaugh for many years. As the team embarks on a thorough search for a replacement for Kevin Stefanski, Harbaugh would seemingly be the organization’s main target. Of course, Harbaugh likely leads the list for most (if not all) of the HC-needy teams.

Cleveland’s current list of candidates includes:

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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/8/26

By | at January 8, 2026 7:30 pm

A handful of playoff teams shuffled their practice squads today. We’ve listed all of the moves below:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

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Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/26

By | at January 8, 2026 7:25 pm

One minor move to pass along:

Houston Texans

A rookie sixth-round pick, Reed has spent half of the 2025 season on the sideline. He started the season on PUP thanks to a knee injury, but he managed to make his NFL debut in late October. He ended up getting into seven games (one start) for Houston, collecting 14 tackles (12 of which came in one game) in 73 defensive snaps. He landed on injured reserve in December after suffering a forearm injury that required surgery. The Texans will be able to use him as an extra practice body for much of the postseason.

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Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese Declares For Draft

By | at January 8, 2026 6:28 pm

Arvell Reese is heading to the NFL. The Ohio State edge rusher/linebacker announced that he’s declared for the 2026 draft, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Reese is generally considered the top defensive prospect in this year’s draft, with some pundits even considering him as the top player in the class. While he might not be selected in the top-two considering the Raiders’ and Jets’ need for a franchise QB, he’ll surely be selected within the top-five picks. ESPN’s Jordan Reid recently had Reese going fourth-overall to the Titans, but there’s a chance he may not fall past the Cardinals at No. 3.

Reese mostly played linebacker this season at Ohio State, although many teams would likely target him for an edge role in the NFL. Despite only getting into 97 snaps at the position in 2025, Reese still ranked seventh in the FBS in pressure rate (18.5%). Scouts have lauded his explosiveness and physicality, and his versatility could prove to be an asset as a professional.

The prospect had a rapid rise up the draft rankings in 2025. While his 2024 campaign put him on the NFL map, he solidified himself as a top prospect with a breakout performance this past year. He ultimately finished the season with 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks, earning him a consensus All-American nod and the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year award. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award, which is given annually to the top linebacker in college.

As ESPN’s Jake Trotter notes, Reese joins wide receiver Carnell Tate and safety Caleb Downs as Buckeye players who have declared for the draft this week. Both Tate and Downs are also expected to hear their names called in the first half of the first round.

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Titans To Interview Mike McCarthy For HC Job

By | at January 8, 2026 5:51 pm

Mike McCarthy is now officially a candidate for two head coaching jobs. After scheduling his interview with the Giants, the former Packers and Cowboys head coach is also set to interview for the Titans vacancy, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The interview is scheduled for next Saturday.

Besides being one of the most experienced head coaching options on the market, McCarthy also has a connection to Titans leadership. Tennessee’s President of Football Operations Chad Brinker worked alongside McCarthy during their decade-plus tenures in Green Bay. Brinker worked his way up from a scouting intern to football administration executive. He left to be the Titans assistant GM in 2023, and he was given full control of the team’s roster in 2024 following Ran Carthon‘s ouster.

Following a 7-10 showing in 2024, McCarthy wasn’t retained as the Cowboys head coach. He still remained in the HC circuit last offseason, interviewing for open positions with the Bears and Saints. He obviously didn’t get either of those two gigs, and he ended up spending the 2025 campaign out of the NFL.

McCarthy made a name for himself as an offensive-minded coach while working with the likes of Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Dak Prescott. That would make him a natural fit for the Titans, who are looking to maximize 2025 first-overall pick Cam Ward. In 18 years as a head coach, McCarthy only had five seasons where he finished with a losing record. This would surely be alluring for a Titans organization that hasn’t finished above .500 since the 2021 season.

As mentioned, the Titans aren’t the only team eyeing McCarthy. The coach is set to interview for the open Giants job next week. New York will have the first opportunity to speak to the long-time coach, with that interview scheduled for Tuesday.

McCarthy joins a growing list of candidates for the Titans gig. The current list of definitive and potential targets includes:

More to come…

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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 Request Robert Saleh HC Meeting

By | at January 8, 2026 3:52 pm

Baltimore has both sent the most qualified coach onto the market while also having probably the top job available among the current lot of HC-needy teams. The Ravens’ search is starting to take shape.

After sending out a Brian Flores interview request today, the Ravens are aiming to meet with Robert Saleh. The 49ers’ defensive coordinator received an interview slip from Baltimore, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Among the NFL’s highest-paid coordinators, Saleh can interview virtually beginning three days after the 49ers’ wild-card game.

Saleh’s dance card is filling up. He has now received interview summons from the Ravens, Cardinals and Falcons and mentioned as a candidate with other teams. Saleh’s work with the Jets looks a bit better after seeing what happened after his early-season dismissal in 2024, and he has helped the 49ers back to the playoffs despite major injuries on his side of the ball. Saleh has a loose connection to the Ravens, having worked with ex-Baltimore front office exec (and Eric DeCosta coworker) Joe Douglas for nearly four years.

The 49ers have been without Nick Bosa since September and Fred Warner since October. The team also lost first-round defensive end Mykel Williams midway through the season. The 49ers rank 13th defensively, though both yardage (20th) and EPA per play (24th) slot the unit lower. The team holding the Seahawks to 13 points in Week 18 proved impressive under the circumstances, considering San Francisco’s offensive futility in that matchup.

Saleh, 46, also did well to ignite the Jets’ defense during his time in New York. After ranking last in Saleh’s 2021 debut, New York’s defense rocketed to fourth in both points and yardage in 2022. Saleh’s third Jets defense ranked 12th in points — during a 2023 season in which Zach Wilson needed to replace Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 — but third in yards yielded. The unit cratered following the ousters of Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich, with the Aaron Glenn-Steve Wilks unit struggling before the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades.

The Ravens have already sent out eight interview requests. Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how Baltimore’s process looks less than two days in:

3 comments Baltimore Ravens
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