Lions GM Brad Holmes Backs Jared Goff As Starting QB
The Lions engineered a remarkable turnaround late in the season, and nearly managed to clinch the NFC’s final playoff spot on the back of their offensive efficiency in particular. Detroit’s play under center is now likely to lead to continuity at the position into 2023. 
Lions general manager Brad Holmes endorsed Jared Goff as the team’s top signal-caller when speaking to the media in his season-ending news conference. That would have come as a surprise not long ago, as their acquisition of the 28-year-old was widely thought to simply make him a ‘bridge’ starter likely resulting in a younger option being drafted not long after.
That sentiment remained true well into the start of the 2022 season, when the Lions sat at 1-5 and they appeared to be destined for one of the top spots (if not the No. 1 slot) in this spring’s draft. However, Goff helped guide the team to a 5-1 record to close out the season as they continued to showcase their surprising production both in the passing game and on the ground.
Goff himself was efficient in the process, going nine straight games without throwing an interception to finish the season. The former Ram added 15 touchdowns and averaged over 266 yards per game during that span, adding to his chances of his new team committing to him for the long haul. He is under contract for two more years with cap hits of $30.9MM and $31.9MM, but there is no guaranteed money remaining on his deal.
“I think it’s a lot easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better at quarterback, in this league,” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required). “And so, I think what Jared has done this year, he captained the ship of a top-three offense, and I want to say he was top-10 statistically in most of the passing categories. And again, you know how we approach the draft like we’re never going to turn down a good football player, so if there’s a football player we really love, we’re going to make sure every stone is unturned. But I do think that Jared has proven everybody that he is the starting quarterback for us.”
Indeed, the Rams’ collapse this season leaves Detroit with the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft owing to the Goff-Matthew Stafford swap from last year. The Lions’ own pick sits at 18, so they will have multiple opportunities to draft someone to compete with Goff in the near term or succeed him down the road. Regardless of what this offseason brings, though, the matter of the Lions’ 2023 QB situation appears to be far more certain now than it was in the fall.
Panthers Granted Permission To Interview Sean Payton
Another team has entered the fray for this year’s most talked-about head coaching candidate. The Panthers have requested and received permission to interview Sean Payton, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
Payton has, as expected, drawn considerable interest from HC-needy teams this offseason as he contemplates a return to the sidelines, something which is not guaranteed to take place during this year’s cycle. He is still under contract to the Saints, however, which led to an expectation that the division-rival Panthers would not be a realistic contender to acquire him via trade.
Deals sending head coaches from one team to another in the same division are rare, but not entirely unprecedented. Payton’s level of interest in the Panthers’ vacancy – one brought on by the firing of Matt Rhule after his highly underwhelming two-plus year tenure with the team failed to show sufficient signs of a turnaround for the franchise – will be worth watching relative to his desire to head elsewhere.
The Super Bowl winner has his first interview lined up with the Broncos this week, the earliest point at which he is allowed by rule to meet with interested teams. Denver reportedly has a general understanding of the trade compensation which will be needed to acquire him from New Orleans; a first-round pick is widely thought to be included in the package the Saints will be asking for.
In addition, both the Texans and Cardinals have been granted permission to interview Payton, giving him plenty of options to consider. The Panthers put themselves in contention to win the NFC South with their improved play under interim HC Steve Wilks, who has already interviewed for the full-time role a number of Carolina’s players have publicly campaigned for him to be granted. The Panthers are widely expected to pursue an experienced, offensive-minded HC, and Payton would certainly fit into both of those categories.
Here is the updated look at the Panthers’ search:
- Jim Caldwell, former head coach (Lions): Interviewed
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interview requested
- Ken Dorsey, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interview requested
- Jim Harbaugh, head coach (Michigan): No longer on radar
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interview requested
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): Interview requested
- Jerod Mayo, inside linebackers coach (Patriots): Interview declined
- Sean Payton, former head coach (Saints): Granted permission to interview
- Frank Reich, former head coach (Colts): Interview expected
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interview postponed
- Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator (Eagles): To interview 1/14
- Steve Wilks, interim head coach (Panthers): Interviewed 1/10
Vikings C Garrett Bradbury To Return For Wild-Card Round
The Vikings’ offensive line will be in much better shape from a health perspective when they host the Giants later today compared to recent weeks. Starting center Garrett Bradbury will return to the lineup today, as detailed by Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 
The 27-year-old had been sidelined since Week 13 due to a lower back injury. The issue was sufficient to keep him from being able to suit up on its own, but as Tomasson notes, a minor car accident Bradbury was involved in shortly afterwards aggravated the injury. Fortunately for he and the team, however, he has recovered in time for the postseason.
The former first-rounder did not live up to expectations during the first three seasons of his career, leading Minnesota to decline his fifth-year option. Bradbury entered the season with questions surrounding his status as the team’s starter in the middle of the o-line, but he played nearly every snap this year prior to being shelved by the back issue. His improved play in year four was reflected by a career-best PFF grade of 70.2, the 10th-highest mark at the position.
In Bradbury’s absence, the Vikings had turned to Austin Schlottmann at center until he went down with a season-ending injury. That left Minnesota with third-stringer Chris Reed to close out the regular season and, if not for Bradbury’s return, to start today against New York. Now, though, the NC State product will be available to line up against Dexter Lawrence and the Giants’ defensive front after he practiced in full Thursday and Friday.
“[Bradbury] demonstrated a complete readiness to play this weekend,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said in advance of this afternoon’s contest. “I’m really excited about having Garrett back in there. He’s been huge for us all season long.”
Elsewhere on the offensive line, the Vikings received another piece of good news with swing tackle Blake Brandel being activated from IR yesterday. That will allow him to start at right tackle, the spot vacated by Brian O’Neill‘s partial Achilles tear. Oli Udoh had been playing in that spot, but Brandel had gotten the nod for three straight games before his IR stint. Overall, Minnesota should head into today’s game with better confidence in their front five than they had in recent contests.
50-50 Chance That Sean Payton Coaches In 2023?
Sean Payton is perhaps the hottest name in this year’s head coaching cycle, and he has been connected to three teams currently in need of a new HC. He will at least take an interview with the Broncos — an opening that he reportedly prefers to the Texans’ and Cardinals’ vacancies — but he may opt against returning to the sidelines in 2023.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that whether Payton takes a coaching job this year or waits until 2024 is a 50-50 proposition. Although Payton is said to be amenable to working with Denver quarterback Russell Wilson and helping him to regain his earlier form, it is also possible that more attractive opportunities are on the horizon.
Indeed, in the wake of the Chargers’ historic collapse in their stunning wildcard round loss to the Jaguars on Saturday night, there was rampant speculation that the Bolts might elect to fire second-year HC Brandon Staley and enter the Payton sweepstakes. For his part, Payton is said to be deeply interested in the Chargers’ gig and the opportunity to work with talented young quarterback Justin Herbert.
On the other hand, there are reasons to doubt that Los Angeles would make such a bold move. As former NFL exec Andrew Brandt observes, while the Broncos’ new ownership group is the wealthiest in the league and could therefore afford to pay Payton the $16MM-$20MM salary he will likely command, Chargers owner Dean Spanos is among the most cash-poor and may be unwilling to pony up that kind of cash while also paying out the remainder of Staley’s contract (Twitter link).
Plus, Herbert himself is now extension-eligible and could be in line for a contract with a $50MM AAV. That is a lot of money for Spanos to stomach, to say nothing of the trade compensation that the Chargers would need to send to the Saints to acquire Payton’s rights.
As of the time of this writing, there have been no concrete reports on Staley’s job security in the wake of the loss to Jacksonville. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said that Dallas’ current head coach, Mike McCarthy, is in no danger of losing his job, regardless of what happens in the team’s wildcard round contest against the Bucs on Monday. Still, one wonders whether a poor showing by McCarthy’s troops could change that thinking, especially given the long-rumored connections between Payton and the Cowboys’ post.
Mike LaFleur Expected To Join Rams’ Staff; More On Jets Departure
The Jets and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur recently agreed to part ways, and LaFleur may soon find himself in another OC role. Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link), LaFleur is expected to land on the Rams as part of Sean McVay‘s staff, and it sounds as if he could replace the recently-departed Liam Coen as Los Angeles’ offensive coordinator.
McVay himself recently indicated that he would return to the Rams after earlier reports suggested he was more likely to walk away. The Rams will therefore retain one of the game’s brightest offensive minds as they seek to regroup following the worst Super Bowl title defense in league history. In light of McVay’s overall success — the 2022 season notwithstanding — other clubs have poached head coaches from the McVay coaching tree, so LaFleur could certainly do worse as he seeks to rebuild his own stock following a disappointing campaign with the Jets.
LaFleur joined Gang Green as the OC on Robert Saleh‘s first staff in 2021, and his offense finished near the bottom of the league in terms of both total yardage and points that year. Of course, the club was also in the midst of a rebuild, was starting a rookie quarterback in Zach Wilson, and did not boast a great deal of offensive talent, so there were no rumblings about LaFleur’s job security.
But while the Jets’ defense took a major step forward in 2022, the offense did not, and it was the underwhelming performance of LaFleur’s unit that prevented the team from securing a playoff berth. There were reports that owner Woody Johnson would want to fire LaFleur at season’s end, and Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com writes that the front office blamed LaFleur for Wilson’s lack of improvement. The coaching staff, on the other hand, reportedly feels that Wilson is simply not a good quarterback and would have welcomed LaFleur back in 2023.
Regardless of any conflict between the team’s execs and coaches in that regard, LaFleur is now a free agent and could get a chance to oversee an offense with an established quarterback in Matthew Stafford. Nonetheless, McVay will likely retain play-calling duties, so even an OC job would represent something of a demotion for LaFleur.
Of course, LaFleur’s brother, Matt LaFleur, worked under McVay as the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2017 before taking the same position with the Titans in 2018 and parlaying his OC experience into the Packers’ head coaching job in 2019.
Latest On Jets’ OC Search
JANUARY 15: The Jets are interviewing Marcus Brady today, per Rapoport (via Twitter).
JANUARY 14: The Jets made headlines earlier in the week when they parted ways with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. That leaves the team with a significant hole to fill on offense during the coming weeks, but there is no shortage of names being floated around with respect to his potential replacements. 
The early favorite appears to be Darrell Bevell. The Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator represents the name mentioned most often for the Jets’ OC vacancy, Connor Hughes of SNY tweets. The 52-year-old is in his first season with Miami, but spent the previous 15 campaigns as an offensive coordinator. That tenure included a stint as the Seahawks’ OC from 2012 to 2017, which earned him a Super Bowl ring.
That time also included overlap with current Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who was a defensive assistant at the time. Bevell saw time with the Vikings as their OC prior to his Seattle stint, and occupied the same role with the Lions and Jaguars. His experience as an interim head coach with the latter two teams – coupled with his role in revitalizing the Dolphins’ offense this year – has made him a potential HC candidate in this year’s cycle.
While it remains to be seen if New York will interview Bevell for the position, they have done so with Eagles passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The meeting took place yesterday, as Patullo prepares to continue his work with the NFC’s top seed. He has been with Philadelphia for the past two seasons, after a three-year stint alongside Nick Sirianni with the Colts in a similar role; he also spent one season with Gang Green prior to that.
The Jets have also requested an interview with Nick Caley, per Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). He is currently the Patriots’ tight ends coach, a title he has held since 2017. The 39-year-old has exclusively worked in New England during his NFL coaching career, but he spent a decade in the college ranks prior to joining Bill Belichick‘s staff in 2015. Rapoport had previously named Caley as a name to watch, alongside Eagles QBs coach Brian Johnson and former Colts OC Marcus Brady (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tweets that Bills QBs coach Joe Brady is another potential candidate. He notes that the Jets are “doing homework” on the 33-year-old, who was highly-touted after his work in college (particularly with LSU) when he took on the Panthers’ OC job in 2020. That, much like Matt Rhule‘s tenure in Charlotte, did not go according to plan, however, and he was fired midway through his second season with the team. Brady was hired by the Bills shortly thereafter, as he began the process of rebuilding his stock.
Each of the above names comprise a list of candidates along with the likes of ex-Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, Rams offensive assistant Greg Olson and Chiefs QBs coach Matt Nagy. That trio, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, could all be in the mix, though he adds (via Twitter) that veteran Gary Kubiak is not expected to be a part of the Jets’ search. New York’s process of replacing LaFleur will be worth watching as the team looks to take another step forward on offense in 2023.
Titans Request OC Interviews With Eric Bieniemy, Matt Nagy
The Titans have a vacancy at offensive coordinator after firing Todd Downing, and two candidates for the post have emerged. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports, Tennessee has requested permission to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and senior assistant/QBs coach Matt Nagy (Twitter link).
Bieniemy, of course, has been a fixture on the head coaching interview circuit in recent years. He has been unable to land an HC gig as of yet, and while he recently interviewed for the Colts’ head coaching position, it does not appear that the four other clubs who are in need of a new bench boss have him on their shortlist.
Since being promoted from running backs coach to offensive coordinator in 2018 — the year that Patrick Mahomes became the Chiefs’ starting quarterback — Bieniemy’s offense has never finished worse than sixth in either yards per game or points per game. Kansas City finished first in both categories in 2022 en route to the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Many reasons have been floated for the 53-year-old’s inability to land an HC job, including his race — Bieniemy is Black — and unimpressive interviews. From an on-field perspective, it could be that other teams believe head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes have been more critical to KC’s offensive output over the past five years than Bieniemy, especially given Reid’s significant influence in the offense’s design and execution (though former QBs coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka earned a promotion in 2022, when he joined Brian Daboll‘s first staff as the Giants’ offensive coordinator).
Perhaps having success outside of the Reid/Mahomes shadow would give Bieniemy a better chance to secure a head coaching post, although a lack of success in a new setting would obviously damages his HC prospects. The Titans, who have an uncertain quarterback situation, who are presently light on skill-position talent outside of running back Derrick Henry, and who are in the midst of a GM search following Jon Robinson‘s surprising ouster, may not give Bieniemy the best chance to pad his resume. Indeed, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter) that Bieniemy remains focused on HC opportunities.
Nagy, meanwhile, was able to parlay his efforts as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator under Reid into a head coaching job with the Bears in 2018. After a successful first season in Chicago, Nagy’s outfits struggled over his next three years on the sidelines, and he was fired at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign. Nagy has been mentioned as a name to watch in the Jets’ present OC search, and there have also been reports that he could one day succeed Reid as Kansas City’s head coach.
Per Anderson, Nagy has yet to confirm Tennessee’s request.
Kliff Kingsbury Rejecting OC Interviews
Kliff Kingsbury was expected to be a popular name on the offensive coordinator circuit, but it sounds like the former Cardinals head coach has no interest in returning to the NFL at the moment. Per Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com (via Twitter), multiple teams have reached out to Kingsbury about their OC vacancies. However, the coach has told inquiring teams that he “bought a one way ticket to Thailand” and has no interest in interviewing at the moment.
[RELATED: Cardinals Fire HC Kliff Kingsbury]
Following a one-and-done playoff performance — his first postseason appearance in three seasons in Arizona — Kingsbury found himself firmly on the hot seat entering the 2022 campaign. We heard in December that the head coach was feuding with starting QB Kyler Murray, requiring passing game coordinator Cam Turner to serve as a buffer between the two. Kingsbury was also described as “miserable” as he dealt with injuries and a belief that he wasn’t provided the necessary resources to succeed.
Still, when the head coach was ultimately fired by the Cardinals, he was described as “surprised and distraught.” Considering the chaos and the ensuing fallout, it isn’t a huge surprise that Kingsbury will take some time to refresh. His four-year stint as Arizona’s head coach was preceded by a six-year stint as Texas Tech’s head coach.
If Kingsbury wanted to return to coaching, it sounds like he could have landed on his feet relatively quickly. We heard earlier this week that the Patriots had done some homework on Kingsbury, who was drafted by the organization back in 2003. The Patriots revealed earlier this week that they’ll begin offensive coordinator interviews following a 2022 season that saw Matt Patricia and Joe Judge lead the way.
His Thailand comments notwithstanding, Kingsbury could have real financial motivation to get back into the coaching mix as soon as possible. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, coaching contracts typically include language that requires a fired coach to actively seek alternate employment in order to earn the rest of the money they would have been due under the contract. Assuming Kingsbury’s contract with the Cardinals included similar provisions, then team ownership may have grounds to avoid paying him if he voluntarily (and brazenly) keeps himself off the market.
Panthers Request Permission To Interview Marquand Manuel For Coordinator Position
The Panthers have requested permission to interview Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel for “a coordinator position,” per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Presumably, Carolina is interested in installing Manuel as its defensive coordinator.
Manuel, 43, enjoyed an eight-year playing career in the NFL from 2002-09 and joined the coaching ranks as an assistant special teams coach with the Seahawks in 2012. He worked as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator from 2017-18, but Atlanta finished in the bottom-five in total defense in 2018 after boasting a top-10 unit the year before, and the team parted ways with Manuel at the conclusion of the campaign.
After one year as a DBs coach with the Eagles in 2020, Manuel joined Robert Saleh‘s first Jets staff in 2021 and has served as Gang Green’s safeties coach over the past two seasons. The Jets allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game and the third-fewest passing yards per game in 2022, which is certainly a feather in Manuel’s cap (though this is the first time we have heard of outside interest in his services in the current coaching cycle).
Of particular interest here is what the interview request could mean for Steve Wilks‘ candidacy as the Panthers’ head coach. Wilks, who stepped in as interim HC upon Matt Rhule‘s ouster in October, guided the club to a surprising 6-6 finish to the season, and he nearly captured a division title in the process. He also appears to have the full support of his locker room.
Nonetheless, as David Newton of ESPN.com tweets, Al Holcomb is Wilks’ defensive coordinator. So if the team is going in a different direction at DC, it could mean that it is, by extension, planning on going in a different direction at head coach.
While two of Carolina’s HC candidates, Jerod Mayo and Jim Harbaugh, are no longer in the running, there are nine other options (including Wilks) as of the time of his writing. The full list is as follows, and the majority of the remaining candidates have an offensive background, which Wilks does not have but which may be a priority for team ownership:
- Jim Caldwell, former head coach (Lions): Interviewed
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interview requested
- Ken Dorsey, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interview requested
- Jim Harbaugh, head coach (Michigan): No longer on radar
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interview requested
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): Interview requested
- Jerod Mayo, inside linebackers coach (Patriots): Interview declined
- Frank Reich, former head coach (Colts): Interview expected
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interview postponed
- Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator (Eagles): To interview 1/14
- Steve Wilks, interim head coach (Panthers): Interviewed 1/10
Tua Tagovailoa Expected To Remain Dolphins’ QB1 In 2023
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to remain with Miami in 2023 and operate as the team’s starting quarterback, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
In many ways, Schefter’s report should not come as a surprise. In his third professional season, Tagovailoa’s overall stats were tremendous, as he threw for 25 TDs against just eight interceptions and led the NFL in several key categories, including quarterback rating (105.5), TD% (6.3%), and yards per attempt (8.9). He clearly made great strides under rookie head coach Mike McDaniel, and for much of the year, it appeared as if his future in South Beach was no longer in doubt.
Unfortunately, Tagovailoa’s season was also marked by serious concussion issues. The Alabama product displayed concussion-like symptoms in Week 3 against the Bills, and while he returned to action shortly after that sequence, an NFLPA investigation into the Dolphins’ handling of the situation led to an overhaul of the NFL’s concussion protocol. Tagovailoa entered the protocol four days later, after being stretchered off the field in Cincinnati, and he was placed in the revised protocol a day after sustaining an unspotted concussion against Green Bay on Christmas Day. He has missed four full games this season, and the head injuries — to say nothing of the time he missed due to other maladies over the 2020-21 campaigns — have obviously created cause for concern.
Plus, after posting an 8-1 record in the first nine games he played this season, Tagovailoa lost his last four and put up QB ratings of 80.8 or lower in three of those contests. So while there will be fewer questions about this long-term viability as a franchise passer than there were at this time last year, the team still has plenty to consider.
As he has now accrued three years of service time, Tagovailoa will be extension-eligible this offseason. It is unclear whether the Dolphins will engage in contract discussions with the southpaw’s camp, or if they will exercise his fifth-year option for 2024. The deadline to pick up that option is May 3, and it would lock in a fully-guaranteed 2024 salary of roughly $22.5MM. Obviously, much could depend on whether Miami elects to renew its pursuit of Tom Brady in the coming months.
If seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson should somehow pilot the ‘Fins to a victory in today’s wildcard contest against the Bills — veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who is dealing with a dislocated finger, will serve as Thompson’s backup — Tagovailoa could have a chance to play in the divisional round, per Schefter. The ESPN scribe adds that medical professionals are confident Tagovailoa will be able to resume his playing career in spite of the concussions.