Lions Eyeing Mike McDaniel For OC Job
Hours after the Dolphins bailed on a potential plan to give Mike McDaniel a fifth season as head coach, the experienced play-caller is drawing offensive coordinator interest.
The Lions reached out to McDaniel about their OC vacancy, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Detroit fired John Morton after one season. McDaniel figures to be a coveted commodity on the OC carousel, and it should not be deemed out of the question HC-needy teams express interest.
There will be competition for McDaniel’s services on the OC market, should he drop below the HC level during this cycle. A number of teams and prospective HCs have the newly available coach on their OC list, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Lions, however, do present a favorable option for play-callers given their offensive personnel and recent success.
While the Lions have not used anyone from the Mike/Kyle Shanahan tree since Anthony Lynn — whom Dan Campbell demoted during his first season calling plays (2021) — it is clear the team is interested in a potential transition. McDaniel learned under Kyle Shanahan at multiple stops, and considering the popularity of this genre of offense leaguewide, such a transition certainly shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for the Lions. After all, Jared Goff developed under Mike Shanahan disciple Sean McVay in Los Angeles.
McDaniel (feat. Tyreek Hill) reignited Tua Tagovailoa‘s career upon arrival in Miami four years ago. The former No. 5 overall pick led the NFL in yards per attempt and passer rating in 2022, paced the league in passing yardage in 2023 and in completion percentage in 2024. Miami’s offense steadily declined under McDaniel, however, sinking from second (2023) to 22nd (2024) to 25th (’25). This period ended with Tagovailoa’s benching and both McDaniel and GM Chris Grier being fired.
The Dolphins were believed to be more likely to retain McDaniel, but a Wednesday report indicated GM candidates were being asked for their thoughts about working with him. Despite some ex-McDaniel coworkers in the mix, the Dolphins moved on and will align their GM and HC positions this offseason. The Lions have an established head coach in Campbell, who also spent time in Miami during Stephen Ross‘ ownership tenure (and with Grier in the front office), but they swung and missed on Morton.
Detroit did not conduct a thorough search upon hiring Morton. With McDaniel in demand, the Lions will likely reach out to more candidates this time around. With McDaniel a minority candidate, however, the Lions would not need to interview a second option. The Rooney Rule only mandates one external minority candidate be interviewed for coordinator positions — as opposed to two for HC and GM posts. Though, the team still will be likely to meet with multiple candidates given the moving parts here.
Ravens To Interview Brian Flores For HC Vacancy
The Ravens are planning to interview Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for their head coaching vacancy, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Flores, 44, has led Minnesota’s defense for the past three seasons. After solid efforts in 2023 and 2025, the unit posted top-five numbers in 2025, making him one of the hottest defensive coaches on the market. His contract with the Vikings is set to expire, and though the team would prefer to retain him, Flores is looking for a second chance as a head coach after a controversial stint in Miami.
Flores was hired by the Dolphins in 2019 after rising through the ranks of the Patriots’ coaching staff under Bill Belichick. However, Flores never had a coordinator job before taking the head coaching gig in Miami, an early sign that he may not be prepared for the top job. The Dolphins went 5-11 in his first year before improving to 10-6 in his second. Regression to 9-8 – as well as a fraught relationship with Tua Tagovailoa and clashes with owner Stephen Ross – led to Flores’ departure from Miami after the 2022 season. The latter conflict, along with subsequent supposed ‘sham’ interviews with other teams, were the basis of Flores’ ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and several teams.
That will be Flores’ main roadblock to landing a head coaching gig. Not only are there some questions about his leadership in Miami, but teams may be hesitant to hire a coach with an open case against the league. The Giants are one of the teams he is suing, ruling him out of consideration for that job, but the Ravens are not on that list. Owner Steve Bisciotti may be cautious of a coach who revealed past private conversations with an owner, though part of Flores’ issue with Ross was Ross’ alleged desire for the Dolphins to tank for Tagovailoa in 2019.
Otherwise, Flores seems to be a fine fit for Baltimore. He spoke glowingly of Lamar Jackson before the two squared off earlier this season, suggesting he could could get along better with the two-time MVP than he did with Tagovailoa. Flores’ scheme also creates pressure rather than relying on a four-man pass rush, which has been a weakness in Baltimore for a few years. While general manager Eric DeCosta will surely look to upgrade his pass rush this offseason, Flores would offer an immediate path to opposing quarterbacks. Solidifying the Ravens defense while finding an offensive coordinator to work with Jackson could be a path for the team to immediately return to Super Bowl contention in 2026. Flores’ connections to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell
Raiders To Interview Kevin Stefanski For HC Job
Kevin Stefanski is now on four teams’ interview lists. After making meeting arrangements with the Falcons, Giants and Titans, the ex-Browns HC is on the Raiders’ radar.
Las Vegas brass will meet with Stefanski today, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Stefanski, Vance Joseph and Matt Nagy are meeting with the team today. As PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker displays, Vegas’ Klint Kubiak meeting is scheduled for Friday.
It is certainly not surprising Stefanski demand is this high. This cycle is light on offense-oriented candidates with experience, and Stefanski spent six years coaching the Browns. This tenure brought the most success Cleveland has had since rebooting.
The Browns extended Stefanski in 2024 but fired him Monday following an 8-26 record over the ensuing two seasons — a mark Jimmy Haslam deemed unacceptable this week. Haslam, however, retained GM Andrew Berry despite fingerprints on what is widely viewed as the worst trade in NFL history.
That said, the Browns’ catastrophic Deshaun Watson acquisition brought a line of demarcation during Stefanski’s tenure. The ex-Vikings OC managed to bag two Coach of the Year awards, the second of which coming after the Watson trade. Joe Flacco stepping in and running Stefanski’s offense, despite the Browns missing Nick Chubb and two starting tackles, to make a playoff berth brought only the Browns’ third playoff berth since respawning in 1999. Stefanski was responsible for the second trip as well, re-routing Baker Mayfield‘s career and then having the Browns in a divisional-round duel with a dominant Chiefs team.
Stefanski is just 43 despite having six years’ experience as a head coach. Even with John Harbaugh on the market, it would surprise if Stefanski did not land a second-chance job during this year’s cycle. There are now eight HC vacancies, as the Dolphins have fired Mike McDaniel. He stands to become an intriguing bounce-back candidate, though it is also possible the 42-year-old leader settles as a high-end OC option. Stefanski receiving multiple offers may not be out of the question, and the Raiders’ pattern of HC firings does not make their job overly appealing. Though, the No. 1 pick represents a solid selling point.
The Raiders’ confirmed interviews are mostly on the offensive side so far. Broncos QBs coach and pass-game coordinator Davis Webb joins Nagy, Kubiak and Stefanski in this area of expertise. Thus far, Joseph is the only confirmed interviewee on the defensive side. Teams regularly go in the other direction after a firing, and the Raiders canned two defensive coaches — Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll — over the past two years. Considering Tom Brady‘s push for Ben Johnson in 2025, the Raiders looking toward the offensive side makes sense.
Titans Request HC Interviews With Arthur Smith, Jeff Hafley
The Titan have submitted requests to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, per Titans inside Paul Kuharsky.
Smith, 43, spent most of his coaching career in Tennessee. He started as a quality control assistant in 2011 with a season on both sides of the ball before spending six years working with the Titans’ tight ends. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 and took a bottom 10 offense to top-12 ranks in points and yards in his debut season. Smith then led a top-five unit in 2020, which got him hired as the Falcons’ head coach the following offseason. He went 7-10 in three straight season in Atlanta and was fired in 2024. Mike Tomlin picked him up as the Steelers’ OC, but Smith has not found the same success as his time in Tennesee. Pittsburgh’s offense has ranked among the NFL’s bottom 10 teams in points and finished in the middle of the pack in terms of yardage.
Hiring Smith does not have obvious appeal outside of a reunion with a former coach. He does not have a strong history of working with young quarterbacks, a key part of the Titans’ current search, and his success has primarily come in the run game. Cam Ward has good movement skills, but he was not a dual-threat quarterback at Miami and will not be one in the NFL. His connections with Tomlin and Mike Vrabel could help him land a solid defensive coordinator.
Hafley, 46, has quickly risen up the list of hot coaching candidates after two successful years in Green Bay. His coaching career began in college in 2021 with stints at a variety of schools before moving to the NFL in 2012. He coached defensive backs in Tampa Bay (2012-2013), Cleveland (2014-2015), and San Francisco (2016-2018) before accepting a co-DC gig at Ohio State. Boston College hired Hafely as their next head coach in 2020; four years later, he took his current position with the Packers. In his debut year in Green Bay, Hafley led the team to a top-six finish in points and yards before taking a step back to a top-12 ranking this season.
Hiring a defensive-minded head coach to lock down one side of the ball while searching for a young OC to word with Ward seems like a viable strategy for the Titans, especially given this year’s hiring cycle. There are far more potential head coaches on the defensive side of the ball with a number of young offensive assistants who may be ready for an OC job.
Buccaneers Fire ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey; Tom Moore Retires
The Buccaneers have already moved on from offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as well as quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis. More changes are taking place on the team’s staff. 
Tampa Bay has fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. This news marks an end to his two-year run with the Buccaneers. Issues on special teams presented a consistent challenge in 2025.
Head coach Todd Bowles elected not to make a change during the campaign, but shortly after the end of the season he has chosen to move forward with a replacement. McGaughey, 52, has been a special teams coach at the NFL level as far back as 2002, and he has served as a ST coordinator with five different teams. He had a six-year run with the Giants prior to joining the Bucs, but this brief Tampa Bay tenure falls more in line with McGaughey’s Jets, 49ers and Panthers stints in terms of length.
Not long after the Grizzard dismissal, ESPN’s Jenna Laine noted that discussions taking place Thursday were likely to result in more staff changes. That has certainly proven true. Several other departures have since become known, including the retirement of senior offensive consultant Tom Moore (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Moore’s NFL career ends at the age of 87 after decades spent on the sidelines.
Moore’s first college coaching gig came in 1961, and he began his NFL tenure in 1977. An offensive coordinator at multiple stops along the way, he held multiple titles such as a position coach and offensive consultant as well. Moore worked closely alongside Bruce Arians in Arizona and followed him to Tampa Bay in 2019. The four-time Super Bowl champion remained there through the end of this past season.
As Stroud notes, the Buccaneers have also fired defensive line coach Charlie Strong along with defensive backs coach Kevin Ross. Tampa Bay ranked 20th in points allowed in 2025, so at least some changes on that side of the ball were always expected. Meanwhile, safeties coach Nick Rapone is joining Moore in retirement at the age of 69. Another former Arians assistant, he had been in place with the Bucs since 2019. Regardless of if other moves wind up being made, a number of new faces will be in place on Bowles’ 2026 staff.
Falcons Request Robert Saleh HC Interview; Team To Speak With Mike Disner For Football Operations Role
The Falcons have a vacancy at the head coach and general manager positions. Atlanta will also soon have a new president of football operations. 
A hire for the football ops role will take place before the other positions are filled. Matt Ryan remains the favorite in that capacity, but other options are (as required) being explored as well. Interviews will take place beginning today. Ian Cunningham (Bears) has received an interview request. The same is also true of Josh Williams (49ers), while Brandt Tilis (Panthers) will speak with Atlanta about the gig.
A fifth candidate has emerged for the new front office spot. Lions COO Mike Disner will interview today for the president of football operations gig, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. Cunningham’s interview will take place tomorrow, he adds. All five will have spoken with Atlanta by the end of Friday; a hire will be expected shortly thereafter.
Disner began working in the NFL with the Cardinals in 2013. His six-year run in Arizona was followed by a move to Detroit. Disner has been with the Lions since 2019, previously serving as the team’s senior vice president of football and business operations. Since 2022, he has worked in his current capacity. Disner was connected to the Panthers’ GM opening in 2024 but withdrew from consideration.
As for Atlanta’s head coaching search, another interview request has been filed. According to Breer, the Falcons are among the teams looking to speak with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. An interview cannot take place until next week in his case, but Saleh figures to be busy fielding interest from a number of teams. He has already received an interview request from the Cardinals, and more are expected over the coming days.
Saleh, 46, gained steam as a head coaching candidate during his first stint leading San Francisco’s defense (2017-20). Things did not go as planned with the Jets, but Saleh is among the top options in terms of coaches who could land a second HC opportunity during the 2026 hiring cycle. Atlanta went the route of a veteran, defense-oriented coach last time around by reuniting with Raheem Morris. It will be interesting to see if a similar approach is taken this year.
Giants To Interview Antonio Pierce
The Giants are interviewing their former linebacker and ex-Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce for their head coaching vacancy on Thursday and Friday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Pierce, 47, began his NFL playing career as a Commanders undrafted free agent. He emerged as a starter in his fourth season and parlayed that into a multi-year deal with the Giants. Pierce started 94 games over the next five years, including a Pro Bowl nod in 2006 and a Super Bowl victory in 2007. He retired from playing after the 2009 season.
Pierce then began his coaching career, first as the head coach at Long Beach Poly, one of the most prestigious high school football programs in the country. He was then hired by Arizona State to wear multiple hats as a coach and recruiter, but his activites in the latter role force his resignation before the 2022 season amid an NCAA investigation. Pierce was then hired by then-Raiders HC Josh McDaniels as the team’s new linebackers coach. Las Vegas tapped Pierce as their interim HC after McDaniels’ Halloween firing in 2023, and the team went 5-4 to close out the season. That helped Pierce earn the permanent job for the 2024 season, but a 4-13 record got him fired.
His connection with the Giants makes Pierce an intriguing (and perhaps sentimental) choice, similar to the Jets hiring ex-cornerback Aaron Glenn last offseason. But he only has one-and-a-half seasons as a head coach, and his full season in charge of the Raiders did not go well. He was deal with a bad roster, and you could argue Las Vegas was using him as a placeholder as they decided their long-term direction. Pierce will likely need to impress New York’s decision-makers in his interview(s) to show he can build the culture and scheme the team is looking for.
The Giants are also conducting a multi-day initial interview with former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. He will then meet more members of the team’s search committee on Friday.
Ravens To Conduct HC Interview With Davis Webb, Matt Nagy
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
John Harbaugh Didn’t Lose Locker Room?
In an appearance today on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter pushed back on one of the narratives that gained traction in the wake of John Harbaugh‘s dismissal in Baltimore. As McAfee suggested the insiders had seen this coming, Schefter voiced his dissent to the notion Harbaugh had lost the locker room.
“I don’t think that information right there could be any…less true,” Schefter exclaimed. “The players were coming to his office, crying, hugging him, sending him ‘goodbyes,’ calling him one by one. If they felt that way, why are Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely and all these players coming in crying, hugging him, giving him these long, warm goodbyes. I’m not buying it.”
[RELATED: Assessing Lamar Jackson’s Role In Ravens’ Coaching Decision]
As the interview continued, McAfee appealed to one of his frequent guests, former NFL center A.Q. Shipley to back up what Schefter was claiming. Shipley, who played for Harbaugh and the Ravens back in 2013, the second season of his eight-year career, called Harbaugh his favorite coach, after which Schefter chimed in to say that “that would be consistent with the type of things” that he had heard from other players. Shipley pointed to instances in which Harbaugh had his players’ backs and spoke to the respect that those moments garnered within Shipley and his teammates.
As McAfee went on to question why the departure would occur, if that were the case, Schefter mused on the concept that, sometimes, it’s just time for a change. He pointed to the Broncos as a two-time example of this fact, first utilizing the example of Dan Reeves. Reeves coached Denver for the first 12 years of his coaching career, amassed a 110-73-1 record, made the playoffs six times, won the division five times, advanced to the AFC Championship four times, and advanced to three Super Bowls but lost all three. Then-owner Pat Bowlen opted to part ways with Reeves and promoted Wade Phillips. Though, two years later Bowlen circled back to Mike Shanahan, who would win back-to-back Super Bowls shortly after, the first championships in franchise history.
Later on, in Denver, John Fox stepped in as head coach, and in a short, four-year stint went 46-18, winning the AFC West every season but losing his only Super Bowl appearance in 2013. Once again, the Broncos decided to move on from success, and Gary Kubiak won them their third Super Bowl the next year. Harbaugh had so much success up front, winning nine playoff games in his first five years, but as the franchise concluded his 18th season seeing only four more playoff wins in the 13 years since their Super Bowl victory, it’s clear there was a similar feeling with owner Steve Bisciotti.
It’s not all gloom for Harbaugh, though, as Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports reports that nine suitors have already emerged for Harbaugh; there are only seven open jobs in the NFL right now, including Baltimore. That means three teams with head coaches in place already have kicked the tires to inquire about his possible interest. The Dolphins are one such team, per Vacchiano, though Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald pushes back on that notion, “citing people on both sides.” And, though the other teams remain unnamed, Vacchiano also mentions “a big push” that could come from a team “playing this weekend in the wild-card playoff round.”
Harbaugh has most notably been made the No. 1 target for the Giants. They’ve made it no small secret that they are interested in hiring him, and according to Vacchiano, “they are high on Harbaugh’s list,” too. A source from the team claimed, “They have no reason to believe that Harbaugh is not seeking excessive power in the organization or that he feels he wouldn’t be able to work with (general manager Joe Schoen).” And, though Harbaugh has yet to set a meeting with the team, NFL insider Gary Myers backs Vacchiano’s report up, saying himself that Harbaugh “has genuine interest” in the job in New York. In fact, Harbaugh hasn’t made meetings yet with any teams, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 63-year-old free agent is not expected to take part in any interviews until next week.
In Baltimore, though, the Ravens have hit the ground running in search of only the fourth head coach in franchise history. Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are both names that have come to the forefront early, but according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is a name to watch out for as the hiring process picks up. Kubiak is the only one of the three not to have already worked in Baltimore or coached on the defensive side of the ball. Weaver was assistant head coach/defensive line coach for the Ravens not long ago, while Minter worked with the team’s defensive backs from 2017-20.
What’s interesting is that all three candidates have zero head coaching experience. That’s obviously not something that scares off the Ravens, though, considering Harbaugh’s 18 years for the team were his first in a head coaching role. What’s more important, it seems, is the potential that Weaver or Minter could be able to reestablish the defensive identity that made Baltimore such a feared opponent in Harbaugh’s early years, or the idea that an offensive-minded candidate like Kubiak may be just what Lamar Jackson needs to deliver the franchise’s third Super Bowl, one that Jackson promised the day they took him as the last pick in the first round.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Facing Domestic Violence Allegations
After starting his season with a six-game suspension and ending it on injured reserve due to lingering concussion symptoms, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice may not be done with his legal troubles. According to Nick Sloan of KMBC 9 News, Rice is being accused of domestic violence by Dacoda Nichole, his ex-girlfriend of eight years. 
In the post, Nichole displayed a series of photos showing injuries she alleges were caused by Rice. The text of the post claimed that the alleged abuse had been ongoing throughout the span of their eight-year relationship. Rice has not been charged with anything to this point in time, but the situation has evolved to a point wherein the league will intervene and, likely, investigate.
The Chiefs released a statement (per Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star), saying, “The club is aware of the allegations on social media and is in communication with the National Football League. We have no further comment at this time.”
Rice is no stranger to legal troubles. His six-game absence to open the season stemmed from a series of incidents in the 2024 offseason. It started when Rice was the driver of vehicle that caused a chain reaction collision, and Rice chose to hit and run. He ended up taking a plea bargain pleading guilty to two third-degree felonies for collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He followed that up with an incident at a club in Dallas, where he allegedly punched a photographer, though no arrests were made or charges filed.
Again, no charges have been filed with today’s allegations, either, but the charges may not be totally necessary for the NFL to take action. As Rice is starting to become a bit of a frequent flier with the league’s disciplinary committees, the results of their investigations may be enough for them to choose to levy another suspension.