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Coaching Rumors: Gase, Jets, McCarthy

January 3rd, 2019 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest round of coaching rumors::

  • Mike McCarthy is looking to stay close to his two high-school aged stepchildren in Green Bay, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. That would explain why McCarthy is looking into opportunities with the Browns and Jets and is potentially not interested in further destinations such as the Cardinals.
  • McCarthy’s interview with the Browns has been rescheduled for next week, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Adam Gase‘s interview with the Jets will take place on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • Hue Jackson to the Vikings is becoming more of a real possibility, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (on Twitter). According to sources, head coach Mike Zimmer could try to hire him if Jackson doesn’t get the Bengals’ head coaching job. Ultimately, however, it will come down to what GM Rick Spielman thinks of Jackson as a candidate.

Eric Bieniemy Declines Cardinals Interview

January 2nd, 2019 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy declined an opportunity to interview with the Cardinals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’s set to interview with the Jets and Buccaneers on Wednesday, the Dolphins on Thursday, and the Bengals on Friday, so he has a full plate as he also gets set for the Chiefs’ Divisional Round game on Jan. 12.

Bieniemy has been a popular candidate early in this cycle and it seems awful likely that he’ll land a job behind the strength of the Chiefs’ offense and Andy Reid‘s strong recommendation.

In 2017, the Chiefs ranked fifth in total offense under Matt Nagy’s command. Bieniemy had big shoes to fill as he took over for him but Patrick Mahomes & Co. exceeded all expectations. The Chiefs finished first in total offense in 2018 by averaging an eye-popping 425.6 yards per game.

Bieniemy, who enjoyed a nine-year playing career before entering the coaching ranks, has been with Kansas City since 2013. Prior to that, the 45-year-old served as the offensive coordinator at Colorado, so he has call-playing experience despite the fact that Reid is hands-on with his team.

Cardinals, Jets Expected To Interview Kliff Kingsbury

January 1st, 2019 at 5:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Lincoln Riley avenue appears closed for NFL teams, they continue to explore what a college-level offensive innovator could bring to the table.

The Cardinals and Jets are expected to meet with former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury about their head coach vacancies, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports.

Two other teams with HC openings said Kingsbury was on their radar but that no interviews were as of yet scheduled. The 39-year-old coach is also being monitored for NFL offensive coordinator jobs, Robinson adds. The Rams contacted Kingsbury about an assistant job late last year.

The Red Raiders fired Kingsbury after this season, but NFL teams took notice of the job he did leading the Big 12 program’s explosive offenses. Kingsbury brought both Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield to Lubbock, Texas, and steered the former to becoming a top-10 pick.

Kingsbury declined a chance to become the University of Houston’s head coach and is on USC’s staff as the program’s OC and quarterbacks coach. While Texas Tech only went 35-40 under Kingsbury, his offenses have obviously attracted NFL franchises — especially given the successes of younger, offensively oriented coaches in recent years. Case Keenum also set NCAA passing records under Kingsbury when they were at Houston together.

A former Red Raiders quarterback, Kingsbury was briefly on the Jets’ roster, in 2005, before transitioning to the CFL and then going into coaching. The Jets attempted to bring Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell in for an interview, but the Cyclones’ coach declined.

Packers, Browns, Cardinals To Interview Dan Campbell

January 1st, 2019 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Dan Campbell is a popular man these days. After interviewing Josh McDaniels, the Packers are set to fly to New Orleans on Saturday to meet with the Saints’ assistant head coach/tight ends coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He’s also scheduled to meet with the Browns on Friday and the Cardinals at some point over the weekend. 

Of course, in the midst of all of this, Campbell is preparing for the Saints’ Divisional Round game on Jan. 13. Should the Saints win against their TBD opponent, interested clubs will have to get in where they fit in if they want to go down the road with Campbell.

Also carrying the title of assistant head coach in New Orleans, Campbell was connected to the Colts’ post-McDaniels job search last year and interviewed for the Vikings’ OC job that eventually went to John DeFilippo. Prior to being promoted to the Dolphins’ HC in the wake of Joe Philbin‘s early-season firing three years ago, Campbell had been Miami’s tight ends coach for more than four years.

Cards, Broncos To Interview Zac Taylor

January 1st, 2019 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor will interview for the Cardinals and Broncos head coaching positions on Saturday, Albert Breer of The MMQB hears (on Twitter). Taylor, 35, will also interview with the Bengals on Friday, so he may wind up as the latest 30-something assistant to ascend the ranks. 

Taylor moved up to QB coach under Sean McVay in 2018 after Matt LaFleur left for the Titans. The results, for the most part, have been outstanding. The Rams finished out 13-3 and will have an opportunity to rest before their first playoff game on Jan. 12 thanks to their bye.

Outside of the past year with the Rams, Taylor’s resume is not especially flashy. He was the Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 and served as the University of Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator in 2016 before moving to sunny Los Angeles. However, young offensively-minded coaches are the in-thing, and Taylor is garnering serious interest.

Cardinals To Interview Adam Gase

January 1st, 2019 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

Former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase may not be on the block for long. Gase will interview with the Cardinals on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 

Gase, at least at one time, had a reputation as a quarterback whisperer. That’s exactly what the Cardinals need as they look to groom 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen for the big time. It has been said that Gase was a big fan of the UCLA quarterback last year and that he was a consideration for Miami at No. 11, so this could be a match.

Gase made a name for himself as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator and managed to go 10-6 in his first year with the ‘Fins despite having journeyman Matt Moore under center. He couldn’t work the same magic with Jay Cutler last year, resulting in a 6-10 record, and the Dolphins finished just 7-9 this past season. Still, even as the Dolphins struggled in 2018, Ryan Tannehill had a solid season from an individual perspective. If given a proper offensive line to work with, the Cardinals may feel that Gase is the man to rejuvenate their offense.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 12/31/18

December 31st, 2018 at 9:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

New Year’s Eve marks the first day eliminated teams can sign players to reserve/futures contracts. Here is the first wave of those decisions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Cardinals, Packers Request To Interview Saints’ Dan Campbell

December 31st, 2018 at 6:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2015 Dolphins’ interim coach, Dan Campbell has spent the past three seasons as the Saints’ tight ends boss. He looks set to re-enter the coaching carousel.

In addition to receiving a Browns interview request, Campbell has heard from the Cardinals and Packers about hopeful meetings, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (on Twitter).

Also carrying the title of assistant head coach in New Orleans, Campbell was connected to the Colts’ post-Josh McDaniels job search last year and interviewed for the Vikings’ OC job that eventually went to John DeFilippo. Prior to being promoted to the Dolphins’ HC in the wake of Joe Philbin‘s early-season firing three years ago, Campbell had been Miami’s tight ends coach for more than four years.

The Cardinals and Packers have been busy with interview requests on the first day of non-playoff-qualifying teams’ offseasons. After already meeting with Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano, Green Bay sent out requests for powwows with Titans OC Matt LaFleur, Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, Northwestern HC Pat Fitzgerald and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, who has not yet decided which interviews he will take. The Broncos, Browns, Dolphins and Packers have sent Flores meeting requests.

Arizona has contacted Rams QBs coach Zac Taylor and Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, whom the Jets, Buccaneers and Dolphins have also contacted. The Cardinals interviewed Flores earlier this year.

Cardinals To Fire Byron Leftwich, Al Holcomb

December 31st, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Byron Leftwich stayed on from the Bruce Arians regime but will not be sticking around with the Cardinals with a third coaching staff.

The Cardinals fired both Leftwich, their interim OC, and DC Al Holcomb, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. While Leftwich was viewed as a rising talent with Arians, and ascended to OC in merely his second season as a full-time coach this year under Steve Wilks, but was not expected to be back had Wilks kept his interim job, Albert Breer of SI.com reports (on Twitter).

Both firings could have been expected, with the Cardinals completing a 3-13 season and making a head coach a one-and-done for the first time in more than 60 years. Holcomb came over with Wilks from Carolina, having served as a position coach there. This marked his first season as an NFL DC.

Leftwich became a full-time coach last year and was named quarterbacks coach this offseason. After Mike McCoy‘s in-season ouster, Leftwich rose to Arizona’s OC job. He will now be on the market to continue his coaching career. Under both McCoy and Leftwich, the Cards featured a historically bad offense. They ranked last in both points and total yards this season.

 

Cardinals Coaching Notes: Bieniemy, Taylor

December 31st, 2018 at 1:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • While former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has repeatedly said the only job he would come out of retirement for would be the Browns’, he might be having a change of heart. The legendary offensive coach told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link), that he knows Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, and “would listen” if the Bucs came calling. Tampa is almost certainly looking for an offensive coach to revitalize Jameis Winston‘s career, and Arians would be a very intriguing option.
  • The Jets aren’t the only team interested in Bieniemy, as Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Buccaneers and Dolphins have reached out as well. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added in a tweet that the Cardinals have also requested an interview, bringing the number of teams interested in Bieniemy to four. Given the success that members of the Andy Reid coaching tree has had in recent years, it’s not surprising he’s a sought after name.
  • Speaking of the Cardinals, the team has requested Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, Rapoport tweets. The Cardinals are in desperate need of an offensive coach who can help Josh Rosen after Rosen’s woeful rookie campaign, and Taylor is very highly thought of in some circles. Rapoport notes the team has “been doing work on him”, so this seems like more than just a courtesy interview.
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