Coaching Notes: Johnson, Falcons, Kubiak, Harbaugh
Following a career that featured stops with the Giants and Jets, former NFL linebacker Pepper Johnson is returning to New York. The 50-year-old will be joining Todd Bowles staff as the Jets‘ defensive line coach, the team announced.
Johnson was on the Patriots coaching staff for 14 seasons, which included stints as the team’s linebacker and defensive line coach. He spent last season as the Bills defensive line coach.
Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the league…
- Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets that the Falcons have interest in coach Raheem Morris, and NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports (via Twitter) that Washington has granted Atlanta permission to interview their defensive backs coach.
- Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun that he “had a blast” as the Ravens offensive coordinator. The 53-year-old is also fond of his replacement in Baltimore, former Bears head coach Marc Trestman. “I think Marc will be a really good fit for Joe [Flacco]. Marc has a good personality. Joe is a mild-mannered guy, but he’s a fiery competitor on the field. I think he and Marc will do very well together.”
- Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press had some interesting notes on Jim Harbaugh‘s contract with Michigan. If the coach were to leave his contract early, he’d owe the school a prorated portion of his $2MM signing bonus. The contract also calls for flexibility should the total amount eventually fall below market value.
Kris Richard Likely To Become DC
PFR’s Luke Adams has been keeping track of all the defensive coordinators hired and fired as the offseason goes on, but after the Super Bowl there will likely be two more openings that will need to be filled. The currently open Falcons head coaching job is expected to be filled by Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, which will create a need for the Seattle to replace him. Quinn will also have to hire a coach to run his defense in Atlanta, should he get the job.
Seahawks defensive backs coach Kris Richard is expected to fill one of those roles, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Richard came to Seattle with Pete Carroll after spending two years as an assistant coach under Carroll at USC. He also played for Carroll at USC.
Richard was drafted by the Seahawks as a third-round pick in 2002, playing three seasons with the team as a cornerback. Florio believes this connection to Seattle could sway him to choose the Seahawks over the Falcons should he be offered both jobs.
All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman pressed for his coach to get more attention earlier this month, praising what Richard has accomplished in his time with the team, writes Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com.
“He took kind of a ragtag bunch of DBs in 2011 and made them perennial All-Pros and Pro Bowlers, and you don’t hear his name being mentioned as much for D-coordinator jobs and things like that. Which I think it should be,” said Sherman. “We obviously know what kind of coach he is and what he’s done. But obviously everybody else doesn’t.”
Whichever way he decides, Richard will likely be calling a defense for the first time in his career in 2015.
Latest On Teams Still Seeking DCs
This morning, we took a look at where the ongoing offensive coordinator searches stand, and this afternoon we’ll shift our focus to the remaining defensive coordinator vacancies.
While the OC openings are fairly clear cut, three potential defensive coordinator positions are still up in the air due to the Falcons’ head coaching search. No matter which head coach they hire, the Falcons will likely be in the market for a new defensive coordinator, and both of their finalists are current DCs for another team — if Atlanta hires Dan Quinn, as expected, the Seahawks will have to find a new coordinator. If their arrangement with Quinn falls through, the Falcons would likely turn to Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, leaving Detroit to find a replacement.
In addition to those clubs, three more clubs are also currently hunting for a new defensive coordinator, so there are plenty of situations to examine. Let’s dive right in, with the help of our OC/DC search tracker….
Arizona Cardinals
After Todd Bowles landed in New York as the Jets’ new head coach, the early word out of Arizona was that the Cardinals would likely promote an internal candidate to replace Bowles, with James Bettcher, Brentson Buckner, Kevin Ross, Nick Rapone, and Tom Pratt as potential options. However, that report was published over a week ago, and there’s been no indication that the Cardinals are much closer to hiring Bowles’ replacement.
The team is reportedly interested in bringing aboard Dick LeBeau, but it appears it would be as a linebackers coach or perhaps as a senior defensive assistant. A report on Wednesday suggested that LeBeau was still interested in a coordinator position, so perhaps that’s why nothing has been finalized with the Cards yet. Arizona has also been linked to Mike Nolan, but it’s not entirely clear what Nolan’s situation is in Atlanta. Presumably, the new head coach will look to replace Nolan, but he remains under contract with the Falcons for now, having signed a two-year extension a year ago.
Atlanta Falcons
Speaking of those Falcons, there’s not much we know about their defensive coordinator job at this point. If Dan Quinn gets the head coaching job – and every indication is that he will – he could bring a coach from Seattle with him, particularly since most of the most attractive outside candidates will have found work by the time Quinn officially comes aboard (after the Super Bowl). It’s possible that Mike Nolan sticks around in Atlanta, but it seems unlikely at this point.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos targeted Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph early in their search. Denver actually interviewed Joseph for its head coaching opening, though it’s not clear if he was ever a viable candidate for that spot — I expect that interview served the dual purpose of ensuring that the Broncos adhered to the Rooney Rule and allowing the team to get a feel for Joseph as a DC candidate. The only problem? While the Bengals were willing to let Joseph interview for a HC job, the club is now unwilling to let him out of his contract for a DC position.
Denver hasn’t given up on its No. 1 target — Mike Klis of the Denver Post, who wrote earlier this week that the Bengals and the NFL should do the right thing and allow Joseph to leave Cincinnati for a promotion, says the Broncos continue to monitor the situation. If the Bengals don’t budge though, the Broncos will have to move on to other options, and that could mean speaking to former head coach Wade Phillips, who has been mentioned as a candidate.
Oakland Raiders
Like the Broncos, the Raiders appear to have a clear preference for the coach they’d like to hire. Former Falcons head coach Mike Smith has been cited as Jack Del Rio‘s top candidate since Del Rio landed Oakland’s head coaching job, and the two sides have been in contact, but it seems Smith isn’t fully sold on the opportunity. If he was, the Raiders would likely have locked him up already.
With Smith no sure thing, the Raiders have former Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker on their radar and have also been linked to Wade Phillips. The club may ultimately turn to the NCAA ranks, as a Thursday report suggested, though no specific college candidates have been reported yet. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com wrote that if the Raiders do hire a coach from a college program, that would probably signal that the team was turned down by other candidates, and that Del Rio intends to call defensive plays, meaning that the new coordinator would have less latitude.
Seattle Seahawks
We’re including the Seahawks here rather than the Lions because it looks like a near-lock that Dan Quinn will head to Atlanta, with Teryl Austin returning to Detroit. Still, there’s no indication yet who would replace Quinn for the ‘Hawks. With so much talent on the defensive side of the ball in Seattle, the position could intrigue some big-name candidates who perhaps haven’t been interested in the other openings, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the club ultimately opts for an in-house promotion — of course, that’s assuming that Quinn doesn’t take the best internal candidates with him to Atlanta.
NFC Notes: Romo, Fitzgerald, Fewell, 49ers
Tony Romo’s contract currently calls for a $27.77MM cap hit in 2015, before dipping to $17.64MM in 2016, which would appear to make him a slam-dunk candidate to have his deal restructured this offseason. However, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones says “not a given,” according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News, who explains why it’s risky to push more money into the later years of the contract. Still, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets, it’s hard to believe Jerry Jones will “hold the line financially” with Romo turning 35 in April and the team’s championship window potentially closing soon.
Let’s check in on a few other Friday items from out of the NFC….
- Speaking of Romo, in an appearance on 103.3 KESN-FM in Dallas, he admitted that he’s consistently talking to Jerry Jones and other members of the Cowboys‘ front office about re-signing Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. In order for that to be possible, the team may need the cap space that a Romo restructure would create.
- Reiterating that he hopes to get contract extensions done for head coach Bruce Arians and GM Steve Keim following the Super Bowl, Cardinals president Michael Bidwill also addressed’s Larry Fitzgerald contract last night, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com outlines. Bidwill advised fans to “relax” about Fitzgerald, assuring them the situation will get worked out. “My goal from the beginning was to have Larry Fitzgerald retire as a Cardinal when he is ready to retire many years from now,” Bidwill said. “I am feeling confident something will get worked out.”
- As expected, former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell will be in San Francisco today to interview with the 49ers for their defensive backs coach position, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a look at the prospects who have spoken to the Falcons at the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
- You can make the case that the Saints don’t need to bring back any of their free-agents-to-be this offseason, says Jason Fitzgerald in his preview of the team’s offseason at OverTheCap.com.
NFC South Notes: Saints, Ingram, Falcons
The Saints’ ownership situation has officially turned ugly — after learning last night that owner Tom Benson had transferred ownership of the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) after he dies to his wife, Gayle, his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, has filed a lawsuit, claiming Benson is mentally incompetent and is being manipulated by his wife, according to the Times-Picayune, who provide a copy of the suit in PDF form. Benson himself has responded to the suit, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com: “The false accusations in this suit further support the actions I have taken in changing the succession and transfer of ownership.” It’s a sad situation, but one that has on-the-field implications, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (Twitter links) that GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton’s jobs would have been in jeopardy had LeBlanc taken over; the duo reportedly has much better relationship with the new designee, Gayle. Here’s more from the NFC South…
- Along with DeMarco Murray, Saints running Mark Ingram will be at the top of the free agent running back class, but his preference is to remain in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune. “I want to be a Saint. I was drafted there. I’m always appreciative and grateful for that,” said Ingram. “…Of course there’s always that ‘what if you go somewhere and you could be the main guy and do everything’, but I love the Saints and want to be a Saint.” Ingram indicated that he hadn’t spoken with team representatives since his end-of-season meeting, but said club officials told him at that time they’d like to retain him.
- CFL free agent Delvin Breaux will audition for the Saints on Friday, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. Breaux, a New Orleans native, isn’t eligible to sign with an NFL team until February 10, like all CFL players.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the Saints’ 2015 cap situation — he projects them to be roughly $25MM in the red heading into the offseason, and suggest they could release veterans Jahri Evans and Curtis Lofton to save cap space.
- The Falcons are right to wait on Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, opines Field Yates of ESPN (Insider subscription required). Quinn will make good use of the Atlanta’s talented young corners, writes Yates, but the club will need to find a impact pass-rusher and depth along the defensive line.
Coach Updates: Eagles, Raiders, Bucs, Fewell
We’ve already seen one club make a defensive coordinator hire today, as the 49ers promoted Eric Mangini from tight ends coach to DC. Let’s take a look at some position coach hires and news from around the league…
- The Eagles are expected to add Boston College offensive coordinator Ryan Day as their quarterbacks coach, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Day, who’s been at BC for nine years, will replace Bill Musgrave, who left to take the Raiders’ OC position. Day has a history with Eagles HC Chip Kelly, as Day played under and coached with Kelly at New Hampshire.
- The Raiders have also found a new QB coach, as they are set to hire Bills quarterbacks coach Todd Downing, per Caplan (on Twitter). Downing also interviewed for roles with the Browns and Buccaneers, according to Caplan.
- Not to be outdone, the Buccaneers have become the third team to hire a new QBs coach, as they’ve brought in Mike Bajakian to fill their vacancy, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune (Twitter link). Bajakian, previously the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee, worked under Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith with the Bears. The Bucs have also added ex-Falcons assistant Andrew Weidinger as an offensive quality control coach, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
- Ex-Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has an interview lined up with the 49ers, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter). San Francisco just hired Mangini, so Fewell is presumably a candidate for the Niners’ DB coach job, as Cam Inman of the Mercury News tweets.
- Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com expects (Twitter link) that Falcons assistant offensive line coach Wade Harman will remain on staff as the tight ends coach; as McClure notes, Harman held that same role in Baltimore from 1998-2013.
- Former 49ers secondary coach Ed Donatell has accepted the same position with the Bears, but as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes, Donatell might have missed out on other opportunities in the past. In each of the last two offseasons, San Francisco blocked Donatell from accepting interview requests from the Buccaneers and the Saints, per Maiocco.
Coach Notes: Weis, Gase, Bears, Mornhinweg
The Bears are considering a handful of offensive coordinator candidates, including Charlie Weis, Geep Chryst (49ers), Jim Bob Cooter (Lions), and Adam Gase (Broncos), according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Weis, the former head coach of Notre Dame and Kansas, has been linked to the Browns’ offensive coordinator vacancy in the past. More coaching news..
- Falcons wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie will be back with Atlanta after getting strong overtures from multiple teams in recent weeks, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals are looking to finalize a deal that would make former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau the team’s new linebackers coach, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Browns interviewed Rams quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti for their offensive coordinator vacancy, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Gase is flying to Chicago to meet with the Bears about their offensive coordinator opening, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and things could move very quickly.
- The 49ers are considering Eric Mangini for their defensive coordinator opening, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. Mangini served as the team’s tight ends coach last season and was an offensive consultant with the 49ers the year before that.
- The Browns are expected to interview former Jets and Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg this week at the Senior Bowl, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- A source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that the Bengals will not allow defensive backs coach Vance Joseph to leave his contract. Joseph was previously linked to the Broncos’ defensive coordinator vacancy.
- Washington was interested in Vic Fangio, who ultimately landed in Chicago as the Bears’ defensive coordinator, but never made a formal offer to him. As head coach Jay Gruden explained today, that was because the club felt like Fangio’s mind was already made up on choosing the Bears (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) speculated earlier today that – if Chan Gailey‘s deal fell through – former Packers coach Mike Sherman would have been interested in the Jets‘ offensive coordinator job, though the interest might not have been mutual. Sherman has a relationship with GM Mike Maccagnan dating back to his time in Houston. Hours later, the Jets finalized their deal with Gailey.
NFC South Notes: Colston, Bucs, Falcons
A source close to Saints wide receiver Marques Colston tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that the veteran expects the team to ask him to take a pay cut. Colston is set to make $6.9MM in base salary, but he would be open to a modest cut in order to stay in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that Colston hasn’t been approached by anyone from the Saints with a request to take a pay cut, nor has he expressed a willingness to do that. Last year, Colston hauled in 59 catches for 902 yards and five scores. More out of the NFC South..
- The Buccaneers will face a $7MM decision on defensive end Michael Johnson this winter, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains. Per Florio, the Bucs are already on the hook for $7MM in guaranteed money for Johnson whether or not they cut him, but another $7MM will become guaranteed if he’s on the roster past the third day of the 2015 league year.
- The Falcons like Missouri defensive end Shane Ray, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. However, Pauline cautions that if the team does in fact hire Dan Quinn, Ray’s hand and arm measurements could become crucial, since Quinn is “a stickler for arm length.”
- Longtime Saints college scouting director Rick Reiprish says he has been let go, as Triplett tweets. Reiprish says he was surprised by the news, which was delivered to him by GM Mickey Loomis.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Coach Notes: Joseph, Broncos, Falcons, Bears
It’s been a busy day so far for coaching movement around the NFL, as a pair of 2014 head coaches – Doug Marrone and Dennis Allen – found new assistant roles. Two NFC teams also reached agreements with new defensive coordinators, with the Bears landing Vic Fangio and Washington hiring Joe Barry.
There are still several notable openings around the league, and a handful of coaching-related updates to pass along this afternoon, so let’s dive right in…
- Buzz around the league still suggests that Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph is a favorite for the Broncos‘ defensive coordinator vacancy, tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. However, Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports that the Bengals would still need to grant Joseph permission to leave his position in Cincinnati, which the team has yet to do.
- While there’s some work to be done on the defensive side of the ball, Gary Kubiak and the Broncos have finalized their offensive staff, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, who passes along the details in his latest piece.
- Multiple sources tell Marvez that presumed Falcons head coach Dan Quinn will retain Atlanta’s defensive line coach Bryan Cox and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong. It’s not clear if Cox will hold the same title under Quinn, but the plan is for him to work with the Falcons’ front seven, writes Marvez.
- In addition to reaching an agreement with Fangio today, the Bears also parted ways with several assistants, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Jahns tweets that linebackers coach Reggie Herring, tight ends coach Andy Bischoff, and special teams assistant Dwayne Stukes won’t return to the club.
- Appearing on The John Murphy Show (audio link via BuffaloBills.com), Bills co-owner Kim Pegula admitted that the team didn’t have Rex Ryan on its short list heading into the head coaching interview process, but loved the impression he made in his interview (hat tip to Pro Football Talk). “Rex almost was a candidate we put in there because obviously his name was all around as a candidate that was open and we really didn’t give much thought to him,” Pegula said. “We had obviously interviewed a lot of people before him. And he came in and I think we were just very pleasantly surprised at how very down to earth he really was in person and his love of the game and some of the things that he said on what he really wanted to do with his life and where he wanted to help us as being part of the team.”
Falcons To Hire Kyle Shanahan As OC
The Falcons have hired former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their new offensive coordinator, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
The Falcons still have a head coaching vacancy, and it is unusual for a team to hire a prominent assistant coach before a head coach, but it is believed that Shanahan and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are a package deal, writes Schefter.
Shanahan had other options, with the Ravens and Broncos both interested in the young coordinator. However, he was expected to go with Quinn, who is presumed to be hired by the Falcons after the Super Bowl, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Shanahan’s offensive reputation is high after the past few seasons. He directed some high scoring offenses with the Texans under head coach Gary Kubiak, before joining his father in Washington and leading Robert Griffin III to the Offensive Rookie of the Year and a playoff berth. Shanahan also brought success to Brian Hoyer and the Browns early in the season, leading them to a surprising 7-4 record before collapsing down the stretch.
While it may seem strange, especially considering the uncertainty that involves waiting for Quinn to become available, the Falcons seem focused on signing Quinn and are content to wait for his season to be over.