Vikings Request DC Interview With Brian Flores
We’ve got our first candidate for the Vikings defensive coordinator job. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Vikings have requested permission to interview Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
[RELATED: Vikings Fire DC Ed Donatell]
Flores has once again been a popular name this offseason. The 41-year-old interviewed for the Cardinals head coaching job (and was considered by some to be the favorite), and he’s also been connected to defensive coordinator openings with the Browns and Falcons. These interviews followed a 2022 campaign where Flores served as the Steelers linebackers coach.
Flores does have a minor connection to Minnesota, having overlapped with head coach Kevin O’Connell for a year in New England. The Vikings announced earlier this week that they would “be going in a different direction at defensive coordinator in 2023,” ending the tenure of defensive play-caller Ed Donatell. Several potential candidates have been mentioned for the opening, including Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine.
As our own Sam Robinson recently noted, Flores has never officially held the title of defensive coordinator; he was a position coach in New England while serving as the team’s unofficial DC following Matt Patricia’s exit to Detroit. Flores ended up winning four rings before getting a head coaching gig with the Dolphins in 2019. His tenure in Miami was shaky, culminating in a discrimination lawsuit following his surprise 2022 firing. Still, Flores was connected to a handful of head coaching openings last offseason, and following one year in Pittsburgh, he’s looking at a top coaching role for the 2023 campaign.
Ravens Request OC Interview With Chad O’Shea
The Ravens’ search for a new offensive coordinator has led them to a division foe. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (via Twitter), the Ravens have requested permission to interview Browns wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea for their OC vacancy.
[RELATED: Ravens, OC Greg Roman To Part Ways]
O’Shea spent time with the Chiefs and Vikings before a long stint with the Patriots. During his decade as New England’s wide receivers coach, the Patriots won three rings. He joined Brian Flores in Miami as the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator in 2019, but he only lasted a year before earning his walking papers. The 50-year-old has spent the past three years as the Browns wide receivers coach.
The Ravens parted ways with Greg Roman earlier this week, opening up a major hole on the coaching staff. We’ve since learned that Rams passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson is a candidate for the position, and more names will surely join the fray in the coming days. We also heard the other day that quarterback Lamar Jackson would play a role in the hiring of a new offensive coordinator.
While speaking to reporters earlier this week, Ravens coach John Harbaugh expressed his belief that Baltimore’s OC gig will be a highly sought-after job.
“This is going to be a highly sought-after job; this is one of the top football coaching jobs in the world,” Harbaugh said (via Cabot). “Everybody’s going to want this job. So, I’m looking forward to getting started, and it won’t just be me; it’ll be other coaches and scouts involved in it. We’re going to cast a wide net, and we’re going to look far and wide and close. We’ll get the best fit for what we’re trying to accomplish, and it’s going to be a highly-qualified candidate.”
Latest On Tom Brady’s Future With The Buccaneers
It remains to be seen where (or if) Tom Brady will play in 2023. However, several Buccaneers players believe the quarterback definitely won’t be back in Tampa Bay. Speaking to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Bucs players said their “final interactions” with Brady this season led them to believe that the signal-caller won’t be back in Tampa next year.
[RELATED: Buccaneers To Fire OC Byron Leftwich]
One player told Rapoport that he’d be “surprised if [Brady’s] back,” while another said the QB “sounded like a person saying goodbye for good.” Brady also seemed to bid farewell to the media during his final press conference, another indication that he’d likely be heading elsewhere.
Sources tell Rapoport that Brady is going “to head into his few weeks of decision-making time with an open mind.” The future Hall of Famer will spend time with family while he considers all of his options. While re-signing with Tampa Bay has to be included on the list of options, it’s sounding increasingly more likely that Brady will either sign elsewhere or hang up his cleats (at which time he has a lucrative deal with Fox Sports waiting for him).
Brady went as far as to announce his retirement last offseason before reversing course and returning for another campaign. Some thought Brady’s initial retirement was an attempt to force his way out of Tampa Bay, but whether it was a change of heart of the Buccaneers’ unwillingness to budge, the QB ended up returning for a third season with the organization. It was a tough year for the Buccaneers offense, leading to offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich‘s ouster following the team’s opening-round playoff loss.
A number of teams have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Brady. The Dolphins could make another run at the QB after the organization was punished for their previous pursuit. Brady could look to reunite with former OC Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas or with former teammate Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, and rumors of a move back home to San Francisco will continue to persist.
Cardinals To Interview Dan Quinn For HC Job
Dan Quinn continues to prepare for tomorrow’s showdown against the 49ers, but the Cowboys defensive coordinator is becoming one of the most popular names in the head coaching carousel. The latest addition to the list of potential Quinn suitors is the Cardinals. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have requested permission to interview Quinn for their head coaching vacancy. Pelissero tweets that a virtual interview will take place today.
[RELATED: Cardinals Hire Monti Ossenfort As GM]
Quinn has already crammed in a pair of interview this week; he interviewed in-person with the Broncos last night and then met virtually with the Colts this morning. Quinn was a popular name last year, as well. He was a finalist for the Broncos job, and he also garnered interest from the Bears, Jaguars, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants before ultimately deciding to stick in Dallas.
Quinn started his NFL coaching career with the 49ers. Following stints with the Dolphins and Jets, he joined Seattle in 2009 and eventually worked his way up to Seahawks’ defensive coordinator. He coached the NFL’s best defense in 2013 en route to a Super Bowl championship, and following another successful year in 2014, he was hired as the Falcons head coach prior to the 2015 campaign.
In Atlanta, Quinn had a pair of winning seasons and three others that saw him finish a combined 22-26. His most successful season came in 2016 when he coached the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. Of course, Atlanta ended up surrendering the biggest lead in Super Bowl history in that game, and the team would make only one more playoff appearance before Quinn was ousted five games into the 2020 campaign. He joined Dallas as their defensive coordinator prior to the 2021 season.
With the Cardinals having hired Monti Ossenfort as their new GM, the team continues to add to their list of head coaching candidates. The continually growing list also includes:
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interview requested
- Brian Flores, linebackers coach (Steelers): Interview requested, favorite?
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): To interview 1/21
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed 1/18
- Sean Payton, former head coach (Saints): Granted permission to interview
- Frank Reich, former head coach (Colts): Interviewed 1/17
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers): To interview
Teams Expect Ravens QB Lamar Jackson To Be Available
Following a prolonged injury absence (and a curious no-show during Baltimore’s playoff loss), many have questioned if Lamar Jackson has played his final snap for the Ravens. Many NFL GMs are asking the same question, and some executives have surmised that the quarterback is indeed available. “Rival teams perceive Jackson to be available,” executives told Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post. Some of these possible suitors have already started identifying assets that they could give up in a potential trade.
[RELATED: Ravens Still “All In” On Lamar Jackson Extension]
There are a handful of wrinkles when it comes to a potential Jackson trade. Besides preferring to send Jackson out of the AFC, the Ravens would also be eyeing a deal that nets them both draft picks and young talent. Further, Jackson would have a say in where he’s sent, as no team would sacrifice valuable future assets without an assurance that the quarterback would sign a long-term deal. Plus, assuming Baltimore hits Jackson with an exclusive franchise tag, he would have a de facto no-trade clause until he signs the tender.
Still, there will surely be some teams that are willing to make the blockbuster move. Executives pointed to the Panthers and Falcons as potential suitors, with both teams having made strong runs in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. For Carolina, La Canfora tosses out an idea of a package based around Jaycee Horn, the No. 9 pick, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick, and an NFL GM suggested that’s the kind of trade haul it will take.
“You’ve got to find an owner who hasn’t been able to find his guy [at quarterback] and won’t be scared off by the price tag,” one GM told La Canfora. “And it’s probably a team that is going into next year on the brink. It’s kind of a make-or-break year for the coach or the GM.”
On the flip side, Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes the Ravens won’t trade Jackson in 2023, with the former agent describing 2024 as the “year of reckoning.” A second franchise tag would have the QB eyeing a whopping $54MM haul for the 2024 campaign, and Jackson would still have the ability to finally hit the open market in 2025. Corry opines that the Ravens don’t have to rush a trade right now (especially when they’re in a position to compete), but they’ll be eyeing a significant decision in 2024. If Baltimore doesn’t trade Jackson next offseason, then they’d be running the risk of committing more than $100MM to him for 2023 and 2024 and then being left with just a compensatory pick when he signs elsewhere as a 2025 free agent.
There’s even a chance that Jackson re-signs with the Ravens. It was just last week that we heard the Ravens were still “all-in” on an extension for their franchise player, even with the “powers-that-be” having become “frustrated to the point of exasperated” with the player’s absence. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic cautions that any new deal between the two sides surely won’t be agreed to by the March 7 franchise-tag deadline.
Latest On Extension Talks Between Vikings, WR Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson has put up historic numbers to begin his career, and the Vikings are naturally interested in keeping him for the long run. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acknowledged today that the organization has had “preliminary conversations” with Jefferson’s camp about a long-term deal (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter).
ESPN’s Adam Schefter slightly pushed back at that report (on Twitter). A source told Schefter that while the two sides are expected to have contract talks this offseason, they haven’t officially started negotiations.
Either way, it sounds like the Vikings are prepared to pay to make Jefferson a long-term staple. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise; since entering the league as a 2020 first-round pick, Jefferson has averaged more than 100 receptions and 1,600 receiving yards per season. He took it to another level in 2022, finishing with 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns (plus another score on the ground) en route to his first career first-team All-Pro nod. Jefferson also set an NFL record for most receiving yards through a player’s first three seasons.
Considering Jefferson’s youth and prolific production, there’s a good chance he’ll set at least one new contract benchmark at wide receiver. Davante Adams‘ contract leads the way with $140MM, but Jefferson could also strive for a league-setting AAV (Tyreek Hill, $30MM), total guarantee (Cooper Kupp, $75MM), and/or full guarantee (A.J. Brown, $56.4MM).
Considering the impending financial investment, Adofo-Mensah described the situation as a “champagne problem” for the front office to deal with.
“I wouldn’t use the word challenge,” Adofo-Mensah said (via Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune). “You got a special player, a special person. Those aren’t problems. Or at least those are champagne problems. So we’ll start there.
“We’ll get back to [contract talks] in the planning. It really starts from the player, the person and we’ll work on solutions from there on.”
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/18/23
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
- DB Myles Dorn
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles
- DB Tristin McCollum
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- OT Michael Niese, LB J.J. Russell
According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter), there was a bit of competition for offensive lineman Kyle Hinton’s services. The 2020 seventh-round pick spent much of the season on the Vikings practice squad, and they looked to sign him to a reserve/futures contract. However, he ended up opting for the Falcons, who gave him an $100K signing bonus.
Seahawks Sign K Jason Myers To Extension
Jason Myers is staying in Seattle. The Seahawks announced on Twitter that they’ve signed their kicker to an extension.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that it’s a four-year extension worth $21.1MM. The deal can max out at $22.6MM based on incentives. Myers was set to hit free agency in March but will now be sticking with the Seahawks through the 2026 campaign. In terms of total value, the $21.1MM contract will trail only Younghoe Koo ($24.25MM), Justin Tucker ($24MM), and Jason Sanders ($22MM) at the position, while the $5.25MM average annual value is second to Tucker ($6MM).
Following a three-year stint with the Jaguars and a Pro Bowl season with the Jets, Myers inked a four-year, $15.45MM deal with the Seahawks in 2019. During his four years with the organization, he’s connected on 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 93.5 percent of his extra point tries. Myers also connected on 37 straight field goals between 2019 and 2021, the fourth-longest streak in NFL history.
Myers made his second career Pro Bowl appearance in 2022. He ended up converting 34 of his 37 field goal attempts and 41 of his 42 extra point attempts. He also contributed five points during Seattle’s playoff loss to the 49ers.
Cardinals To Interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn For HC Job
Day by day, the Cardinals continue to add names to their head coaching search. The latest candidate is Aaron Glenn, with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have requested permission to interview the Lions defensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Glenn will meet with the organization on Saturday.
It was only a few months ago that Glenn was rumored to be on the hot seat following Detroit’s 1-6 start to the 2022 campaign. The Lions managed to turn around their season with an 8-2 finish, putting Glenn back on the coaching radar. A year after having interviewed for the Saints’ head coaching position, Glenn got an interview with the Colts for their current vacancy. Ben Johnson was also a popular coaching candidate following the Lions’ season, but the offensive coordinator ultimately decided to stick in Detroit.
Glenn made a name for himself as the Saints defensive backs coach, a role he held for five years. He took over the Lions gig in 2021, and while the defense still allowed the most yards and the fifth-most points in the NFL in 2022, he earned praise for his development of defensive players like Aidan Hutchinson, James Houston, Jeff Okudah and Kerby Joseph.
We heard last night that the Cardinals had requested permission to interview Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. He was added to a growing list of candidates that also includes Steelers linebackers coach Brian Flores (who was also mentioned as a potential favorite), Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, former Saints head coach Sean Payton, former Colts head coach Frank Reich, and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. Besides Payton and Reich, the coaching candidates all come with a defensive pedigree, which is perhaps a hint that the Cardinals are looking to pivot from the offensive-focus of former head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Cardinals Request HC Interview With Ejiro Evero
Ejiro Evero is turning into a very popular name for head coaching gigs. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), the Cardinals have requested permission to interview the Broncos defensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy.
[RELATED: Cardinals Hire Monti Ossenfort As GM]
Evero has bounced around the NFL coaching ranks in pursuit of promotions, culminating in him being hired as the Broncos defensive coordinator prior to the 2022 campaign. That unit certainly wasn’t a world beater this past year, but Evero earned praised for guiding what was ultimately the league’s seventh-best total defense. In fact, the coach impressed so much, he was offered an in-season promotion to interim head coach following the firing of Nathaniel Hackett. Evero decided to retain his DC title for the rest of the season, although he did garner an interview for the full-time position after the season.
The 42-year-old has now been connected to every head coaching vacancy in the NFL. Besides Denver’s vacancy, he previously interviewed with the Colts and Texans. The Panthers also recently requested permission to speak with him.
Evero joins a growing list of candidates that includes Steelers linebackers coach Brian Flores, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, former Saints head coach Sean Payton, former Colts head coach Frank Reich, and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. Following yesterday’s news that the Cardinals were hiring Monti Ossenfort as their new general manager, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that owner Michael Bidwell is in favor of pairing the former Patriots executive with Flores, the Patriots’ former defensive coordinator. Flores indeed has momentum here, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
Regardless, we should be getting some clarity on the vacancy soon. Bidwill said today that he expects to make a hire “in a matter of days,” per NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano (on Twitter). It’s uncertain if today’s developments have changed Bidwell’s timeline.