Dolphins A Potential Suitor For Tom Brady?
Tom Brady-to-Miami is back on the table. A source “with general knowledge of the various dynamics regarding all things Brady” told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that a move to the Dolphins is “definitely on the table.”
This obviously isn’t the first time that Brady has been connected to the organization. Miami’s previous pursuit of the quarterback led to a tampering scandal that resulted in significant penalties for the organization and their owner, Stephen Ross. Either way, the Dolphins clearly had Brady’s ear as they looked to team the future Hall of Famer with head coach Sean Payton. Thanks in part to Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the Dolphins, that plan was scrapped, and following a brief retirement, Brady ended back in Tampa Bay.
The 45-year-old will hit free agency this offseason, providing no barriers to him joining the Dolphins. As opposed to his last trip to free agency, Brady should have more than a couple of teams competing for his services. It remains to be seen if Brady would still be interested in moving to Miami, but among the hypothetical suitors, they’d make sense from a roster standpoint.
Another major part of this story revolves around current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If the Dolphins do land Brady, Florio said it’s uncertain if the Dolphins would move on from Tua or if they’d keep him as a backup. If the organization can find another team that would “assume the concussion risks,” then the incumbent QB would be a natural trade candidate. His $4.7MM financial commitment in 2023 certainly isn’t a concern for the Dolphins or any trade suitors, so either route wouldn’t be overly surprising.
Brady’s third season in Tampa Bay saw him complete 66.8 percent of his passes for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Despite an 8-9 record, the Buccaneers qualified for the postseason. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, guided the Dolphins to an 8-5 record in 13 starts, tossing a career-high 25 touchdowns vs. only eight interceptions. He won’t start their Wild Card matchup against the Bills as he continues to sit in concussion protocol.
Jets, OC Mike LaFleur Part Ways
Mike LaFleur is out. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter), the Jets are moving on from their offensive coordinator. Connor Hughes of SNYtv first tweeted that the Jets were allowing the coach to “pursue other opportunities,” while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says (on Twitter) the two sides “mutually” parted ways.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter), teams have inquired on LaFleur‘s availability in recent days. Hughes adds that the Jets spoke with their offensive coordinator over the past few days, with the two sides ultimately deciding that it was best to move on.
This officially ends the will-they, won’t-they saga in New York. As the Jets’ playoff hopes dwindled and with the offensive averaging 15 points per game over the final three weeks, there was rampant speculation that the Jets could look to make a coaching change on the offensive side of the ball. Head coach Robert Saleh, who is a longtime friend of LaFleur, backed his OC in recent weeks, noting the organization’s committed “to go young everywhere – coaches, players, staff, everybody.”
The rumors seemed to hit a peak earlier today when Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork tweeted that LaFleur and the organization had parted way. Jets beat reporters were quick to refute that report, with Hughes tweeting tonight that the Jets’ initially planned to keep LaFleur as their offensive coordinator. Indeed, a source told Josina Anderson that the discussions were finalized “over the last couple of hours” (Twitter link).
The Jets will begin their OC search tomorrow, according to Costello (on Twitter). Saleh previously said that he wants to hire a veteran offensive coach that can fill the role previously held by Greg Knapp, per Cimini (on Twitter). It’s uncertain if he’ll be seeking similar qualities in a new offensive coordinator. Any new addition will have immense pressure to improve an offense that has major question marks at quarterback.
LaFleur‘s two years in New York proved to be a disappointment, with the Jets ranking mostly in the back-half of the league in most offensive categories. Still, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently wrote, LaFleur is respected around the NFL for “his play designs and understanding of the Shanahan system,” with the coach having spent four years as the 49ers passing game coordinator before joining Saleh in New York. There are three other squads with offensive coordinator openings, and if LaFleur is already generating interest, there’s a chance he lands on his feet relatively quickly.
The Jets will have a handful of additional coaching vacancies to fill. Fowler tweets that the organization will also be looking to hire a replacement for wide receivers coach Miles Austin, who is facing a suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, and an assistant defensive line coach.
Latest On Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy’s Job Security
Mike McCarthy has helped guide the Cowboys to consecutive 12-win seasons, but if the team fails to make any noise in the playoffs, some have wondered if the head coach will be afforded a long leash. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to shut down that sentiment during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas yesterday, with the executive giving his head coach a vote of confidence.
“No. I don’t even want to … No. That’s it,” Jones said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “I don’t need to go into all the pluses or minuses. I’ve got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game.
“I can’t tell you how much confidence I’ve got in Mike and our coaching staff of being on top of where we are with this team right now. They’ve got every nuance. They understand every frailty that we might have or we might have shown Sunday [in the loss to Washington]. They’ve got everything in their grasp and in their understanding, and I have complete confidence in this coaching staff. It’s outstanding. We’ve got a great chance to go down there and have success.”
McCarthy’s first season in Dallas was a dud, and following a 12-win campaign in 2021, the team proceeded to lose their first playoff game. The Cowboys are in the postseason following another 12-win season, but as Archer points out, that kind of success hasn’t always led to job security in Dallas. Chan Gailey was the last Cowboys head coach to lead the team to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but he was let go following a second-straight playoff disappointment. Jones has since admitted that the Gailey firing was a mistake, and it appears he won’t make a rash decision on McCarthy.
As ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently wrote, in recent years, we can take Jones at his word when it comes to head coach proclamations. However, the writer also cautions that an ugly loss to Tampa Bay on Monday could change the executive’s mind. In fact, sources tell Graziano that they wouldn’t be surprised if Dallas ends up making a change at head coach.
McCarthy still has two years remaining on his contract. The 59-year-old previously had a long stint in Green Bay that saw him win 125 regular season games and 10 playoff contests, including a victory in Super Bowl XLV. The Cowboys, meanwhile, haven’t made it past the Divisional Round of the playoffs since 1995.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/23
Teams continue to sign players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- P Nolan Cooney, OL Julién Davenport, LS Joe Fortunato, K Elliott Fry, CB Nate Hairston, S JuJu Hughes, LB Blake Lynch, TE Chris Pierce, TE Bernhard Seikovits, OL Lachavious Simmons, WR Auden Tate, S Josh Thomas, OL Badara Traore, WR Javon Wims
Denver Broncos
New Orleans Saints
- G Koda Martin, CB Troy Pride
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick, DB Madre Harper, DB Kenny Robinson, DB Chris Wilcox
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/11/23
Here are today’s practice squad transactions:
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Kaden Davis, LB Olakunle Fatukasi, OL George Moore
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/23
Only one minor move to pass along this evening:
Minnesota Vikings
- Designated for return: OT Blake Brandel
Brandel suffered an MCL injury in December that forced him to miss the final four games of the season. The 2020 sixth-round pick saw an increase in playing time prior to his injury, starting three games while filling in for Christian Darrisaw. Brian O’Neill is currently down with an injury, perhaps opening an opportunity for Brandel to play in the postseason.
Adam Peters Declines Titans, Cardinals GM Interviews
It sounds like Adam Peters will be staying in San Francisco. The 49ers assistant general manager has declined GM interviews with the Titans and Cardinals, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). While Peters “has great respect for those organizations, his focus is on supporting the 49ers during their playoff run,” per Rapoport.
Peters spent eight years in Denver before joining San Francisco in 2017. After starting as vice president of player personnel, the Bay Area native was promoted to assistant GM in 2021, with the 49ers collecting 23 regular season wins during his two years in the role. According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter), Peters has widely been viewed as the successor to general manager John Lynch.
Still, that sentiment hasn’t stopped teams from pursuing Peters. After being loosely connected to GM vacancies for a few years, the executive made it to the second round of interviews with the Panthers in 2021 (prompting his promotion to 49ers assistant GM) and the Giants in 2022. Peters has clearly been turning into a hot name on the GM circuit, and with two requests this offseason, it was only a matter of time until he got the gig. However, he appears to be more content to stay in San Francisco, where he could eventually become GM.
Steve Keim permanently stepped away from the Cardinals due to health-related reasons, leading to a vacancy in Arizona’s front office. Meanwhile, the Titans made the surprising move to fire GM Jon Robinson in early December.
Raiders Looking Into Tom Brady Addition
Tom Brady still has at least one more game to play for the Buccaneers, but that hasn’t stopped pundits (and, potentially, other NFL teams) from considering where he could play next season. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show (Twitter link), Albert Breer of TheMMQB said the Raiders are “unequivocally” looking into the possibility of adding the future Hall of Famer.
The Brady/Raiders comment was preceded by a question about Jimmy Garoppolo, with Breer noting that the Raiders are also doing their due diligince on the 49ers QB. In fact, Breer believes Derek Carr was thrown into a de facto competition with the two impending free agents, with Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler, and co. ultimately deciding they could squeeze more out of the quarterback position from someone else.
As Breer explains, when the current regime initially signed Carr to an extension, they thought they were locking in their equivalent of Alex Smith in Kansas City. In other words, the Raiders thought their veteran QB would be able to guide them to postseason performances while the front office identified their play-caller of the future. At 31, Jimmy G could allow the Raiders to continue with that plan, while Brady would obviously force the organization to go in a completely different direction as they load up for temporary contention.
With McDaniels and Ziegler having both worked alongside Brady and Garoppolo in New England, the connections are obvious, and it really wouldn’t be surprising if one of these QBs reunites with their former coach in Las Vegas. At the moment, the big question is which of these two quarterbacks is atop the Raiders’ wish list.
Elsewhere in Raiders QB news, the organization is set to meet with Carr soon. As Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal explains, the QB and the Raiders agreed to meet after the season to “discuss the situation and all the various options.”
Texans Request HC Interview With Mike Kafka
Mike Kafka is turning into a popular name on the head coaching circuit. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Texans have requested permission to interview the Giants offensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy.
[RELATED: Texans Request Five HC Interviews]
As our 2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Kafka joins an initial five-man list that includes Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.
Kafka, a 2010 fourth-round pick out of Northwestern, stuck around the NFL for six years before turning to coaching. He got his first NFL gig with the Chiefs in 2017, and he quickly became Kansas City’s QBs coach and, later, their passing-game coordinator. Kafka’s stint as QBs coach coincided with Patrick Mahomes‘ ascension, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Brian Daboll hired him as the Giants new offensive coordinator.
Kafka was entrusted with the role of offensive play-caller in New York, a surprising development considering Daboll’s offensive success in Buffalo. The Giants were middle-of-the-road in offense this past season,but Kafka was still credited with helping the offense climb out of the cellar. The team also saw strong efforts from Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, sparking optimism about Kafka’s ability to function with different personnel.
Thanks to the Giants’ surprising performance in 2022, Kafka has started to generate some interest as a head coach. He was previously connected to the Panthers head coaching gig, and now he’ll get a look as Lovie Smith‘s replacement in Houston.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/10/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Nick Boyle
- Released: DT Christian Ringo
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Vernon Butler
- Released: DL Jack Heflin
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Chris Garrett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Duron Lowe
Tennessee Titans
- Released: CB Kyron Brown, QB Kevin Hogan, G Danny Isidora