Bill Belichick Showed Interest In Jets HC Job
Before Bill Belichick officially joined the University of North Carolina, the iconic head coach did his due diligence on the impending NFL hiring cycle. Over the past year, reporters and pundits tried to connect Belichick to a number of NFL coaching gigs, and through it all, there seemed to be one consistent sentiment: he would never return to the Jets.
[RELATED: Bill Belichick To Become UNC Head Coach]
Not so fast, according to Dianna Russini. According to The Athletic reporter, Belichick recently reached out to the Jets organization to express interest in their head coaching job. Brian Costello of the New York Post has confirmed the report, noting that it was Belichick himself who reached out to the Jets.
There were never any formal conversations between the two sides considering the rapid developments with the Tar Heels. Belichick did not speak with Woody Johnson, per Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager, but rather with search committee head (and ex-Jets GM) Mike Tannenbaum. But while Belichick’s camp tested the NFL waters in search for his next coaching gig, it’s shocking that he gave the Jets more than a cursory look.
There’s been tension between the two sides for nearly three decades. Belichick was famously chosen to replace Bill Parcells as the Jets sideline leader, but after only one day in the role, he shocked the NFL world by resigning as “HC of the NYJ.” Belichick was quickly scooped up by the Patriots (who ultimately had to send the Jets a first-round pick), and the head coach proceeded to torment his former franchise over the following years.
Belichick dropped three straight games to the Jets to begin his tenure in New England. After that, the Patriots proceeded to go 38-9 against their division rival (including playoffs), with Belichick earning six Super Bowl rings during that span. The coach has also been publicly critical of Johnson, and he’s carried that rhetoric into his 2024 media role. The Jets were also responsible for launching the 2007 Spygate investigation, a factor that Belichick has always held against the rival (and former protege Eric Mangini). In other words, it would have been a shocking development for the coach to suddenly go crawling back to the organization.
Belichick’s 2000 Jets resignation occurred shortly before Johnson bought the team, with the looming ownership change factoring into Belichick’s desire not to succeed Parcells. Belichick had been Jets DC under Parcells prior to the latter’s succession plan combusting not long after it became official.
On the flip side, if Belichick did return to the NFL, it was assumed he’d be interested in a win-now squad. The Jets were built to contend for a Super Bowl in 2024 before things went off the rail. Belichick has also shown a deep respect for Aaron Rodgers, and with other foundational pieces on both sides of the ball, you could see why any coach would be interested in the Jets job for 2025.
Belichick appears to be committed to UNC for the long haul, so his reported interest in the Jets job would merely be a footnote in his football story. Still, there’s no denying that the pairing would have shocked the NFL world and commanded headlines for much of the offseason.
Colts Place T Braden Smith On Non-Football Illness List
Braden Smith‘s personal matter will keep him off the field for the rest of the season. The Colts announced that they’ve placed the offensive tackle on the reserve/non-football illness list. In a corresponding move, the team has promoted guard Mark Glowinski from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation.
Smith sat out Indy’s Week 13 contest while dealing with the unreported personal issue, and the team was off during their Week 14 bye. When the Colts return to the field tomorrow, they’ll be without their starting OT, and they’ll have to navigate the rest of the season without the veteran.
The 2018 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Colts, starting 92 of his 94 appearances (plus another three playoff starts). Pro Football Focus has generally graded Smith as one of the league’s better OTs, including a 2023 campaign where he ranked fifth among 81 qualifying players. In 2024, Smith ranks 46th among 81 qualifiers.
Still attached to a four-year, $72.4MM contract he inked in 2021, Smith has struggled to stay on the field in recent years. With the lineman now out for the 2024 campaign, Smith will have missed at least five games in three of the past four years. Third-round rookie Matt Goncalves will continue to fill in at right tackle for the rest of the season.
Colts center Ryan Kelly won’t be activated for tomorrow’s game, meaning Tanor Bortolini will continue to start for the squad. With two OL mainstays out of the lineup, Glowinski will provide some veteran depth in case the Colts lose another blocker. Glowinski had a four-year stint as the Colts starting right guard before he left for the Giants during the 2022 offseason. The 32-year-old was cut back in March, but it took him until November to catch on with Indy’s practice squad.
Commanders DT Jonathan Allen Hoping To Return In 2024
Jonathan Allen‘s pectoral injury was once deemed season-ending, but the Commanders defensive lineman is still hoping to return in 2024. According to ESPN’s John Keim, Allen “has not abandoned hope” that he can return this season.
[RELATED: Commanders DT Jonathan Allen Suffers Season-Ending Pectoral Injury]
The veteran suffered his pectoral injury back in November, but there was some good news during his subsequent surgery. While it was initially believed that Allen tore his muscle, Keim notes that doctors discovered that Allen’s pectoral muscle was only partially torn. While Allen eventually landed on IR, there was growing hope that he could return for the stretch run of the 2024 campaign. Keim adds that later checkups helped maintain optimism that Allen could play again this season.
In anticipation of a potential return, the defensive lineman has been recently working out at team facilities with a hope of returning before the end of December. Keim writes that Allen would have to prove that he’s “regained all his strength” before he’d be allowed back on the field.
The 2017 first-round pick has spent his entire career in Washington, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods while transforming into one of the organization’s top defenders. After collecting 22 sacks and 22 QB hits between 2021 and 2023, Allen was continuing to produce in 2024, collected a pair of sacks and six QB hits through six games. The 29-year-old is on the books through 2025 (although none of his 15.5MM base salary for that year is guaranteed). With the organization also invested in Daron Payne and used a pair of recent second-round picks at the position (Phidarian Mathis, Jer’Zhan Newton), leading some teams to sniff around last offseason about a potential Allen trade.
With Allen out of the lineup, Mathis and Newton have basically split snaps playing next to Payne. Sheldon Day and Jalyn Holmes also saw an uptick in playing time when Allen went down with an injury. Mathis was a healthy scratch back in Week 13, so the team wouldn’t have any difficult decisions to make if Allen returns.
Chiefs Waive K Matthew Wright, Activate K Harrison Butker
Days after earning the Special Teams Player of the Week award, Matthew Wright has been cut. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs have waived their fill-in kicker. In a corresponding move, the Chiefs have activated starting kicker Harrison Butker from IR, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Wright represented Kansas City’s third kicker of the 2024 campaign. Butker suffered a knee injury last month that ultimately landed him on injured reserve. The Chiefs initially turned to Jets practice squad kicker Spencer Shrader, who got into two games with the Chiefs. However, Shrader suffered a hamstring injury that also required a stint on IR, leading the Chiefs to add Wright from their practice squad to the active roster.
Over the past two weeks, Wright has been responsible for 26 of the Chiefs’ 38 points. This included a performance from last weekend where the kicker connected on all four of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning attempt that doinked off the upright before going in.
Wright has been called on as a fill-in throughout his career. Since 2020, he’s made appearances with five different squads, and he’s had offseason and/or practice squad gigs with a handful of additional teams. In total, he’s connected on 86.4 percent of his field goal tries and 95.2 percent of his XP attempts. He got his longest look as a starter in 2021 with the Jaguars, when he converted 21 of his 24 FGAs.
The Chiefs will now turn back to Butker, who’s served as the team’s kicker since the 2017 campaign. The veteran’s knee injury popped up in mid-November and ultimately required arthroscopic surgery. Fortunately for the Chiefs, Butker only ended up needing a minimum stay on IR, as the 29-year-old will return to the field after missing only four games.
Butker’s injury followed an offseason where the Chiefs made him the league’s highest-paid kicker with a $6.4MM-per-year deal. In nine games this year, the veteran has connected on 18 of his 20 field goal attempts and 21 of his 22 XP tries. Butker finished last season having converted a career-high 94.3 percent of his field goal tries and all 38 of his extra point attempts, and he was perfect during the Chief’s subsequent Super Bowl run.
Giants CB Tre Hawkins Suffers Spine Injury, G Jon Runyan “Week To Week”
Giants cornerback Tre Hawkins is likely done for the season. The second-year pro suffered a fractured lumbar spine yesterday, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
While the injury sounds extreme, Duggan cautions that it’s “not as bad as it sounds.” The injury isn’t considered a long-term issue, and Hawkins is expected to avoid surgery. Still, considering only four games remain on New York’s regular season schedule, there’s a good chance the cornerback doesn’t make his way back to the lineup this year.
It’s poor timing for the former sixth-round pick, who’s coming off the best game of his career. Hawkins finished the contest with six tackles, two passes defended, and an interception (the first by a Giants defensive back in 2024, per Duggan).
After getting into 17 games as a rookie, Hawkins has only been limited to three appearances in 2024, so it hasn’t been an easy season for the Old Dominion product. With all of Deonte Banks, Cordale Flott, and Dru Phillips out of the lineup, Hawkins finally had a chance to contribute, and there’s a good chance he would have stayed in the lineup for the stretch run of the season.
Depending on how the rest of the team’s depth shakes out, the Giants may need to dig even deeper into their roster and lean on the likes of Art Green and Dee Williams (along with Adoree’ Jackson and Greg Stroman, who both got long looks yesterday).
The Giants are also dealing with injuries on the other side of the ball, as coach Brian Daboll declared left guard Jon Runyan as “week to week” with an ankle injury (per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). After spending the first four seasons of his career in Green Bay, the veteran inked a three-year deal with the Giants this past offseason. He proceeded to start each of the Giants first 13 games this season, and he hadn’t missed a snap until yesterday’s game. Veteran Aaron Stinnie soaked up the rest of the snaps once Runyan exited yesterday’s loss.
The team is currently navigating a long list of injuries on the OL. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is on IR, and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor has recently been sidelined with a quad injury. In addition to Runyan’s injury yesterday, the team also lost John Michael Schmitz to a neck injury.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/9/24
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Benny Sapp III
- Released: S Dane Cruikshank
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OL Michael Jordan
- Released: OT Spencer Rolland
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: S Travion Fluellen
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/24
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: CB Amani Oruwariye
- Signed to active roster: CB Kemon Hall
- Elevated: CB Andrew Booth
- Placed on IR: CB Josh Butler, G Zack Martin (story)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: K Cade York
New England Patriots
- Designated for return: OT Caedan Wallace
Patriots third-round rookie Caedan Wallace is set to return to practice for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in early October. Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the rookie lineman “stayed close” to veteran David Andrews as the two went through their respective rehabs. Considering New England’s current patchwork OL, Wallace should get some run before the season ends.
Broncos Host CB Jerry Jacobs
The Broncos are eyeing some potential cornerback depth. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the team hosted veteran CB Jerry Jacobs on a workout today. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver notes that “are no plans to sign him at this time,” although things could change as the Broncos get through the week.
That’s because Riley Moss is currently dealing with an MCL issue that will surely put his status in doubt for Week 15. The starting CB suffered the injury back in Week 12, and he was inactive for Week 13. Even with the Week 14 bye, the Broncos seem to at least be planning for another absence.
Jacobs would represent some experienced depth for Denver. The former UDFA had a consistent role in Detroit between 2021 and 2023, starting 29 of his 40 appearances while compiling 131 tackles, four interceptions, and 23 passes defended. Jacobs never graded out as an above-average CB by Pro Football Focus, and he’s gone unsigned since a brief offseason stint with the Rams.
The Broncos currently have an open practice squad spot and could easily bring Jacobs on, but the team may simply be eyeing a contingency in case they lose more depth at the position throughout the week. Levi Wallace was the main beneficiary of Moss’s recent injury, with the veteran earning more snaps alongside Patrick Surtain II and Ja’Quan McMillian. The rest of the team’s positional depth consists of Damarri Mathis, Tremon Smith, and Kris Abrams-Draine.
49ers To Place OL Ben Bartch On IR
The injury woes continue for the 49ers. Ben Bartch has been a bright spot for the 49ers over the past few weeks, but the offensive lineman will now miss the remainder of the regular season. The guard is expected to land on injured reserve later this week, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
Bartch suffered a high ankle sprain during yesterday’s win that will require an IR stint. The fifth-year player will now have to miss at least the next four games. With only four contests remaining on the schedule, Bartch’s only hope of playing again during the 2024 campaign would be in the playoffs.
A former fourth-round pick by the Jaguars, Bartch moved around the offensive line in Jacksonville, shifting in and out of the starting lineup. He was snagged by the 49ers off the Jaguars practice squad midway through the 2023 season, and he managed to get into five games down the stretch in San Francisco.
The 26-year-old was buried on the depth chart to begin the 2024 campaign and only recently got into the lineup after left guard Aaron Banks suffered a concussion. Bartch started each of the past two games for the 49ers, and he’s appeared in 65 snaps across the past three weeks. In his small sample size, Bartch has graded as the second-best OL on the 49ers this season, per Pro Football Focus.
When Bartch went down with his injury yesterday, Spencer Burford stepped in at LG. Fortunately for the 49ers, Banks passed concussion protocol and could also be inserted back into the starting lineup for Week 15 (per Wagoner).
Lions OC Ben Johnson Won’t “Chase” HC Interviews
Ben Johnson will once again be one of the most popular names on the coaching market this offseason. However, unlike past hiring cycles, the Lions offensive coordinator will be a bit more methodical with the process.
According to Albert Breer of TheMMQB, Johnson is taking a “different approach” this offseason. Specifically, the OC doesn’t intend to “chase interviews,” and he’ll only talk with teams that he’s genuinely interested in joining. We heard a similar sentiment last month, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter noting that Johnson intends to be “highly selective” with his next gig.
Further, Johnson is seeking “organizational alignment” between the head coach and general manager. Considering HC-needy teams will mostly be seated towards the bottom of the standings, the coach is also seeking “recognition” from organizations about their shortcomings. This would require interested teams to explain where things have gone wrong and how they intend to fix the issues.
As the Lions have climbed into a Super Bowl-contending position, Johnson has become a hot name on the coaching market for each of the past two offseasons. He was viewed as the leader for the Panthers’ HC job in 2023, and he was in pole position to replace Ron Rivera in Washington this past offseason. Both times, Johnson decided to stick in Detroit, and after receiving a raise several years ago, his current Lions deal runs through 2025. The Lions would surely pony up if Johnson wants to stay with the organization, but it seems like the coach is finally set to lead his own staff. The Bears have already been mentioned as a potential suitor, and other teams will surely emerge as the season comes to an end.
On the other side of the ball, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is also expected to be a popular name as the coaching market heats up. Breer points to two squads that already have a connection to the coach: the Jets (where Glenn spent the first eight seasons of his playing career) and the Saints (where Glenn coached for five years prior to his stint in Detroit).