Extra Points: LA, Chip, Rice, Bucs, Jets
Negotiations between the Rams and Chargers are going well, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole (video link), as the Bolts continue their quest to leave San Diego for Los Angeles. Cole offers a couple of reasons why the Rams hope the Chargers – not the Raiders – join them as LA’s second NFL team. The Rams believe marketing the Raiders in LA would be a challenge, given their past history in the city. Further, the Rams don’t want the Raiders’ rowdy fans in the state-of-the-art stadium and shopping complex they’re building in Inglewood. It appears the Rams won’t have to worry about it, as Cole expects they’ll reach a deal with the Chargers – perhaps in the next two weeks.
More from around the league:
- New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly had control over the 53-man roster in Philadelphia, but that won’t be the case in San Francisco. Kelly says he’s “real comfortable with” general manager Trent Baalke controlling the 53-man roster, per the team’s Twitter account. Kelly also claims to be comfortable with quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. “Obviously Kap is an extremely talented football player and you need a good quarterback to win,” Kelly said, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “But I was also impressed from the film I watched in terms of how Blaine played this year. Both of those players made this an attractive situation.”
- Free agent running back Ray Rice is “still hopeful” about a return to the NFL, he told Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun. Rice, of course, hasn’t been able to find work in the league the last two years as a result of a domestic-violence incident. “I’m not ready to give it up. My second chance, it might take a little longer than I expected, but you know what? I know I still have a lot of game left. I’m not worried about that part of it,” Rice said. The soon-to-be 29-year-old averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per carry in 2013, which currently stands as his final season.
- Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio the notion that he used other head coaching vacancies as leverage so the Bucs would fire Lovie Smith and promote him is “total, 100 percent B.S.”
- Before CFL receiver Eric Rogers agreed to a deal with San Francisco on Wednesday, the Jets made him an offer, tweets the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta.
Staff Updates: Giants, 49ers, Bills, Bears, Fins
The latest coaching staff-related news from around the NFL:
- The Giants have hired Frank Cignetti as their quarterbacks coach, according to Newsday’s Tom Rock, and Dwayne Stukes as their assistant special teams coach (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of Fox Sports). Marvez reported Monday that Cignetti was a candidate to join Ben McAdoo‘s staff as the QBs coach, which has now come to fruition. Cignetti held the position in St. Louis from 2012-14 before a promotion to offensive coordinator last year. That didn’t work out, though, as the Rams fired him during the season.
- In other Giants news, their offensive line coach, Pat Flaherty, is interviewing for the same position with the 49ers, Marvez tweets. The Giants seem set to part ways with Flaherty, so it would obviously be in his best interest to land the 49ers job.
- The Bears have blocked outside linebackers coach Clint Hurtt from becoming the Dolphins’ defensive line coach, reports Thayer Evans of SI.com. Hurtt, who has one year left on his contract with Chicago, is rising up the assistant coaching ranks in the NFL and has drawn interest at both the pro and college levels, according to Thayer.
- Bills assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn is a candidate to become the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. If he does, the Bills could replace him with Wilbert Montgomery, according to ESPN’s Mike Rodak (Twitter link). Montgomery – who has spent the past two seasons coaching Cleveland’s running backs – is familiar with Bills head coach Rex Ryan. Both were on the Ravens’ coaching staff in 2008.
Coaching Notes: Bills, Bucs, Jags, Texans
The Bills have made a groundbreaking hire, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as they’ve named Kathryn Smith a special teams quality control coach. Smith is the NFL’s first-ever full-time female assistant coach. She previously served in lesser roles under Rex Ryan with both the Jets and Bills.
Regarding Smith’s hiring, Ryan said, “She has proven that she’s ready for the next step, so I’m excited and proud for her” (Twitter link via The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne).
Other coaching news from around the NFL . . .
- New Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter will call the team’s offensive plays, but he still plans to hire an O-coordinator (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
- The Jaguars expect to have a defensive coordinator in place by Monday, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. The front-runner for the job is defensive line coach Todd Wash, per O’Halloran (Twitter link). As PFR’s Coordinator Tracker shows, Jacksonville has also shown interest in some currently available outside candidates, having interviewed Jerome Henderson, Marquand Manuel and Lou Anarumo for the job.
- In other Jaguars news, assistant coach coach Doug Marrone will return for a second season with the club, per O’Halloran. Marrone interviewed for four different head coaching vacancies in recent weeks, but those teams hired other candidates.
- Paul Pasqualoni has stepped down as the Texans’ defensive line coach after just one season because of family reasons, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Anthony Weaver, who coached Cleveland’s D-line the past two seasons, could take Pasqualoni’s spot.
- The Colts have named Greg Williams their secondary coach, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Williams was San Diego’s assistant secondary coach the previous three seasons.
- With Terry Robiskie on his way to Tennessee, the Falcons’ wide receivers coach position is open. Atlanta will likely promote offensive assistant Mike McDaniel to take Robiskie’s place, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McDaniel previously coached wideouts in Washington (2013) and Cleveland (2014).
- Changes are coming to the Lions’ strength and conditioning staff, as the club has fired coordinator of physical development Jason Arapoff and assistant strength coach Ted Rath, writes Tim Twentyman of the team’s website.
Extra Points: Titans, Schwartz, Kearse, Harrison
A look around the NFL as divisional weekend wraps up. . .
- The Titans’ owners chose Jon Robinson as the team’s general manager and promoted Mike Mularkey from interim head coach to the full-time role largely because neither came at a high price, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. Further, the decision by Titans ownership to skip a recent league meeting in Houston, home of managing partner Amy Adams Strunk, and announce the Mularkey news during a playoff game aren’t sitting well with the NFL, per La Canfora – who notes that the Titans could change hands by 2017.
- The Jaguars have interviewed Jim Schwartz for their vacant defensive coordinator position, Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez reports (on Twitter). Though the Jags (and others) are courting Schwartz, the 49-year-old is being selective about his future and could take a second straight season away from the sideline, La Canfora reports. Schwartz last served as Buffalo’s D-coordinator in 2014, helping the unit to a fourth overall ranking.
- Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse just finished a career season, catching 49 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns. The four-year veteran, a pending free agent, doesn’t want to parlay his successful 2015-16 showing into a job elsewhere; he’d rather stay where he is. ”I mean I grew up in the state of Washington. I would love to be here,” the soon-to-be 26-year-old said Sunday, per The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta (Twitter link). Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap expects Kearse’s next deal to sit in the $3.5MM-per-year range (Twitter link).
- Like Kearse, Steelers great James Harrison also faces an uncertain future. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker is unsure whether he’ll return next season, which would be his age-38 campaign. “I’ve been doing this for 13, 14 years now, so it’s not something I can easily give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to right now,” he said Sunday, according to Ralph N. Paul of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Harrison is due a $1.25MM base salary in 2016.
NFL/Reserve Future Contracts: 1/17/16
Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters.
Green Bay Packers
- OL Matt Rotheram (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Kansas City Chiefs
- OT Laurence Gibson (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star)
- DL Jimmy Staten (per Paylor, via Twitter)
- WR Fred Williams (according to Paylor, on Twitter)
Falcons, Personnel Director Lionel Vital Part Ways
7:42pm: The Falcons offered Vital a different position, but he declined it, deciding instead to move on, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I just felt, we felt that it would just be fairer for the new guy, who is going to be doing that duty, to deal with fresh people,” Vital said, per Ledbetter. “I don’t want to be staring at him and I don’t want him staring at me. I think it works out for both parties. The Falcons have been good to me. That’s how I want to leave it.”
6:07pm: The Falcons and director of player personnel Lionel Vital have parted ways, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Atlanta is only a year removed from increasing the workload of Vital, whom the team awarded additional pro scouting responsibilities and a role in college scouting last January. However, after a third straight non-playoff season, the Falcons and Vital are going in separate directions.
[RELATED: Falcons To Retain GM Thomas Dimitroff]
Vital, who has racked up 25 years of experience working for various organizations, has strong ties to newly hired Titans general manager Jon Robinson, reports ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky (Twitter link). That could make the 52-year-old a fit to join Robinson in Tennessee.
Latest On Chargers’, Raiders’ Relocation Possibilities
The latest on the NFL’s return to Los Angeles and what it could mean for San Diego and Oakland, courtesy of the LA Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore:
- Representatives from the Rams and Chargers will meet Monday to discuss the possibility of the Bolts joining the Rams in LA in time for the 2016 season. It’s unlikely either of the two owners (the Rams’ Stan Kroenke and the Chargers’ Dean Spanos) will attend the meeting. It will instead be a powwow between the teams’ staff members. Regardless, in order for the Chargers to play in LA next season, they’ll have to reach an agreement with the Rams in the next two weeks. That’s the likely scenario, sources tell Bonsignore, who reports that the Chargers are motivated to leave San Diego behind and team up with the Rams in LA as soon as possible.
- If the Chargers relocate, that would create the possibility of another franchise taking their place in San Diego. That franchise could be the Raiders, who Bonsignore doubts would face a significant relocation fee (if any) if they end up leaving Oakland for San Diego (Twitter link).
- Where would the Raiders play in San Diego? The club might be open to making use of a renovated Qualcomm Stadium, tweets Bonsignore.
Injury Updates: Allen, Okung, Cobb
Some big names have suffered injuries during this weekend’s NFL playoff action. Here’s the latest:
- Panthers defensive end Jared Allen injured his foot during the team’s Sunday win over the Seahawks and and is likely to require season-ending surgery, tweets Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com conflicts Jones’ report, tweeting that Allen plans to continue playing. Allen broke a small bone in his foot, per Rapoport. The 12th-year man is scheduled to undergo an X-ray Monday, according to Jones (Twitter link), which should clarify his status.
- Not only did the Seahawks’ season end in Carolina, but left tackle Russell Okung‘s career with the team may have concluded with an injury. The one-time Pro Bowler and pending free agent dislocated his shoulder, reports The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta (on Twitter). The terrible timing of the injury could have a negative effect on Okung’s market this offseason, notes CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link). On Saturday, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranked Okung, 28, as the ninth-best free agent in the upcoming class.
- Packers receiver Randall Cobb left Saturday’s loss to Arizona early with a bruised lung, but he tweeted Sunday that he was discharged from the hospital and feels “much better.”
Lions Could Decide Jim Caldwell’s Fate Sunday
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is on his way to Detroit, where he’ll meet with new general manager Bob Qu
inn on Sunday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Whether Caldwell returns to the Lions for a third season should be determined during the meeting, and signs are pointing toward his dismissal, reports Birkett.
[RELATED: Lions Hire Bob Quinn As GM]
Though Caldwell has an impressive record in Detroit (18-14 in two seasons), it seems Quinn wants to hire his own coach. That could steer the longtime Patriots executive toward one of the Pats’ coordinators – Josh McDaniels (offense) or Matt Patricia (defense). Quinn particularly likes McDaniels, per Birkett, who notes that the 39-year-old can’t interview with the Lions until the Patriots’ season ends. McDaniels, of course, possesses previous head coaching experience, having gone 11-17 with Denver from 2009-10. As our head coaching search tracker indicates, the only present vacancy McDaniels is connected to is Tennessee’s. Patricia, meanwhile, interviewed with the Browns on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Dolphins, H. Jackson, Bucs, Texans
Before hiring Adam Gase as their head coach Saturday, the Dolphins considered several other candidates. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald passes along some interesting information on a handful of those names.
The Dolphins interviewed ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith, but they felt he lacked “some of the gravitas” for the position. In Mike Shanahan‘s case, Miami’s bigwigs were worried that too many of the two-time Super Bowl winner’s potential assistants had jobs elsewhere, which would’ve negatively affected his ability to assemble a staff. They also had concern about whether Shanahan would be prone to complacency. The Dolphins discussed the idea of pursuing another two-time champion, Tom Coughlin, but they decided the soon-to-be 70-year-old was too advanced in age to factor into their long-term plans. Dan Campbell, the Dolphins’ interim head coach for most of the 2015-16 campaign, was the runner-up to Gase. The team simply didn’t think he was ready for the full-time job. Doug Marrone came in third place, largely because his plan for quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn’t as enticing as Gase’s.
Tannehill didn’t have the belief of ex-head coach Joe Philbin, Salguero offers, but the Dolphins are confident the relationship between him and Gase will bear more fruit.
“We’re convinced you’ll see a different Ryan Tannehill next year,” a team source told Salguero. “That’s how much Adam will affect things around here.”
More from around the NFL:
- Although a report Friday stated that Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is in the lead for the 49ers’ head coaching job, they’ll have serious competition for his services from the Browns, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Jackson will enter his Sunday interview with the Browns viewing them and the 49ers on a level playing field, per Cabot, who notes that other teams with head coaching vacancies could join them in trying to land the 50-year-old. As our head coaching search tracker shows, the only other current opening that Jackson has been connected to is the Giants’, though they haven’t requested a meeting with him at this time.
- Dirk Koetter isn’t the prohibitive favorite to land the Buccaneers’ head coaching job, and they didn’t fire Lovie Smith because they were worried about losing Koetter, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs canned Smith because their ownership was fed up with his ability (or lack thereof) to build a quality coaching staff, his struggles with repairing their defense, and his uninspiring work when it came to putting together the 53-man roster. General manager Jason Licht believes the team will find a capable replacement for Smith. “It’s an excellent situation,” he said. “I’ve already been shown from the interest we’ve received that people want to come to Tampa and coach.”
- After quarterback Brian Hoyer‘s five-turnover performance in the Texans’ 30-0 wild-card round loss to Kansas City on Saturday, Houston could look for a better option under center this offseason. With that in mind, Mike Sando of ESPN.com examined which roads the Texans might take in the coming months (Insider required). Draft-bound Penn State signal caller Christian Hackenberg, whom Texans coach Bill O’Brien recruited when he was at the helm of the Nittany Lions, is an obvious option. Otherwise, Sando lists Colin Kaepernick and free agent-to-be Sam Bradford as possible fits for the Texans.