Changes Coming To Jets’ Ownership?
Despite a highly disappointing 5-11 finish this season, Jets owner Woody Johnson decided Sunday to give both general manager Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles another chance in 2017. It now appears that will be Johnson’s last significant act as the Jets’ owner for at least a little while.
Johnson, 69, is likely to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom once President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20. Johnson will then have to relinquish control of the Jets until his appointment ends. The franchise will remain in the Johnson family, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who reports that Woody Johnson will cede the reins to younger brother Christopher Wold Johnson.
Since Woody Johnson purchased the Jets in 2000, they’ve gone .500 or better in nine of 17 seasons and made six playoff trips. They’re currently stuck in a six-year postseason drought, though, with Maccagnan and Bowles having been around for a pair of those campaigns. The forthcoming change to the franchise’s ownership situation may have helped those two retain their jobs, according to Florio.
Chargers Fire Mike McCoy
As expected, the Chargers have announced the dismissal of head coach Mike McCoy, whose job status was in serious jeopardy earlier Sunday. Chargers president of football operations John Spanos issued in a statement in the wake of McCoy’s firing.
“Mike McCoy is a man of high character, and we thank him for his dedication to the Chargers,” said Spanos. “The decision to dismiss Mike was made in the best interests of our franchise. Our team’s disappointing performance has not matched this team’s potential and has fallen short of the demanding standards that we seek to impose throughout our organization. Our comprehensive search for a new head coach begins immediately.”
The Chargers lost the final game of the McCoy era, 37-27, to the AFC West rival Chiefs in Week 17. That ensured San Diego a 5-11 finish – only a slight improvement over its 4-12 showing in 2015 – and gave McCoy a 27-37 record in four seasons as the club’s head coach.
Before the Chargers’ downward spiral over the past couple years, the McCoy-led team racked up a pair of nine-win seasons and made a playoff trip in 2013. Part of the problem this season was the fact that the Chargers lost 21 players to injured reserve, but that wasn’t enough to save McCoy’s position with the franchise. It certainly didn’t help that the Chargers suffered an ignominious loss in Week 16 to the Browns, who finished the year 1-15.
With Los Angeles relocation likely for the Chargers, they’re reportedly willing to expend resources in their search for a head coach. The Bolts will have plenty of competition from around the league – they’re now the fifth team with a vacancy, and a sixth could join the fray if the 49ers dismiss Chip Kelly.
Jaguars To Interview Harold Goodwin
As they continue their search for to replace fired head coach Gus Bradley, the Jaguars will interview Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin during the upcoming week, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Sunday that Jacksonville would likely interview Goodwin, though he didn’t offer a timeline.
The 43-year-old Goodwin has been the Cardinals’ O-coordinator since 2013, but head coach Bruce Arians has called the plays during that four-season span. Arizona’s offense ranked just 22nd in the NFL in DVOA entering Sunday, but Goodwin is nonetheless drawing interest from multiple head coach-needy teams. Along with the Jaguars, he’s likely to interview with the Bills and Rams.
Before the Cardinals hired Goodwin, he worked as the Bears’ assistant offensive line coach from 2004-06 and then oversaw the O-lines of the Steelers and Colts. He’s now one of several known candidates for the Jaguars’ vacancy, joining interim head coach Doug Marrone, Tom Coughlin and Mike Smith, among others.
Extra Points: Revis, Jets, Bills, Vikes, Panthers
Cornerback Darrelle Revis wants to retire a Jet, he told Brian Costello of the New York Post, but it’s possible the team will release the declining defender in the offseason. Regarding that notion, the 10th-year man offered, “My thing would be this: Do the New York Jets want to treat my situation with class or no class? With me being one of the best players in the history of this franchise, do they want me to retire here or not retire here?”
Revis sees himself as “one of the best cornerbacks to ever play this game,” but he realizes he’s “losing a step.” Thus, the soon-to-be 32-year-old is seemingly open to taking a pay cut to remain with the Jets. “You have to understand what the next step is, what the next chapter is for you, and I understand that,” he said. “You feel where you’re at in your career, you talk to the guys upstairs and see what’s going to best help me and best help the team moving forward.”
Revis is set to rake in a $13MM salary and count upward of $15.333MM against the cap next season, and the Jets surely view those as unpalatable figures. If the two sides do renegotiate Revis’ contract prior to next season, he’ll represent himself.
More from around the NFL:
- Even if Teddy Bridgewater recovers from his disastrous knee injury by next season, the Vikings will begin 2017 with Sam Bradford as their starting quarterback, report Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN. Not only has Bradford fared well this year, but he’ll account for a $17MM cap hit against Bridgewater’s relatively meager $2.18MM charge next season. Both signal-callers are scheduled to become free agents in March 2018.
- Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins opined Thursday that the team needs to “change the culture” in the wake of Rex Ryan‘s firing. Another high-profile Bill, running back LeSean McCoy, shared a similar sentiment Friday. “I think the discipline has been an issue,” McCoy told reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “Players just [need to take] accountability for their own actions. … I just think as players, as professionals, we need to step up and play accountable. That’s the biggest issue.” McCoy added that “the coaches have to be hard on us” and “yell at us,” and revealed that players often had difficulty understanding their on-field assignments under Ryan. Similarly, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said Tuesday that Ryan’s scheme may have been too complicated. It’s worth noting, of course, that Watkins, McCoy and Dareus are likely the Bills’ three best players.
- Panthers offensive lineman Trai Turner expressed confidence Thursday that left tackle Michael Oher would return next season. That will indeed be the case, per ESPN’s David Newton, who writes that Oher is out of the concussion protocol and preparing for the 2017 campaign. The 30-year-old missed all but three games this season as a result of the concussion he suffered in Week 2.
- To recap a day filled with pass rusher-related news, the Seahawks extended Michael Bennett; the Colts’ Robert Mathis, who’s 18th on the all-time sack list, is retiring after Sunday; and the NFL won’t reinstate suspended Raider Aldon Smith this season.
Jamie Collins Open To Re-Signing With Browns
Linebacker Jamie Collins‘ stint with the Browns will go down as a rather short-lived one if the in-season trade acquisition departs Cleveland as a free agent during the offseason. Collins did plenty of winning with his previous team, the Patriots, and is now part of the NFL’s worst club, but he’s nonetheless open to re-signing with the Browns.
“(Losing is a deterrent) but at the same time, money comes into play around that time,” Collins told reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, on Friday. “If the money is right then I could stay here. Obviously I’m not going to turn it down.”
Collins then added that he’s “real close” with his Browns teammates, which could help the franchise’s cause if it makes an earnest attempt to re-sign him. There haven’t been any indications that the Browns and Collins have engaged in contract talks since they traded either a compensatory third-round pick in 2017 or a fourth-rounder in 2018 to New England for him on Halloween. The deal came as a shock to NFL observers, but Collins’ production hasn’t really slowed down in its wake.
Since landing in Cleveland, Collins has amassed 43 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble in seven games. He ranks as Pro Football Focus’ 36th-best edge defender among 110 qualifiers this year, which is more good than great, but the 27-year-old still has a reputation as one of the league’s premier linebackers. During his five-year career, Collins has totaled 12.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and five picks, and is reportedly hoping to turn his impressive output into a deal worth more per year than the $12.36MM star Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly makes. Whatever the cost, head coach Hue Jackson is hoping Collins re-signs with the Browns.
“I just let him to know that we really want him here and try to have him see the vision of what we’re trying to create,” Jackson told Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And show him where he’s going to be a huge piece of that. And hopefully ask him to stay here in Cleveland.”
Jackson’s hopes could rest on whether the Browns are able to re-sign their other priority free agent, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, before the franchise tag deadline in March. If the Browns don’t lock up either Pryor or Collins by then, they might have to decide on which of the pair will hit the open market. Tagging Collins would cost less than Pryor (an estimated $14.754MM versus $15.826MM), but there have been rumblings that Cleveland could simply elect to let the defender walk and receive a 2018 compensatory third-rounder for its trouble. That would essentially offset the move to acquire Collins in the first place.
Cardinals’ Chandler Jones: “I Love It Here”
The Cardinals entered the 2016 season as Super Bowl contenders and will end it as massive disappointments, having stumbled to a 6-8-1 mark with one game remaining. But Arizona’s struggles haven’t been the fault of pass rusher Chandler Jones, whom the team acquired from the Patriots last March in exchange for a second-round pick and now-unemployed guard Jonathan Cooper.
Jones has started in each of his 15 appearances this season and piled up 47 tackles, 21 quarterback hurries, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. As a result, he ranks 10th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualifying edge defenders. Now Jones, who has amassed 45.5 sacks in his five-year career, could be on the cusp of playing his final game with the Cardinals. Although the soon-to-be 27-year-old is an impending free agent, he’d like to stay in Arizona.
“I love it here in Arizona – the coaches, the people, the whole atmosphere,” Jones told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “I love the vibe that people give off and I can see myself being here for a long time.”
The admiration is seemingly mutual, as general manager Steve Keim referred to Jones as “something we have not had here in years” in October. Back then, the Cardinals and Jones had reportedly been discussing a contract extension since training camp, though it’s unclear if those negotiations have continued.
It’s fair to suggest that retaining Jones over the long haul could cost Arizona similar money to what the Giants gave fellow pass rusher Olivier Vernon in free agency last winter. Vernon parlayed 29 sacks in four seasons with the Dolphins into a five-year, $85MM pact with $52MM in guarantees. Jones is aware of that deal, he told Weinfuss, but the Cardinals could place the franchise tag on him before the March deadline if they’re uncomfortable handing out a Vernon-esque contract. Jones is listed as a linebacker, a position that will carry a projected salary of $14.754MM via the tag in 2017, but the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder could argue that he’s a defensive end in order to secure a richer payday ($16.955MM).
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/16
The Bengals have placed offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi on injured reserve and promoted running back Tra Carson from the practice squad to take his roster spot, per Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. Ogbuehi has a partial tear of his right rotator cuff, but it’s unlikely to prevent him from participating in the Bengals’ offseason activities. Nevertheless, it ends an injury-marred year for the 2015 first-round pick, who has also dealt with a sports hernia and a toe ailment in 2016. Ogbuehi did start in 12 of 14 appearances after only serving as a reserve last year, but the Bengals demoted him from right tackle to the bench in Week 13 before moving him to left tackle last Saturday. He’ll end 2016 ranked just 65th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 74 qualifying tackles.
- The Eagles have promoted running back Terrell Watson from the practice squad, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The former Azusa Pacific standout joined the organization in late December after having spent time with the Browns and Broncos. The 23-year-old is expected to see some work in short-yardage situations this weekend.
- The Ravens have claimed wide receiver Vince Mayle off waivers from the Cowboys and placed linebacker Zach Orr on injured reserve, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com was among those to report. Mayle hasn’t been a factor as a wideout, having gone parts of two NFL seasons without a catch, but did get 94 special teams snaps in Dallas this season before it cut him Thursday. Orr, meanwhile, had already been declared out for the Ravens’ season finale against Cincinnati because of a neck issue. He piled up 132 tackles (47 more than any other Raven) and three interceptions this season.
- The Cowboys have promoted offensive lineman Ryan Seymour from the practice squad, reports Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). The former seventh-round pick last made an NFL appearance in 2014, when he played 11 games (three starts) for the Browns.
- The Chiefs have activated linebacker Justin March-Lillard off IR and waived defensive lineman David King, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Kansas City designated March-Lillard to return Dec. 21, which came at running back Jamaal Charles‘ expense. Before March-Lillard broke his hand in October, he started in all five appearances and amassed 22 tackles. King picked up three appearances with the Chiefs (two this year, one last season), but he didn’t record a tackle.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
AFC Notes: Jags, Pats, Browns, Jets, Chiefs
Thanks to the now-fired Gus Bradley‘s disastrous stint as a first-time head coach, the Jaguars are unlikely to hire a replacement who doesn’t bring prior experience, league sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. That makes it all the more probable the team will tab a previously reported candidate like Tom Coughlin, who interviewed Wednesday, interim head coach Doug Marrone or ex-Falcons head coach and current Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Steelers O-coordinator Todd Haley have also been head coaches, but it’s unlikely either will end up a match for Jacksonville, per Mortensen.
More from the AFC:
- Patriots receiver Michael Floyd could face a mandatory 180 days in jail, not the previously reported 45, for his Dec. 12 arrest in Arizona on a Super Extreme DUI charge, report Mortensen and Adam Schefter. Whether the harsher punishment will enter the fray will come down to whether the courts in Arizona regard this as a second offense for Floyd, who has a prior DUI arrest under his belt from his time at Notre Dame. If Floyd gets 180 days, it could put his availability for next season in jeopardy. The impending free agent is currently slated for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 24, just two weeks before he’s scheduled to hit the open market.
- With the first pick in next year’s draft in their sights, Browns executive vice president Sashi Brown and vice president Andrew Berry attended Friday’s Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, to scout North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, writes Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Brown and Berry were previously on hand Wednesday at the Houston Bowl to observe Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, another potential No. 1 overall pick. Trubisky, a junior, hasn’t yet declared for the draft, but the Ohio native is expected to forgo his senior season in favor of the pros. The Browns reportedly “love” the 22-year-old.
- The Jets brought free agent cornerback Chris Culliver in for a Friday visit – but not a workout – tweets Courtney Fallon of NFL Network. Meanwhile, fellow corner Tharold Simon worked out for Gang Green, relays ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Culliver, whom the Dolphins released Nov. 19, didn’t play a game this year after a torn ACL limited him to just six contests as a member of the Redskins last season. Simon appeared in nine games with the Cardinals earlier this season, but the ex-Seahawk barely made a dent on the stat sheet (five tackles).
- The Chiefs tried out free agent defensive backs Elijah Shumate and Jeff Richards on Friday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle and Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links). Neither has appeared in an NFL game.
Tyrod Taylor Could Need Core Muscle Surgery
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor‘s previously reported groin injury could be serious enough to require core muscle surgery, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Taylor will visit Dr. William Myers in Philadelphia after the season ends to determine whether to go under the knife. If he does, recovery time would likely be in the six-week range (link via Austin Knoblauch of NFL.com).
Citing business reasons, the Bills decided Tuesday that they’ll sit Taylor for Sunday’s season finale against the Jets. If Taylor were to play and suffer a severe injury, Buffalo wouldn’t be able to escape the $30.75MM in guarantees remaining on his contract. Taylor’s current issue is unlikely pose a problem for the Bills, per Rapoport, who notes that the 27-year-old should be able to pass a physical by the March 9 deadline for the team to walk away from his contract.
Even if the Bills do opt out of the extension they awarded Taylor last August, the two sides could still work out a different deal during the offseason. Taylor said Thursday he isn’t looking to leave the Bills despite having to cede the starting role to EJ Manuel on Sunday. Manuel was a first-round pick in 2013, but his ineffectiveness over the first couple years of his career helped lead the Bills to sign Taylor as a free agent in March 2015.
During his two years in Buffalo, Taylor has started in all 29 of his appearances, completed 62.6 percent of passes and thrown 37 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The former Baltimore backup has been a bigger weapon on the ground, having rushed for 1,148 yards (5.8 per carry) and 11 scores with the Bills, and should be able parlay his dual-threat abilities into a No. 1 role somewhere in 2017.
AFC Notes: Bills, Browns, Jags, Bengals, Colts
Rex Ryan was a beloved players’ coach with the Jets from 2009-14, but it doesn’t seem that was fully the case during his nearly two-year run in Buffalo. Reacting to the Bills’ Tuesday decision to fire Ryan, one defensive player informed Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne, “That was music to my ears.” Similarly, some other Bills never bought into Ryan and felt he tore down the elite defense he inherited in 2015, according to Dunne (Twitter links). On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Sammy Watkins told the team’s official website that a “culture change” will be in order with Ryan’s successor. “Change the culture, change the mindset and get players on board,” he said. “If they’re not listening, cut them, kick them out, whatever. Sit them on the bench. I think that will help us move forward.”
More from the AFC:
- Browns executive vice president Sashi Brown and vice president Andrew Berry were in attendance at Wednesday’s Houston Bowl to scout Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This isn’t the first connection between Cleveland and Garrett, who could go No. 1 overall in next spring’s draft. The 1-14 Browns will lock up that selection with a loss to the Steelers on Sunday.
- Impending free agent cornerback Prince Amukamara would like to re-sign with the Jaguars on a multiyear deal, but he admitted Thursday that the team has bigger issues on its plate at the moment. “Right now the front office priority is probably finding a head coach and stuff like that, but I would hope to be a priority to them [after the hire],” he told Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. Amukamara, who inked a one-year deal with the Jags last March, has appeared in 13 games and made 11 starts – his highest totals in those categories since 2012. Despite being in danger of posting his first interception-less season, the 27-year-old ranks a respectable 51st among 119 corners at Pro Football Focus. “I think it was huge to just be able to show that I am durable and I can play this game if I’m healthy,” added the former Giant.
- Like Amukamara, Bengals corner Dre Kirkpatrick doesn’t want to leave his current setting. “I love this organization,” the soon-to-be free agent told Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Kirkpatrick, a 2012 first-round pick who’s currently in his fifth-year option season, is second among Bengals corners in snaps (906). He has also picked off exactly three passes for the third time in his career and is set for his second straight year with at least 14 starts. PFF isn’t overly bullish, however, as it ranks Kirkpatrick as this season’s 74th-best corner.
- The Colts worked out linebacker Dezman Moses and safety L.J. McCray on Thursday, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter links). Moses is easily the more experienced of the pair, having appeared in 46 games to McCray’s 22, and has been available since the Chiefs cut him Oct. 7. McCray hasn’t caught on anywhere since the 49ers waived him Sept. 5.
Zach Links contributed to this post.