Todd Monken Interviews Go Well; Previous HC Experience Helping
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is currently calling one of the most important games of his coaching career, something he spent almost all week preparing for. Unfortunately, he had to spend any free time he had interviewing for what could be the biggest jobs of his career. Despite the distraction of the playoffs, Monken has done well in his interviews, thanks, in part, to his previous experience as a head coach at the collegiate level, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. 
Firstly, Monken commiserated with fans, lamenting that he was being forced to split his attention between two outstanding opportunities: the chance to continue competing for a Super Bowl and the chance to coach an NFL team for the first time in his career. Still, he understood the necessity of the situation while the NFL presumably seeks a solution to the conflict.
The plus is that the Ravens’ performance in the playoffs acts as a sort of supplement to his interviews, giving NFL teams a real-life example of what his coaching and leadership can lead to. As long as the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson continue to put up impressive performances against the league’s best, Monken will continue to improve his chances at landing an opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL.
As much as his current performance is factoring in, the teams interviewing him have been looking into his past, as well. Monken has extensive experience as an offensive coordinator for three different universities and three different NFL teams, but he also has three years of experience as the head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Monken took over a Southern Miss program in 2013 that had just fired Ellis Johnson following an 0-12 season. With an offensive nucleus of Nick Mullens at quarterback and Ito Smith and Jalen Richard at running back, Monken gradually turned the Golden Eagles around. A 1-11 debut improved to a 3-9 second year at his post before, ultimately, Monken had the team in the conference championship game with a 9-3 regular season record. As impressive as Monken’s recent experience as a coordinator is, his record turning around a winless team in college as a head coach is perhaps just as impressive.
Monken participated in two interviews this week. His first interview was with the Jaguars, who are currently considering him and 10 other candidates for the position. All of those candidates are former coordinators in the league, while four of the candidates have former head coaching experience in the NFL, as well.
His second interview was with the Bears who have no shortage of candidates. Chicago has interviewed 17 candidates so far and have plans to interview three more; they had two other candidates who turned down requests to interview. The candidates include former NFL head coaches (Pete Carroll, Brian Flores, Kliff Kingsbury, Mike McCarthy, Ron Rivera, and Arthur Smith), NFL coordinators (Joe Brady, Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, Mike Kafka, Drew Petzing, and Adam Stenavich), and current and former college head coaches (Matt Campbell, Marcus Freeman, Eddie George, and David Shaw), so Monken’s litany of experience gets a bit drowned out in comparison to the other candidates for the Bears’ job.
Monken currently has a lot on his plate in the NFL playoffs. He also has an interview planned with the Raiders. When he’s done padding his résumé this postseason, it will boast his playoff experience as a coordinator. Just as valuable will be his experience turning a winless college team into a winner as a college head coach.
Raiders May Be Homing In On QB Shedeur Sanders
The Raiders did themselves a bit of a disservice by winning a couple of games down the stretch of the regular season and ruining their opportunity to own the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft as a result. Despite the theoretical misstep, Las Vegas may still be in a good position to land their preferred option in April. 
As the influence of minority-owner Tom Brady continues to permeate throughout the Raiders organization, there seems to be an indication that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be the object of focus for the team’s scouting department leading into the draft. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, Brady has “a great amount of respect for Sanders’ focus on preparation, his ability to learn and adapt, his accuracy and determination in the pocket, and his toughness to take hits and still be resilient.”
We continue to see reports from scouts that the top two passers in this year’s draft class, Miami’s Cam Ward and Sanders, wouldn’t have surpassed the top three passers in 2024 (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye). According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, some have even claimed that J.J. McCarthy would be the QB1 in this class, which is hard to believe when comparing the statistics of the three. Apparently, McCarthy’s winning of a championship with Michigan is valued highly enough to overcome a severe difference in production.
Despite these claims and despite Sanders seemingly being ranked as QB2 behind Ward at the moment, the desperate need for quarterbacks in the NFL still makes it seem like Sanders may not make it to the Raiders at No. 6 overall. Three of the five teams in the first five picks of the draft (Titans, Browns, Giants) have also been connected to passers with quarterback being identified as a position of need. Still, there’s reportedly belief in draft circles that, as the evaluation process continues, Sanders has a chance to slip out of the top five picks.
Should that be the case, it would play perfectly into the hands of Las Vegas. There’s some hope that whoever is hired as general manager, as well as head coach, would be permitted some input on the decision of who is selected in the first round. If Brady and majority-owner Mark Davis have their way, though, the Colorado-product may be headed to the Raiders.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/18/25
Saturday’s minor moves, including stand gameday practices squad elevations for the weekend’s remaining divisional playoff games:
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: WR Anthony Miller, NT Josh Tupou
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: OL Will Clapp, WR Jalen Virgil
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: DL Chris Smith, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: T AJ Arcuri, OLB Keir Thomas
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: FB Khari Blasingame, LB Nicholas Morrow
Washington Commanders
- Activated from IR: TE Colson Yankoff
- Elevated: DE Andre Jones Jr., CB Kevon Seymour
- Placed on IR: LB Jordan Magee
Aaron Glenn A HC Candidate In Dallas?
Compared to the other open head coaching positions, we have heard relatively little about the possibilities in Dallas. So far, the names connected to the Cowboys are few and far between as the team has interviewed just two candidates and only has one other interview on the schedule. That makes it noteworthy to see Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reporting Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as “a name to watch closely” in connection to the job. 
Like his coworker on the offensive side of the ball in Detroit, Glenn’s name has been an extremely popular one in multiple searches for a new head coach around the league. He has been mentioned as a candidate for every other open position, already having interviewed with the Jets (1/9), Raiders (1/10), Saints (1/10), Bears (1/11), and Jaguars (1/11) and declining an interview with the Patriots. While New York has reportedly been extremely interested in adding the 52-year-old to lead their staff, so far, the Saints have been heavily linked as a favorite to land Glenn.
Dallas, on the other hand, has been fairly inactive in their search after they got a late start on the process. They’ve interviewed their former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator and current Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (1/17) and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh (1/18), and they have an interview scheduled with former Vikings head coach and current Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier for Monday. They’ve shown interest in two collegiate head coaches, but North Carolina’s Bill Belichick remains committed to the Tar Heels, and the interest in Colorado’s Deion Sanders has not resulted in anything substantial as of yet.
A Houston native, Glenn played for four of the teams with open jobs (Jets, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Saints) as a cornerback in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The proximity of Dallas and New Orleans to his hometown could be factors in their relevance during his job search, as well. He also spent time on the coaching staff in New Orleans for five seasons as defensive backs coach before landing the coordinator job in Detroit.
Glenn is perhaps the most sought-after coach in this coaching cycle, as evidenced by his connection to every open job so far. The Cowboys will need to make up some ground on a number of teams that have over a week’s head start on courting Glenn in order to contend for his services. Team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones, though, reportedly holds Glenn in “especially high regard,” so their pursuit may be starting soon.
NFL Coaching Rumors: Johnson, Orlovsky, Sanders
There has been a bit of criticism in recent days over the interview process for head coaching candidates on playoff teams as coordinators for the Lions, Bills, Chiefs, Eagles, and Ravens have all been participating in interviews during their free time throughout the week. Many of the teams looking to fill head coaching jobs will be watching the Lions’ game against the Commanders tonight, as the results could be a big catalyst for things to come.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, if Detroit were to fall to the Commanders tonight, a chain reaction could result for coaching jobs as a mad dash would be incoming to complete in-person interviews with both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. If the Lions continue to win, though, it could continue to stall the hiring process until both coaches become available for in-person interviews.
In anticipation for this expected interest, Johnson has hired a new agent, Rick Smith of Priority Sports, per Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Smith will likely be apprised of what Johnson’s preferences are and will be fielding phones calls for second interviews as soon as he becomes available.
Johnson has interviewed for the Bears’, Jaguars’, and Raiders’ open positions, as well as the Patriots’ job that was filled by Mike Vrabel. He has not been mentioned as a candidate in New Orleans or New York, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter doesn’t believe he’s in play for the Cowboys’ job.
Here are some other coaching rumors from around the league:
- One media name has been floating around coaching rumors as former NFL quarterback and ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky has expressed interest in entering the coaching world. Orlovsky claimed on the Pat McAfee Show that he’s “had conversations with places about stuff in the coaching world.” While he’s very happy with his place on television, ESPN jobs are pretty unstable, as we’ve seen in recent years, and Orlovsky admits that if the right situation presented itself, he would be open to exploring it. Later in the week on the show, Schefter confirmed that Orlovsky has been communicating with teams in search of any positions that may fit the bill and interest him. Orlovsky’s interest would be more in the realm of a quarterbacks coach or perhaps even an offensive coordinator gig, but nothing substantial seems to be forming as of yet.
- There’s been a lot of momentum lately on Colorado head coach Deion Sanders as a candidate for the Cowboys‘ open position. One hurdle mentioned has been a roughly $10MM buyout that could certainly be a deterrent in landing his services. NFL Insider Josina Anderson recently pointed out another hurdle in the process. In order to formally interview Sanders, the Cowboys would need to obtain approval from the school’s athletic director, Rick George, and inform the league office.
Roger Goodell Aiming For 18-Game Schedule, 16 International Games
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently sat down to do an interview on Bloomberg TV for The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations. In the interview, Goodell touched on a number of recent topics including the league’s goals for an 18-game season and a 16-game slate of international games in a season.
Goodell approached the answer to a question about the 18-game season by claiming that “if (they) continue to focus on the safety” aspect of the game that 18 games could be the potential result. It’s a contradictory notion that Goodell attempts to justify with the suggestion of removing another preseason game to maintain “that 20-game framework.”
The idea that replacing a preseason game with a regular game is a simple solution disregards many issues that come along with it. In regard to safety, increased games results in increased stress to the body and a higher likelihood for injury. Especially when considering that preseason games hardly see extended time from main starting players, replacing preseason games for regular-season games is not a one-for-one return in regard to safety.
Additionally, coaches and player personnel staff utilize preseason games to help whittle the roster down to the eventual 53 players who will open the season on the team. Continuing to reduce the number of preseason games robs a large number of fringe players of playing opportunities to show that they deserve a roster spot, potentially diminishing the quality of play in the league by denying diamonds in the rough a chance to shine.
The only seeming benefit that would result from the extension of the season is that every player would receive an extra game check, increasing the value of their contracts. In reality, the benefit goes to team owners and the league, who will all see a revenue increase from replacing poor-performing preseason games with higher-stakes regular-season contests. With no risk to their own health and safety, the support of an 18-game season has been a no-brainer for the elite in league circles.
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell, after going over superficial discussions with the NFL about the possibility of an 18-game season, spoke this past summer about concessions the players could seek in return for adding an 18th game. While overall compensation is the obvious one, other points of negotiation would include additional bye weeks, improved playing surfaces, and decreased travel, a contentious issue with the NFL’s insistence on expanding the game internationally. Not surprisingly, these are all health concerns for issues that could be further strained by an extension to the season.
While Goodell claims they would only move forward “with the players” on this decision, he calls it the “logical” next step. The situation feels like an inevitable transition from which the players will simply need to try to get whatever concessions they can.
On the topic of the international slate, Goodell confirmed recently mentioned plans to expand to 16 out-of-country games in a season. He has quickly pushed the slate from five such contests in 2024 to a confirmed eight in 2025. Increasing the number of games in a regular season to 18 would, in theory, make it easier to schedule 16 international games, but if the NFLPA decides to push back on the amount of travel in return for increasing the season, the league’s two goals could be working against each other.
Goodell did push back a bit on the possibility of expanding the league or relocating a team to an international site, though. While he does believe there are markets internationally that could sustain an NFL franchise, he cited issues with travel and competitiveness as hurdles in the execution. The notion a European franchise could spawn — or an American team could relocate — has not generated as much buzz over the past several years. Goodell’s latest remarks continue that trend.
He did project an idea that moving a division would make more sense than moving a single team. This solution would see three road games each year come with relatively short travel for those international teams, assuming they’re all in a close area like Europe. The remaining five or six road games would still require extensive travel, as would the travel for any teams visiting them. This would especially be an issue for any team whose schedule includes all four teams from the international division, requiring either two separate trips or one, long overseas trip to play those games.
The terms of the active collective bargaining agreement for the players are currently in place until 2030. Given the league’s quick work on the international slate, the owners’ eagerness to once again expand the NFL schedule, and Howell’s willingness to engage in early dialogue, it feels like a push for change is coming much sooner than that. Money talks, and if the NFL can alleviate the players’ concerns with promises of concessions, we may be watching a new-look season very soon.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 11/17/25
Friday’s reserve/futures contracts around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- G Matt Cindric, DT LaCale London
Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings
- WR Jeshaun Jones, CB Nahshon Wright
New York Jets
- WR Pokey Wilson
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders
- CB Allan George, WR Mike Strachan
Patriots Request OC Interview With Chargers’ Marcus Brady
The Patriots have already gotten off to a fast start in the offseason as the first team to hire a new head coach. With Mike Vrabel now in place, they can get a head start on building the staff beneath him. With a defensive-minded head coach in Vrabel, New England has begun by searching for a new offensive coordinator. Their most recent interview target, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.
Per Fowler, New England requested to interview Brady today, making him the fourth candidate to be linked to the position. Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, who served as interim offensive coordinator and interim head coach after the team fired both coaches at different points of the season this year, is the only interviewee so far, meeting with the team earlier this week. Former Raiders head coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has also been confirmed as a candidate, but no interview has been scheduled as of yet.
Brady, a former undrafted quarterback who played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League, first got his coaching start in the CFL the season following his retirement from playing. His first coaching job came on the team he retired with, the Montreal Alouettes, as a wide receivers coach in 2009. By 2012, the team promoted him to offensive coordinator for a season before he was hired by the Toronto Argonauts for the same position. He called plays in Toronto for five years, with the Argonauts winning the Grey Cup in 2017.
In 2018, Brady finally got his chance in the NFL, getting hired as assistant quarterbacks coach for the Colts. A year later, he was the full quarterbacks coach, a role he held for two seasons before quickly rising to his first coordinator job in the NFL for Indianapolis. That role came under Frank Reich, though, who called his own plays, so though the Colts offense ranked ninth in scoring in his first year as offensive coordinator, it was not a result of his play-calling. When the team’s offense struggled mightily in his second season as OC, Reich fired Brady before getting fired himself shortly after.
Brady rebounded in Philadelphia, rejoining Nick Sirianni, who he replaced as OC in Indianapolis. He spent his first partial season with the Eagles as an offensive consultant before getting promoted to senior offensive assistant in 2023. In 2024, he joined Jim Harbaugh‘s new staff in Los Angeles in his current role. While the Chargers’ passing attack ranked only 19th in the NFL this year, largely due to Greg Roman‘s run-heavy offensive philosophy, they led the NFL with the fewest interceptions (3) and the lowest interception percentage (0.6). Justin Herbert‘s high-octane production was curtailed a bit in the new system, but reining in his turnover issues after he threw 35 interceptions in his first three seasons was an impressive feat.
Since being fired from his first NFL OC job, Brady has been active on the interview circuit. Before taking his promotion in Philadelphia, Brady interviewed for open coordinator jobs with the Rams and Jets in 2023. Brady also had interview requests for the OC opportunities with the Panthers and Bears before taking the job as passing game coordinator in Los Angeles.
After only a year in that role, Brady’s pursuit of a second chance as an offensive coordinator and an opportunity to call plays for the first time in the NFL could continue with this request from New England. Here’s how the Patriots’ OC search is shaping up so far:
- Marcus Brady, passing game coordinator (Los Angeles Chargers): Interview requested
- Thomas Brown, interim head coach (Chicago Bears): Interviewed 1/14
- Josh McDaniels, former head coach (Las Vegas Raiders): Confirmed candidate
- Tommy Rees, tight ends coach (Cleveland Browns): Rumored candidate; promoted by Browns
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/17/25
Friday’s only minor moves in anticipation for tomorrow’s divisional round games are standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Houston Texans
- Elevated: FB Andrew Beck, RB J.J. Taylor
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: LB Swayze Bozeman, S Deon Bush
Texas T Cameron Williams Declares For Draft
The Longhorns are looking to put two offensive tackles in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Two days after teammate, left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., announced his own intentions, Texas right tackle Cameron Williams announced that he would forgo his senior year in order to move on to the NFL, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. 
Williams is certainly viewed as a bit of a project for the NFL. He came to Austin from Duncanville HS (TX) as a three-star tackle. Though not highly ranked, Williams had no shortage of offers. His senior-year size of 6-foot-5, 360 pounds garnered offers from the biggest schools in the country. After taking official visits to Oregon, Miami, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas, Williams committed to the Ducks before his senior year. After concluding his final high school season, though, Williams decommitted from Oregon and signed with the Longhorns.
In his first two seasons with the team, Williams held a fairly small role, though not small enough to redshirt. He appeared in every game as a freshman, playing primarily on special teams. As a sophomore, he appeared in nine games and made his first start at right tackle in a game against Kansas State.
This season was Williams’ first as a full-time starter at Texas. Williams started every game this year at right tackle and, though the unit was solid this year, Williams delivered mixed results. While he only allowed 14 pressures on the year, he also was near the top of the nation in penalties committed. He’s extremely raw and unpolished at the moment, but his athletic ability at an ideal size (he’s trimmed down to a more manageable 335 pounds) has lots of scouts drooling over his potential.
Out of the four ESPN analysts’ rankings, only Matt Miller has Williams as a top-five offensive tackle. In his midseason rankings, Dane Brugler of The Athletic was willing to overlook Williams’ FBS-leading penchant for penalties, listing him as the third-best offensive tackle and the 27th-best prospect overall.
In a draft class that lacks a truly elite group of tackles, players with high potential, like Williams, have a strong chance of rising up draft boards. The runup to the draft will be important for Williams, as he’ll get a chance to show in the NFL scouting combine and his pro day just how athletic his perfect frame is.