Coach Notes: Quinn, Bears, Cowboys, Bills
Teams considering waiting for Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to become available are wary about the possibility that, despite what they’re saying, the Dolphins could hire Quinn to replace Joe Philbin, given the presence of Mike Tannenbaum, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Prior to joining the Dolphins’ front office in an official capacity, Tannenbaum was Quinn’s agent, and according to La Canfora, that connection concerned the Jets to some degree.
However, a source tells La Canfora that there’s no chance Miami will hire Quinn if he’s available next month — if another team wants to wait on him, that club should have a shot at him (Twitter link). That team isn’t likely to be the 49ers though, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who tweets that San Francisco hasn’t talked about Quinn in several days. All signs are pointing to Adam Gase for the 49ers, per Cole.
Let’s check in on a few more coaching-related items….
- John Fox‘s interview with the Bears is happening today, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Meanwhile, a source tells Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune that Kyle Shanahan will be one of Fox’s top offensive coordinator choices if he lands the Bears’ job.
- According to La Canfora (Twitter link), the Falcons “love” Josh McDaniels, but the Patriots offensive coordinator still seems unlikely to leave New England.
- Scott Linehan‘s deal with the Cowboys hasn’t been completed yet, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He’s waiting for his deal to get done before considering taking interviews and the sense is that it will be finalized soon (link). Linehan currently serves as Dallas’ passing game coordinator.
- It’s not clear yet if Cowboys offensive coordinator Bill Callahan will return to the Cowboys, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News, who says that eight teams have expressed interest in Callahan. With Linehan now handling the offensive playcalls in Dallas, it’s unlikely that Callahan will be back, in George’s view.
- Tony Sparano won’t be staying with the Raiders now that he didn’t get the team’s head coaching job, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link) hears from sources that Jack Del Rio, who is expected to become Oakland’s coach, has been recruiting Marc Trestman for his offensive staff.
- Jay Glazer of FOX Sports joined Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on PFT Live to discuss the events that led to the divorce of John Fox and the Broncos. Glazer explains that the breakup, while shocking on the outside, has actually been a long time coming. Glazer sensed back at last year’s Senior Bowl that it would be a “one and done” for Fox, unless he could win a Super Bowl this season.
- Former Jets defensive line coach Karl Dunbar is joining Rex Ryan on the Bills‘ staff, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jordan Raanan of NJ.com adds (via Twitter) that Pepper Johnson has been told there’s a spot for him on Ryan’s coaching staff if the Giants‘ defensive coordinator position doesn’t pan out for him. Speaking of Ryan, he said today at his introductory press conference that it’s not true that he preferred the Falcons and 49ers jobs to the Bills position, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
DeMarco Murray Likely To Test Free Agency?
With two of the Cowboys’ most notable offensive players eligible for unrestricted free agency this winter, wide receiver Dez Bryant seems unlikely to go anywhere, but the same can’t be said of running back DeMarco Murray. Dallas can only use its franchise or transition designation on one player, and Bryant looks like a lock to be tagged, which means Murray would have to negotiate a new contract with the club. And so far, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the two sides aren’t anywhere close.
As Chris Wesseling of NFL.com writes, Rapoport suggests that at last check, the Cowboys had a four-year offer on the table to Murray worth about $16MM, or $4MM annually. That stacks up well when compared to the top contracts for free agent running backs from a year ago, but it pales in comparison to the $7MM+ annual salaries that the league’s highest-paid backs are earning. And considering Murray is coming off a season in which his 1,845 rushing yards placed him first in the NFL by nearly a 500-yard margin, it makes sense that he’d be seeking more than $4MM per year.
Of course, over the last several seasons, the value of the running back position has been on the decline, and the reported Cowboys’ offer reflects not only that decreasing value, but also some wariness about Murray’s 2014 workload — after racking up 449 touches in the regular season, the 26-year-old had 48 more in two postseason games, for a total of 497. That will be a red flag for any potential suitor.
Still, as Wesseling notes, Murray should be able to do better than a $4MM annual salary on the open market, so unless the Cowboys “pry the coffers wide open,” the Oklahoma product will likely test free agency in March. Even in an era when running backs aren’t valued highly, plenty of teams – including perhaps the Raiders, Falcons, Colts, and Buccaneers, among others – should be looking to improve their ground games, and could kick the tires on Murray.
NFC South Notes: Falcons, Newton, Bucs
The Falcons had been scheduled to interview Todd Bowles for a second time today, but were well aware the Jets may not let him leave, tweets Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, adding that Atlanta “wasn’t totally sold” on Bowles. With a pair of presumed finalists – Bowles and Rex Ryan – now off the table, the Falcons’ top options appear to be Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. With Austin due in for a second meeting today, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Falcons decide to move on him or wait for Quinn, who may not become available until February.
Here’s more from around the NFC South:
- You can debate whether Cam Newton is worth a six-year, $100MM+ contract, which is what it might take to lock him up, but it would be a mistake for the Panthers not to work out an extension with him, argues David Newton of ESPN.com. With Newton preparing to enter a contract year, “the time is now” to reach a multiyear agreement with the quarterback, Newton adds.
- New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter says he doesn’t have a clue which player the Bucs will take with the No. 1 overall pick. He has a big decision to make when it comes to Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
- As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk details, former Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez says he didn’t miss football during his first year of retirement, although he briefly had “a 2% urge to get out there.” That slight urge wasn’t nearly enough to sway him when teams showed interest during the season, according to the future Hall-of-Famer. “Some teams reached out to me. A couple teams. I’m not going to name who they were,” Gonzalez said. “I’m about 230 pounds now. I’m afraid I would get crushed out on the football field now.”
Cowboys Sign Eight Players To Futures Deals
In the wake of their season-ending loss to the Packers on Sunday, the Cowboys have moved quickly to lock up their coaches without contracts, and they’re doing the same for their practice squad players. Per Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the ‘Boys have re-signed seven players who finished the season on their taxi squad, plus Troy Davis, who was on the squad’s IR list. Here’s the full list of signees:
- Mister Alexander, LB
- Chris Boyd, WR
- Troy Davis, LB
- Reggie Dunn, WR
- Will Smith, LB
- Robert Steeples, CB
- John Wetzel, OL
- Ryan Williams, RB
Of the players who finished the season on Dallas’ practice squad, only defensive tackle Davon Coleman and cornerback Micah Pellerin have yet to sign new deals.
Coach Notes: Jets, Bowles, Austin, Lynn
As the Jets continue to search for Rex Ryan‘s replacement, the team’s focus seems to be shifting from Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. According to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona (Twitter link), he’s hearing that things could be “heating up” between the Jets and Bowles, with the Cards DC reaching out to potential staff members. Bowles still has a second interview lined up with the Falcons tomorrow, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Jets make him an offer before that meeting.
A few more coaching-related updates, as the carousel turns:
- If the Jets decide not to wait for Quinn, it appears he’ll still have interest from other clubs, including the Falcons, Bears, and 49ers, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Cole, it doesn’t appear is if Quinn is leaning a certain direction at this point.
- Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has finished his visit with the Bears and remains on track to meet with the Falcons later this week, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that Austin is still “very much in the mix” for the Atlanta job.
- Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn has a busy schedule these days. Per ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link), Lynn is scheduled to interview for the Browns‘ offensive coordinator job next Tuesday. The Jaguars have also received permission to speak to Lynn about their OC opening, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- Under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Bills are on the lookout for an offensive line coach. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo has asked for permission to interview 49ers offensive line coach Mike Solari, while Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the Bills have been granted permission to interview Washington OL coach Chris Foerster.
DC Rod Marinelli, Cowboys Reach Agreement
4:50pm: A league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Todd Archer) that Marinelli has agreed to a three-year deal with the Cowboys.
4:11pm: The Cowboys and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli have reached an agreement on a new contract that will keep the former Lions head coach in Dallas, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Word of Marinelli’s new deal comes on the heels of a report that head coach Jason Garrett is nearing agreement on a five-year pact to stick with the Cowboys.
The numbers for Marinelli’s defensive unit in 2014 may not look impressive on the surface — the club allowed 355.1 yards per game, which ranked 19th in the NFL, and placed 22nd in defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders. However, coming into the season, there was a perception that Dallas’ defense would be historically bad, so the fact that it was only slightly below average despite a handful of injuries and a lack of star talent is a credit to Marinelli.
Prior to becoming the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for the 2014 season, Marinelli was the team’s defensive line coach in 2013, and served as a defensive assistant on the Bears’ staff from 2010 to 2012.
Rams Notes: FAs, Stadium, Los Angeles
The threat of possible 2016 relocation to Los Angeles is looming over the Rams, but general manager Les Snead doesn’t expect that to have a real impact on the team’s pursuit of free agents this winter, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
“What you’re finding is, I think as you guys know, money’s No. 1 and it’s usually who’s coaching there next,” Snead said. “We’ve gotten to this era of free agency where especially with the window of early negotiation, players aren’t taking visits any more.”
While it’s not entirely true that free agent visits are a relic of the past, Snead is probably right that a player’s salary and the team’s head coach are more important factors for players looking for a new club than the city is. If the possibility of a move to Los Angeles becomes more realistic over the next couple months, we can look forward to finding out this March whether or not that’s indeed the case.
Here’s more on the Rams:
- Speaking of the Rams’ potential relocation, if the team does head to Los Angeles, the USC Coliseum looks like the best bet to be the franchise’s temporary home until a new stadium is constructed, according to Eloy Yndigoyen of the Daily Trojan (hat tip to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look at possible relocation from the perspective of St. Louis officials, speaking with Dave Peacock, one of the executives spearheading the city’s stadium plan. Peacock admits that the future of the Rams may be out of his and the city’s hands to a certain extent, but that his group intends to move forward with the St. Louis stadium plan in hopes of either working something out with the Rams, or with the NFL for another team.
- The Rams aren’t likely to go out and spend significant money on high-priced veterans in free agency, but the team is at a point where it can use free agency to add complementary veterans to its young core, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
Bills, DC Jim Schwartz Part Ways
As expected, after a Monday report indicated that Rex Ryan would be bringing Dennis Thurman to Buffalo as his defensive coordinator, the Bills have formally parted ways with incumbent DC Jim Schwartz, releasing him from his contract, the team announced today in a press release.
“I have the utmost respect for Jim and what he has been able to accomplish throughout his career and I know he feels the same about me,” Ryan said in a statement. “Jim’s defenses are always tough and ranked near the top of the league standings. I wanted to give Jim the opportunity to pursue other opportunities and so we have terminated his contract. He did a terrific job with the Bills defense this past year and our plan is for our defense to continue to play well and be a dominating force.”
As PFR’s Dallas Robinson noted in his story on the Bills’ expected hiring of Thurman, the move is a little surprising, since Schwartz did a great job with Buffalo’s defense in 2014 — the unit finished second in the NFL in DVOA. But Ryan and Schwartz have different defensive philosophies and wouldn’t have been a natural pairing.
The former Lions head coach will now have the opportunity to pursue other DC openings, so we’ll have to see if teams whose searches appear to be winding down, such as Washington or the Giants, decide to give Schwartz a call.
Panthers Sign Nine To Futures Contracts
With their season now officially over, the Panthers have begun to take care of 2015 business by signing the majority of their practice squad to reserve/futures contracts. Per a team release, nine of the 10 players that finished the season on Carolina’s taxi squad have now been locked up to new deals. And according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter), wide receiver Stephen Hill, the one player who hasn’t signed, is expected to do so tomorrow.
Here’s the list of players the Panthers signed today:
- Derek Dennis, OL
- Kevin Greene, TE
- Marcus Lucas, WR
- Kimario McFadden, S
- Horace Miller, LB
- Darrin Reaves, RB
- Micanor Regis, DT
- Martin Wallace, T
- Lou Young, CB
The Panthers previously signed guard Tyronne Green and tight end Mike McNeill to reserve/futures deals.
NFC East Notes: Giants, Garrett, Maclin
Ever since the Giants parted ways with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell earlier in the month, Steve Spagnuolo has been cited as a strong candidate to take over the DC role under Tom Coughlin. Today, Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Spagnuolo has received permission to speak to the Giants, adding that the interview will take place on Wednesday (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). Currently a secondary coach in Baltimore, Spagnuolo is considered the favorite for the Giants’ DC job.
Here’s more from out of the NFC East:
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) provides another update on the Giants‘ defensive coordinator search, reporting that the team’s interview with ex-Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is taking place today.
- Before the Cowboys extend assistants like Rod Marinelli, Scott Linehan, or Bill Callahan, the team wants to get something done with head coach Jason Garrett, and talks are ongoing between the two sides, tweets Rapoport.
- With Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant unlikely to reach the open market this March, Jeremy Maclin has a chance to be one of the top wideouts available in free agency, if the Eagles don’t lock him up before then, writes Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. McManus talks to cap expert Joel Corry about Maclin’s potential free agency, and the former agent suggests the wideout could sign a contract between Greg Jennings‘ deal (five years, $45MM) and Dwayne Bowe‘s (five years, $56MM).
- Although a weekend report indicated that he would likely interview with the Eagles soon for the team’s general manager position, Seahawks executive Scott Fitterer has not yet been formally contacted by Philadelphia, says Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com.