Browns Parting Ways With Kyle Shanahan
SATURDAY, 11:10am: The Browns have officially announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The organization also confirmed that they would not be retaining quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains.
Coach Mike Pettine released a statement:
“After conversations with Kyle this week we’ve determined that it would be in the best interest of the Cleveland Browns that he pursue other opportunities and we have accepted his resignation. In Dowell’s case, it was a difficult decision but one that we felt we had to make. We wish them both well. Our focus quickly turns to finding an outstanding coach to lead our offense and I am confident we will bring in highly qualified individuals to help us develop, improve, and achieve the success we are all seeking. I look forward to working with the staff as we go through this process to bring in coaches committed to helping the Cleveland Browns lay a strong foundation to take our offense to a consistently high level in the 2015 season and beyond.”
Shanahan also released a statement:
“I appreciate the opportunity Mike Pettine, Ray Farmer and Jimmy Haslam gave me to lead the Browns offense in 2014. The Browns organization is committed to improvement and winning. I regret how the inner workings of the organization were represented publicly over the last few days. Ray and Mike both have the work ethic, experience and talent to work together to turn this organization into a winner. In light of the circumstances, I have decided to resign. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns and wish them great success going forward.”
THURSDAY, 9:57am: Marvez clarifies (via Twitter) that Shanahan asked for his release from the Browns, while Loggains was fired.
9:41am: The Browns are parting ways with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan after just one season in Cleveland, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). According to Marvez, an announcement of the move is “imminent,” and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains will be let go as well. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (via Twitter), after it became clear that Shanahan wanted out of Cleveland, he sat down with owner Jimmy Haslam and they agreed to part ways.
During his single season with the Browns, Shanahan oversaw an offense whose effectiveness declined over the course of the season, ultimately finishing 24th in DVOA, per Football Outsiders. Quarterback Brian Hoyer led the team to a 6-3 record to start the year, throwing 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions, but struggled in the second half, throwing two TDs and nine INTs in his final five appearances. First-round rookie Johnny Manziel was even worse in his lone start.
Now that he has moved on from the Browns, Shanahan is a good bet to land an offensive coordinator job elsewhere, and is even viewed as a head coaching candidate for a couple teams. Shanahan is reportedly set to interview today for the Bills’ head coaching job, and has been cited as a potential target for the 49ers, though it doesn’t appear the two sides have scheduled a meeting yet.
A few teams with head coaching openings have been eyeing Shanahan and his father Mike Shanahan as a potential package deal, with the elder Shanahan as a head coaching target and the younger Shanahan as the potential OC. However, multiple reports have indicated Kyle may prefer to chart his own course. As we heard last night, Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn figures to have interest in Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator if he lands a head coaching job with the Jets or elsewhere.
As for the Browns, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports points out (via Twitter) that the team interviewed Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter for its head coaching job a year ago, as well as talking to Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo about its offensive coordinator job. Those could be names to watch as the club looks to hire a new OC.
Jets Targeting Mike Maccagnan, Dan Quinn
10:58pm: The Jets aren’t expected to make any hires this weekend, tweets Mehta.
7:31pm: Now that the Bears have hired Ryan Pace as their general manager, the Jets are the league’s lone team searching for both a GM and a head coach, but it appears the club has its sights set on a pair of top targets. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan has emerged as the favorite for the Jets’ GM vacancy, while Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is the frontrunner for the head coaching position.
While former Bills head coach Doug Marrone was initially viewed as the top candidate to replace Rex Ryan in New York, Marrone isn’t one of the team’s preferred options at this point, a source tells Costello. Instead, Quinn, Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable are the most serious contenders, having had the best interviews of New York’s candidates so far.
Quinn was busy during Seattle’s bye week, speaking to the Falcons, Bills, Bears, and 49ers as well, so the Jets will have competition for the coveted defensive coordinator. However, the team’s interest in Quinn is mutual, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that the Seahawks DC has told friends that New York is his top choice.
As for Maccagnan, both Costello and Mehta indicate that the GM hopeful is meeting with Jets owner Woody Johnson and the club’s front office brass for dinner tonight. Maccagnan is the only candidate to receive a second interview with the Jets to date, and Mehta writes that Johnson, team president Neil Glat, and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf have made the Texans executive their top target.
If Maccagnan is tabbed as John Idzik‘s successor, the Jets may bring aboard a veteran contract negotiator and cap expert to complement his skill set. According to Mehta, if Quinn were to land a head coaching job, he would like his new team to add former Buccaneers GM (and current ESPN analyst) Mark Domenik to the front office — the Jets have reached out to Domenik about a possible role, per Mehta.
Although a front office hiring or two could happen soon, the Jets won’t get the chance to speak to Quinn again until the Seahawks are eliminated from the postseason or win the NFC title game. Assuming Seattle defeats the Panthers this weekend, as is expected, that means the Jets would have to wait until at least January 18 to talk to or hire the Seahawks coordinator.
Vikings Frontrunners For Duron Carter
Former NFL wideout Cris Carter spent more than a decade of his Hall of Fame career in Minnesota, and there’s a chance his son could wear a Vikings jersey this year as well. After working out for the Vikes today, CFL receiver Duron Carter told reporters, including Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, that he’d love to land in Minnesota.
“I like Minnesota, I like the facilities, I like the coaches and everything,” Carter said. “It seems like things are looking up. I would say Minnesota is probably my frontrunner right now…. The Vikings are No. 1, but I might as well go around and see what everybody is talking about. I can’t sign anyway.”
Because he was on a CFL contract this year, Carter can’t officially sign an NFL contract until February 10, which is why he’s in no hurry to make any decisions. The 23-year-old, who put up 1,030 yards and seven TDs on 75 catches in 2014 for the Montreal Alouettes, has also visited the Buccaneers, Colts, and Chiefs so far, and intends to make his way to Cleveland, Carolina, San Francisco, and Washington as well. Per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, Carter cited the Colts as another top contender for his services, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that the Panthers could be a strong sleeper for the young wideout.
Former NFL receiver Chad Johnson, who played with Carter in Montreal this past season, told Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) earlier this week that his CFL teammate is “easily a number one NFL receiver right now.” That may be setting the bar a little high, but Goessling hears that Carter could get a signing bonus in the $100K range, which would be a significant sum for an undrafted free agent.
Draft Notes: Hunter, Darby, Hackett, Harper
A report last month suggested that LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter was leaning toward playing college ball for one more season, but Hunter announced today that he’ll turn pro after all.
“After fully considering all aspects related to mine and my family’s future, I have decided to declare for the NFL draft,” Hunter wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Coming to LSU was the best decision of my life so far. It has been an incredible experience and I thank you all for the opportunity and the great support.”
Hunter appears likely to come off the board on the second day of the draft this spring. He doesn’t currently place among Mel Kiper’s top 10 defensive end prospects, but Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has him ninth at the position, while CBSSports.com ranks him fifth among DEs.
Here are a few more updates on NCAA underclassmen who will be entering the 2015 draft:
- According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), cornerback Ronald Darby is leaving Florida State a year early and declaring for the 2015 draft. CBSSports.com projects Darby as a fourth-rounder, and he falls outside of Kiper’s top 10 cornerbacks, but Miller is bullish on the FSU product, giving him a second-round grade and tweeting that he has “big room to rise,” given his speed and instincts.
- TCU junior safety Chris Hackett will forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2015 draft, tweets Travis L. Brown of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Hackett doesn’t project as a top pick, but Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net wrote earlier in the season that scouts were “raving” about the safety’s play.
- Cal wideout Chris Harper announced this week that he’ll forgo his final college season and enter the draft, according to a press release from the school. Harper racked up 159 receptions, 1,969 receiving yards, and 14 touchdown grabs during his three years with the team.
Coach Updates: Bears, Raiders, 49ers, Rams
Earlier tonight, we learned that Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has emerged as the possible frontrunner for the Jets‘ head coaching position, with mutual interest between the two sides. Let’s round up a few more Friday coaching updates from around the NFL….
- The Bears have requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for their head coaching job, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. We should expect Chicago’s coaching search to ramp up now that the team has hired Ryan Pace as its general manager.
- The Raiders would like to hire an established, veteran coach for their head coaching opening, but the structure of the front office is making some candidates wary about the job, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole specifically mentions Mike Shanahan as an ideal target for Oakland, given his experience and track record.
- Speaking to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com, Raiders owner Mark Davis said a candidate with previous head coaching candidate would be “preferable,” but didn’t rule out the possibility of hiring someone who hasn’t even had a coordinator job — that seems unlikely, since all of the team’s reported candidates so far have been either coordinators or head coaches. In any case, Davis added that there’s no set deadline for his club to make a hire.
- Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the contracts for all the Raiders‘ assistants except Tony Sparano are set to expire next Tuesday night.
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link) confirms that Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles had his interview with the 49ers in Santa Clara today. Maiocco calls it the Niners’ last “known” interview, which suggests there’s nothing currently on tap with rumored candidates Jim Mora, Jim Tomsula, and Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco also reportedly had interest in Gary Kubiak, whose Ravens are still alive in the playoffs.
- Speaking of the 49ers, they’ve granted the division-rival Rams permission to speak to offensive coordinator Greg Roman about the same job in St. Louis, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The Rams also want to speak to Kyle Shanahan, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including a new deal for a would-be exclusive right free agent, a few reserve/futures signings, and a practice squad change….
- Washington has signed fullback Jordan Campbell to a reserve/futures contract, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Campbell spent some time on the Chiefs’ practice squad earlier in the season and worked out for Washington last month.
Earlier updates:
- The Bengals have re-signed tight end Kevin Brock to a new contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brock, who joined the team in September after injuries to Tyler Eifert and Alex Smith, had been on track to become an exclusive rights free agent.
- Since being eliminated from the postseason, the Steelers have been adding to their offseason roster, inking seven players to reserve/futures contracts on Monday and signing a couple more yesterday. Pittsburgh continued to bring players aboard today, per PR man Burt Lauten, who tweets that the team has signed linebacker Terence Garvin, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, defensive end Matt Conrath, safety Alden Darby, tight end Michael Egnew, and linebacker Roosevelt Nix.
- The 49ers are re-signing linebacker Shayne Skov, who finished the season on the team’s practice squad, to a reserve/futures deal, a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The team has now locked up everyone who finished the season on the taxi squad.
- The Lions signed defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo to a futures contract today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. When it appeared last week that Detroit might be without Ndamukong Suh for Sunday’s playoff game, the team brought Cudjo in for a workout.
- The Seahawks made a small change to their taxi squad today, re-signing defensive tackle Jimmy Staten and releasing linebacker Mike Zimmer, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). As Condotta points out in a second tweet, Seattle had signed Zimmer and cut Staten just yesterday, so the club is frequently shuffling the two players on and off the unit at this point.
St. Louis Unveils Plan For New Stadium
This week opened with news that Rams owner Stan Kroenke intends to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, and before the week was out, the city of St. Louis announced today that it has plans of its own for a new stadium. As Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com details, St. Louis’ plan calls for the construction of a 64,000-seat, open-air stadium on the north St. Louis riverfront, about a half-mile from the Gateway Arch.
The proposed stadium, announced today by Governor Jay Nixon‘s team of former Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock and local attorney Bob Blitz, would be constructed by 2020 and would cost between $860MM and 985MM. Of that total, a little less than half ($400-450MM) would come from private financing – the NFL and team ownership – while the remaining $460-535MM would be provided by public sources, according to the proposal. The state and city already pay annual fees toward the debt on the Edward Jones Dome, so while those figures may look daunting, Peacock suggests the burden on Missouri taxpayers wouldn’t necessarily increase.
“The new stadium will impose no new tax burden on taxpayers in the local region and the state of Missouri,” Peacock said. “We are confident that the money is available in such a way that it will not add an incremental burden on our community and if anything the net result we’d incur on this investment is positive for the community.”
While the St. Louis team sounded optimistic about its plan, it’s worth noting that the Rams weren’t involved in the announcement. As Wagoner writes, the team issued a statement today saying it had seen the plans and will review them. So far, Kroenke hasn’t shown much willingness to engage with St. Louis leaders about how to keep the Rams in town. The team’s lease at the Edward Jones Dome can be changed to a year-to-year arrangement this offseason, and if the NFL gets on board with his Los Angeles plan, St. Louis’ proposal may not be enough to keep the franchise.
If the Rams do relocate, it’s possible that the St. Louis stadium plan could move forward at some point for another NFL franchise, particularly since the project’s leaders hope to land an MLS team for the new stadium as well. But considering what a long and complicated process relocation and/or expansion can be, keeping the Rams remains the city’s top priority for now. Once Kroenke and the Rams review the new proposal, we should get a clearer picture of what the owner’s intentions are.
Washington Hires Scot McCloughan As GM
THURSDAY, 5:30pm: At long last, it’s official. Washington announced that they have hired McCloughan as GM, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets.
12:31pm: Washington and McCloughan have now finalized an agreement that will make the veteran exec the team’s new GM, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). As noted below, it’s a four-year pact, tweets Breer, who adds in a second tweet that McCloughan will report to Allen, which comes as a bit of a surprise. Still, McCloughan will have final say over the club’s 53-man roster, according to Breer (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 8:22am: The deal between Washington and McCloughan is expected to be finalized this morning, tweets Florio.
TUESDAY, 8:41pm: Not so fast. McCloughan’s deal with Washington hasn’t been completed yet as he is still discussing jobs with the Jets and Raiders, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, the negotiations with Washington have some non-financial details that need to be ironed out. One of those issues likely has become whether McCloughan will have control over the roster and the draft. Currently, Allen has those powers.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation that spoke with Dom Consentino of the Star-Ledger, the Jets have had conversations with McCloughan, but not about their vacant job at GM.
Meanwhile, Albert Breer of the NFL Network (on Twitter) hears that Washington and McCloughan hope to have their deal finalized by tomorrow morning.
1:31pm: Former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan will be returning to an NFL front office for the coming season, according to Michael Robinson of NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that Washington is hiring McCloughan as the team’s new general manager. Per Robinson, a press conference to formally announce the move is expected before the end of the week.
Rumors of McCloughan’s foray back into a front office position started to pick up steam yesterday, when Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that Washington had reached out to the veteran executive about a top football position in the organization. We later heard that two other clubs had spoken to McCloughan about joining their respective front offices. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweeted earlier today that one of those teams was the Jets.
Bruce Allen currently holds the general manager title in D.C., and will receive a promotion to president once McCloughan comes aboard, tweets Michael Silver of NFL.com. A report yesterday suggested that McCloughan wasn’t interested in a proposal from the Raiders that would have seen him work under GM Reggie McKenzie, since he wanted control of football operations. It appears he’ll get that control in Washington — Allen’s say in football decisions figures to be reduced in a “promotion” similar to the one Eagles executive Howie Roseman received last week.
Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link) hears from a source that there’s no deal in place yet between Washington and McCloughan, but multiple other reporters have corroborated Robinson’s account. Per Albert Breer of NFL Network (Twitter link), McCloughan has agreed to join the organization, and the two sides are currently negotiating the contract. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that it should be a four-year deal for McCloughan.
Meanwhile, according to Silver (via Twitter), Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke to McCloughan one final time last night, offering him a title of president of personnel under McKenzie, which didn’t interest McCloughan.
Minor Moves: Thursday
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day, starting with a pair of signings left over from last night:
- Veteran linebacker Ricky Sapp has signed with Washington, according to a Twitter announcement from the team, which also confirmed the previously-reported signing of Austin Spitler. Sapp, who inked a future/reserves contract, was released from the Texans’ injured reserve list in November.
- The Steelers have signed safety Jordan Dangerfield and wide receiver L’Damian Washington to futures deals, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Dangerfield spent some time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad during the 2014 campaign.
Earlier updates:
- Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Giants, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Stanzi, cut by the Jaguars in August, worked out for the Giants in September and finished the season on the Texans’ practice squad.
- Besides signing kicker Zach Hocker, the Dolphins also added wide receiver Michael Preston on a reserve/futures contract, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Preston, who was waived by the Titans at the end of the preseason, worked out for a handful of teams during the season, including Miami in September.
Steelers Extend OC Todd Haley
The Steelers have signed offensive coordinator Todd Haley to a two-year contract extension that keep him under team control through the 2016 season, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bouchette writes that the deal was completed “quietly,” so it’s not clear if an agreement was reached this week, or while the Steelers’ Super Bowl hopes were still alive.
Haley absorbed some criticism – notably from rapper Snoop Dogg – early in the season when the Steelers got off to an up-and-down start, but his offense recovered nicely, ultimately finishing second in the league with 411.1 yards per game. The unit, which put up 94 total points in a pair of back-to-back midseason contests against the Colts and Ravens, also ranked second in DVOA, per Football Outsiders.
With Haley locked up, the Steelers will work toward securing another key piece of their offense beyond the 2015 season, with the team expected to try to negotiate an extension with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this offseason. Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review took a shot this week at estimating what a new contract for Big Ben would look like, and predicted an agreement in the range of five years and $100MM.