Coach/GM Notes: Falcons, Bears, Jets, Eagles
According to our head coaching search tracker, there are eight candidates involved in the Falcons‘ hunt for Mike Smith‘s replacement, and if no new names are added to that list, the team’s first round of interviews should conclude tomorrow after a meeting with Todd Bowles. So it makes sense that Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests today (via Twitter) that Atlanta intends to bring in its finalists for a second round of interviews. According to Rapoport, Rex Ryan will be among those finalists, though it’s not clear yet who will join him.
Here are a few more items from around the league related to coaches and front offices:
Coaching:
- Todd Bowles and Frank Reich completed their interviews with the Jets today, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Bowles’ next visit will be with the Bears.
- A Tuesday report indicated that the Bears would likely meet with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position after hiring a new general manager, but despite Shanahan’s past success with Jay Cutler (and Brandon Marshall), he’s not currently on Chicago’s list of candidates, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We’ll have to see if anything changes on that front after the team makes its GM hire.
- After sitting in on the Raiders‘ interview with Shanahan, John Madden is expected to be in attendance for Tony Sparano‘s meeting with the club as well, tweets Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com.
- In the wake of Perry Fewell‘s dismissal, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com offers a few suggestions for the Giants to consider for their defensive coordinator job, including Bills defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, who Graziano thinks could be among New York’s top candidates.
Front office:
- The Bears confirmed that they interviewed Chris Ballard and Ryan Pace for their GM vacancy, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
- Jon Robinson‘s interview with the Jets will take place tomorrow, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- The Jets announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve lined up an interview with Buccaneers personnel executive Jon Robinson for their general manager position. The club also confirmed the candidates they’ve spoken to so far: Chris Grier (Dolphins), Trent Kirchner (Seahawks), Bill Kuharich (Browns), Mike Maccagnan (Texans), Rick Mueller (Eagles), and their own Rod Graves.
- The Jaguars have granted pro director Chris Polian permission to interview with the Eagles for their GM job, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (via Twitter).
- The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL on minority hiring issues, has filed a complaint with the league over Washington‘s general manager search, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Washington spoke to Jets executive Rod Graves about the GM job, but didn’t run the request for permission by the league, and seemed to do it only as a formality while working out an agreement with Scot McCloughan, so as to abide by the Rooney Rule.
- Meanwhile, the Dolphins appear to have evaded a Rooney Rule violation by changing the role of recently-hired Mike Tannenbaum, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains. The club has altered Tannenbaum’s and Dennis Hickey‘s duties since first announcing the hiring, so that Tannenbaum doesn’t qualify as a GM-type hire, meaning the club wouldn’t have needed to meet the Rooney Rule.
North Notes: AP, Jennings, Steelers, Shanahan
If Adrian Peterson feels as if he needs a fresh start away from the Vikings next season, head coach Mike Zimmer would respect that decision, he said today in an appearance on Pro Football Talk Live.
“I would respect Adrian’s decision,” Zimmer said. “I’ll always be honest with him and up front but I’m gonna try to explain to him the reasons why I would like to him to be here. But it has to be a two way street and he has to get his life taken care of — but we’ll sit down and talk, but I’m a pretty good recruiter, too.”
Of course, Peterson remains under contract in Minnesota, so it’s not as if he’ll simply have the opportunity to sign elsewhere right away when he’s reinstated from his suspension. But it’s unlikely that the Vikings will want to keep the star running back at his current 2015 cap number ($15.4MM), so Peterson will have leverage to reach the open market if he declines to take a pay cut.
Here are some more Wednesday links from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was arrested today in Georgia on charges of speeding, DUI, and reckless driving, according to a report by Jeff Dickerson and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Jennings could face disciplinary measures from the league or from the Bears, who released a statement indicating they’re in information-gathering mode.
- Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review examines what a new contract for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might look like, concluding that something in the range of five years and $100MM would make sense.
- Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor is open to playing one more year in Pittsburgh if the team wants to bring him back, and hopes to remain with the organization after ending his playing career, as Kaboly details. “I can be in the office. I can be at the bottom and work my way up. I can be an assistant,” Taylor said. “I don’t mind working my way from the bottom up.”
- If Kyle Shanahan decides to leave his offensive coordinator position with the Browns this offseason, he prefers to try to establish his own identity as a coach rather than necessarily teaming up again with his father, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com.
- The Lions announced 12 reserve/futures signings yesterday, but rugby star Jarryd Hayne wasn’t among them. The team still intends to finalize a contract with Hayne once a work visa issue is cleared up, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Brian Schottenheimer Leaves Rams For UGA
Brian Schottenheimer is no longer the offensive coordinator for the Rams, according to an announcement from the University of Georgia, which reveals that Schottenheimer will join the school as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (Twitter link via Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph).
With Sam Bradford sidelined for the season in St. Louis, an offense led by the likes of Austin Davis and Shaun Hill struggled to get much going this year under Schottenheimer, finishing 27th in DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. It was the worst season for Schottenheimer’s unit is his three years with the Rams, with his offense never finishing inside the league’s top 20 in terms of DVOA.
With Schottenheimer headed back to college for the first time since he was USC’s tight ends coach in 2000, the Rams are the latest team to have an opening at the offensive coordinator position. I’d expect the team to begin its search for Schottenheimer’s replacement immediately.
AFC West Notes: Raiders, MJD, Pryor, Chiefs
After a report yesterday indicated that former Raiders head coach John Madden sat in on the team’s interview with Mike Shanahan, Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell revealed that Oakland owner Mark Davis wasn’t even in attendance during his meeting with the team, tweets Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. While that doesn’t necessarily mean anything – perhaps the timing just didn’t work out, with Bevell’s interview window set to close – it may not be a good sign for his candidacy, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk.
Here’s more from around the AFC West, with a focus on the Raiders:
- We heard during Wild Card week that the Raiders were one of five teams interested in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but now that Bowles is eligible to interview for head coaching jobs, Oakland seems to rank as his fifth priority, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The Jets, Falcons, 49ers, and Bears have interviews lined up with Bowles, beginning today, while the Raiders were “essentially told to get in line” behind those clubs, per Tafur.
- In a second tweet, Tafur adds that the Raiders haven’t ruled out a pursuit of Bowles or Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio – who won’t talk to teams until Denver’s season is over – but neither coach appears to be a strong candidate for the position at this point.
- Appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), veteran running back Maurice Jones-Drew said he hopes to remain in Oakland and help turn the team’s fortunes around in 2015. While MJD says his body feels good and he wishes he had seen the field more in 2014, the Raiders wouldn’t carry any dead money if they decided to cut the 29-year-old and his $2.5MM cap hit, so he’s certainly no sure bet to be back.
- Free agent Terrelle Pryor is working out for the Chiefs as a quarterback today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Kansas City already has four signal-callers on its roster, but with offseason limits now applying to the team, it’s possible one more could come aboard.
Jameis Winston To Enter 2015 Draft
11:11am: In a statement released by the Legacy Agency, which will represent him, Winston formally confirmed his decision today.
“After weighing this decision with my family and friends, I have decided to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft and forgo my remaining eligibility at Florida State,” Winston said. “I reached this very difficult decision after careful consideration and long thought, realizing how difficult it would be to say goodbye to my family at Florida State. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to wear the garnet and gold and have greatly enjoyed my time as a Seminole, both as an athlete and a student in the classroom.”
8:46am: Despite some rumors to the contrary, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will enter the 2015 NFL draft, forgoing his remaining years of college eligibility, Winston’s father tells David M. Hale of ESPN.com. Per Hale, the redshirt sophomore is expected to make a formal announcement later today.
Winston, who turned 21 yesterday, led the Seminoles to a 26-1 record during his two years as the team’s starting QB, with the only loss coming in last week’s Rose Bowl against Marcus Mariota and Oregon. Winston and Mariota are viewed as the consensus top two quarterbacks available in this year’s draft, and with two teams in need of a signal-caller selecting first and second this year, there’s a chance Winston could be a top-two pick. In Todd McShay’s first mock draft, the ESPN.com scribe has Winston going No. 2 to the Titans.
In his two years at Florida State, Winston actually put up better numbers in his freshman season, racking up 4,057 passing yards and 40 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions en route to a BCS National Championship and a Heisman trophy. The young signal-caller’s overall numbers slipped a little across the board in 2014, but his on-field tools are still considered perhaps the best among this year’s class.
Off-field issues, however, will likely contribute to Winston being drafted after Mariota this spring. The 21-year-old has been involved in a number of controversies during his time at Florida State, most notably being accused of sexual assault, though he was recently cleared from violating the school’s conduct code in that incident. Winston has also been cited for shoplifting, and was suspended for Florida State’s 2014 opened vs. Clemson after making vulgar public remarks on campus.
In spite of those off-field red flags, Winston looks like a lock to come off the board within the first few picks of 2015’s draft. His name is the latest addition to our list of early entrants for this year.
AFC East Notes: Manuel, Bills, Jets, Pats
Let’s round up the latest out of the AFC East….
- In interviews with head coaching candidates, Bills general manager Doug Whaley is suggesting that E.J. Manuel‘s struggles can be attributed more to coaching than to the player himself, a source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Per Carucci, Whaley has spoken in “glowing terms’ about the young quarterback, and is conveying to interviewees that he wants the team’s next head coach to make the progress in developing Manuel that Doug Marrone and his staff couldn’t.
- Speaking of those Bills‘ head coaching interviews, the team has one lined up for Thursday with ex-Jets coach Rex Ryan, according to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (via Twitter). Ryan is drawing interest not only from multiple NFL teams, but also from multiple TV networks – he has spoken to ESPN and CBS so far.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap previews the Jets‘ offseason, as the team enters the winter armed with approximately $50MM in potential cap room. In Fitzgerald’s view, the club should target pass rushers, a second-tier cornerback, a running back, a backup quarterback, and a guard in free agency.
- As he prepares to face the Patriots in this weekend’s divisional playoff game, Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith discussed the offseason meeting with New England that he never made it to. As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes, Smith’s meeting with the Pats was always viewed as tentative, since the Ravens had the first chance to sign him during his visit to Baltimore.
Giants Part Ways With DC Perry Fewell
10:09am: Per Graziano (via Twitter), the Giants are also letting go of defensive backs coach Peter Giunta, who has been with the organization since 2006.
9:53am: The Giants have made a change to their coaching staff today, having decided to part ways with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Earlier this week, reports had suggested Fewell would likely be returning for the 2015 season, but it appears the team had a change of heart.
Fewell, who had been on Tom Coughlin‘s staff since 2010, was viewed as a candidate to be fired this offseason after his unit dipped from sixth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2013 to 25th in 2014. At his end-of-season press conference, Coughlin strongly defended Fewell’s performance, indicating that he felt the players responded to the defensive coordinator, but if the head coach went to bat for Fewell in subsequent meetings, it appears not everyone in the building agreed with his assessment.
With an opening at the defensive coordinator position, it shouldn’t be long before we start hearing candidates linked to the Giants. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun suggests (via Twitter) that one of those candidates could be Ravens secondary coach Steve Spagnuolo, who previously worked for the Giants as their DC. ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link) agrees that Spagnuolo could be on the Giants’ radar, but expects the club to cast a wide net in its search.
Saints To Retain DC Rob Ryan
Following a disappointing 2014 season in which they finished below .500 and missed the playoffs in the NFL’s weakest division, the Saints were expected to think long and hard about Rob Ryan‘s future as defensive coordinator. It appears now that the team has made its decision — Ryan will return to New Orleans in the DC role for the 2015 season, according to Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune.
While Ryan’s job is safe, there are expected to be a number of changes on the defensive side of the ball for next season, to both the coaching staff and the player personnel, a source tells Holder. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), head coach Sean Payton will attempt to provide Ryan with “better pieces for success” to support him for the 2015 season.
The Saints’ defense ranked fourth overall in Ryan’s first season with the team in 2013, but plummeted to 31st in 2014, both in terms of yards allowed and DVOA (per Football Outsiders). Nonetheless, many Saints defenders voiced their support for Ryan in recent days and took the blame for the unit’s poor performance, with veteran linebacker Curtis Lofton suggesting he didn’t want to play for any other defensive coordinator.
Heading into the 2015 season, the Saints should get notable free agent signee Jairus Byrd back to full health — Byrd’s first year in New Orleans after signing a huge six-year, $54MM deal started slow, then ended fast, when the safety tore his lateral meniscus about a month into the regular season.
Additionally, Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints made enough personnel changes to revert back to a 3-4 scheme, which the club got away from in 2014. Still, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap points out (via Twitter), the Saints are already among the league’s leaders in cap space invested on defense for 2015, so the team’s flexibility may be limited when it comes to roster additions.
Coach Updates: Bills, Raiders, Jags, Quinn
Earlier this morning, we rounded up a handful of coaching-related updates. Plenty more items have surfaced over the course of the day, so let’s check in on the latest:
- The Bills are looking to line up an interview with former Jets coach Rex Ryan, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter).
- The Bills have spoken with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz about their head coaching vacancy, according to Tim Graham of The Buffalo News.
- The Bills have a number of head coaching interviews set up for this week — Tim Graham of the Buffalo News writes that the team’s meeting with Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will happen on Wednesday, while Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will speak to the club on Saturday. Additionally, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that the 49ers have given offensive coordinator Greg Roman permission to pursue the Bills’ HC job, and that interview will take place on Friday.
- After speaking to several outside candidates, the Raiders will conduct their interview with interim head coach Tony Sparano tomorrow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links).
- Former Raiders head coach John Madden sat in on Oakland’s interview with Mike Shanahan in recent days, multiple sources tell Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Bair adds that it’s not clear how involved Madden is in the Raiders’ coaching search, but “it speaks some to the legitimacy of Shanahan” as a candidate for the job.
- A pair of candidates’ names have surfaced as the Jaguars search for a new offensive coordinator. Rapoport tweets that Jacksonville has asked to speak to Vikings running back coach Kirby Wilson, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) says Roman will also interview for the position.
- Preparing for the possibility that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan leaves Cleveland this winter, the Browns have “reached out to guys like Charlie Weis,” tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
- A longtime NFL executive who has been involved in many interviews for coaches tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) that Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is “the most impressive candidate” he has seen.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league, including 53-man roster moves by a team still alive in the postseason:
- The Seahawks announced that they have placed defensive lineman Jordan Hill on season ending injured reserve, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. To fill his spot, Seattle signed safety Steven Terrell to the active roster. Jimmy Staten was signed to the taxi squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
- The Colts have placed guard Hugh Thornton, who started eight games for the team this year, on injured reserve, the club announced today in a press release. To replace him on the roster, Indianapolis signed running back Michael Hill, who spent time on the team’s practice squad earlier in the season.
- Like the Colts, the Panthers are still in the playoff mix, but Carolina’s Tuesday move doesn’t affect the team’s 53-man roster — Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets that the Panthers have signed tight end Mike McNeill, who was with the club in training camp, to a reserve/futures contract.
- Former Louisville offensive lineman Alex Kupper signed a reserve/futures contract today with the Bills, according to the team.
- The Dolphins have signed kicker Zach Hocker to a futures deal, according to a tweet from Hocker himself. Hocker was selected in the seventh round of 2014’s draft by Washington.