Shaq Thompson To Enter Draft
All-American Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson has decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2015 draft, according to a press release from the team. In a statement, Thompson said that the move to turn pro “was not an easy decision,” but that he’s looking forward to “facing new challenges that come with being in the NFL.”
“Shaq Thompson has been a wonderful representative of the University of Washington and the Husky football team, and he has our full support as he takes this important step,” said head coach Chris Petersen in a statement. “I look forward to what’s to come for him and to watching him embark on what will be a long, successful NFL career.”
Thompson, who has averaged about 74 tackles per season in his three years at Washington, projects as a first-round pick in the spring, with CBSSports.com ranking him 10th overall, and first among outside linebackers. In his first mock draft of the season, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Thompson coming off the board 16th to the Dolphins, and writes that the linebacker is a “unique talent,” with the ability to provide strong pass coverage and to defend the run from sideline to sideline.
AFC East Notes: Bradham, McDaniels, Dolphins
As two teams from the AFC East – the Bills and the Jets – continue to hunt for a new head coach, let’s check in on a few unrelated items from out of the division….
- The Bills are interested in extending the contract of linebacker Nigel Bradham, who is coming off a breakout season, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Bradham, who established new career highs with 104 tackles, a pair of forced fumbles, and seven passes defended, is eligible for an extension on his rookie deal for the first time this offseason.
- Asked in his weekly conference call about his discussions last week with the Falcons and 49ers for their head coaching vacancies, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said those meetings were “fine,” as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com details. “I just had an initial meeting with them and it hasn’t really gone any further in either direction,” McDaniels said. “So, again, I’m back to focusing on the next task at hand for us, which is the Ravens. I’m sure they’ll do what they need to do on their end. I’m sure those things will take care of themselves in the future.”
- Because he spent the 2013 season on the reserve/non-football injury list, Bills offensive lineman Chris Hairston finishes his rookie contract this winter eligible for restricted free agency rather than unrestricted free agency, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter). As Rodak points out, linebacker Kiko Alonso will be in the same situation a year from now.
- Given the lack of star head coaches available this winter, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald can understand why Dolphins owner Stephen Ross elected to retain Joe Philbin for the 2015 season.
Front Office Notes: Jets, Saints, Bears
As the first full week of 2015 gets underway, we have updates on two teams hunting for a new general manager, as well as a pair of clubs whose front offices may be undergoing some changes. Here’s the latest:
- Although the Jets would like to speak to Saints executive Ryan Pace about their general manager position, it’s unlikely that Pace will elect to interview for the opening, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As Rapoport explains (Twitter link), Pace – a favorite of Sean Payton – assumed more day-to-day duties with the Saints in 2014 as GM Mickey Loomis worked more with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. Rapoport adds that Pace’s role will only increase, and that he could be in line for a promotion.
- A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Loomis “remains entrenched” as the Saints‘ GM, with no need to elevate anyone in the front office to handle any of his duties. However, Florio agrees that it appears as if Pace will stay put in New Orleans for now.
- Texans director of scouting Mike Maccagnan will have his interview with the Jets for their GM vacancy today, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Speaking to one veteran front office executive who called the head coach/GM marriage “the most underrated dynamic in the business,” Mehta writes in a Daily News piece that the Jets should ensure they create an equal partnership when they hire a new coach and GM.
- Within the same piece, Mehta reports, via sources, that Seahawks personnel executive Trent Kirchner likely won’t be paired with Dan Quinn as a GM/head coach duo, since Quinn’s preference would be to work with a “more seasoned” front office executive.
- The Bears will interview Titans executive Lake Dawson on Tuesday and Chiefs exec Chris Ballard on Wednesday this week, says Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Washington has reached out to personnel man Scot McCloughan about becoming a top executive in the team’s front office, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). McCloughan, a former 49ers general manager, most recently worked for the Seahawks.
Rams Owner Plans To Build Stadium In L.A.
Just over two weeks after we learned that commissioner Roger Goodell informed teams no franchises would be relocating to Los Angeles for the 2015 season, Sam Farmer and Roger Vincent of the Los Angeles Times have a major update on the possibility of the NFL returning to L.A. According to the Times duo, Rams owner Stan Kroenke has joined forces with Stockbridge Capital Group and intends to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood.
Farmer and Vincent write that Kroenke, who purchased 60 acres of land adjacent to the Forum a year ago, has joined forces with Stockbridge Capital Group, the owners of the 238-acre Hollywood Park site. The plan for the group is to build an 80,000-seat NFL stadium, along with a 6,000-seat performance venue.
“We are excited to unveil an expanded plan that will bring a world-class sports and entertainment district to Hollywood Park,” Stockbridge founder Terry Fancher said in a statement. “We are committed to working with [the Kroenke Group] to build a project that will put Inglewood back on the map as home of the truly great sports and entertainment venues.”
While we’ve heard rumblings about the NFL’s potential return to Los Angeles for the last two decades, this is the first time that an existing team owner has held a space large enough to accommodate a viable stadium – with parking – and announced plans to move forward with the project.
Of course, this doesn’t make it a sure thing that the Rams will move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, but it turns it into a very real possibility, particularly since the club can begin a year-to-year agreement in St. Louis as of the end of this month — that would give the franchise the flexibility to leave after the 2015 season, assuming arrangements for a temporary home in L.A. can be finalized as the new Hollywood Park stadium is built. The announcement forces St. Louis’ hand, with the city now under pressure to come back with a strong offer for the Rams within the next few weeks in order to try to keep the club in Missouri.
The Chargers and Raiders have also been mentioned as candidates to move to Los Angeles, so it will be interesting to see how the ownership of those clubs responds to Kroenke’s announcement. Farmer notes in a Q&A with Peter King of The MMQB.com that the concept of moving two teams to Los Angeles at once is “very difficult,” and that he wouldn’t expect to see more than one team move to L.A. initially. As of today, it looks like the Rams are the clubhouse leaders to be that team.
Extra Points: Packers, Fitzgerald, Raiders
As the Ravens look to put the finishing touches on a Wild Card win over the rival Steelers, let’s round up a few Saturday notes from around the NFL….
- In Saturday’s lone practice squad move, the Packers signed former West Virginia center Joe Madsen to their unit, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Green Bay had an opening on its taxi squad, so the club is back up to 10 players now.
- Now that the Cardinals‘ season is over, we can expect speculation about Larry Fitzgerald‘s future in Arizona to ramp up, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The club isn’t expected to cut its longtime star wideout, but a trade is an outside possibility, and a restructure or reduced salary seems even more likely.
- Joel Corry of the National Football Post provides an in-depth explanation of how players get paid during the postseason, including a couple oddities — for instance, Percy Harvin may be rooting for the Seahawks in the playoffs, since his time spent with the club this year means he could earn $70K+ if Seattle wins the Super Bowl.
- The Raiders are the latest team to be covered by Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap in his 2015 salary cap outlook series. Armed with up to nearly $60MM in cap space, Oakland should have a ton of flexibility this winter.
- In a separate piece for Over The Cap, Fitzgerald attempts to determine the value of the top wide receivers eligible for free agency this offseason.
- Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin runs through five burning questions that the Jets must answer this offseason, starting with whether or not Woody Johnson can make the right call on a new head coach and general manager.
Coach Updates: Bowles, Bears, Jets, Marrone
The Cardinals suffered an ugly loss in today’s Wild Card game against the Panthers, totaling just 78 offensive yards, a record low for a playoff contest. However, while Ryan Lindley and the offense struggled, Todd Bowles‘ defensive unit held its own, and now that Arizona’s season is over, Bowles will be free to interview for head coaching openings. As our head coaching search tracker shows, every team except the Bills has reportedly requested permission to interview Bowles, so he could be a busy man over the next few days — Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets that the Cards DC is expected to interview with the Raiders next week.
Here are a few more coaching-related updates on a Saturday night:
- The Bears confirmed today (via Twitter) that they’ve interviewed Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase for their head coaching position. However, the club has no interest in Rex Ryan, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
- After meeting with the Jets this weekend, Doug Marrone is scheduled to interview with the Falcons on Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Marrone, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News has a column packed with feedback from Bills sources on the team’s former head coach, and it doesn’t paint a flattering picture. Mehta’s sources call Marrone a “control freak,” a “very dangerous person to have in the building,” and “the definition of average,” suggesting that the ex-Bills head coach didn’t get along with a number of players and others within the organization. Based on that assessment, Mehta thinks the Jets can do better with their head coaching hire.
- It shouldn’t be a problem for the Jets if the team ends up hiring a head coach before landing a general manager, writes Bob Glauber of Newsday.
- Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets a reminder that the league’s Rooney Role doesn’t apply to assistant coaching jobs. Despite the fact that the Fritz Pollard Alliance asked for that two years ago, the NFL turned down the request, and there has been no renewed push for it recently, says Maske.
Extra Points: Packers, Jets, Bears, Greenberry
Earlier today, the Packers announced that they have promoted Eliot Wolf to director of player personnel. Wolf, who served as Green Bay’s pro personnel director for the past three years, has been mentioned quite a bit as a GM candidate this offseason, but the promotion might take him off the table for GM openings around the league and could signal that he’ll be the heir apparent to GM Ted Thompson.
Meanwhile, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets that Alonzo Highsmith‘s name has come up for director of player personnel jobs for other teams, pending GM hires. Highsmith is currently employed as a senior personnel executive in Green Bay’s front office.
Let’s round up a few more Friday odds and ends from around the NFL….
- The Jets have requested permission to interview Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard and Dolphins director of college scouting Chris Grier for their general manager vacancy, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link), if Ballard were to land the GM job in either New York or Chicago, Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich would be high on his short list of candidates.
- In the view of Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com, recently-dismissed Eagles executive Tom Gamble would make an ideal candidate for the Bears‘ general manager opening.
- A report earlier in the week indicated that Houston wide receiver Deontay Greenberry had chosen an agent and would enter the 2015 NFL draft, but Greenberry said on Friday that he has yet to make a decision on his status for the coming year, writes Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
- Nick Powell of the Star-Ledger wonders if the Giants should use the franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. By using the tag, the Giants can wait on deciding to make a sizable long-term commitment to JPP and ensure that he’ll be motivated for 2015. On the flip side, of course, it would cost the Giants a great deal of money for the upcoming season.
- In his latest ESPN.com mailbag, John Keim fields a handful of questions on Washington‘s 2015 outlook, including inquiries into potential roster and coaching turnover.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Latest On Bills’ Head Coaching Search
The Bills, after seeing head coach Doug Marrone opt out of his contract on New Year’s Eve, officially kicked off their search for a new head coach yesterday by requesting permission to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. As Buffalo looks to play catch-up to the five other teams looking to fill head coaching vacancies, we’ll track all of today’s updates on the club’s coaching hunt right here. The latest:
- It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bills set up an interview with Mike Shanahan, since “there is some interest” there, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Based on La Canfora’s wording, it’s not clear if it’s the Bills or Shanahan with the interest, but I’d guess it’s probably coming from the team.
- The Bills have now scheduled interviews with Bevell and Quinn, according to Graham (Twitter link).
- As we noted in this evening’s round-up of coaching rumors, the Bills weren’t able to line up an interview with McDaniels this weekend, according to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.
Earlier updates:
- The Bills have requested interviews with Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Quinn, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- As hoped, the Bills’ interview with Reich will go down on Sunday in San Diego, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- According to Graham (Twitter links), Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula will sit in on the Bills’ head coach interviews, which will be conducted by Whaley and Brandon. Graham notes that the next Buffalo head coach will report directly to Terry Pegula, who – according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) – would still like to hire a football czar to “oversee the building.”
- The Bills are trying to arrange an interview with Reich for Sunday in San Diego, before he leaves to interview with the Jets, tweets Graham. According to Graham (via Twitter), even though Reich was viewed as a Bill Polian favorite, and Polian is no longer ticketed for Buffalo, mutual interest between the Chargers’ offensive coordinator and the Bills remains high.
- General manager Doug Whaley is leading the Bills’ coaching search, and Gase will be the first candidate to interview on Saturday, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). Graham adds that the club will also speak to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, as expected, while John Wawrow of The Associated Press tweets that Bills CEO Russ Brandon will serve as an advisor to Whaley during the process.
- According to Graham (via Twitter), the Bills also have interest in talking to Rex Ryan about their head coaching opening, but nothing has been scheduled at the moment.
- Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and current Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz are two names to keep an eye on for potential interviews with the team, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR550. We’ve previously heard Schwartz mentioned as a possible candidate, and Quinn is no surprise either, considering he’s already been linked to several teams with head coaching vacancies.
- Speaking of Schwartz, Bills defensive players are pushing for the defensive coordinator to remain in Buffalo, writes Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests promoting Schwartz to head coach could provide much-needed stability and continuity for the club.
- John Kryk of the Toronto Sun (all Twitter links) thinks the Bills shouldn’t hire a head coach until they install a new football czar, since it seems clear that the Pegulas want to hire one. If they do hire one, that new czar can decide whether or not to keep Whaley, and if they don’t hire one, they should announce they aren’t looking, and promote Whaley to VP of football operations.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Trae Waynes To Enter Draft
Following Michigan State’s dramatic comeback win over Baylor in Thursday’s Cotton Bowl, Spartans cornerback Trae Waynes confirmed to Mike Johnson of the Kenosha News that the game was his last with Michigan State. Waynes will be forgoing his final year of college eligibility and entering the 2015 NFL draft.
“I’m sure it’s kind of obvious,” Waynes said. “Yeah, I’m gonna go…. I pretty much already decided what that (decision’s) going to be with my family and the coaches and stuff like that.”
As Waynes suggests, it should come as no surprise that he’ll be going pro a year early, since he’ll be considered one of the best cornerbacks available this spring. In fact, CBSSports.com’ rankings have Waynes atop the list of cornerbacks, and Todd McShay’s first mock draft of the season at ESPN.com has Waynes as the first corner coming off the board, at No. 20 overall. In addition to being solid in coverage, Waynes is viewed as a sure tackler who can contribute in run support as well.
You can find our list of underclassmen who have declared their intent to enter the 2015 NFL draft right here.
Coach Updates: Cowher, Quinn, Jets, Raiders
Shortly after Doug Marrone opted out of his contract with the Bills, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was mentioned as a potential target for Buffalo, but appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cowher took himself out of the running for the Bills’ job or any other head coaching openings.
“I’m in a really good place. I really enjoy my job at CBS,” Cowher said. “You’re not going to see me on the sidelines. I enjoy it, you miss it, but not enough to get back.”
Here are a few more coaching-related tidbits that have trickled in since our last round-up:
- Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has a jam-packed schedule today and tomorrow, according to Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Schefter reports that Quinn interviewed for the Jets‘ head coaching job this morning, and will speak to the Bears tonight, the Falcons tomorrow morning, and the Bills tomorrow night.
- In addition to interviewing Quinn, the Jets also completed their interview with Seahawks assistant Tom Cable today, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur interviewed with the Raiders today, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Shurmur is the second candidate to interview with the club, following Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
- While the 49ers and Falcons were able to schedule interviews with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels within this week’s allotted window, the Bills were not, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean Buffalo couldn’t try to speak to McDaniels later on, but the team may not want to wait.
- A pair of potential candidates cited early in the process for the two Bay Area teams have yet to set up interviews — Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweets that the Raiders haven’t requested permission to speak to Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio yet, while Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle says (via Twitter) that the 49ers have yet to set anything up with Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
- The Buccaneers interviewed current 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman for Tampa Bay’s OC position today, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that Vic Fangio‘s interview for the 49ers‘ head coaching position lasted more than six hours and was “very impressive.”
- Michael C. Wright and Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com have the details on the coaching recommendations made by the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel.