Browns Hire Mike Pettine As Head Coach
4:44pm: Pettine agreed to a five-year contract with the Browns, according to team CEO Joe Banner (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
3:12pm: The last NFL team without a coach has finally found its man. The Browns have hired Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as their new head coach, with a press conference scheduled for this afternoon, according to the team (Twitter link). Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported (via Twitter) that the Browns had reached an agreement with Pettine.
Long after every other head coaching position in the NFL had been filled, the Browns continued to interview candidates and consider potential options to succeed Rob Chudzinski. Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were among the names the Browns were said to be eyeing before hiring Pettine.
Pettine, who spent four years as the defensive coordinator with the Jets before heading to Buffalo last year, turned the Bills’ D into a top-five unit, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, a significant turnaround after the team ranked 27th in 2012.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), Pettine will bring Bills linebacker coach Jim O’Neil to Cleveland to be his defensive coordinator, assuming Buffalo is willing to let him out of his contract. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that Pettine had identified Alex Van Pelt as a top candidate for Cleveland’s offensive coordinator opening, but Van Pelt will remain with the Packers as the team’s QB coach (Twitter links).
Latest On Dolphins’ GM Search
Browns executive Ray Farmer, who had been considered a frontrunner for the Dolphins’ general manager job, will forgo a second interview with Miami to remain in Cleveland, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. After initially reporting (via Twitter) that Farmer had decided to stay with the Browns, La Canfora added that John Wooten of the Fritz Pollard Alliance urged Farmer to reconsider and take a second interview to work through some of his reservations about the position (Twitter links). However, it doesn’t appear as if Farmer will heed that recommendation, as the Browns’ front office confirmed today that the assistant GM will continue on with the club (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
By pulling his named out of contention, Farmer becomes the latest in a string of GM candidates to come off the board for the Dolphins. Most recently, Jason Licht, another strong contender for Miami’s opening, reached an agreement with the Buccaneers to become the new GM in Tampa Bay.
La Canfora reported (Twitter links) last night that Omar Kahn of the Steelers, Lake Dawson of the Titans, and Brian Xanders of the Lions weren’t considered finalists, leaving Dennis Hickey of the Bucs and internal candidate Brian Gaine as contenders for the job. According to a tweet from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport though, Dawson will receive a third interview this week with the Dolphins, so perhaps the removal of Farmer from the mix prompted the Dolphins to reconsider Dawson’s candidacy.
The Dolphins are expected to hire a GM next week, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
No Progress In Talks Between Hardy, Panthers
There hasn’t been any movement in extension talks between Greg Hardy and the Panthers, the defensive end tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Hardy, whose rookie deal is set to expire, will face potential unrestricted free agency this offseason.
The Panthers won’t have a ton of cap flexibility this winter, but Hardy, who recorded a career-high 15 sacks in 2013, figures to be one of their top priorities. GM Dave Gettleman made comments last week that seemed to hint Carolina was bracing for the possibility of letting Hardy walk in free agency, but the club may still keep the 25-year-old off the open market. The Panthers could use the franchise tag on Hardy for about $11-12MM, and the former sixth-round pick also indicated last month that he’d be open to accepting a hometown discount on a long-term extension.
“I’ll take some cut for the city,” Hardy told Person. “I still want what I deserve or what I feel (is) close to what I deserve, but I’ll definitely take a small cut for the city.”
It figures to be a busy offseason for the Panthers, who have 21 players, including Hardy, slated for free agency. Cam Newton will also become eligible for a contract extension, and the Panthers will likely make every effort to lock up their franchise quarterback.
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DeMarcus Ware Expects To Rework Contract
With two years and $26MM+ remaining on DeMarcus Ware‘s backloaded contract, the Cowboys will almost certainly have to make a move with their longtime pass rusher this offseason. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas (via Twitter), Ware doesn’t expect to be waived and doesn’t anticipate taking a pay cut, but figures to restructure his deal.
Ware’s cap number exceeds $16MM in 2014 and $17MM in 2015, and the Cowboys are projected to be over the cap in both seasons, so cutting the 31-year-old would increase the team’s flexibility significantly. Restructuring the contract would create some short-term relief, but could pose problems for Dallas again down the road. Still, it sounds as if Ware isn’t open to the idea of accepting a pay cut, so we’ll have to wait and see whether or not the club pushes that idea.
After recording seven straight seasons of 11+ sacks, Ware was slowed by a quad injury this past season, and posted just six sacks in 13 games. He’s also expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow this offseason. While that procedure is a minor one and shouldn’t affect his availability in the summer or fall, it’s another signal that it will be challenging for Ware to regain his old form going forward.
Pats Rumors: Blount, Edelman, Talib
LeGarrette Blount is headed for unrestricted free agency, but he indicated today that he’d like to return to the Patriots, according to Mary Paoletti of CSNNE.com (via Twitter). While Blount’s comment came with the caveat that “we’ll have to see what happens in the offseason,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) gets the sense that the Pats have interest in re-signing the 27-year-old this winter. Here’s more on the AFC’s runner-up:
- The Pats signed everyone on their practice squad except Marcus Forston to a futures contract, tweets Howe. So in addition to signing Mattes and McGuffie, who are mentioned below, the Pats also inked offensive linemen Jordan Devey and Braxston Cave, receivers Reggie Dunn and Greg Orton, and linebacker Taylor Reed to deals.
Earlier updates:
- During his weekly appearance on WEEI in Boston, Tom Brady had nothing but praise for his top receiver, saying that Julian Edelman, a free agent this offseason, “deserves the best” (link via CSNNE.com). Still, Brady suggested that free agency and personnel decisions will be in the hands of New England’s front office and head coach.
- Speaking of those decisions, Bill Belichick told reporters today, including Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), that it will likely take four to eight weeks to make decisions on the club’s in-house free agents like Blount and Edelman.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines the decisions facing the Patriots’ in the next couple months, including whether or not to re-sign Blount, Edelman, and Aqib Talib.
- Offensive lineman R.J. Mattes and wide receiver Sam McGuffie have signed futures contracts with the Pats, tweets Howe. Both players had been on New England’s practice squad.
NFC Rumors: 49ers, Bucs, Burleson, Falcons
A day after being eliminated from the postseason by the Seahawks, the 49ers are already looking ahead to the offseason. Kicker Phil Dawson and center Jonathan Goodwin both expressed interest in re-signing with San Francisco, according to Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter links). The team is also in talks with McLeod Bethel-Thompson about a return for the backup QB, and has signed defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye and wide receiver Devon Wylie to futures deals, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- All indications right now suggest that the Buccaneers are deciding between Jason Licht of the Cardinals and Marc Ross of the Giants as their next general manager, reports Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (via Twitter). Falcons vice president of player personnel Lionel Vital, who had been in the running for the Bucs job, told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today that he’ll remain in Atlanta.
- Nate Burleson acknowledges he’ll likely have to restructure his contract in order to return to the Lions next season, but he hopes to play out his deal and eventually retire in Detroit, as Eric Lacy of MLive.com details.
- The Falcons have interest in bringing back offensive lineman Mike Johnson, but only at the right price, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- The Seahawks and 49ers are among the early favorites to come out of the NFC a year from now, but both teams will have multiple players in line for raises before then. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at a few offseason issues for the NFC’s top two teams.
Latest On Browns’ Coaching Search
The Browns are the NFL’s only team with a head coaching vacancy, meaning there’s little risk now of another club grabbing their preferred candidate. As such, Cleveland’s search seems to progressing deliberately, with a number of options still in play. Here are the latest updates on the Browns’ hunt for Rob Chudzinski‘s replacement:
- According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, the Browns would be exercising a little too much patience if they waited until after the Super Bowl to possibly interview Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn remains interested in Cleveland’s opening, and La Canfora expects the Browns to “put the full-court press” on Quinn this week in the hopes of securing a handshake deal.
- The Browns conducted some background research on 49ers defensive line coach Jim Tomsula last week, according to ESPN’s Bill Williamson, who says (via Twitter) that Tomsula could become a candidate for the Cleveland job.
- Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (Twitter link) hears that the Browns may still make one last run at Josh McDaniels, though he appears likely to remain with the Patriots.