49ers Hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah In Personnel Role
Former Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is returning to San Francisco’s front office, 49ers GM John Lynch announced on Tuesday.
“We’re bringing him back in a personnel executive role,” Lynch said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner), adding that an exact title would be determined after the draft.
Adofo-Mensah, 44, spent the last four years as Minnesota’s GM and was unexpectedly fired at the end of January, eight months after signing a multi-year contract extension. GMs do not get fired after 9-8 seasons, much less when their team went 34-17 in the three years prior. But the Vikings’ regression from their 14-win season led the team and a spotty draft record was enough to facilitate Adofo-Mensah’s ouster.
The former Wall Street trader’s lack of a traditional football background was a factor in his dismissal, but his reunion with the 49ers will bring him back to the first NFL team that took a chance on him. Adofo-Mensah arrived in San Francisco in 2013 under then-GM Trent Baalke as their manager of football development and research. Lynch promoted Adofo-Mensah to director of football development and research when he replaced Baalke in 2017.
Adofo-Mensah only worked with Lynch and new head coach Kyle Shanahan for three years before moving to Cleveland as the Browns’ vice president of football operations. Two years later, he was hired by the Vikings.
With their top-heavy salary cap, the 49ers will have need for Adofo-Mensah’s expertise in financial management over the next few years. They are currently working on an extension with Trent Williams, which would make their tight 2027 cap picture even tighter.
Adofo-Mensah’s success in Minnesota could keep him in conversations for open general manager positions in future years, but his poor history in the draft will be a black mark on his record that will be tough to ignore. Lynch, though, has been an excellent drafter and could mentor Adofo-Mensah as he searches for another GM opportunity.
Patriots Interviewed Browns Safeties Coach Ephraim Banda For DC Job
The Patriots’ decision to promote linebackers coach Zak Kuhr to defensive coordinator came as no surprise.
Kuhr spent the 2025 season as New England’s defensive play-caller and de facto DC with Mike Vrabel‘s original hire, Terrell Williams, going through cancer treatments.
But the Patriots still had to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirement to interview at least two external minority candidates for any coordinator vacancy. One of those interviews was with Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The Patriots’ other minority DC candidate is not known.
Banda, 44, interviewed for DC jobs with the Browns, Cowboys, and Jets this offseason. He did not get any of them – nor, obviously, the gig in New England – but Cleveland added defensive passing game coordinator to his title.
Banda has overseen successful efforts by a number of Browns safeties during his tenure, including Ronnie Hickman, Grant Delpit, and Juan Thornhill. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Utah State and Miami.
The Patriots also hired Southern Mississippi running backs coach B.J. Edmonds as an assistant on their defensive staff, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The former Arkansas State cornerback actually worked under Banda at Utah State in 2021 and 2022, though the two will not reunite in New England. Edmonds previously worked with the Patriots during training camp in 2025.
Lions Promote Bruce Gradkowski To Assistant WRs Coach
The Lions announced their full 2026 coaching staff on Monday. Almost all of their moves were already known, save for the promotion of Bruce Gradkowski from offensive assistant to assistant wide receivers coach.
Gradkowski, 43, arrived in Detroit last offseason after two extremely successful years as the offensive coordinator for the XFL/UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. His offenses were extremely successful in both years with strong production from former Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron and former Cardinals wideout Hakeem Butler.
A journeyman quarterback who played for five different NFL teams between 2006 and 2016, Gradkowski moved into coaching swiftly his retirement as a player. He began at the high school level for three years before spending the 2022 as an offensive analyst at Toledo.
Gradkowski is clearly valued by the Lions and seen as a rising coach in their organization. They blocked the Dolphins from interviewing Gradkowski for their quarterbacks coach vacancy and created a position to promote him internally. Detroit did not employ an assistant wide receivers in 2025.
Gradkowski will continue to work under wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery to hone the Lions’ air attack. Detroit’s offense was expected to regress significantly last season after Ben Johnson’s departure, but they still finished with a top-three passing offense and a top-five offense overall. Gradkowski was crucial to that effort and will likey be a key asset during the transition to new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Mutual Interest Between Broncos, Mike Zimmer For Senior Coaching Position
The Broncos boasted one of the league’s best defenses in 2025, but head coach Sean Payton is still looking for ways to improve the unit.
To that end, he has spoken with longtime defensive coach Mike Zimmer about a senior position on his staff, per 9News’ Mike Klis. There is mutual interest between the two, but no hire is imminent. Zimmer would likely take on a senior position on Denver’s staff.
Zimmer, 69, has 45 years of coaching experience with 15 years as an NFL defensive coordinator and an eight-season stretch as the Vikings’ head coach. His most recent posting was as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2024; before that, he served as a defensive analyst/consultant on Deion Sanders‘ staff at Jackson State (2022) and Colorado (2023). Zimmer was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator during Sanders’ time in Dallas. The two won Super Bowl XXX together, and Sanders picked up three first-team All-Pro nods from 1996-1998.
Payton and Zimmer do not have any direct history together, but the two are no doubt familiar after facing off several times over the last three decades. Zimmer did work closely with Broncos’ general manager George Paton, who was the Vikings’ assistant GM for much of Zimmer’s time in Minnesota.
Zimmer has run a 4-3 defense during his time as a head coach and coordinator, but that should not affect his ability to contribute to Vance Joseph‘s 3-4 unit. They have not previously coached together, either, but they have run in the same NFL coaching circle for the last two decades.
Adding such an experienced defensive mind certainly does not seem like a bad idea. The Broncos’ defense nearly carried them to the Super Bowl in 2025; if not for Bo Nix‘s injury, they may have faced the Seahawks with a better chance of slowing Sam Darnold and Seattle’s offense. If there is another level to be reached, and Zimmer can help them get there, Denver could be knocking on the door of the Super Bowl once again next season.
Jets Finalize 2026 Defensive Coaching Staff
The Jets have set their defensive coaching staff for the 2026 season, per team writer Eric Allen, with Ben Bolling, Ronald Booker, and Colin Bauer emerging as the final additions.
Bolling, 32, will take over as New York’s linebackers coach. He served as the Texans’ assistant linebackers coach in 2025 after four years as a defensive assistant on DeMeco Ryans‘ staff. Bolling previously worked as an assistant coach at Campbell University, where he played wide receiver from 2021 to 2025.
Booker just finished a five-year stint with the Cardinals, where he served as a defensive assistant and quality control coach. A former defensive back himself, Booker will primarily be working with the Jets’ nickel corners in 2026. Four players had over 100 slot snaps in New York in 2025, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required): safeties Malachi Moore and Jordan Clark and cornerbacks Jarvis Brownlee and Michael Carter. Only Moore and Brownlee are still on the roster for 2026, so Booker will be coaching them as well as any nickels the Jets acquire this offseason.
Dolphins Do Not Intend To Trade De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle
The Dolphins turned down offers for running back De’Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at the trade deadline, and their stance on the matter has not changed heading into the offseason.
Miami still sees their speedy offensive skill players as “core players,” according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, and have no desire to trade them as a result.
Achane, 24, just finished a career-best season with 1,838 yards from scrimmage and an NFL-high 5.7 yards per carry. He will become eligible for an extension in the new league year, and his next contract will likely make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
At the deadline, the Dolphins reportedly set a price of “a second-round pick and more” for Achane that no other team was willing to meet. As the draft approaches – and more teams begin to fall in love with Day 1 and 2 prospects – the chances of Miami getting such a haul for their young running back will likely drop. That kind of an offer may no longer be good enough, either, as the new front office and coaching staff could see Achane as a foundational part of their offense.
Waddle, 27, just finished his second straight season under 1,000 receiving yards after eclipsing that number in his previous three years. Much of that regression can be attributed to the Dolphins’ issues at quarterback and general offensive woes in 2025.
The Dolphins demanded a first-round pick “and then some” for Waddle at the deadline with no team making such an offer. The 2021 No. 6 pick has three years remaining on his contract with a $15.4MM option bonus due on March 20. He currently has no other guaranteed money in the future, though $8.2MM of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed early in the 2027 league year, per OverTheCap. That much contract control for a star wide receiver is another reason why the Dolphins set such a high price for Waddle in the past and plan to hold onto him moving forward.
The Dolphins would be more inclined to trade Minkah Fitzpatrick, per Wolfe, aligning with earlier reporting that the team was shopping the 29-year-old safety. Though they have hopes of quickly retooling around younger talents like Achane and Waddle, Fitzpatrick does not fit the timeline of a team that has yet to find its next quarterback.
Two Dolphins who may not be on the field at all next year – in Miami or elsehwere – are running back Alexander Mattison and offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg.
Mattison underwent emergency fusion surgery after a preseason neck injury in Chicago. The 27-year-old running back said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that he is still recovering but expressed hope to play again in the future.
Eichenberg is in a similar situation. He spent the entire season on the physically unable to perform list due to a lingering knee injury that flared up during offseason practices.
“It was one of those things that just started happening working out, doing exercises,” Eichenberg said (via Jackson). “My knee was just kind of breaking down for the most part.”
Eichenberg declined to say if he underwent surgery to address the issue. As for his playing future, he plans to try to return to the field but did not offer much more information.
Dolphins Announce 2026 Coaching Staff
The Dolphins announced their 2026 coaching staff under new head coach Jeff Hafley last week with a number of previously unannounced hires on the list.
On offense, Miami added tight ends coach Ron Middleton and retained assistant TEs coach Lemuel Jeanpierre, and assistant wide receivers coach Jonathan Krause.
Middleton did not coach in 2025, but previously served as the tight ends coach for the Jets (2021-2024), Jaguars (2013-2020), and Buccaneers (2004-2006) with stints at Alabama and Duke between 2006 and 2013. A former tight end himself, Middleton spent a decade in the NFL with 118 appearances and 56 starts. He primarily featured as a blocker and won a Super Bowl with Washington in 1991.
Jeanpierre spent the last six seasons working with the Dolphins’ offensive line, with five years as an assistant and one leading the room in 2021. Like Middleton, Jeanpierre played in the NFL and won a Super Bowl (2013 with the Seahawks), though he lined up at guard, not the position he now coaches.
Krause has been with the Dolphins since 2023, first as an offensive assistant before he was promoted to his current role in 2024. He previously served as the wide receivers coach at UNLV (2021-2022) and San Diego State (2023), with earlier jobs at Vanderbilt and Oregon. Krause, a former wide receiver, also won a Super Bowl (2014 with the Patriots), though he only played in the regular season for the Eagles in 2015.
Kent State special teams coordinator/tight ends coach CJ Conrad is also expected to join Hafley’s staff, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The former Kentucky tight end spent one training camp with the Giants before returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 2020. He then moved to Eastern Kentucky as a tight ends coach in 2023 and landed his job at Kent State last year.
The Dolphins’ new defense staff includes assistant defensive backs/nickels coach DeShawn Shead and quality control coach Siriki Diabate.
Shead was a member of the Legion of Boom on the same Super Bowl team as Jeanpierre. After a seven-year playing career, Shead returned to Seattle in 2023 as an assistant defensive backs coach before taking the same position in Miami the following year. He will not add nickels coach to his title, continuing a trend of NFL teams hiring a dedicated coach for that specific position.
Diabate is getting his first full-time opportunity in the NFL after previous internships with the Bills, Cowboys, Eagles, and Packers. Diabate played at Syracuse and began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2013. He worked for Colgate from 2015 to 2017 before taking a linebackers coach jobs at Middle Tennessee (2017-2021) and UConn (2022-2025). At the latter stop, he had the additional title of run game coordinator.
Cowboys Waive LB Logan Wilson
The Cowboys were hoping that Logan Wilson could stabilize the middle of their defense when they acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline.
The trade did not work out, as the veteran linebacker struggled to make an impact in Dallas. He has now been waived before the 2026 league year, per team reporter Tommy Yarrish.
Wilson, 29, was a 2020 third-round pick by the Bengals. He emerged as a reliable starter during his rookie contract and earned a four-year, $36MM extension as a result. He showed signs of regression in 2024 before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Wilson was then usurped by rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter in 2025, leading him to demand a trade out of Cincinnati.
By that time, his trade value had plummeted, and the Bengals could only get a 2026 seventh-rounder from the Cowboys. But Wilson only logged 24 tackles in seven games (50% snap share) in Dallas and could not carve out a full-time role.
The Cowboys will free up $6.5MM with the move, per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap, but they still have plenty of work to do before becoming cap-compliant for the new league year. Dallas will also need to find more linebacker depth with only DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, and Shemar James under contract in 2026. Their specific needs at the position may also change with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker and his move away from a 4-3 defense and towards a “multiple” scheme that will be a 3-4 “by nature.”
Wilson, meanwhile, will join a free agent class that has several veteran linebackers with similar profiles. After his regression in the last two years, Wilson may have to take a much cheaper ‘prove it’ deal to rebuild his value and help him establish a second chapter of his career in the NFL.
Bills to Re-Sign Alec Anderson
The Bills are re-signing offensive lineman Alec Anderson to a one-year, $3MM contract that includes $1.8MM in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Anderson, 26, signed in Buffalo as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2022. He spent the first two years of his pro career on the practice squad before making the 53-man roster in 2024. He went on to appear in every regular season and playoff game in the next two years with two starts at left guard and one at right tackle.
Anderson also emerged as Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady‘s preferred sixth offensive lineman for ‘jumbo’ packages in 2024. His 190 snaps as an inline tight end led all OL that season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with recently-retired Lions tackle Dan Skipper in a distant second with 70 ITE snaps. However, Buffalo’s use of six-lineman packages dipped sharply in 2025, with a corresponding role reduction for Anderson.
Bills starting left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern are both set to hit free agency in March. Anderson is already familiar with Brady’s system and has lined up at multiple spots along the offensive line, so he could be key depth or even a stopgap starter, most likely at left guard.
Raiders Hire Marquice Williams As Sr. ST Coach, Omar Young As RBs Coach
The Raiders made two key hires on Friday as they work to fill out Klint Kubiak‘s new staff. Marquice Williams has accepted a role as the team’s senior special teams coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, while Omar Young will oversee the running back room (per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports).
Williams, 40, just finished a five-year stint as the Falcons’ special teams coordinator. He survived the team’s coaching change from Arthur Smith to Raheem Morris in 2024, but was not retained by Kevin Stefanski. Before arriving in Atlanta, he spent time with the Bears, Lions, and Chargers, with assistant special teams coach roles with the latter two clubs.
The Falcons has the 16th- and fourth-highest special teams grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in Williams’ first two years in Atlanta, but fell to the bottom 10 in each of the last three seasons. However, he also coached long snapper Josh Harris (2021) and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (2024) to Pro Bowls during his tenure.
Young spent the 2025 season as Iowa’s running backs coach, where Kamari Moulton led the backfield with 79.8 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Young previously worked at San Jose State, Colorado, and South Carolina as well as with the Browns, Packers, Bears, and Patriots.
His first coaching job ever was as a special teams coordinator/secondary coach in 2010, and he didn’t earn another position coaching role until working as running backs coach at Eastern Illinois in 2019 and adding co-special teams coordinator to his title for the next two years. After moving into the Power 4 with the Hawkeyes last year, he’ll now get his first position coaching opportunity in the NFL.
The Raiders will be hoping that 2025 No. 6 pick Ashton Jeanty, who disappointed as a rookie with just 57.4 yards per game and 3.7 yards per attempt, can break out in 2026. A weak offensive line was a huge factor in those struggles, as Jeanty still forced 61 missed tackles, the sixth-most among NFL RBs, per PFF.
Kubiak brought in Rick Dennison as the Raiders’ new offensive line coach in the hopes of boosting that unit as the two did in Seattle in 2025. Young will be tasked with helping Jeanty learn the new offense and hold up his end of the bargain in reigniting Las Vegas’ ground game.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.