Jim Harbaugh, 49ers Agree To Split
49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh have agreed to mutually part ways, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). Harbaugh has coached his last game for the team, and is now free to pursue other employment.
Harbaugh was clear in his post-game press conference that he would not be returning in 2015, but allowed room for the team to release their statement before making any announcement himself, according to Dylan DeSimone of CSNAuthentic.com (via Twitter).
49ers’ CEO Jed York made a statement regarding the situation, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). “Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions.” York is now looking towards his next coach, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). “We are now squarely focused on finding next head coach of 49ers … confident in Trent’s ability to lead that process.”
The 49ers are no longer responsible for paying the remainder of his contract, according to Garafolo (via Twitter). Of course, the team is also no longer entitled to compensation should Harbaugh take another NFL job.
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report remarks that the only way the 49ers would let him out of his contract is if he was going to Michigan for sure (via Twitter). He believes the team would not have agreed to this if there was a chance he would go to Oakland or another NFL team.
In response to questions about the Michigan job, Harbaugh announced that there will be an announcement made regarding his future, according to Dan Murphy of ESPN (via Twitter). Regarding whether he would miss the NFL if he left, Harbaugh was non-committal according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive Media Group (via Twitter). Harbaugh simply replied, “Is the NFL going somewhere?”
Jets Notes: Idzik, Wolf, Casserly, Wilkerson
The Jets have an 8 A.M. meeting scheduled for tomorrow, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter). Any changes the team plans on making should be announced by that time.
Here is a look at some of those potential changes and the fallout that will come from them:
- While John Idzik seems like a very good bet to be fired now that the Jets’ season is over, he has left his successor in a position to succeed, writes Seth Walder of the New York Daily News. The next general manager will take over a team that will be flushed with cap space, and the job could actually be an attractive situation for a potential candidate.
- Former Packers’ general manager Ron Wolf will be joining Charlie Casserly on the Jets’ staff as a consultant, confirms Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Wolf and Casserly will assist Woody Johnson in the search for the next general manager and head coach.
- Casserly could be interested in Vikings’ George Paton as a candidate for the general manager job, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- One of the first orders of business for the Jets’ next general manager will be to begin negotiations with Muhammad Wilkerson on a long-term contract, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora says it would be unlikely that he plays out his fifth-year option.
Jay Gruden To Remain With Washington
Washington is expected to stay true and keep head coach Jay Gruden going into 2015, reports Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 D.C. (via Twitter).
Despite a lack of success in his first season, as well as constant quarreling with starting quarterback Robert Griffin III, Russini writes that nothing has changed since an earlier report that the team was leaning toward keeping Gruden.
Griffin is also slated to return as the team’s quarterback. Both his future with the tem and his coach’s were in doubt at times during the last month of the season.
The victory against the Eagles in Week 16 likely put both parties in better standing with owner Dan Snyder, and although Washington was thoroughly beaten by the Cowboys today, it likely wasn’t enough of a disappointment to make the owner change his mind
Jim Harbaugh Expected To Take Michigan Job
12:04pm: A source tells Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that Harbaugh’s family is flying into Ann Arbor on Monday, yet another indication that he’ll be taking the Michigan coaching job.
SUNDAY, 8:31am: A slew of others have reported that Harbaugh is likely to take the Michigan gig, including Dave Feldman of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link), who says Harbaugh will be announced on Tuesday, and Feldman’s collegaue Matt Maiocco, who reports (Twitter link) that the 49ers have agreed to let Harbaugh of out his contract. Meanwhile, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweets that no deal has officially been signed, news which Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms (multiple Twitter links), noting that while Michigan’s plan is rein in Harbaugh and introduce him Tuesday, Harbaugh hasn’t informed the Raiders that he won’t accept their head coaching job, and hasn’t told close friends that he’s going to Ann Arbor.
SATURDAY: Our own Dallas Robinson wrote last night that there would be a resolution between Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers on the future of the two parties within 72 hours, and rumors of those decisions are already coming to the forefront. Two members of the 49ers staff and a third NFL source have said that they expect Harbaugh to accept the $48MM offer to become the next head coach at the University of Michigan, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
“That’s what everybody on staff believes is going to happen this week,” one of the sources said. “Jim has figured out that his style is best-suited for the college game. His shtick works better with young guys who are gone after three or four years.”
Cole also writes that Harbaugh will be bringing along several 49ers assistant coaches to Michigan, including Reggie Davis and John Morton.
Harbaugh had been pushing the 49ers toward paying closer in the range of $10MM per year for top level head coaches, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio surmises that if NFL teams are unwilling to increase head coach salaries as revenues increase, then Harbaugh would be best off heading to Michigan for a reported $8MM annual salary.
Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News has examined reports that Harbaugh and Michigan representatives were planning to meet. He cited a report by CBS5 Arizona’s Joe Pequeno that Michigan could announce their hire as early as Tuesday. It was known that Harbaugh was considering that Michigan offer, but there was also evidence that he would have preferred to stay in the NFL, presumably taking over with the Raiders or Dolphins.
Should Harbaugh return to coach his alma mater, that decision would likely be made very soon, as they would not be comfortable waiting as other great candidates found college jobs as the offseason progresses.
While a coach of his stature could have fetched a pretty nice trade haul at one point, Harbaugh’s value and the team’s leverage have deteriorated as it has become clear he would not return to the team in 2015. A PFR Poll posted by Ben Levine on Christmas asked what was the possible compensation the 49ers could receive, however nearly 45% of voters believed the team would release him from his contract without receiving anything in return.
If he leaves for Michigan, that is exactly what the 49ers will get back for him.
Browns Suspend Josh Gordon
11:05pm: It’s still up in the air if Gordon will lose his accrued season for 2014, which would push his unrestricted free agency back a year, tweets Mark Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, adding that talks are ongoing between the two sides. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the team did suspend Gordon without pay, which would put his 2014 accrued season in jeopardy.
Still, as Florio points out, the language in the CBA doesn’t specify that time spent on a reserve/suspended list doesn’t count toward an accrued season. As such, Gordon could have two potential avenues to fight the delay of his free agency — he could appeal the suspension, and hope it’s overturned by an arbitrator. If that route is unsuccessful, there could be a legal battle over the interpretation of the CBA’s definition of an accrued season, which states that “a player shall receive one Accrued Season for each season during which he was on, or should have been on, full pay status for a total of six or more regular season games.”
Florio suggests that in Gordon’s case, the NFLPA could argue that the Browns wideout “should have been on” full pay status in Week 17, particularly since the reserve/suspended isn’t mentioned in the CBA’s list of examples for instances that don’t count toward an accrued season (which includes time spent on the commissioner’s exempt list, practice squad, or PUP list due to a non-football injury).
1:25pm: The Browns have suspended star receiver Josh Gordon for their Week 17 matchup with the Ravens, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). Gordon was suspended for violation of team rules for reportedly missing a walkthrough practice on Friday, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (via Twitter). Grossi also writes that a late-night night club incident may have also been a contributing factor.
While Gordon has been placed on the reserved/suspended list, the team has signed receiver Phil Bates off the practice squad to fill his roster spot, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
Gordon has gained a reputation for being late for meetings, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora writes that Gordon’s “maturity, decision-making, and associates remain a concern for the team.”
La Canfora also notes that the team had a trade in place to send the embattled wideout to the 49ers last offseason, but ownership refused to go through with the deal (via Twitter). He writes that the team will regret not making the trade when it was on the table. The Browns would not be able to get much for him now, but some pundits – such as such as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) – would still be surprised to see Gordon return to the team in 2015.
Gordon will only have played five games in 2014 due to the suspension, after missing the first ten games due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). By only playing five games, Gordon will not get credit for an accrued season toward his free agency, reports Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). Gordon has played two NFL seasons, and would need four accrued seasons to become an unrestricted free agent. Missing this Sunday’s game will cost him credit for his third season, and could potentially make his 2016 free agency restricted, writes Breer (via Twitter).
The team will have to decided whether the punishment is a paid or unpaid suspension. If the suspension is paid, he will be credited for his sixth game and third season. If not, he will not accrue his third season toward free agency, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
There is a belief that Browns’ management was motivated to push back Gordon’s free agency by a year, and that was a reason for the suspension, according to Wilson (via Twitter). The decision to suspend him and keep him at five games is considered a prudent business decision by the organization, in an attempt to delay his unrestricted free agency (via Twitter).
Gordon is expected to fight the suspension in order to regain his accrued year toward free agency, writes Cole (via Twitter).
Patriots Place Alfonzo Dennard On IR
The Patriots have placed cornerback Alfonzo Dennard on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter).
Dennard, a seventh-round pick in 2012, has been inconsistent during his time with New England. He has only played in 29 out of a potential 48 games in his three seasons, intercepting five passes during that time.
The Patriots still have starters Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner on the outside, and while Kyle Arrington has also struggled with a hamstring injury, he is expected to be ready for playoff football. The team still has Logan Ryan as an option at cornerback as well.
The Patriots have promoted wide receiver Josh Boyce from the practice squad to the active roster to fill Dennard’s roster spot.
The team has also signed cornerback Daxton Swanson back to the practice squad, reports Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). They released defensive end and utility lineman Cam Henderson to make room for Swanson to return to the practice squad.
Reiss writes that the promotion of Boyce could indicate that the team’s two injured starting wideouts, Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell, could miss the game or receive a smaller workload in Week 17 against the Bills (via Twitter).
Edelman and LaFell are working through a concussion and shoulder injury, respectively.
Jets Links: Ryan, Idzik, Decker, Casserly
Jets head coach Rex Ryan has cleaned out his office at One Jets Drive, reports Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. With the team set to finish the season no better than 4-12, most fans and pundits believe that it will be Ryan’s last game with New York.
Team owner Woody Johnson has hired Charlie Casserly to serve as a consultant, likely in an effort to help him to hire replacements for both Ryan and general manager John Idzik.
Here are some other notes from around Jets camp:
- While Ryan has already cleaned out his office, many of his players are still giving their full support and effort to their head coach, reports Kimberly Martin of Newsday. One of his newest additions, Percy Harvin, was adamant about how much he likes playing for Ryan. “I love him. I loved him before I got here and I’m that much more in love with him now that I’m here,’‘ said Harvin. “I don’t think anybody in this locker room has anything negative to say about Coach. That’s why you see guys still playing hard these last few games, still giving their all for Coach. He’s a players’ coach and definitely a guy you want to play for.”
- Idzik could very well be joining Ryan in packing up his stuff, and if he does get fired, he will have his 8-8 2013 to blame, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Fitzgerald surmises that the surprise 8-8 season is more damaging than a three-win 2014 campaign because it elevated and highlighted Ryan’s gifts at a coach to take a bad roster to the brink of playoff contention, and it blurred the line between whether Ryan or Idzik was more to blame for the lack of success, and cost Idzik a chance at a high draft pick and a new coach this past offseason.
- If Casserly has been contacting potential coach and general manager candidates, he may have committed tampering, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. He notes that the league has made no comment about the situation or the conflict of interest, as Casserly sits on the Career Development Advisory Panel. Florio’s source tells him that Casserly is calling about candidates, not contacting them directly. The influence Casserly has from sitting on that panel could be invaluable, and is considered a rare genius move by Florio.
- This Sunday’s game against the Dolphins could be the last in green for a few of the Jets’ veteran player, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Some players who may not be back include Michael Vick, Willie Colon, Dawan Landry, Bilal Powell, and David Harris. Cimini also writes that Harvin, Chris Johnson, and Calvin Pace could be cap casualties this offseason.
- Although Eric Decker will be missing the playoffs for only the second time in his NFL career after signing with the Jets this past offseason, he has no regrets about the decision, according to Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “I don’t have any regrets. When I made my decision to come to New York I wholeheartedly felt it was the best decision,’’ Decker said. “Even though the record is not the same and the stats aren’t the same [as they were in Denver], I still believe that my purpose is to be here. I believe there is a greater plan for me. I realize that is probably hard to see that in the moment.’’
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are some minor transactions from today. Additional roster activity will be logged here, added to the top as usual:
- The Seahawks have released defensive tackle Travian Robertson, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). The team has not announced a corresponding roster move yet, but is expected to make that announcement on Saturday.
- The Browns waived two players Friday, tight end Ryan Taylor and linebacker Eric Martin, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
AFC East Links: Jets, Patriots, Moore
For the second time in two years, the Jets are expected to be in the general manager market, so Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com ran down the potential candidates. At the top of the list are some familiar names: Chiefs’ exec Chris Ballard, Falcons’ assistant GM Scott Pioli, and Patriots’ director of player personnel Nick Cesario. Former Bears’ GM Jerry Angelo and Ravens’ assistant GM Eric DeCosta – who would likely turn down an opportunity to interview with the Jets yet again – are also on the list of names.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:
- Brian Costello of the New York Post offers up many of the same names plus a few more in his list of 15 Jets GM candidates. Beyond a GM change, he feels that the team also requires an overhaul of the scouting department. GM John Idzik has had his last two drafts picked apart, but the Jets’ draft woes go back much further than that. Dating back to 2008, the Jets have gotten weak returns on their draft classes.
- Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com looked at some key contract notes for Patriots players. Quarterback Tom Brady has a big one coming up. Tomorrow at 3pm CT, his base salaries of $7MM, $8MM, and $9MM become guaranteed over the next three years. Sebastian Vollmer, Julian Edelman, and Vince Wilfork also have big incentives on the line this weekend.
- Dolphins‘ backup quarterback Matt Moore is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and his future with the team is uncertain, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. “I’ve enjoyed everything about my time here,” Moore said. “I’m not sure if that’s going to end or if there’s a new chapter. I don’t know yet. When that time comes, I will figure it out then.” Walker writes that Moore is considered to be one of the top backups in the league, and the Dolphins’ salary cap issures and commitment to Ryan Tannehill could force Moore out. “If the situation is right, that will happen,” Moore said of coming back. “If there’s a situation elsewhere that is intriguing, it might also happen. … I’m going to kind of feel my way through it.”
- The Bills had a successful season despite missing the playoffs, starting 8-7 behind EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton and a porous offensive line. Still, new owner Terry and Kim Pegula could make changes during their first offseason with the team, and although head coach Doug Marrone likely did enough this season to keep his job, general manager Doug Whaley could be fired at the end of the year, writes Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News.
Todd Gurley To Declare For NFL Draft
University of Georgia running back Todd Gurley will declare for the 2015 NFL Draft, reports Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph (via Twitter). Gurley’s college coach Mark Richt confirmed that his Heisman-caliber tailback would be “moving on.”
The move from college to the NFL is not surprising, considering Gurley would have expected to be the first running back taken before suffering an ACL injury midseason. Gurley, who had been suspended by the NCAA for improprieties stemming from a paid autograph signing, was reinstated before hurting his knee in his first game back..
In three seasons at Georgia, Gurley separated himself as an elite running back prospect. He average 6.0, 6.2, and 7.4 yards per carry in his three abbreviated years as a Bulldog, scoring 36 touchdowns during that time.
Although running backs are becoming less important in terms of draft position, especially as Trent Richardson continues to struggle, Gurley would have been close to a lock as a first-round pick had he remained suspended and never suffered an injury that ended his college career.