Steelers To Interview Pep Hamilton For OC
We heard last week that the Steelers were expected to promote Matt Canada to offensive coordinator to replace Randy Fichtner, but that is not a done deal just yet. As veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson was first to report (via Twitter), Pittsburgh requested an interview with Chargers quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton for its OC position, and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Steelers will meet with Hamilton today.
This jibes with a recent report from Dulac, whose sources indicated that Canada was a “candidate” for the OC gig but that nothing had been finalized. Obviously, the Steelers are still in search mode, which means that Hue Jackson is presumably still in the running as well.
Hamilton certainly has a more extensive NFL resume than Canada, who was in the college game for his entire career except 2020, when he joined the Steelers as their QB coach. Hamilton, meanwhile, served as the Colts’ OC from 2013-15, and he has also had stops with the Jets, 49ers, Bears, and Browns.
After two years working under Jim Harbaugh as the University of Michigan’s assistant head coach/passing game coordinator, and after an ill-fated gig as the head coach and GM of the XFL’s DC Defenders, the 46-year-old Hamilton rejoined the NFL ranks in 2020, when he hooked on with the Chargers. The success of rookie QB Justin Herbert has helped Hamilton boost his stock, as he is also a candidate for the Dolphins’ OC position.
If he joins the Steelers, Hamilton will be tasked with getting more out of a unit that finished 25th in the league in total offense in 2020 despite the presence of some highly-talented weapons. He will also try to develop the games of potential Ben Roethlisberger heirs Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.
Rob Gronkowski To Return In 2021, Hopes To Play For Bucs
Earlier this month, Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski said he wasn’t sure whether he would retire at season’s end. In an interview on the NFL Network today (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), Gronkowski indicated he would be back on the playing field in 2021.
The 31-year-old will be eligible for free agency this offseason, but if he has it his way, he will return to Tampa. When asked if he was going to be back with Tom Brady and the Bucs next year, Gronk said, “Yeah, you got to.”
“I feel like this team was built to win right now,” he added. “I could definitely see this team having a lot of talent come back and having another successful run next year, as well, with me.”
Of course, the Bucs will also have a say in the matter. Brady will be under contract for another year and would doubtlessly like to see his favorite tight end return, but Tampa’s TE room could be crowded. Though O.J. Howard missed most of the season due to an Achilles tear, the team did exercise his fifth-year option for 2021, and since the option is guaranteed for injury, it seems as though the Bucs will have no choice but to keep Howard and his $6MM salary on the books.
Cameron Brate, meanwhile, is under contract through 2023, but the team could release him and save $6.5MM against the cap with no corresponding dead money charge. Assuming Gronkowski does decide to continue playing, the Bucs could part ways with Brate and re-sign Gronk. However, the team has plenty of other high-profile free agents to worry about, like WR Chris Godwin, OLB Shaquil Barrett and ILB Lavonte David. So Gronkowski probably can’t bank on the same $9MM salary he earned this season.
That probably doesn’t matter too much to him, as he was perfectly content to walk away from that salary completely when he announced his retirement in 2019. He returned only when he saw the opportunity to reunite with Brady in sunny Tampa, and he showed he still has some gas in the tank, catching 45 passes for 623 yards and seven scores in 16 regular season games. Pro Football Focus was not as high on his blocking prowess as it has been in years past, but he was certainly passable in that regard.
The moral of the story is that Gronkowski and the Bucs look like a good bet to continue their partnership for one more season, regardless of what happens in their divisional round bout with the Saints this evening.
Jaguars To Interview Raheem Morris For DC
New Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer is no stranger to success as a sideline general, but the professional game brings with it a whole host of considerations and problems that don’t exist at the college level. Perhaps as a result of that, Meyer is eyeing a former NFL head coach for his defensive coordinator post.
As Albert Breer of SI.com reports (via Twitter), Raheem Morris will interview for the Jacksonville DC job this week. Morris actually interviewed for the team’s HC gig after he finished out the 2020 campaign as the Falcons’ interim head coach, and he of course served as the Buccaneers’ HC from 2009-11. In total, Morris has a 21-38 head coaching record.
Despite that less-than-impressive mark, Morris remains well-respected both as a coach and as a defensive mind. He got the Falcons to show some signs of life this year after Dan Quinn‘s dismissal, and he did get an interview for Atlanta’s full-time HC position, which ultimately went to Arthur Smith. He was also a potential candidate for the Raiders’ DC job, though Vegas opted for Gus Bradley instead.
Morris will have a lot of work to do if he joins the Jags. The club has some talent on the defensive side of the ball, but it did finish towards the bottom of the pack in terms of total defense this year.
Breer notes that Meyer was considering Quinn for the DC position — Quinn recently accepted the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator job — and that Meyer is a big fan of the type of scheme that Quinn ran in Seattle earlier this decade. After having worked for Quinn for six years in Atlanta, Morris would presumably bring some of those same concepts in addition to his own defensive acumen.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com first reported (via Twitter) that Morris and Meyer were in contact about the defensive coordinator position.
Brandon Staley Gets Second Interview With Chargers
Recent reports have indicated that the Chargers are favoring Bills OC Brian Daboll for their head coaching vacancy, but apparently the club was impressed by Rams DC Brandon Staley. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Staley will get a second interview with the Bolts today (Twitter link).
Today’s meeting will take place in person. The Rams’ season ended yesterday thanks to a 32-18 loss to the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the Bills advanced to the AFC Championship Game after defeating the Ravens. That means that the Chargers could hire Staley right away, but they would need to wait at least another week before making a Daboll hire official.
And if the team decides it wants Staley, it might not be able to wait much longer. The 38-year-old is also scheduled to speak with the Texans about their HC job today, and the Eagles are hoping to fly him out tomorrow. But the Chargers might have a better roster than the Texans and Eagles, and quarterback Justin Herbert — who, unlike Houston QB Deshaun Watson, is not feeling any resentment towards his team at the moment — makes the LA job especially attractive.
Daboll’s candidacy for the Chargers’ gig is obvious given the development of Buffalo QB Josh Allen and Daboll’s personal ties with Los Angeles GM Tom Telesco, but Herbert is said to be high on incumbent OC Shane Steichen. Telesco could decide that Steichen is the best person to further Herbert’s development, which might make a defensive-minded head coach more appealing.
Staley certainly had some top-tier talent to work with this year, but there is no denying that he got the most out of that talent. The Rams were the best team in the league in terms of total defense in 2020, and Staley and his innovative schemes are widely credited for that performance. The fact that this was his first season as DC makes his work all the more impressive, and the league has certainly taken notice.
Broncos Notes: Miller, Paton, Lock
Broncos LB Von Miller is the subject of a criminal investigation in Parker, CO, as Mike Klis of 9News.com was among those to report (via Twitter). Parker police would not comment on the nature of the investigation, though a report from FOX 31 suggests that it pertains to domestic abuse allegations levied against Miller by his ex-fiancée. The Broncos issued a statement indicating they are aware of the situation and are in the process of gathering more info.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, a decision on whether charges will be filed will not be made for several weeks. Obviously, any allegations of domestic violence are serious and outweigh any on-field concerns, but Miller’s future with the Broncos was already in doubt. He missed the entire 2020 campaign due to an ankle injury, and though he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019, his eight sacks that year marked a career low (aside from a five-sack effort in 2013, when he played in just nine games).
Klis reports in a full-length piece that the Broncos will ask Miller to take a pay cut. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is due a $17.5MM base salary in 2021 — the last year of his current contract — but carries a $22.225MM cap charge due to an earlier restructure. Denver could release him and create $18MM in cap space, and given that Miller is unlikely to earn $17.5MM on the open market, he may be amenable to a reduction in pay. If the domestic allegations are substantiated, he can definitely bank on a suspension.
Now for more from the Mile High City:
- In the same piece linked above, Klis examines the most pressing questions for new GM George Paton. Paton and HC Vic Fangio will report to John Elway in the team’s revamped power structure, but Paton will have control over personnel matters. One of his first orders of business — aside from the Miller issue — will be to sort out the Broncos’ QB situation. Veteran signal-callers like Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson may or may not be available on the trade market, and even if a blockbuster trade doesn’t happen, Klis expects Paton to bring in legitimate competition for incumbent passer Drew Lock. Paton will also have the No. 9 overall pick at his disposal.
- The contract situation of safety Justin Simmons will need to be addressed as well. Simmons and the Broncos were unable to come to terms on a multi-year contract last offseason, so the newly-minted Pro Bowler played out the 2020 season under a $11.4MM franchise tag. Klis suggests that Simmons could adjust his asking price on a long-term deal given the expected decrease in the 2021 salary cap, and he also says a second tag — worth about $13.7MM — could be in play.
- Saints vice president of pro personnel Terry Fontenot was the runner-up to Paton in the Broncos’ GM hunt, as Klis tweets. Denver was able to convince Paton — who had been a hot GM candidate for years — to finally leave Minnesota, but the club was certainly impressed by Fontenot, who is now said to be the Falcons’ top choice for their GM vacancy.
Texans Interview Matt Eberflus For HC
Colts DC Matt Eberflus has reversed course. After he initially turned down the Texans’ request for a head coaching interview, Eberflus did indeed meet with Houston brass, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter). That interview took place yesterday.
Typically, a team with a quarterback like Deshaun Watson is an ideal landing spot for a new head coach. But reports of Watson’s disenchantment with the Texans have been a major part of the NFL news cycle in recent weeks, and questions about the competence of team ownership have also been raised. Combined with the fact that Houston is currently without a first- or second-round selection in this year’s draft, those troubles indicate that the Texans’ HC post is not particularly desirable.
On the other hand, Houston also appears to be Eberflus’ last chance to get a head coaching job this cycle. He took interviews with the Chargers and Jets, but Los Angeles appears to be favoring Bills OC Brian Daboll, and New York has already hired 49ers DC Robert Saleh. And given that a top HC candidate one year might be completely off the radar the next, Eberflus could be trying to strike while the iron is hot.
The Colts’ defense has become one of the league’s top units under Eberflus’ watch, and since Houston’s incumbent offensive coordinator, Tim Kelly, is a favorite of Watson’s, adding a defensive-minded HC who is willing to keep Kelly aboard might make the most sense. Bills DC Leslie Frazier and Rams DC Brandon Staley are also on the Texans’ radar.
Ravens To Explore Extension For Lamar Jackson
The Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs last night in a game that raised more questions than it answered about quarterback Lamar Jackson‘s ability to win in the playoffs. Although it appeared that Jackson had put that narrative to bed with his team’s victory over the Titans in last week’s wildcard round, the naysayers are back in full force following Baltimore’s loss to the Bills, which included a Jackson pick-six that turned what could have been a tied score or a 10-6 deficit into a 17-3 game.
Never mind that the game also featured a plethora of bad snaps from center Patrick Mekari, poor pass-blocking from the Ravens’ O-line, two missed field goals by the normally automatic Justin Tucker, and a dropped pass that set up the Bills’ first score. Never mind that offensive coordinator Greg Roman, whose passing game concepts and questionable play-calling undermine his strengths in the run game, seems to get outcoached against good teams. Never mind that Jackson’s best skill-position players are also playing on their rookie deals, and that Peyton Manning didn’t win his first playoff game until his sixth professional season.
Yes, Jackson still needs to improve as a passer. The pick-six was on him and was a devastating blow. But he won the league MVP last year, his age-22 season. He is a dynamic playmaker who has shown plenty of flashes of top-tier ability throwing the ball, even if he never becomes Manning in that regard. He posted nearly a 3:1 TD-to-INT ratio this year en route to a 99.3 quarterback rating, and he became the first QB in league history to rush for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons. He is also a high-character leader who has the full respect of his teammates, and there is reason to believe he will continue polishing his right arm.
The Ravens appear to agree, as they are expected to explore an extension for their young signal-caller this offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). That would seem to fall under the “no duh” category of NFL reports, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta has made it a point to be proactive with extensions for key players, and locking up Jackson in a year when the salary cap will decrease or remain the same could be to the Ravens’ advantage.
As Rapoport notes, Jackson represented himself when negotiating his rookie deal, and it remains to be seen if he will hire an agent before discussions about his second contract commence. One way or another, it would seem that Deshaun Watson‘s re-up with the Texans is the best comp. Watson’s extension was a four-year add-on worth $156MM (a $39MM AAV) and featured $73MM guaranteed at signing. Look for Jackson’s new deal to include similar figures.
Assuming player and team do not have an extension in place by the deadline to exercise fifth-year options in May, that will obviously be a no-brainer decision for the Ravens. Jackson’s fifth-year option, which would go into effect for the 2022 season, would be fully guaranteed — since he is a member of the 2018 draft class — and would be worth about $25MM (as Albert Breer of SI.com notes on Twitter). But that will almost certainly be more of a placeholder than anything else, as a new deal should be consummated prior to the 2022 campaign.
The Ravens will have plenty of other contractual issues to hash out in the coming months. Pass rushers Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue are eligible for unrestricted free agency, and TE Mark Andrews and OT Orlando Brown may be seeking extensions of their own.
2021 Scouting Combine Uncertain To Happen
The big business machine that is the NFL has managed to make a television event out of the annual scouting combine. But regardless of how one feels about watching a series of college players running 40-yard dashes and three-cone drills in shorts, the combine is doubtlessly an important part in draft preparations for NFL teams.
However, as a result of COVID-19, the status of this year’s combine is in doubt. Within the next week or so, the league will decide whether there will be a combine and, if so, what form it will take, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes.
The combine has been held in Indianapolis every year since 1987, and the league could hold it in a “reduced form” on its regularly scheduled date and location in February (presumably, that simply means fewer players would be invited). The league could also push it back to April or simply hold a series of regional combines.
Since the combine is typically the first major event of the offseason calendar, any delay could impact the start of free agency, the draft, etc. And as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report observes (via Twitter), any change to the combine will increase the importance of the Senior Bowl and collegiate pro days (assuming they’re allowed).
Most importantly, as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, this means that COVID-19 protocols are not going away and will be a factor for most of the offseason, if not all of it (Twitter link).
Deshaun Watson Considering Trade Demand?
Multiple reports over the past few days have indicated that quarterback Deshaun Watson is unhappy with the Texans, and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com has thrown his hat into the ring. Mortensen says that the rumblings about Watson’s displeasure are accurate, and that Watson could even demand a trade (Twitter links).
In addition to Watson’s concerns about how the Texans’ GM search unfolded, which we have already detailed, Mortensen says the three-time Pro Bowl passer continues to be concerned about the team’s insensitivity to social justice issues. In Watson’s view, that insensitivity manifested itself in the team’s decision to not interview Chiefs’ OC Eric Bieniemy, who is black, one of the hottest head coaching candidates in this year’s cycle, and a personal favorite of Watson’s (though Mortensen clarified in a later tweet that Watson’s anger is not “strongly connected” to social justice matters and is more related to the state of the franchise).
And according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Watson is not just upset by the fact that owner Cal McNair did not consider the GM or head coaching candidates that Watson endorsed, despite assurances that he would at least take his quarterback’s opinions into account. McNair, who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to have the search firm Korn Ferry assist with the GM and HC hunt, ultimately disregarded the firm’s GM recommendations. Korn Ferry tabbed Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick as the two most viable candidates for the GM position, but McNair instead forged ahead with Nick Caserio, whom he had been targeting for some time.
Schefter went on to say that Watson, whose anger level on a scale of 1 to 10 was a 2 when the team traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last year, is currently at a 10. While Caserio said in his introductory press conference that Watson is the Texans’ quarterback — thereby implying he would not trade him — Watson could certainly make life difficult for Caserio if he chooses to do so.
Interestingly, a Watson trade would not be as damaging to the Texans’ books as one might think, given that the Clemson product just signed a massive extension earlier this year. A trade would leave Houston with just $21.6MM in dead money for the 2021 season, and as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, multiple GMs believe the Texans could acquire up to three first-round picks in a Watson deal.
Watson does have a no-trade clause written into his new contract, but according to Mortensen, he would consider a trade to the Dolphins. Of course, Houston would have had the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, but it traded that selection, along with its 2021 second-rounder, to Miami as part of the Laremy Tunsil swap in 2019. The Dolphins, who also hold their own first-round selection in this year’s draft (No. 18 overall) have the capital and the cap space to get a deal done.
Mortensen suggests that Tua Tagovailoa would head to Houston as part of a Watson trade, which would be a controversial and career-defining move if Caserio were to make it. Obviously, that is little more than speculation at this point, but it appears Watson’s feelings towards the Texans will be a major storyline of this offseason.
In related news, Korn Ferry named Colts DC Matt Eberflus as one of the top candidates for the Texans’ HC vacancy, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (via Twitter). McNair at least tried to interview Eberflus, but Eberflus turned down the request. Breer notes in a separate tweet that Houston is also eyeing Bills OC Brian Daboll, who has interviews lined up with the Chargers and Jets.
Eagles HC Doug Pederson Uncertain To Return
Earlier this month, we heard that the Eagles were expected to retain head coach Doug Pederson. However, sources tell Chris Mortensen and Tim McManus of ESPN.com that owner Jeffrey Lurie is not confident in Pederson’s vision and that Lurie will meet with his HC soon to hash things out (Twitter link).
The elephant in the room, of course, is quarterback Carson Wentz, whose struggles have been (fairly or not) attributed to Pederson, and recent reports indicate that the relationship between Wentz and Pederson is fractured beyond repair. However, Mortensen and McManus say that Lurie is not just concerned about the Wentz issue, and as NFL insider Adam Caplan tweets, Lurie is worried about the direction of the offense in general. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds that Pederson and GM Howie Roseman — whose job is safe — are growing farther apart on personnel issues, and Pederson himself is upset that Lurie forced him to fire offensive coordinator Mike Groh last year and might insist on more changes this year.
Pederson earned his stripes as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2013-15, and while his team finished in the bottom fourth of the league in total offense this year, the rash of injuries the Eagles sustained at wide receiver and along the O-line were certainly a major factor in that performance. But injuries aside, the offense has not looked the same since former OC Frank Reich left for the Colts several years ago, which appears to be the source of Lurie’s consternation.
Still, after Pederson guided the Eagles to the Lombari Trophy following the 2017 campaign, his club managed to qualify for the playoffs in each of the next two seasons, despite dealing with myriad injuries in those years as well. He owns a 42-37-1 regular season record in his five-year head coaching career, a mark that looked a lot better before the Eagles collapsed into a 4-11-1 finish in 2020.
If Lurie elects to part ways with Pederson, he will have some catching up to do. The six clubs with head coaching vacancies are already well underway with their coaching searches, and it’s unclear how the top candidates feel about the Eagles’ QB situation.