Broncos Expected To Promote Davis Webb To OC
10:59pm: Webb has now conducted a formal interview for the OC spot, Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports. That makes him the third candidate to speak with Denver about the position and paves the way for a promotion to officially take place.
8:00am: One of this year’s popular coaching candidates appears to be staying put. Multiple sources tell Mike Klis of 9News.com that Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb will remain in Denver and will become the club’s new offensive coordinator following Joe Lombardi’s dismissal.
The Broncos narrowly missed advancing to this year’s Super Bowl despite being forced to start Jarrett Stidham under center in the AFC Championship Game due to QB1 Bo Nix’s fractured ankle. Nix has been the team’s starting passer in each of the last two years, and although Denver booked two playoff berths during that time and secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2025, head coach Sean Payton felt an OC change was necessary.
There could be another fundamental shift on the horizon. As Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes, Webb has developed a reputation as an “offensive wizard, and quarterback whisperer,” and recent reports suggested Payton may have to cede his play-calling duties to Webb in order to keep his young protege on his staff. Payton has called the offensive plays since arriving in Denver in 2023 and held the same responsibility as the Saints’ HC for many years before that.
Payton sounded amenable to such a change several weeks ago.
“As you get older, you think about all the ramifications. It was said as you get older, maybe you don’t drive in the rain at night. You begin to… I can’t let that happen as a play caller,” Payton said (via Renck). “That’s something that I have to mentally make sure it’s quick.”
Teams around the league are intrigued by Webb’s upside as an offensive guru. The Giants and Eagles were interested in him as a play-calling OC in this year’s coaching carousel, and though he just turned 31, he took head coaching interviews with the Bills, Raiders, and Ravens. He was even considered a finalist for the Las Vegas gig before he withdrew from consideration.
That withdrawal suggested Webb would stay with the Broncos for at least the 2026 season, and signs are pointing in that direction. Whether he will have the opportunity to begin building his play-calling resume remains to be seen. Thus far, as Renck observes, Webb has called plays just once: during a preseason game in August.
In 2025, the Broncos finished 10th in total offense and 14th in scoring. As our coordinator tracker shows, they have also interviewed Bills quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and Commanders pass-game coordinator Brian Johnson for the OC post.
Broncos Notes: Nix, Free Agency, Dobbins, Strnad, Von
The latest reporting on Broncos quarterback Bo Nix indicated he will be medically cleared by the time OTAs open in May. However, Denver head coach Sean Payton’s comments on Nix’s fractured ankle led to some consternation among the team’s fanbase.
“What was found was a condition that was predisposed where they always find a little bit more when they go in and it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when,” Payton said. “When you look at the play, the surgeon said this was going to happen sooner than later.”
Payton’s use of the word “predisposed” created the belief that Nix may be more susceptible than most to this type of injury, particularly since the soon-to-be 26-year-old has undergone two prior surgeries on the same ankle. Nix himself subsequently refuted that notion.
According to Nix, there is “nothing predisposed” in his ankle, and he said there is no concern that the ankle will impact him in the future (via Luca Evans of the Denver Post). He went on to say that Payton’s statement may have been misinterpreted, and that he does not have a longstanding or chronic issue. Rather, a source tells Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post that in this case, the “predisposition” simply meant that a fracture had already started to develop in Nix’s ankle before it reached the breaking point in the waning stages of the Broncos’ divisional-round victory over the Bills.
Nix also pointed out that, counting his last two seasons in college, he had played in roughly 60 straight games before he was forced to miss last week’s AFC Championship Game. That supports his belief that his durability will not be an issue going forward.
Only time will tell, but in the meantime, the Broncos have now turned their attention to the offseason and readying themselves for another playoff run. At present, Denver is currently in the middle of the pack in terms of projected 2026 cap room ($28.5MM, per OverTheCap.com). As Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette relays, CEO Greg Penner said his club will be “opportunistically aggressive” in free agency, and while Penner did not offer specifics, it is fair to expect a team with a rookie-contract quarterback under center to be an active buyer.
Although the Broncos finished second in the NFL with 37 drops in 2025, both Payton and GM George Paton indicated they are happy with their collection of wide receivers (via Evans). That group is fronted by veteran stalwart Courtland Sutton and otherwise includes promising but largely unproven talent like Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims. Franklin was unable to play in the AFCCG because of a hamstring injury, and Bryant left the game early due to a hamstring malady of his own. That left backup signal-caller Jarrett Stidham with midseason pickups Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Elijah Moore as his top WRs behind Sutton, and the receiving corps dropped three passes in the contest.
That said, Payton believes the issue is one of technique, not talent, and he thinks an increased emphasis on the proper way to catch a football will make a meaningful difference. Paton likewise suggests the proper pass-catching personnel is in place, and he does not believe the receivers who were available at the 2025 trade deadline would have moved the needle a great deal.
However, it does appear the running back depth chart could get some attention. No stranger to injured reserve, J.K. Dobbins was enjoying a strong first year in Denver until a Lisfranc injury cut his campaign short after 10 games. He had posted a 5.0-YPC average and four touchdowns on 153 carries prior to the injury, but rookie RJ Harvey averaged just 3.3 yards per carry after taking over RB1 duties. The club did not rush for more than 80 yards in either of its two postseason contests and did not average four or more yards per carry in six of its final nine games of the year.
Evans suggests the team could opt to bring back Dobbins – who has expressed a desire to return – or look to the draft for RB reinforcements. One way or another, Payton acknowledged that improvement in the running game will be a top agenda item.
Denver will also have to sort out its inside linebacker situation, as both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are eligible for free agency. Strnad played exclusively on special teams over the 2022-23 seasons but participated in over half of the Broncos’ defensive snaps in each of the last two years due to injuries to other players in the LB room. He played well in 2025, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 25th out of 88 qualified ‘backers. He believes he has proven his worth as a starter and is therefore seeking a multiyear contract that would give him a starting opportunity (via Tomasson).
Strnad, 29, says he would like to remain in Denver, but he acknowledges he may have to seek a new employer if the team elects to retain Singleton, who recently turned 32. Dre Greenlaw, who signed a three-year deal with the Broncos last offseason, will occupy one of the starting ILB spots.
If he has it his way, Von Miller will return to the Broncos to perhaps put a bow on his Hall of Fame career. Now 36 (37 in March), Miller was selected by Denver with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2011 draft and remained with the club until the trade deadline of the 2021 season, when he was dealt to the Rams. During his Mile High tenure, he racked up 110.5 sacks, three First Team All-Pro nods, eight Pro Bowl bids, and a Super Bowl ring (he was also named MVP of Super Bowl 50). While he is far removed from his prime, he quietly recorded nine sacks in a rotational role for the Commanders in 2025, thus proving he still has something to offer to a team’s pass-rushing contingent.
Miller reached out to Paton last year to discuss a possible reunion, though he knew the presence of fellow pass rushers Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto would make a Denver contract unlikely. Paton confirmed as much, and while Cooper and Bonitto are still on the roster and attached to big-money deals, Miller is making another plea.
In a recent episode of his Free Range podcast, Miller said, “[a]fter the season, y’all make room for me over there with the Denver Broncos. I would love to be a Denver Bronco next season. … Let’s just rock out, man. Me, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto. Like bro, why not? I had nine sacks… I led probably 20 teams in the NFL in sacks this season” (via Will Petersen of DenverSports.com).
Given the contract statuses of Cooper and Bonitto, Paton may be no more willing to bring Miller back into the fold than he was last year. Miller nonetheless should get an opportunity somewhere, and he will have a chance to leapfrog several more players on the all-time official sacks list. His 138.5 career sacks currently put him in ninth place in the regard, behind Terrell Suggs (139.0), Jason Taylor (139.5), and Michael Strahan (141.5).
The Broncos’ offseason business also included a reshaping of their coaching staff. In addition to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, WRs coach Keary Colbert received his walking papers, as ESPN’s Jeff Legwold reported (which is perhaps no surprise in light of Payton’s comments on the need for his wideouts to improve their technique). The team also fired CBs coach Addison Lynch.
Denver also lost senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael Jr. and defensive pass-game coordinator Jim Leonhard to the Bills, with whom they will serve as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, respectively. Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb is in line for a promotion to OC to replace Lombardi.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Expects To Be Medically Cleared By April
The partially-torn left ACL he suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 season has reportedly threatened Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ’s availability for the start of the 2026 slate. Penix, however, has other ideas.
[RELATED: Falcons Expected To Release Kirk Cousins]
The 25-year-old signal-caller recently told Zach Klein of WSB-TV that he is already doing squats and believes he will be medically cleared by April. In light of prior reports, that would appear to be a rather optimistic timeline, but it would be a welcome development for player and team.
2026 will be a pivotal year for the Falcons, Penix, and Penix’s future earning power. He will be extension-eligible at the end of the season, and Atlanta will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option – always a lucrative proposition for quarterbacks – by May 2027. At this point, he has not yet lived up to his status as the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 draft and has not done enough to suggest he is the Falcons’ franchise QB.
Still, multiple scouts and coaches recently opined that the club’s offense under former head coach Raheem Morris and former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson did not properly utilize Penix’s abilities, particularly his arm strength. New HC Kevin Stefanski was not able to do much with less-than-ideal quarterback situations during the 2024-25 seasons in Cleveland, but he did earn two Coach of the Year nods during his Browns tenure thanks in large part to the production he coaxed out of Baker Mayfield in 2020 and a 38-year-old Joe Flacco in 2023.
If Stefanski and new OC Tommy Rees can help Penix realize his potential, the Falcons may be able to crack the postseason for the first time since 2017. Of course, as they will be installing a new offensive system, it will be especially helpful if Penix can be on the field for OTAs and training camp.
In 12 games as an NFL starter, Penix has posted a 4-8 record. His 58.0 QBR in 2025 was 18th in the league out of 41 qualified players and placed him above passers like Jared Goff and Sam Darnold. Traditional quarterback rating was less bullish, as Penix’s 88.5 mark was below average and similar to those earned by players like Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields.
Giants Considering Brian Callahan, Kliff Kingsbury For OC
The Giants have added to their list of offensive coordinator candidates. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, New York has either spoken with, or plans to speak with, Brian Callahan and Kliff Kingsbury about its OC vacancy.
Callahan, 41, lasted less than two seasons as the Titans’ head coach, as Tennessee fired him before the halfway point of the 2025 campaign. Still, he earned that position on the strength of his performance as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator prior to his stint in Nashville, and he has received interest as an OC in this year’s cycle.
He interviewed for the Chargers’ position that ultimately went to Mike McDaniel, and he landed a second interview for the Bucs’ gig. Tampa Bay chose to hire Zac Robinson instead, but Callahan apparently remains well-regarded in league circles. This is despite the fact that he was a non-play-calling coordinator during his time in Cincinnati, and while he is credited for helping Joe Burrow become one of the league’s best quarterbacks, the Titans – who obviously do not boast a talent like Burrow under center – faltered with Callahan calling plays (in a failed effort to right the ship, Callahan even gave up those duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree before Week 4 of the 2025 slate).
Kingsbury, 46, enjoyed some success as the Cardinals’ head coach from 2019-22, helping quarterback Kyler Murray become a Pro Bowl-caliber player and leading the team to a playoff berth in 2021. A 4-13 showing in 2022 triggered his ouster, but he seemed to rebuild his stock as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024. That season, QB Jayden Daniels earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and Washington made a surprise trip to the NFC Championship Game.
Daniels’ injury-marred sophomore slate was the biggest factor in the Commanders’ 2025 regression. As such, it would not have been surprising to see Kingsbury – who spurned HC interest last year in order to continue working with Daniels – remain in place in 2026. Instead, philosophical differences with GM Adam Peters and HC Dan Quinn led to a parting of the ways.
Kingsbury nonetheless landed HC and OC interviews with both the Ravens and Titans this year. If he secures the Giants’ post, he will have the opportunity to work with another promising young passer in 2025 first-rounder Jaxson Dart, whose presence is one of the reasons why Big Blue’s HC opportunity was considered an attractive one.
John Harbaugh earned that post after his 18-year stint as the Ravens’ sideline general came to an end. As Dan Duggan of The Athletic observes, Harbaugh has generally preferred to hire OCs with play-calling experience at the professional level. Now that the Browns hired Todd Monken – who had been expected to follow Harbaugh from Baltimore to New York – as their head coach, Harbaugh will need to look elsewhere for that type of experience.
As Fowler notes in a follow-up post, the Giants are expected to bring their OC finalists to their facility for in-person interviews this week. Here is an updated look at New York’s search:
- Brian Callahan, former head coach (Titans): Interview expected
- Jim Bob Cooter, offensive coordinator (Colts): To interview 2/1
- Shane Day, quarterbacks coach (Chargers): To interview
- Kliff Kingsbury, former offensive coordinator (Commanders): Interview expected
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Hire expected
- Robert Prince, wide receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/23
- Willie Taggart, running backs coach (Ravens): Joining staff in different capacity
- Alex Tanney, pass-game coordinator (Colts): To interview 1/30
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Interview requested
- Charlie Weis Jr., offensive coordinator (LSU): Mentioned as candidate
Jets Considering Frank Reich For OC Gig
Although Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand survived head coach Aaron Glenn’s mass dismissal of a large swath of his first coaching staff – which includes the midseason firing of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks – a change in Engstrand’s roles and responsibilities was anticipated. Connor Hughes of SNY.tv confirms that Glenn will indeed strip Engstrand of his offensive play-calling duties and will likely hire a new play-caller. 
One name that has been connected to the job (per Hughes) is Frank Reich, 64, who presently serves as a senior advisor for the Stanford football program (he was the school’s interim head coach in 2025). At the professional level, Reich most recently worked as the Panthers’ head coach.
His stint in Carolina was a forgettable one. He was hired in January 2023, but he did not make it through one season. With the Panthers having limped to a 1-10 record, and with then-rookie quarterback Bryce Young having struggled to quickly adapt to the NFL, Reich received his walking papers in November 2023.
That was the second consecutive year in which Reich suffered a midseason firing. He became the Colts’ head coach in 2018, and his first campaign on the job went fairly well. With Andrew Luck under center, Indianapolis posted a 10-6 mark and won its wildcard-round matchup with the Texans before falling to the Chiefs in the divisional round. Of course, Luck surprisingly announced his retirement shortly before the 2019 campaign got underway, and that set off a quarterback carousel from which the Colts are still trying to extricate themselves (although they hope Daniel Jones may be able to stop the spinning).
Reich and 39-year-old Philip Rivers did lead the Colts back to the playoffs in 2020, though the team was ousted by the Bills in that season’s wildcard round. Perhaps the biggest blemish of Reich’s Indianapolis tenure came in 2021, when his club was eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the regular season by virtue of a stunning loss to the 2-14 Jaguars. After a 3-5-1 start to the 2022 slate, Reich was fired.
Following his Carolina dismissal the following year, Reich said he was unlikely to coach in the NFL again. It remains to be seen if he is even interested in the Jets’ opportunity, but it sounds as if Glenn is at least interested in exploring the possibility.
In Engstrand’s first season at the offensive controls, New York finished 29th in yards and points. Reich, who served as the Chargers’ OC from 2014-15 and the Eagles’ OC in 2016-17, would at least bring more experience to the job. His NFL coaching tenure dates back to 2008. Internal play-calling options will be considered by Glenn as he fills the offensive coordinator position, but Reich could emerge as an outside contender for the gig.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Former NFLPA Associate General Counsel Sues Union; NFL Filed Grievance Against Union
Heather McPhee, who had been the NFL Players Association’s associate general counsel since 2009, filed suit in December against the union, former executive director Lloyd Howell, NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso, and NFL Players, Inc. president Matt Curtin, per sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (NFL Players, Inc. is the union’s licensing and marketing arm). The union had placed McPhee on administrative leave in August for alleged workplace “misconduct,” and she was fired on December 30, less than two weeks after she filed her lawsuit (via ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr.). 
Kaplan subsequently reported that McPhee is seeking damages of $10MM and that the union had sought to seal her complaint. Florio obtained a copy of it and notes that it contains four counts: obstruction of justice; sex discrimination; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and breach of contract.
In a full-length piece for Front Office Sports, Kaplan says McPhee was originally placed on administrative leave after she cooperated with a Department of Justice investigation into the NFLPA’s relationship with OneTeam Partners, which is a venture between major sports unions to collectively sell group licensing rights (the DOJ probe also includes the Major League Baseball Players Association). The NFLPA has four of the OneTeam Partners’ nine board seats, and McPhee’s suit addresses the OneTeam Partners’ Senior Executive Incentive Plan, the goal of which was to compensate board members affiliated with the NFLPA.
Her complaint also addresses the confidentiality agreement between the league and the union regarding the NFLPA’s recent collusion-related grievance. Regular PFR readers will remember that agreement well.
In 2022, the same year the Browns authorized the now-infamous five-year, fully-guaranteed, $230MM contract for quarterback Deshaun Watson, the NFLPA filed a grievance against the league. The grievance alleged that league owners colluded in an effort to make the Watson deal an outlier rather than have it become a precedent for future fully-guaranteed contracts for the NFL’s best players.
In January 2025, the arbitrator who heard the grievance stopped short of ruling that league owners had colluded but did state that teams were urged to restrict guarantees in player contracts. Despite that finding, which Florio classifies as a “partial victory” for the NFLPA, the union and the league agreed to keep the arbitrator’s 61-page decision entirely confidential (it was not disclosed to players either).
The union entered into such an agreement at least in part because of text messages sent by J.C. Tretter to former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, in which Tretter lampooned and belittled Russell Wilson for agreeing to a contract with the Broncos that was not fully-guaranteed. The league used those messages in support of its argument that no collusion took place, and Tretter – who had previously served as the NFLPA’s president and who was working as its chief strategy officer at the time – hoped to prevent them from being made public. Tretter was nonetheless considered a legitimate candidate to succeed Howell as the NFLPA’s executive director, though his role in the collusion matter and a separate grievance involving the league’s running backs – his prior remarks encouraging RBs to feign injury to improve their bargaining power helped the league win that case – triggered his July 2025 resignation.
It was only after veteran reporter Pablo Torre unearthed the arbitrator’s collusion ruling that the league elected to appeal the decision (the appeal is still pending). McPhee alleges that DePaso accused her of leaking the ruling, and that DePaso criticized her for “being emotional” when she questioned the timing of the appeal (via Florio). She goes on to say that the belated nature of the appeal harmed free agents seeking new contracts during the early stages of the 2025 league year, and she argues her placement on administrative leave was retaliatory.
While it is much too soon to speculate on the outcome of McPhee’s suit, it represents another potential black mark for the union, which has sustained a fair amount of them recently. The circumstances surrounding the Tretter and Howell resignations – Howell stepped down amid conflict-of-interest concerns and revelations of a sexual discrimination and retaliation suit that had been filed against him during his time at the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm, to say nothing of his role in the collision matter – do not cast the NFLPA in a positive light. Interim executive director David White and his potential successor will look to reverse that trend.
Meanwhile, Tretter is the subject of another grievance even though he is no longer affiliated with the NFLPA, as Albert Breer of SI.com details. Since 2023, the union has published “report cards” on each of the league’s 32 teams, which are designed to serve as something of an accountability check. After the union began publishing the report cards, the league sent three cease-and-desist letters to Tretter in an effort to make them stop. Those attempts were unsuccessful, and the NFL filed a grievance in August.
The report cards do appear to be having a positive effect for players. As Breer observes, five owners received grades of “D -” or worse in the most recent poll, and two of those owners (the Cardinals’ Michael Bidwill and the Patriots’ Robert Kraft) have invested tens of millions of dollars in new practice facilities. A third such owner, the Steelers’ Art Rooney II, is renovating an existing facility.
Browns Want To Keep Jim Schwartz In Some Capacity; Schwartz Favorite For HC Job?
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has made it to the next stage of the club’s head coaching search, as he will take a second interview with Cleveland on Monday. Albert Breer of SI.com believes Schwartz will ultimately land the position, and he says the preference within the organization is to keep a talented DC on the staff in some capacity.
That suggests that even if the Browns go in a different direction at HC, they still want to keep Schwartz aboard for what would be a fourth year as defensive coordinator. And given the success he has had in that role, the team’s wish makes plenty of sense.
[RELATED: 2026 HC Search Tracker]
Schwartz, 59, has further cemented his status as one of the league’s top defensive minds during his Browns tenure. His unit ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed in 2023 and fourth in that regard this past season (albeit with a 19th-place finish in 2024 sandwiched in-between). Schwartz has received a number of endorsements from his players, and though Cleveland limped to a 5-12 mark in 2025, the team’s offense was the primary culprit.
That offense – or, more accurately, the unappealing quarterback situation – is one of the reasons why the Browns’ HC post is not as well-regarded as some of the other openings around the league. On the other hand, the Ravens are the only other club that appears to be considering Schwartz for a head coaching role in this year’s cycle, so the Cleveland vacancy may represent his best chance to get back in the HC ranks.
Schwartz has not worked as a head coach since 2013, which marked the end of a five-season run as the Lions’ sideline general. His overall 29-51 record in Detroit is a poor one, though he did lead the then-moribund franchise to a playoff berth in 2011, which was the first time since 1999 the Lions had qualified for the postseason. Schwartz earned a Super Bowl ring as the Eagles’ DC in 2017.
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is also scheduled for a second HC interview with the Browns. That summit is due to take place on Tuesday, one day after Schwartz speaks with team brass for a second time. If he does not land the Cleveland post, Monken is expected to follow John Harbaugh to New York and become the Giants’ OC.
Other offensive-minded candidates are getting additional consideration from the Browns as well. Jaguars OC Grant Udinski has secured a second interview. The same is true of former Dolphins HC and highy-popular candidate Mike McDaniel, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, who reports McDaniel’s second summit is scheduled for Wednesday. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase has also earned another interview request following his Friday meeting. Since LA is still in the playoffs, the date of his in-person sit-down is to be determined.
In light of his accomplishments, it stands to reason that another candidate who gets the Browns’ job would want to keep Schwartz as their DC. It remains to be seen if Schwartz would be amenable to that, or if he would seek a coordinator job elsewhere.
Cardinals Could Retain QB Kyler Murray In 2026
A recent report suggested the Cardinals are likely to move on from quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes, however, Arizona could retain Murray for at least one more year.
Now 29, Murray has not been able to recapture the form that led to consecutive original-ballot Pro Bowls in 2020 and 2021. That early success convinced the Cards to authorize a five-year, $230.5MM contract for the first overall pick of the 2019 draft, but the Murray/Kliff Kingsbury partnership veered off course soon after.
Murray did not play particularly well in 2022, and an ACL tear suffered in December of that year forced him to miss the last few games of the campaign as well as the first half of the 2023 slate. By that point, Kingsbury had been replaced by Jonathan Gannon (with Drew Petzing coming aboard as offensive coordinator), but Murray’s performance was no better than it had been the year prior.
The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner had something of a resurgence in 2024. He ranked ninth in the league in QBR, and the Cardinals finished with an 8-9 record that suggested a playoff berth could be within reach in 2025. That did not materialize, and Murray’s season came to a premature end due to a Week 5 foot injury.
His recent medical history and middling results over the past four seasons have put his future with the Cardinals in doubt. Although multiple NFL executives have opined that Murray is far better than any other player projected to be available in the free agent and trade markets this offseason, his contract situation – he is due $36.8MM in guarantees in 2026 – means Arizona likely would have to eat a considerable amount of salary to facilitate a trade (even then, it is unclear how much of a market would form).
Even a post-June 1 release would come with a dead money charge of nearly $50MM, and several sources have told Fowler that Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill may not want to pay both Murray and Gannon – who was fired on Black Monday – a great deal of money to work elsewhere next season. If Gannon lands a new defensive coordinator or head coach job to offset what he is still due from Arizona, that could change Bidwill’s thinking.
Still, whomever the Cardinals tap as their next head coach may need to be comfortable with the possibility that Murray will be on the roster next year. If that person is as bullish on Murray as some of the above-referenced executives, the signal-caller’s presence could even be a selling point. After all, the 2026 class of collegiate quarterbacks was dealt a major blow when Oregon’s Dante Moore announced he will not be turning pro this year, and with the Raiders seemingly likely to nab Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 choice, the Cardinals (No. 3 overall) may not be in position to upgrade the position via the draft.
The club also has Jacoby Brissett under contract at a palatable $4.88MM salary in 2026. The well-traveled signal-caller actually ran the offense more effectively than Murray in ‘25, and despite his 1-11 record, his surface-level stats (94.1 QB rating, 23 TDs, eight interceptions) are appealing. He was also mentioned as a possible trade candidate, though he could also remain as a bridge option for the Cardinals if they move on from Murray.
Naturally, the 33-year-old would like to remain a QB1. When asked if he wanted another shot as a starter, Brissett replied with a simple “hell yeah” (via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss).
Eagles To Give Brian Daboll “Extended Look” For OC Job; Team To Interview Mike McDaniel
11:00am: ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms an Eagles-Daboll interview is expected.
08:34am: Brian Daboll lost his head coaching position with the Giants in the middle of the 2025 season, but as expected, he is still generating significant attention from clubs in need of an offensive coordinator (he also landed an HC interview with the Titans). The Eagles are one of the teams interested in Daboll’s services as an OC, and Philadelphia will give him an “extended look,” per Connor Hughes of SNY.tv.
Despite their bounty of talent on the offensive side of the ball, the recently-demoted Kevin Patullo was unable to guide the Eagles to the same success as his predecessor, Kellen Moore. After helping Philly to a Super Bowl title in 2024, Moore accepted the Saints’ head coaching job last year, and Patullo’s performance in his first and only season in the OC role was heavily criticized. Towards the end of the ‘25 slate, head coach Nick Sirianni felt compelled to become more involved in his team’s offense.
That did not bode well for Patullo, and after the Eagles were dispatched from the playoffs by a short-handed 49ers outfit in the wildcard round, the writing was on the wall. It is unclear if Patullo will remain with the organization, but if he does, it will not be as OC.
Daboll, 50, earned his shot at the Giants’ HC gig by virtue of his success as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, and his OC aptitude remains well-regarded in league circles. He also has familiarity with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver DeVonta Smith from their time together at Alabama – where Daboll worked as OC and QB coach in 2017 – and he coached running back Saquon Barkley for two seasons in New York.
As of the time of this writing, only the Chargers have secured a publicly-reported OC interview with Daboll. The Eagles’ vacancy appears to be a tempting one, though, and unless Los Angeles makes him a pitch he can’t refuse, it would be fair to expect Daboll to sit down with Philadelphia brass.
The club did land an interview with Mike Kafka, who worked under Daboll as the Giants’ offensive coordinator and then replaced his former boss as Big Blue’s interim head coach in 2025. Hughes suggests the Eagles are high on Kafka as well, and they are taking a few other big swings.
Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel, one of the most-coveted coaches on the market, is expected to interview with the Eagles for their OC post, as ESPN’s Jeff Darlington notes (previously, we knew only that Philadelphia was interested in talking with McDaniel). The club will have competition for his services, however.
McDaniel’s Miami tenure ended on a sour note, but the first half of his stint produced excellent results as he helped unlock quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s potential. That has buoyed his stock as a highly-respected offensive mind, and he has drawn head coaching interest from five teams (the Browns, Falcons, Raiders, Ravens, and Titans) and OC interest from four others (the Bucs, Chargers, Eagles, and Lions; Baltimore is also considering McDaniel for its OC position).
The Falcons have already hired Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach, and the Browns’, Titans’, and Raiders’ HC openings are generally not considered to be as enticing as the Atlanta or Baltimore jobs. On the other hand, the teams that are interested in McDaniel as an OC boast considerable offensive talent, and McDaniel acknowledges he is intrigued by those jobs (via Darlington).
Jim Bob Cooter, Zac Robinson, and Kliff Kingsbury are among the other names on the Eagles’ radar.
Steelers To Conduct HC Interview With Mike McCarthy
With Mike Tomlin having resigned as the Steelers’ head coach, Pittsburgh could turn to the coach who bested Tomlin in Super Bowl XLV as his replacement. As Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports, the Steelers have secured an HC interview with Mike McCarthy (ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report an interview was expected).
McCarthy, 62, is a Pittsburgh native, and he and Steelers GM Omar Khan had a brief overlap in New Orleans in 2000-01. During that time, McCarthy was working as the Saints’ offensive coordinator, and Khan was in the team’s football operations department.
That modicum of familiarity aside, McCarthy does bring plenty of experience to the table. His Super Bowl victory came in his fifth season as the Packers’ HC, and he lasted seven more years in Green Bay beyond that. After a year off in 2019, McCarthy took over for Jason Garrett as the Cowboys’ head coach in 2020. Dallas struggled to a 6-10 mark in McCarthy’s first year, but the team put together three straight 12-win seasons thereafter.
However, those successful regular seasons resulted in just one playoff victory during McCarthy’s Dallas tenure. Following a 7-10 campaign in 2024, the club did not renew his contract.
That has not prevented McCarthy from attracting interest in each of the last two head coaching cycles. He interviewed for the Bears’ and Saints’ posts last year and for the Titans’ and Giants’ vacancies in 2026. While New York has already hired John Harbaugh, the Tennessee job remains open.
The Steelers’ storied history and unparalleled head coaching stability make their HC gig attractive in some respects, though their quarterback situation is one that could give high-end candidates cause for concern. With former McCarthy charge Aaron Rodgers under center, the club clinched the AFC North crown in the waning seconds of the 2025 regular season but was routed by the Texans in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Reports published after Tomlin’s resignation suggested Rodgers would not return to Pittsburgh.
Other reports have indicated that the team would nonetheless be amenable to a new deal for the mercurial passer, and that Rodgers’ teammates would be happy to have him back. Even if that were to happen, Rodgers is now 42, and the Steelers do not have an obvious long-term QB on the roster or a clear means of acquiring one this offseason.
Of course, a McCarthy-Rodgers reunion in the Steel City would be a fascinating development given the combination of success and interpersonal tension they shared in Green Bay (it has been reported that any discord between the two men has dissipated over time). Their QB outlook notwithstanding, veteran NFL reporter and current Cowboys beat Ed Werder says there is nothing McCarthy would like more than to become the head coach of his hometown Steelers, and he even suggests a McCarthy hire could make a Rodgers re-up more likely.
Take a look at our tracker to see how the Steelers’ search, and the searches of other HC-needy teams, are shaping up.