Coaching Rumors: McDaniels, Arians, Marrone
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels seemed to irreparably damage his future head coaching prospects with every team in the league except New England when he infamously jilted the Colts last offseason. But he has already been mentioned as a candidate for the Browns‘ head coaching job, and as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, there will be no shortage in interest in McDaniels when the head coaching carousel starts spinning in 2019. La Canfora does not specifically name any teams who are expected to pursue the 42-year-old, but his sources indicate that McDaniels will be under strong consideration despite the fiasco in Indianapolis.
Now let’s take a look at other rumors concerning current, and possibly future, head coaches:
- Speaking of the Browns, former Colts and Cardinals HC Bruce Arians recently said he would only consider becoming a head coach again if he were hired by Cleveland, but he walked those comments back shortly thereafter. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Arians was serious the first time and that he will contemplate returning to the sidelines if he can become the Browns’ head coach. Arians indicated that he will not consider overtures from any other clubs, but that if he does land the Cleveland gig, he would keep Freddie Kitchens as offensive coordinator and would consider keeping defensive coordinator Gregg Williams — currently the Browns’ interim HC — as well.
- It remains to be seen whether Arians’ interest in the Browns is mutual, but La Canfora reports that the team is expected to reach out to Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who is very much on the NFL’s radar as a legitimate head coaching candidate. We have heard previously that Cleveland GM John Dorsey is a big fan of Campbell.
- Although the Jaguars are in the midst of a hugely disappointing season, Rapoport says that head coach Doug Marrone is not on the hot seat and is in no danger of losing his job at the moment (video link).
- Despite unceremonious ousters from Oakland and Cleveland, La Canfora writes that Hue Jackson could become a head coach again as soon as next year. Jackson is back in Cincinnati as special assistant to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, and if Lewis were to retire or transition to an upper-management position, JLC suggests that Jackson could take the reins. Team owner Mike Brown, who does things his own way, is a big fan of Jackson, and league sources say they would not be surprised if Brown goes that route.
- The Bears‘ defense is excelling in 2018, which means that Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will once again garner significant interest from teams looking for a new HC this offseason, per La Canfora. Fangio has interviewed previously for the head-coaching jobs in Chicago and San Francisco, and the Bears paid him very well to keep him aboard as Matt Nagy‘s DC when they hired Nagy to be their head coach earlier this year. There is a general bias against defensive-oriented coaches these days, but Fangio is regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the game and has a strong reputation for being able to connect with troubled players and to get the most out of his units.
Latest On Extension Talks For Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott
The Cowboys indicated earlier this month that they are planning on signing the newly-acquired Amari Cooper to an extension. However, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes, the two sides have not yet had any talks regarding a new deal. Cooper is under club control through 2019 under the fifth-year option that Oakland had previously exercised, and Cooper would be a legitimate franchise tag candidate for at least the 2020 season if it comes to it, so the Cowboys have not prioritized a new contract. However, Schefter said player and team do plan to discuss a long-term extension after the season, and that Dallas is prepared to pay Cooper.
Cooper’s price, though, is only going up. He is starting to look a little like his old self in Dallas, and he exploded for 180 yards and two scores in the team’s Thanksgiving Day win over the Redskins. Now riding a three-game winning streak, the Cowboys have suddenly become the favorites to win the NFC East, and Cooper — who has 22 receptions for 349 yards and three TDs in four games with the team — is a big reason for that.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines what a new contract for Cooper could look like, and he suggests that any deal reached prior to the 2019 season would need to include at least $30.6MM in fully-guaranteed money, and probably more. Plus, in light of recent contracts for players like Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks, Cooper could easily make a case for a deal that features an average annual value of $16MM+. Cooper is represented by agent Joel Segal, who of course did wonders for Khalil Mack earlier this year.
In addition to Cooper, the Cowboys are also planning an extension for third-year signal caller Dak Prescott. as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirms (video link). Owner Jerry Jones and executive VP Stephen Jones are reportedly convinced that Prescott is the team’s franchise quarterback, and they plan to pay him accordingly. As Florio notes, it will be difficult to determine a true starting point in negotiations for Prescott, but Rapoport says that Dallas wants to lock up both Cooper and Prescott for the foreseeable future this offseason and that the club is making financial preparations now. The Cowboys have not yet initiated talks with Prescott’s camp either but will do so at season’s end.
As we heard yesterday, star running back Ezekiel Elliott may be left out once Dallas has finished paying Prescott, Cooper, and (potentially) Demarcus Lawrence.
Reuben Foster Arrested For Domestic Violence, Cut By 49ers
49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested at the team hotel in Tampa Bay at 9:10pm last night on one count of first-degree misdemeanor domestic-violence battery, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (among others) reports. The 49ers announced that they will waive the 2017 first-rounder.
Foster was held without bail overnight, but has since been released on $2K bail, as Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets. The judge also ordered that Foster have no contact with the alleged victim, who has been identified as Elissa Ennis. As those who have followed Foster’s brief but troubled NFL career will recall, Ennis is the same woman who accused Foster of striking her last February, which led to Foster’s arrest. The domestic violence charges stemming from that arrest were then dropped after Ennis recanted her allegations and admitted that the injuries she sustained were actually suffered during a fight with another woman or two women.
In a statement, Tampa Police said Foster and Ennis — whom the statement identified as a “female victim” — have been involved “in an on-again-off-again relationship over the past three years.” The statement said the two were engaged in a verbal altercation and that “Foster slapped [Ennis’] phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest area, and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face. Officers observed a one-inch scratch on the victim’s left collarbone.”
Foster’s February arrest — which also included a weapons charge that led to 232 hours of community service and two years of probation — came just a few weeks after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. Though the marijuana charge and the domestic violence charges were dropped, Foster was still suspended for the first two games of the 2018 regular season for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policies. Of course, his draft stock fell following injuries and several incidents at the 2017 scouting combine, but the 49ers made him the 31st-overall pick of the 2017 draft anyway. It initially appeared that they would be rewarded for their gamble, as Foster performed quite well in his 10-game rookie campaign, which was shortened due to an injury he sustained in the 2017 opener.
This year, in addition to his two-game suspension, Foster had also missed a pair of games due to a hamstring injury and was questionable for the team’s contest against Tampa Bay this afternoon. Given his obvious talent, and given the fact that the current allegations were made by the same woman who admitted she fabricated previous allegations, it will be interesting to see if any teams put in a waiver claim. He will officially hit waivers at 4pm ET tomorrow.
Gary Kubiak Remains Open To Offensive Coordinator Position
Broncos senior personnel adviser Gary Kubiak, who led the team to the Super Bowl 50 title as head coach, could soon be returning to someone’s sidelines as an offensive coordinator, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Kubiak last served as an OC with the Ravens in 2014 — which was, incidentally, the last time the Ravens made the playoffs — and he guided Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco to a career year that season.
Following his brief but successful stint in Baltimore, which came on the heels of an eight-year head coaching tenure in Houston, Kubiak returned to Denver to accept the Broncos’ head coaching position, which he described as his dream job. But after two years as sideline general, health issues forced Kubiak into an executive role. He was actually rumored to be a viable OC candidate last offseason, but Broncos GM John Elway expanded Kubiak’s front office responsibilities, and given that Kubiak was already under contract through 2018, any other team interested in his services would have needed to pony up a draft pick to land him.
But come 2019, that will no longer be the case, and Kubiak has already expressed interest in becoming an offensive coordinator again. He remains one of the most respected offensive minds in the game, and he will surely garner plenty of attention during this offseason’s coaching carousel.
Given his health concerns, Kubiak will almost certainly not be interested in an HC job, as Troy Renck of Denver 7 ABC tweets. Renck says that Kubiak will listen if teams approach him with an OC offer, and that he will be sorely missed if he leaves the Denver front office.
Browns Interested In Condoleezza Rice For HC Position?
12:35pm: Dorsey has released a statement expressing admiration for Rice but denying that she is under consideration for the team’s head coaching job. Rice also took to Facebook to say she is “not ready to coach.” She expressed her hope that NFL clubs will begin to bring women into coaching roles, but she is apparently not interested in such a role at this time.
09:50am: No, it’s not April Fools Day, and yes, we did check to make sure the blue checkmark appeared next to Adam Schefter’s name over this report. So it seems clear that the ESPN NFL Insider is legitimately reporting that the Browns are interested in interviewing former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their head coaching job at the end of the season.
The interest in Rice will surely be met with plenty of skepticism, as expressed by Michael Lombardi of The Athletic (Twitter link). But it is not entirely out of left field. Regardless of one’s political views and one’s opinion of Rice’s work as Secretary of State, obtaining that position generally requires a great deal of intelligence and leadership ability, and Rice — a lifelong Browns fan — is using that ability to become more involved in the sports world. As Schefter writes, she was one of the inaugural members of the College Football Playoff selection committee, and she recently chaired a commission on college basketball that recommended major changes to the sport this year.
Rice was spotted on the field with Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam earlier this season, and as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets, the team’s reported interest in Rice is almost certainly driven by the Haslams. Although GM John Dorsey has stated that he would be open to interviewing a woman for the team’s head coaching position, he would doubtlessly prefer a woman who has actual coaching experience, which Rice does not. So if this interview comes to fruition, it could lead to more concern from the coaching community, which is already wondering if Dorsey is really in charge of Cleveland’s head coach search.
Rice would become the first woman ever to interview for an NFL head coaching job, and even if she does not land the gig, Schefter suggests that she could nonetheless become involved in the organization in an official capacity or as a consultant.
We asked our readers earlier this week whom the Browns would hire as their next HC, and current Packers head coach Mike McCarthy received the most votes. Rice, though, was not on the list of choices.
Eric Berry Nearing Return
All year long, the Chiefs have been insisting that All-Pro safety Eric Berry will play this season as he battles back from a bone spur condition known as Haglund’s deformity. Berry also missed all but one game last season as a result of a torn Achilles, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel and that Berry could return for Kansas City’s Week 13 matchup against the Raiders.
Berry has yet to return to practice and will not play against the Rams tomorrow night, but the team has a Week 12 bye before heading out to Oakland, and Berry could return to the practice field during that time. The Chiefs have established themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders thanks to a dynamic offense led by wunderkind quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but the defense — specifically the secondary — has struggled all season. Kansas City was very much interested in trading for the Seahawks’ Earl Thomas to shore up that unit before Thomas suffered a season-ending injury, but Berry’s return would also be a major boost, even if he does not immediately look like his old self.
Top pass rusher Justin Houston also recently returned to the lineup, and he and Berry give the Chiefs two legitimate playmakers in the middle and back end of their defense, which they will probably need to make a deep playoff run.
Berry is also one of the most respected members of the organization, so his return could provide a more intangible leadership boost as well. In addition to all of his on-field accomplishments, he famously overcame a 2014 cancer diagnosis to re-emerge as a First-Team All-Pro in 2015 and 2016.
AFC North Notes: Ravens, Bengals, Bell
It could be the dawn of a new era in Baltimore. As expected, 2018 first-round pick Lamar Jackson will get his first start under center for the Ravens today in place of an ailing Joe Flacco, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Flacco is not expected to need surgery on his hip, so while his status for next week’s contest against the Raiders is up in the air, he could be ready for the stretch run. But if Jackson performs well and can keep the Ravens’ playoff hopes alive, head coach John Harbaugh — who is facing the end of his tenure in Baltimore — will have a very difficult decision to make. Jackson has reportedly shown considerable improvement in practice this week, and anticipation for his debut is running high.
Now for more from the AFC North:
- It’s not just Flacco and Harbaugh who could be seeing their Ravens careers draw to a close. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes, today’s game feels like a last stand of sorts for a number of players. If Baltimore loses, it will be all but eliminated from playoff contention, and as the team transitions to a new GM and possibly a new head coach, veterans like Flacco, Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, and Michael Crabtree could all be on their way out.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Bengals WR A.J. Green, who is inactive today, did at least travel with the team and worked out this morning. That suggests he could be ready to return next week.
- We learned earlier this week that new Bengals assistant Hue Jackson won’t have a role in the team’s offense, but the defense is a different story. Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network report that Jackson is spending all of his time on the defensive side of the ball, and Garafolo suggests that Jackson could become Cincinnati’s defensive play-caller in a few weeks (Twitter links). Right now, head coach Marvin Lewis is still making the defensive calls, but Jackson has been present for the defensive meetings and is bringing a spark and excitement to that unit.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the Steelers made an eleventh hour push to get Le’Veon Bell to rejoin the team before last Tuesday’s deadline. They reportedly outlined the significant role they had in mind for him for the remainder of the season, and they made it clear that they wanted him back. They also made him aware that they intend to use the transition tag on him this offseason, but Bell simply had no interest in playing in 2018.
- In a separate piece, La Canfora examines the free agent market for Bell. Many GMs and cap experts believe Bell overplayed his hand, as does former NFL agent Joel Corry (Twitter link). But as Corry points out, it only takes one team to give Bell the money he wants and to make him and his agent look quite savvy, and Rapoport indicates that the market for Bell’s services could be more vibrant than many expect (video link). Rapoport says Bell is looking for a front-loaded five-year, $85MM pact, and he suggests that may not be a huge stretch given the number of cash-flush teams that could be in play for him.
- We learned earlier today that the Browns are interested in interviewing former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their head coaching job at the end of the season, though GM John Dorsey has released a statement quelling that rumor.
Jaguars To Attempt To Trade Jalen Ramsey?
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey is undoubtedly one of the most talented corners in the NFL, but his brash and outspoken nature is apparently wearing thin in Jacksonville. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Jags will seek to trade Ramsey — who was named a First Team All-Pro last season and who can be controlled through 2020 — this offseason.
The team suspended Ramsey for a week during the preseason due to “violating team rules and [engaging in] conduct unbecoming of a Jaguars’ football player,” and that suspension appeared to stem from a series of tweets attacking media members for their criticism of then-teammate Dante Fowler. Ramsey is no stranger to controversial statements, however, as he has repeatedly made headlines for his vocal opinions about himself and opposing players.
But while he has every right to be confident, and while Jacksonville doubtlessly appreciates his self-esteem, the club does not like the way that confidence is manifesting itself. One league source said he “absolutely” believes the team will try to trade Ramsey, while another NFL GM said he would not be surprised if the club elects to go that route.
The Jaguars, predictably, are vehemently denying the rumor and have released the following statement: “The Jaguars have zero intention of trading CB Jalen Ramsey. There is no truth to this rumor.”
If Ramsey were to be traded, his behavior would probably not do much to dampen interest in his services. As ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, Ramsey’s talent and his favorable contract status — he is due just $3.6MM next year before his fifth-year option would kick in for 2020 — would be seriously tempting to all 31 other teams in the league.
The Jags are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and have been one of the biggest disappointments in the league after narrowly missing a trip to the Super Bowl last season. Today’s report, if true, would not do much to make Jacksonville fans any happier about the way this year has gone.
Todd Bowles Likely To Be Fired At End Of Season
This will not come as much of a surprise, but Jets head coach Todd Bowles is facing an “uphill battle” to keep his job at the end of the season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport echoes earlier reports that Bowles is not expected to be fired until the 2018 campaign is over, but in an interview with Rich Eisen of the NFL Network, RapSheet adds that the team does plan to give Bowles the pink slip at season’s end, barring an unforeseen change in circumstances (video link).
The Jets are coming off a horrific 41-10 loss to the lowly Bills, and while Rapoport indicates that there is no dysfunction in the team’s locker room, a number of players, including high-profile veterans, did not appear to be playing particularly hard during the Buffalo game. That obviously reflects poorly on the head coach, and while Bowles has been saddled with mostly uninspiring rosters during his time in New York, he has also not done much to suggest that he will be able to right the ship moving forward.
Of course, the same can be said for GM Mike Maccagnan — the architect of those mediocre rosters — though Rapoport also confirms a report from earlier this week that Maccagnan is likely to be given at least another year in his post. That means that he will also have a significant voice in determining who the next head coach will be, so the Jets are putting a lot of faith in a man who has done little to deserve it to date. But, with a promising young quarterback in tow and a ton of cash to spend, Gang Green is hoping Maccagnan can assemble a playoff-caliber squad in 2019.
Bowles has compiled a 23-35 record during his three-plus years as the Jets’ head coach, but he will not be hurting for opportunities even if he does get fired. Rapoport suggests that Bowles — who turns 55 today — is nonetheless expected to receive interest for head coaching positions around the league.
Mike Daniels To Miss Time
The Packers’ narrow loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night may have done serious damage to their playoff hopes, and the news is not getting any better today. Green Bay lost tight end Jimmy Graham for the foreseeable future with a broken thumb that he sustained during the Seattle matchup, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that defensive lineman Mike Daniels will miss a few weeks with a foot injury (Twitter link). RapSheet adds that Daniels visited Dr. Robert Anderson to address the injury and that there will be a more definitive timeline for his return shortly.
Daniels may not be a household name, but he has been a stout defender for the Packers since he became a full-time starter in 2014, and Green Bay rewarded him with a four-year, $42MM extension towards the end of the 2015 campaign (which made him the third-highest paid 3-4 defensive end in the NFL at the time). Daniels earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season, and although he is not performing at as high of a level this year, he is still grading out as an above average player at his position, per Pro Football Focus.
Daniels’ snap count is actually up a bit from last year, and he has compiled 17 tackles and two sacks on the season. Those numbers, though, do not really paint a complete picture of how important he is to the club’s defensive front, and he will surely be missed as the Packers fight to stay alive in the playoff race.
Second-year pro Montravius Adams, a 2017 third-round draft choice, is likely to see an uptick in playing time during Daniels’ absence. Green Bay will try to get back on track against the division rival Vikings next week.