AFC North Notes: Shazier, Britt, McCarron
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier underwent spinal stabilization surgery Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Shazier continues to show gradual improvement, though he remains hospitalized. Per Schefter, doctors are controlling and limiting Shazier’s movement as they wait for the swelling and bruising in his back to subside, and it is of course too soon to determine if he will be able to play again. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports adds that Shazier is expected to remain in the hospital for a few more days, but that his prognosis is “optimistic.”
Now let’s take a swing around the rest of the AFC North:
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun writes that, before Jimmy Smith‘s season-ending Achilles tear last week, there was talk that the Ravens could release Brandon Carr to create cap space and rely on Smith and the team’s cadre of young and talented corners. Zrebiec, though, thought that was a bad idea before the Smith injury, and he believes it’s even worse now. Carr has played reasonably well, and Smith’s latest injury is just further proof that Baltimore cannot count on him for a full season (he may not even be ready for the start of 2018). Zrebiec thinks the Ravens should not only retain Carr, but they should also continue to bolster their CB corps.
- It does not sound as if the Browns will face any discipline for their alleged violation of the Rooney Rule in their hiring of John Dorsey. La Canfora reports that he spoke last night with John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, and Wooten indicated that his concerns with Cleveland’s GM search have been addressed. Wooten added that he has no issue with the hiring of the highly-qualified Dorsey (Twitter links).
- The waiver period for claiming the contract of former Browns wide receiver Kenny Britt ends tomorrow at 4pm, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes. While Cleveland would love for someone to claim Britt off waivers, thereby absolving the Browns of the balance of his salary, that seems unlikely at this point. Florio writes that Britt wants to sign with a playoff contender if he clears waivers, and that the Patriots could be a team to watch in that scenario.
- A ruling on A.J. McCarron‘s grievance will be made in February, as La Canfora reports. The Bengals‘ backup QB has argued that he should be an unrestricted free agent when the 2018 league year opens, while the league feels he should be a restricted free agent. In any event, the matter will be resolved before free agency gets underway.
NFC Notes: Rodgers, Bucs, Eli
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will undergo a CT scan this week to determine if he will be medically cleared to return to game action, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). Rodgers has been practicing since December 2, and Rapoport says the star quarterback has looked incredible on the field. However, Rodgers’ return will depend on how his surgically-repaired collarbone is healing. Green Bay has been hoping for No. 12 to suit up for next week’s game against Carolina, and there is a very good chance that will happen.
Now for more from the NFC:
- Per Rapoport, the relationship between Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter and quarterback Jameis Winston is not in a good place, and part of that tension stems from Koetter’s predictable play-calling. Indeed, as ESPN’s Jenna Laine tweets, defensive assistants from opposing clubs have said that Tampa Bay’s offense is as predictable as it gets. Koetter, though, could be fired at the end of the season, so the team may not have to deal with that strained relationship much longer.
- The Giants intend to start Eli Manning not just this week, but going forward as well, per Rapoport (video link). The team’s prior plan to get rookie Davis Webb an extended look is on hold indefinitely, though New York still wants to give him a shot a some point. We also learned earlier today that Dave Gettleman has emerged as the frontrunner for the team’s GM job.
- The Vikings were among the most vocal of the teams speaking out this week against the perceived inconsistencies in punishments doled out by the league, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Minnesota safety Andrew Sendejo was suspended for a game earlier this year due to a hit he delivered on Ravens’ wideout Mike Wallace — and that suspension was upheld on appeal — but when Bengals safety George Iloka had his suspension for a similar hit reduced on appeal this week, Vikings officials were quickly on the phone with the league office.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell‘s contract expires at the end of 2018, so his contract status will not impact his future with the team.
Dave Gettleman Is Giants’ Top Choice For GM
We have heard over the past several days that former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman is emerging as a frontrunner for the Giants’ newly-available GM job, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says that Gettleman is currently the team’s first choice to permanently replace longtime decision-maker Jerry Reese. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears the same thing, and he says it would be an upset if someone other than Gettleman got the job.
As Rapoport observes, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch almost always hire individuals with ties to the organization, and Gettleman served as the Pro Personnel Director and the Senior Pro Personnel Analyst with Big Blue before he was hired by Carolina in 2013.
Gettleman was able to get the Panthers out of salary-cap hell and lead the team to the playoffs in each of his first three years in Carolina, including an appearance in Super Bowl 50. Carolina finished 6-10 last season but is back in the playoff hunt in 2017 with a roster largely constructed by Gettleman, which is why his ouster in July was so jarring and why it is no surprise to see him back in the GM conversation so quickly. Rapoport notes that Gettleman has stayed in touch with friend and confidant Ernie Accorsi, who is serving as the Giants’ consultant for their search.
New York, though, does plan to give interim GM Kevin Abrams a legitimate chance to win the job. Rapoport and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report that the Giants also planned to interview former Chiefs GM John Dorsey before the Browns swooped in and hired him (which is perhaps why Cleveland acted as swiftly as it did).
The Giants want to hire a GM before hiring a head coach. If the team hires Gettleman, current Panthers DC Steve Wilks will get serious consideration for New York’s head coaching job, although the desirability of that position will draw a host of top-tier candidates.
C.J. Fiedorowicz Could Retire
Texans TE C.J. Fiedorowicz suffered his third concussion of the season last week, which was at least the fourth time he has been concussed in the past two years. Houston placed the 26-year-old on IR earlier this week, thereby ending his season, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Fiedorowicz’s unfortunate concussion history could force him to retire.
In order to continue playing, he would need to pass a team physical, and Schefter says there are no assurances that he could do so at this point. Houston selected Fiedorowicz, an Iowa product, in the third-round of the 2014 draft, and after the former Hawkeye broke out in 2016 with 54 catches for 554 yards and four touchdowns, the Texans rewarded him with a three-year, $21.5MM extension last offseason (including $10MM guaranteed).
However, as Schefter observes, Fiedorowicz’s deal did include a de-escalator that would bring down his base salary by $2.8MM if he were to be cut as a result of a pre-existing condition such as a concussion, so the team was clearly concerned about the tight end’s history.
Fiedorowicz was placed on IR in early September due to a concussion, and he returned to the Texans’ active roster in Week 10 before succumbing to his latest head injury last week. He finished what could be his final season with 14 catches for 127 yards.
Jim Caldwell’s Contract Expires After 2018
We heard in September that the Lions had given head coach Jim Caldwell a multi-year extension that stretched beyond 2018, and that the two sides had agreed to that extension several months prior. However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Caldwell’s extension only runs through the 2018 campaign, with an option following next season. That deal, therefore, really only prevented Caldwell from being a lame duck coach this year, and Rapoport hears that Caldwell’s contract status will not impact whether the team retains him or cuts him loose after 2017.
The Lions have lost two games in a row and, at 6-6, would not make the playoffs if they started today (they will likely need to run the table to have a shot at the postseason). Even when it was believed that Caldwell’s contract went beyond 2018, there were increased rumblings concerning his job security over the past few weeks — thanks in large part to the Lions’ slow starts and a couple of major coaching gaffes — and this new information will only add fuel to the fire. Indeed, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Caldwell is “firmly” on the hot seat.
Nonetheless, it must be remembered that, even though Detroit GM Bob Quinn inherited Caldwell when Quinn came aboard in 2016, he has retained him for two years, and Caldwell has guided the Lions to the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. His 33-29 record gives him the highest winning percentage (.532) of any Lions head coach in the Super Bowl era, which speaks more to Detroit’s general mediocrity over the years than Caldwell’s abilities, but it is a noteworthy accomplishment just the same.
As Rapoport observes, Caldwell’s status will come more into focus as the season concludes. If he is fired, Birkett speculates in a full-length piece that Patriots coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia could be top targets, especially given Quinn’s deep ties to New England.
NFC East Notes: Z. Brown, Eagles, Giants
Much of the conversation in Redskins country has understandably revolved around how the team will proceed with quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the team is working to extend linebacker Zach Brown. Brown’s one-year pact with Washington is among the best one-year deals that was signed last offseason, as he has started all 12 of the team’s games and has been a key component of its defense. After a strong 2016 campaign in Buffalo, Brown surprisingly had to settle for a modest contract with the Redskins, but the 28-year-old should be in line for a more lucrative multi-year deal this time around.
Now for more from the NFC East:
- The Eagles signed wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to a four-year extension yesterday, which will further limit their 2018 cap space. Per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, Philadelphia will go into 2018 with just $1.7MM in cap room, so obviously some cuts will need to be made. Shorr-Parks names Vinny Curry, Jason Peters, and Nick Foles as players who could be on the way out, though the rumored Brandon Graham extension would likely provide some cap relief as well.
- Eagles RB Jay Ajayi and head coach Doug Pederson did meet this week, but according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia, it was not to discuss the limited playing time that Ajayi has seen since being traded to the Eagles (he has just 20 carries in his three games in Philly). Ajayi exhibited frustration and a sulky mood after last Sunday’s win over the Bears, which led to speculation that he was upset with his relative lack of action. However, he said he was merely disappointed that he lost a fumble at the goal line in the fourth quarter of the Chicago matchup, and there are no issues between him and his coach. When asked if he would like more carries, Ajayi said he just does whatever the coaches ask and will be ready when his number is called.
- The Giants have been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the last week, from Eli Manning‘s controversial benching to Ben McAdoo‘s possible in-season ouster. But as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes, the team has not had any talks with any of its key upcoming free agents like Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg. Of course, there could be any number of reasons for that, but Schefter says the situation in New York has grown “depressing and dysfunctional,” and players on expiring contracts are happy to accept the team’s unofficial invitation to test the open market.
Latest On Eli Manning
The Giants’ decision to bench Eli Manning has created plenty of drama in the football world over the last week, and the way head coach Ben McAdoo handled the benching might have cost him his job. It is now difficult to envision Manning returning to Big Blue next season — although team owner John Mara did not foreclose that possibility — but there are any number of quarterback-needy clubs who would love to have Manning under center for a couple of years.
Manning himself has said that he is not planning to retire, so there has already been a great deal of speculation as to which teams could be in play for his services this offseason. But Manning’s father, Archie Manning, has suggested that his son could indeed hang up the cleats.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Archie said that Eli was heartbroken over the benching, which was perhaps exacerbated by the way McAdoo handled it (Manning was apparently made to feel like a scapegoat when New York brass simply wanted to evaluate the rest of its roster in a lost season). Archie said, “Eli’s passion for the Giants goes deeper than most and I’ve mentioned it through the years. Eli loves playing for the New York Giants. He just does. He just loves it, I think more than most. So therefore, it broke his heart.”
Archie went on to say that Eli could simply call it a career and stay home with his wife and three daughters. After all, he has two Super Bowl trophies — to go along with two Super Bowl MVP awards — a young family, and more money than he could ever hope to spend. He has nothing left to prove, and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets that all options, including retirement, are on the table.
But it would still be hard to imagine Manning not playing in 2018. The Jaguars have been mentioned as a logical landing spot for him, which Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reiterated today (per La Canfora, who also indicated that Manning has absolutely no intention of retiring, several GMs say Manning-to-Jacksonville makes too much sense to not happen). The Broncos also make some sense, though Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post suggests a second Manning-Denver marriage is unlikely.
In any event, Manning will not suit up for the Giants again (at least in 2017) barring injury to one of the team’s other QBs. Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk (citing ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio), McAdoo has vowed that he will not bench Geno Smith today, and Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com says the team legitimately like Smith and wants to take a real look at him.
Andy Reid To Hand Over Play-Calling Duties
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid will hand over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for the team’s game against the Jets today, as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets. Reid will “continue to have oversight” of the play-calling, per Mortensen, which means that he will retain veto power over Nagy’s decisions.
Reid’s decision comes on the heels of a horrible stretch for Kansas City, which started the season 5-0 only to lose five of its next six. The Chiefs’ sputtering offense has been a big reason for its slide, and quarterback Alex Smith has experienced a precipitous drop-off in his quality of play after looking like a legitimate MVP candidate earlier in the season. Reid apparently decided enough is enough and is hoping a new voice in Smith’s ear will give him a bit of a boost.
As Mortensen observes (via Twitter), this is not the first time that Reid has done something like this, as he has temporarily ceded play-calling responsibilities to his offensive coordinators in both Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Even more interesting is Mortensen’s tweet concerning Smith himself. Although Reid has steadfastly supported his incumbent signal-caller — and just last week we heard that the Chiefs would only turn to rookie Patrick Mahomes this season if Smith were to get hurt — Mortensen suggests that, if Smith struggles against New York today, Mahomes could get the nod.
Nagy, of course, is a popular head-coaching candidate who could get his first chance to lead an NFL team this offseason.
Giants Could Fire Ben McAdoo After Today’s Game
The Giants could fire head coach Ben McAdoo within 24 hours of the team’s game against the Raiders today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen.
Less than a month ago, we heard that New York would at least give McAdoo the opportunity to finish out the season, his second as the Giants’ head coach. And that made sense, given the number of injuries the Giants have dealt with this year and the fact that they did make the playoffs in 2016.
But that was before the now infamous benching of Eli Manning. Schefter and Mortensen report that the decision to sit the Giants’ longtime signal-caller could be the “final straw” for McAdoo, which is interesting because team owner John Mara admitted earlier this week that he was the one that suggested to GM Jerry Reese that it could be time to evaluate other quarterbacks. However, per ESPN, it does not sound as if Mara is displeased with the benching itself; he just did not like how McAdoo presented the plan to Manning, whom Mara adores. That underscores McAdoo’s perceived lack of communication skills, which has also manifested itself in his interactions with players like Dominiqiue Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins this year (to say nothing of the team’s lack of offensive creativity in its efforts to overcome its myriad injuries).
Schefter and Mortensen report that Reese’s job security is also quite tenuous (although it seems unlikely that Reese would be fired before the end of the season). If McAdoo is indeed fired, he would be the first Giants coach to be let go before two full seasons since 1930, as James Kratch of NJ.com tweets (Ray Handley was handed a pink slip after he led Big Blue to a 14-18 record in 1991-92, but he at least got to the end of the 1992 season). He would also be the first domino to fall in what is expected to be a busy firing/hiring season, as eight to 10 head coaching jobs could become available.
The Giants have not offered a comment on the ESPN report. Kratch says if McAdoo is fired, offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan is the most likely interim candidate (Twitter link).
Packers Targeting Week 15 Return For Aaron Rodgers
The Packers are targeting a Week 15 return for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Rodgers returned to practice yesterday, making his return to game action this season very realistic.
However, other than confirming that Green Bay wants Rodgers to suit up as soon as he is eligible, Schefter does not add any new details to yesterday’s report that the star QB is practicing again. Schefter says that Rodgers’ Week 15 return is, of course, contingent upon his being medically cleared — and we learned yesterday that he would not be scanned until after the Packers’ Week 14 game against the Browns — and that the Packers would need to still be in playoff contention for No. 12 to see the field again in 2017.
Green Bay currently sits at 5-6 and is two games behind the Falcons for the second wild-card spot. But the Packers do have two eminently winnable games in Week 13 (home against the Buccaneers) and Week 14 (at Cleveland). If they can get to 7-6, Rodgers could be back to lead a playoff push in a difficult final stretch of the schedule, which includes matchups against the Panthers, Vikings, and Lions.
With Rodgers’ backup, Brett Hundley, under center, the Packers have stumbled to a 1-4 mark. Though Hundley has turned in a couple of strong performances, he has also struggled mightily at times, and the team clearly needs Rodgers to get to the postseason.