Jaguars Interviewed Chip Kelly For HC Position
Despite reports that the Jaguars would not interview Chip Kelly for their vacant head coaching position, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Jacksonville did indeed interview Kelly before ultimately hiring Doug Marrone last week.
Kelly’s NFL coaching career had a promising start in Philadelphia before he took more control of personnel decisions, a move that ultimately proved to be his undoing. He was subsequently hired to be the 49ers’ head coach last year, but his lone season in the Bay Area was a catastrophe, as the 49ers stumbled to a 2-14 record. Kelly and GM Trent Baalke both received their walking papers on January 1.
Given the disappointing ends to his stints in Philadelphia and San Francisco, it is possible that the 53-year-old Kelly’s days as an NFL coach are over. Kelly parlayed a 46-7 stretch at Oregon from 2009-12 into the Eagles’ head coaching job, and he would surely be welcomed with open arms back into the college ranks. However, he denied interest in a potential return to the collegiate game in October, and he recently expressed his desire to become an offensive coordinator (presumably in the NFL).
It is difficult to see that happening, though, as Kelly’s fast-paced offense was a major part of the problem in San Francisco, and despite his initial success, it does not appear as if his style is well-suited to the pros. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that at least one professional team considered giving him yet another shot at running the show.
Texans Notes: O’Brien, Hopkins, Bouye
The Texans will now look ahead to the 2017 campaign after last night’s season-ending loss to the Patriots, so let’s take a look at a few Houston-related notes as the club starts gearing up for another playoff run:
- Head coach Bill O’Brien said prior to last night’s game that he would return as the team’s head coach in 2017, and he adamantly reaffirmed that statement after the game was over. O’Brien said, “I’m tired of answering it. I can’t even have a sense of humor about it. I’ll be the Texans’ coach” (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is preparing to enter his fifth-year option year at a cost of just under $8MM, but Wilson writes that, if history is any indication, the Texans will sign Hopkins to a long-term deal this offseason. Houston has a tradition of hammering out contract extensions for their best players, and despite a statistical regression from his sensational 2015 campaign, Hopkins is clearly in line for a deal that will make him one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league.
- Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com names the offensive line as the Texans’ biggest area of need, and she writes that the team will likely draft a quarterback in April and have a competition during training camp to determine the starter. The Texans have just shy of $25MM in cap space, but they do have to address the contract situations of a number of players, including Hopkins and Duane Brown, so unless they can restructure a few deals and somehow shed some of Brock Osweiler‘s salary, they will be unable to make a big splash at the quarterback position.
- Cornerback A.J. Bouye came out of virtual anonymity to become perhaps the best cornerback in the league this season, and he did so just as he is about to hit unrestricted free agency. As Wilson writes, a new contract for Bouye will be a top offseason priority for the Texans, and Bouye did say after last night’s game that he would like to be back in Houston. But the franchise tag, which is projected to be over $14MM for cornerbacks this year, will likely be unpalatable for the Texans, and Bouye’s financial opportunities elsewhere may preclude him from giving the Houston a hometown discount. PFR recently named Bouye as the eighth-best free agent in the first version of our 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings.
- Despite dealing with some painful injuries this season, one of Bouye’s colleagues in the defensive backfield, Johnathan Joseph, missed just three games in 2016, and per Wilson, the 32-year-old plans to return for his 12th NFL season. Joseph is under contract through 2017, but considering the Texans could save $7MM by cutting him, he may be a release/restructure candidate.
- We learned earlier today that Texans DT Vince Wilfork plans to call it a career.
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Investigation
As the Cowboys get set to take on the Packers in today’s much-anticipated playoff matchup, more details have emerged on the league’s investigation into the assault allegations levied against Cowboys’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott by his ex-girlfriend. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL submitted follow-up questions to Elliott within the past month, and Elliott is still in the process of responding to those questions.
As Schefter writes, no resolution to this matter is expected before the end of the season. Any discipline that the league hands down would therefore impact Elliott’s 2017 campaign.
By now, of course, the story is a familiar one. Elliott’s ex-girlfriend, who has also been cooperating with the league’s investigation, has claimed that she was abused by Elliott on five separate occasions. Elliott was not arrested and did not face charges related to the alleged incidents, but that does not mean that he is exempt from league-imposed punishment.
We heard in November that the league viewed Elliott as “Public Enemy No. 1,” that it is attempting to be as thorough as possible as it looks into Elliott, and that it is determined to avoid the same type of mistakes it has made in past domestic violence incidents. In December, Tim Rohan of TheMMQB set forth the league’s new, time-consuming protocol for investigating these matters.
On the field, Elliott has been everything the Cowboys hoped he would be when they selected him with the fourth overall pick of this year’s draft. The former Buckeye had 322 carries for a whopping 1,631 yards (both league bests), and he added 32 catches for another 363 yards. He scored 15 touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. He and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott helped lift the Cowboys to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they have Dallas fans dreaming of a Troy Aikman–Emmitt Smith type of partnership.
Brad Childress, Greg Olson Are Bills’ Top OC Candidates
As new Bills head coach Sean McDermott continues to flesh out his staff, several names have emerged as top candidates for Buffalo’s offensive coordinator position. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Chiefs co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress is on McDermott’s short list, as is former Jaguars offensive coordinator Greg Olson.
Childress, who began his coaching career back in 1978 at the University of Illinois, served as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator from 2003 to 2005 before becoming head coach of the Vikings. He returned to an offensive coordinator role for the Browns in 2012, and he has been a part of Kansas City’s staff since 2013. He was promoted to the co-offensive coordinator position earlier this year, along with Matt Nagy, although he was apparently prepared to retire prior to the promotion (he was also a candidate to reprise his role as Philadelphia’s OC after Doug Pederson was named the Eagles’ new head coach last year).
If Childress does depart, Rapoport tweets that Nagy would become the Chiefs’ full-time OC.
Olson served as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator from 2015 through the first part of 2016 before he was fired in late October. At the time of Olson’s dismissal, Jacksonville’s passing game ranked 28th in DVOA and third-year quarterback Blake Bortles was showing signs of regression. Olson, though, has acted as play-caller for a number of NFL teams, including the Lions, Rams, Buccaneers, and Raiders.
We had previously heard that McDermott was targeting Mike McCoy or Norv Turner as the Bills’ next OC, but McCoy was just hired by the Broncos. It appears the young, first-time head coach is determined to surround himself with assistants that have considerable coaching experience, as evidenced by his offensive coordinator candidates and by the fact that he has already hired Leslie Frazier as his defensive coordinator.
Devin Hester Planning To Retire
The most prolific return specialist in league history plans to call it a career. As Dave Boling of the News Tribune writes, Seahawks return man Devin Hester told reporters after yesterday’s loss to the Falcons that he is going to retire. As Hester said, “I told my wife it’s pretty much my last year. I was hoping for a run to the Super Bowl. The only thing that I left out of this game is walking away without getting a ring. It’s tough.”
If Hester does retire, he left fans with one last taste of his breathtaking ability. In the loss to Atlanta, Hester returned five kickoffs for 194 yards with a long of 78 yards. He also looked to have made a crucial punt return in the second quarter, returning it from the Seattle 13 to the Atlanta 7. The Seahawks were leading 10-7 at that point, and had the return stood, they would have had the chance to seize early control of the game. But the return was negated by a holding penalty that took place at the line of scrimmage, which pushed the Seahawks back to their own 6-yard line and led to a safety when quarterback Russell Wilson was stepped on by his own lineman and stumbled into the endzone.
Vince Wilfork Planning To Retire
After last night’s loss to the Patriots, Texans DT Vince Wilfork told reporters that he has probably played his last NFL game (Twitter link via Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston). Wilfork did, however, stress that he is going to take his time to consider the matter before making an official decision.
Wilfork’s full statement, courtesy of Berman, is as follows:
“I’ll take my time and think about it, but I think I’ve played my last NFL football game. I’ll do my due diligence, sit back and see if I really want to retire. I don’t know how long that’ll take. It doesn’t change the fact that I enjoyed every bit of my career. I enjoyed 11 great years in New England. I enjoyed two great years in Texas. Unbelievable teammates, I couldn’t have any better teammates from both organizations. Two owners that anyone would love to play for.”
If it is, in fact, the end of the road for Wilfork, he should retire without many regrets. He captured two Super Bowl rings during his 11-year stint with the Patriots, who selected him in the first round of the 2004 draft, and during that time, he established himself as one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in the game. Raw numbers will not tell much of his story–for instance, he amassed just 16 sacks over the course of his career–but that is due to the position he played, not how effective he was. Indeed, most anticipate that he will be headed to the Hall of Fame when he is eligible for enshrinement.
He was selected to five Pro Bowls and garnered one First Team All-Pro nod in 2012. After his last season in New England in 2014, he signed a two-year deal with the Texans. Perhaps inevitably, the 35-year-old’s performance regressed considerably this past season. He started in all 15 of his appearances and finished second among Texans defensive linemen in snaps (507), but Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him just 99th among 123 qualified interior defenders.
As he will be eligible for free agency again this offseason, it is possible that Wilfork will suit up for a third team if he does not hang up the cleats.
Latest On Bills’ Head Coaching Search
The Bills will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard for their open head coaching position tonight, reports Peter Schrager of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds that Buffalo’s decision-makers are currently on their way to Seattle. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today (Twitter link) that the Bills were likely to meet with Richard as soon as today. As PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Richard is part of a long list of candidates for Buffalo’s top job.
One of those candidates, Anthony Lynn, who has been considered the Bills’ first choice, might not even want the job, as we learned last week. But according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Bills ownership apologized to Lynn for telling him to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Week 17. Lynn likes Taylor, so perhaps the apology was issued as an attempt to smooth over a source of resentment for Lynn and to convince him to stay in Buffalo (although the Bills, of course, do intend to move on from Taylor if they can).
But Schefter reports that whoever the new head coach is, he will have more power within the organization. Although ownership is apparently a fan of general manager Doug Whaley, the fact remains that the Bills’ next head coach will be the third during Whaley’s tenure, and his stint as GM has not been a successful one. So while Whaley will keep his job for at least one more season, he apparently will not have as much autonomy with respect to roster construction as he has enjoyed in the past.
In addition to Lynn, the Bills have already interviewed Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, both of whom are popular head coaching targets this offseason.
Extra Points: Stafford, Boldin, Tice, McCoy
As the Dolphins and Steelers do battle, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:
- Lions quarterback Matt Stafford will not need surgery on his injured right middle finger, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Stafford was excellent for much of the season, but he completed just 58.6% of his passes for four touchdowns and five interceptions after the injury, and he could get nothing going in a frustrating season-ending loss to Seattle last night.
- Lions WR Anquan Boldin had a nice first season in Detroit, and the 36-year-old wideout, who posted 67 catches for 584 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns, plans to return for his 15th season in the league in 2017, according to Nate Atkins of MLive.com.
- The contract for Raiders O-line coach Mike Tice is up, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, but Oakland has prioritized bringing him back. That makes sense, as the team is sending three offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl this year.
- Former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy will apparently not be unemployed for long. Rapoport tweets that McCoy is largely considered the top offensive coordinator available and has been mentioned as many teams’ offensive coordinator of choice.
- Even if the Dolphins were to pull off the upset in Pittsburgh this afternoon, the team is not counting on Ryan Tannehill to return next week, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Tannehill was, at least, able to practice on Friday.
- Ohio State WR Noah Brown will enter the NFL draft, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The 6-2, 218-pound wideout had a breakout year for the Buckeyes, and is currently projected to be selected in the second or third round of the draft.
- In a series of articles, OverTheCap.com offers a preview of the strongest and weakest offensive positions in this year’s free agent class, examines which linebackers could become cap casualties, and projects the 2017 compensatory picks.
Steelers To Franchise Le’Veon Bell, Want To Extend Antonio Brown
We heard last month that the Steelers were expected to put the franchise tag on Le’Veon Bell this offseason, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported today that Pittsburgh will indeed franchise their star running back.
The tag will be about $12.3MM for running backs, and after the Steelers use it on Bell, the two sides will have a few months to work out a long-term contract. If they cannot, Bell could play out the 2017 season under the tag and be eligible for free agency again next offseason.
There are complications to a multi-year deal, of course. Bell has a history of off-field trouble, having been been suspended in each of the past two seasons, and he sustained knee injuries in 2014 and 2015. But when he’s on the field, he’s one of the most dynamic playmakers in the game, both as a runner and as a receiver. Despite missing four games this season, Bell ranked first in the NFL in touches per game (28.0) and scrimmage YPG (157.0), and he was second in rushing YPG (105.7). From Weeks 4-16–Bell was suspended for the first three weeks of the season and was rested for the team’s meaningless Week 17 contest–he led the NFL in touches (336) and scrimmage yards (1,884).
It appears that the Steelers are comfortable with Bell’s health and they seem to believe that his off-field issues are behind him, as a long-term deal is considered likely at this point. While Bell is unlikely to reach Adrian Peterson’s record-setting $14MM/year deal, he stands an excellent change of netting an eight-figure annual salary.
Per Rapoport, the Steelers also want to extend wide receiver Antonio Brown, who is under club control for one more season. Brown’s exceedingly club-friendly deal will pay him just $4.7MM next year, quite a bargain for arguably the best receiver in the game. But with substantial raises for Bell and Brown on the horizon, Pittsburgh will need to make some tough decisions elsewhere.
JuJu Smith-Schuster To Enter NFL Draft
USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the NFL draft, according to Kyle Bonagura of ESPN.com.
Smith-Schuster is going out on top, as he caught seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in last week’s thrilling Rose Bowl, which ended in a 52-49 USC victory. He was a three-year starter for the Trojans, amassing 213 receptions for 3,092 yards and 25 touchdowns.
The 6-2, 220-pound wideout is the fourth-best receiver in this year’s draft class, according to ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. (Insider subscription required), and he is expected to be selected in the second half of the first round.
Smith-Schuster issued a statement on his Twitter account, which included the following:
“This was a very difficult decision to make. I have loved my time at USC and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Playing for USC was truly a dream come true, and I am proud of what we were able to accomplish in three years.”
This year’s Rose Bowl champs have already seen guard Damien Mama declare for the draft, and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson may follow suit.