Broncos Moving Toward Russell Wilson Decision; Team Eyeing J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix?
The Steelers became the first team to go through with post-Super Bowl cuts, moving on from former starters Mitchell Trubisky and Chukwuma Okorafor. A much bigger domino is likely to fall in Denver.
Although the Broncos’ path to upgrade on Russell Wilson is complicated, they still are likely to separate from the pricey passer they benched before Week 17. The team and Wilson had gone through a messy behind-the-scenes chapter pertaining to the decorated QB’s guarantee vesting date, but pushback on that decision being strictly contract-related ensued. The Broncos benched Wilson for Jarrett Stidham, and while the latter is almost definitely not the team’s long-term answer, the Payton-Wilson partnership appears in its final days.
Payton confirmed during an appearance on Up & Adams a decision on Wilson should emerge sooner rather than later (video link). The second-year Broncos HC said the team began its draft meetings Monday. When asked if he was looking to “fall in love” with a QB this offseason, Payton responded, “Yeah,” continuing to point to the Broncos absorbing the record-shattering dead money that would come with a Wilson release. Wilson holds a no-trade clause, though his five-year, $245MM deal is not viewed as tradeable on the surface.
It would cost the Broncos $85MM in dead money to release Wilson; that will be spread over two years due to the expected release set to be classified as a post-June 1 cut. That will slot the 2024 dead money at $35.4MM. That number checks in just $300K north of what the Buccaneers absorbed when Tom Brady retired. Of course, Tampa Bay is no longer restricted by any Brady money this year. The Broncos will be set to deal with $49.6MM in dead cap in 2025. That alone will smash the NFL record, one the Falcons still hold (at $40.5MM) after trading Matt Ryan to the Colts in 2022. A Wilson release will need to occur before March 17; his 2025 base salary ($37MM) becomes fully guaranteed on that day.
The Broncos hold the No. 12 overall pick and cannot enter true negotiations with an outside free agent until March 11. The Bucs and Vikings can respectively talk with Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins now. If one of those players becomes an option in Denver, such a signing would be costly. Considering the dead money coming via the likely Wilson release, the Broncos would be tying up plenty of cash at QB were they to go with a pricey free agent option. Of course, none of this year’s UFA passers beyond Cousins or Mayfield are expected to be especially expensive.
During an appearance on the Jim Rome Show (via 9News’ Mike Klis), Payton mentioned Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees as quick-processing QBs while notably leaving out Wilson when discussing that important skill in his offense. Known more for off-schedule brilliance than pocket mastery, Wilson had moments in Payton’s offense. He still finished in the top 10 in passer rating, while QBR slotted the ex-Seahawks star 21st. A market is likely to form for the 12-year veteran, though he will not be tied to anything close to the $49MM-per-year deal he signed in Denver. Wilson, 35, is unlikely to command anything near his $35MM-AAV Seahawks extension from 2019. The less Wilson makes, however, the more money the Broncos owe due to offset language.
New NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said (via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske) the Broncos mistreated Wilson when they attempted to move his vesting guarantee date from 2024 to 2025. Wilson’s camp said the team threatened a benching had the QB not gone along; Broncos brass denied the benching threat occurred. The NFLPA had urged Wilson to call the team’s bye-week bluff. Wilson did, and the Broncos stayed with him as their starter until they were realistically eliminated from playoff contention. Despite Denver’s limitations when it comes to securing an upgrade this offseason, a reconciliation here — despite Wilson indicating in January he wanted to stay with the team — should be considered highly unlikely.
At No. 12, the Broncos are not realistic candidates to end up with Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. Jayden Daniels‘ rising stock may well ensure the Heisman winner goes off the board well before No. 12. The Broncos have been loosely connected to trading up for one of these passers, but the team — which has not made a first-round pick since 2021, thanks to the Wilson and Payton trades — views the cost as high enough a move into the top three is unlikely.
This would naturally tie the Broncos to this QB class’ second-tier options, and Denver7’s Troy Renck notes that is already happening. Denver is being connected to Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Oregon’s Bo Nix within scouting circles, per Renck. An ex-Jim Harbaugh pupil who is not yet 21, McCarthy joins Nix in not yet being a first-round lock. Given the supply-and-demand issues at quarterback, however, it would certainly not surprise to see both prospects be chosen on Day 1.
The Broncos selecting a QB at 12, as opposed to trading up, would be optimal given the draft capital the team surrendered for Wilson and then to obtain Payton’s rights. Excepting Jay Cutler‘s intermittent promise, the Broncos have not had much luck drafting QBs. The franchise’s top passers (John Elway, Peyton Manning, Jake Plummer, Craig Morton) all game via trade or free agency. But Denver will likely be connected to this year’s crop. The 2025 group, although it is still quite early on that front, is viewed as a lesser group. That could force some teams’ hands ahead of this draft.
Chiefs G Nick Allegretti Tears UCL
The only offensive lineman in place for each of the Chiefs’ three Patrick Mahomes-era Super Bowl championships, Nick Allegretti received a start Sunday night due to Joe Thuney‘s pectoral injury. Kansas City’s left guard sub did not make it out of Super Bowl LVIII unscathed.
Allegretti finished out his fifth season with the Chiefs with a torn UCL in his elbow. The team’s top backup O-lineman suffered the tear in the second quarter against the 49ers, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, but played all 79 Chiefs offensive snaps during the team’s overtime win.
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An MRI Tuesday revealed Allegretti sustained a full tear, Pelissero adds. It is not known if Thuney will need surgery to repair his pec injury, but Allegretti is undoubtedly set to go under the knife due to this elbow malady. Allegretti played out a one-year, $2.58MM deal this season. The UCL tear will deal a blow to the veteran spot starter’s hopes of parlaying this season into a more lucrative contract in free agency.
A 2019 seventh-round pick, Allegretti worked as a backup behind Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Andrew Wylie as a rookie before being called upon to start 12 games (counting three playoff tilts) in 2020. Duvernay-Tardif opted out due to COVID-19 concerns that year, with the doctor returning to his native Canada to help out amid the pandemic, and the Chiefs entered Super Bowl LV without both tackles (Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz). The Buccaneers’ onslaught on Mahomes that night prompted the Chiefs to overhaul their O-line, but they kept Allegretti — a guard starter against Tampa Bay during a blowout loss — on his rookie deal through 2022. They then re-signed him in March.
The Chiefs have Thuney and right guard Trey Smith under contract for 2024; the latter is extension-eligible now. It would make sense for the two-time reigning champions to keep Allegretti in place as a swingman, but it will be interesting to see if the 27-year-old blocker commands a notable market despite this injury. Wylie used Super Bowl LVII as a springboard to a three-year, $24MM Commanders deal, though he has more starting experience than his former teammate. Allegretti, an Illinois alum, will enter free agency with 18 career starts — including two in this year’s postseason.
Titans To Retain Justin Outten, Chris Harris, Others On Staff
Brian Callahan‘s first Titans staff will include a host of outside hires — one of which being his father, offensive line coach Bill Callahan — and a handful of holdovers. Among the holdovers: two staffers who have either been coordinators or were on the OC/DC carousel recently.
We heard last week the Titans were blocking Justin Outten interviews. Tuesday, the team revealed Outten will be part of Brian Callahan’s 2024 staff as tight ends coach. This will be a shift for Outten, who was the team’s run-game coordinator in 2023. In addition to Outten, the Titans are retaining assistant Chris Harris.
Outten served as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator in 2022, mostly operating in a non-play-calling capacity — save for the final two games, following Nathaniel Hackett‘s firing — during a disastrous season for the AFC West team. Outten interviewed for the Ravens’ OC job in 2023 but wound up in Tennessee. A Packers staffer prior to his Denver year, Outten was a Mike Vrabel hire. Callahan’s first staff will feature a few of those.
Harris interviewed for the Bears and Jaguars’ DC jobs this year and met with the Texans and 49ers about their DC vacancies in 2023. Harris, 41, spent three seasons coaching Commanders DBs under Ron Rivera. The Titans lured him away in 2023. Harris will remain in place as Tennessee’s defensive pass-game coordinator, along with his role as cornerbacks coach. This will be Harris and DC Dennard Wilson‘s first time working together.
The Titans are also retaining assistant special teams coach Anthony Levine, assistant D-line coach Clinton McMillan, defensive quality control coach Lori Locust and former Tennessee tight end Luke Stocker as an offensive assistant. The Titans are still searching for a special teams coordinator, but Levine will work under that to-be-determined staffer. Stocker, a Titan from 2017-18, and Levine wrapped their playing careers after the 2021 season.
Among the previously unmentioned new hires in Tennessee, Randy Jordan will take over as running backs coach. A former Raiders backup running back, Jordan spent the past 10 years as Washington’s RBs coach. Jordan was in place throughout Jay Gruden‘s HC tenure and through Rivera’s. Payton McCollum will leave Indianapolis for Nashville, moving from Colts offensive assistant to Titans assistant wide receivers coach. Ben Bloom will also come on board as the Titans’ OLBs coach. Bloom spent the past four seasons in Cleveland, working as Myles Garrett‘s position coach in 2023. Bloom previously spent nine seasons on Jason Garrett‘s Cowboys staff. Myles Garrett’s Defensive Player of the Year season aside, the Browns hired ex-Texans D-line coach Jacques Cesaire to replace Bloom last month.
Tennessee is also bringing back Tracy Rocker for a second tour of duty on staff. The Titans hired Rocker as their defensive line coach, which will mark a return for the veteran assistant, who served in this capacity under Mike Munchak from 2011-13. Rocker was also the Tennessee Volunteers’ D-line coach from 2017-19. Rocker, 57, does have a history with Wilson. The two coached together on the Eagles’ staff from 2021-22; Rocker stayed on this past season as Philly’s D-line coach.
49ers’ Arik Armstead To Undergo Knee Surgery, Miss Extensive Offseason Time
Arik Armstead missed extensive time down the stretch for the 49ers, but the veteran defensive lineman was back on the field for each playoff game. Now that the season has ended, the former first-round pick revealed the injury he played through.
The nine-year 49er said Tuesday he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during the team’s Dec. 3 win over the Eagles, indicating (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver) he will undergo surgery. This operation is expected to sideline Armstead for most of the team’s offseason program, though NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco adds the veteran hopes to return by training camp. Armstead will join Dre Greenlaw in missing offseason time, though the concern regarding the linebacker will overshadow worries on the Armstead front.
Armstead, 30, has run into a number of injuries over the course of his career. The Oregon alum has missed 31 regular-season games since going off the 2015 draft board 17th overall. That said, Armstead turned his career around following some early-career setbacks. He played every 49ers game from 2018-21, earning a lucrative extension during that span. But the past two seasons have brought injuries back into the equation.
Upper-body injuries cost Armstead time early in his career, though he rallied back in time to have the 49ers pick up his fifth-year option and ultimately extend him on a five-year, $85MM deal. In 2022, however, Armstead battled trouble with this same knee. A sprain during the 49ers’ 2022 training camp cost Armstead time, and while he returned for Week 1 that year, a hairline fibula fracture led to a half-season absence. This season, Armstead battled knee and foot injuries before coming back for the 49ers’ divisional-round game.
Despite these setbacks, Armstead has remained vital to the 49ers’ defensive blueprint. The team opted to pay Armstead over giving DeForest Buckner a more lucrative extension, trading the latter to the Colts in 2020. Both Buckner and Armstead have remained upper-echelon D-linemen, though Armstead’s ex-Oregon teammate is a higher-level performer. Buckner has received three Pro Bowl nods while picking up two All-Pro honors, whereas Armstead profiles as more of a high-end role player on the 49ers’ Nick Bosa-led D-line.
One season remains on Armstead’s deal, and the void years San Francisco added upon restructuring the contract make the 6-foot-7 interior defender more difficult to cut. Armstead is set to carry a $28.4MM 2024 cap number — third-highest on the team — and would cost more than $25MM to release in a non-post-June 1 capacity this year. If the 49ers do not extend Armstead before the start of the 2025 league year, they will be hit with $15.5MM in dead money due to the three void years tacked onto the deal. Armstead recorded one sack in the playoffs and five during the regular season, grading as Pro Football Focus’ No. 16 overall interior D-lineman.
With Armstead available, the 49ers rolled out a formidable defensive line in the playoffs. San Francisco paired he and Bosa with big-ticket free agent signing Javon Hargrave, trade pickups Chase Young and Randy Gregory, and former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw. Young and Kinlaw are on track for free agency, while Gregory’s contract — a bill the Broncos footed almost entirely this season — may need to be adjusted or shed from the team’s payroll. Backup defensive end Clelin Ferrell is also a free agent-to-be; Ferrell and Drake Jackson missed Super Bowl LVIII.
Ferrell also suffered a torn meniscus, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. The 49ers placed the free agency pickup on IR in January. Despite the 49ers trading for Young and Gregory, Ferrell started 17 regular-season games opposite Bosa. The former Raiders top-five pick elevated his stock this season, though the knee injury stands to interfere with Ferrell’s attempt to parlay that rebound into a nice contract.
Armstead is the 49ers’ longest-tenured starter, beating out George Kittle by two years. Injuries have nagged him at points, but the veteran remains a productive player for San Francisco. He and Greenlaw, who suffered an Achilles tear while merely trotting onto the field for a defensive possession, will be out of the picture for a while.
Steelers To Keep Eddie Faulkner On Staff
Both halves of what was effectively a co-offensive coordinator setup are in play to return for the Steelers under a new OC. The Steelers’ interim OC is expected to stay with the team under new play-caller Arthur Smith.
The Steelers agreed to an extension with running backs coach Eddie Faulkner, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Assuming the Steelers’ expected agreement to retain Mike Sullivan goes through, the Faulkner pact will tie Smith to both the staffers who took on OC responsibilities in the wake of the franchise’s first in-season coordinator firing in several decades.
[RELATED: Steelers Release QB Mitch Trubisky]
While Sullivan was given play-calling duties, the Steelers made Faulkner their nominal interim OC following Matt Canada‘s November ouster. Faulkner predates Canada with the Steelers, being hired while Mike Tomlin still had Randy Fichtner in place as OC. Although the Steelers once again avoided a sub-.500 season and saw their Sullivan-Faulkner setup help Mason Rudolph to a bounce-back stretch en route to the playoffs, the team was never believed to be considering either staffer for the full-time OC role.
The Steelers added Faulkner to their staff in 2019, bringing in the former Ball State offensive coordinator as their running backs coach. Faulkner spent more than 15 years in the college ranks prior to joining the Steelers. Aside from the stretch as interim OC, the 47-year-old assistant has served in as the team’s RBs coach for the past five seasons. Signs point to that continuing.
Smith has started to reshape the Steelers’ offensive staff, which is now expected to include Sullivan in a different role. The Steelers are hiring Tom Arth as their new quarterbacks coach. Sullivan has been in place as Pittsburgh’s QBs coach for the past three seasons, calling plays to close out the 2023 campaign. The Steelers and Sullivan are still discussing what would be a new role for the veteran assistant. The team is also replacing its assistant QBs coach and wide receivers coach, respectively moving on from David Corley and Frisman Jackson.
Organizations frequently mandate certain coaches be retained under new coordinators, but the Steelers hiring Smith and pairing him with both their interim OC from last season and the interim play-caller will make for an interesting partnership.
Saints Hire Klint Kubiak As OC
FEBRUARY 12: With the Super Bowl now in the books, the agreement between Kubiak and the Saints has indeed been finalized, Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport notes. Kubiak’s second coordinator gig will take place in New Orleans in 2024 as part of a staff which has undergone a number of changes.
FEBRUARY 11: Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network confirms that Klint Kubiak’s deal with the Saints is expected to be finalized after today’s Super Bowl (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). Kubiak reportedly plans to add former Bears quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko to his staff — Chicago dismissed Janocko at the end of the season — and longtime O-line coach John Benton is also likely to be hired, as previously reported.
FEBRUARY 2: Another Kyle Shanahan staffer is on track to move up the ladder. The Saints are working on a deal to hire Klint Kubiak as their next offensive coordinator, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
No agreement between Kubiak and the Saints can be announced until after Super Bowl LVIII, with the current 49ers pass-game coordinator preparing for the game. Following the Super Bowl, the deal can go through. But it appears the Saints have decided on a name to conclude their long-running OC search.
This will bring a second chance for Kubiak, who spent the 2021 season as the Vikings’ OC. Succeeding his father (Gary) as Minnesota’s play-caller, Kubiak needed to look elsewhere after Mike Zimmer‘s firing. He landed in Denver, and while that brought a Colorado return for the second-generation coach, the Nathaniel Hackett-guided season produced disastrous results. Kubiak, 36, has managed to land on his feet, working alongside QBs coach Brian Griese as Shanahan’s top assistants on offense.
The Saints’ OC search produced some twists and turns. Four interviewees bowed out early or accepted jobs with other teams. Shane Waldron (Bears), Dan Pitcher (Bengals) and Zac Robinson (Falcons) landed OC gigs; Jerrod Johnson agreed to stay with the Texans. This led to a search that will end up taking more than five weeks to complete, with the Kubiak agreement not becoming official until after the 49ers’ eighth Super Bowl.
Kubiak will follow Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur as Shanahan-tree coaches to have moved into HC or OC positions. The Saints also interviewed Griese, but they will go with the more experienced coach. Kubiak also barely qualifies as a Shanahan tree branch, though the younger Shanahan’s offense is derived from the attack Mike Shanahan and Kubiak’s father used with the Broncos in the 1990s and 2000s. The Shanahan-Sean McVay-based attack continues to succeed, and the Saints are the latest team to buy in.
With Zimmer a defense-based HC, the Kubiaks served as the Vikings’ play-callers in back-to-back seasons. Returning to the sideline in 2020 to replace Kevin Stefanski, Gary Kubiak spent one season as Minnesota’s OC. Klint took over a year later. The Vikings ranked 14th in scoring in 2021, an 8-9 campaign, and 12th in total offense. That year brought Justin Jefferson‘s first All-Pro nod, a 10-touchdown Adam Thielen slate and Dalvin Cook keeping his 1,100-yard rushing streak intact.
Nothing especially positive can be said about the 2022 Broncos’ offense, but Hackett did give Kubiak a play-calling shot — over OC Justin Outten — as that season went south. This season has obviously brought a Kubiak bounce-back effort. Brock Purdy has continued his stunning ascent from his Mr. Irrelevant status, becoming a Pro Bowler and helping the 49ers make up for their Trey Lance misstep. Purdy’s 9.6 yards per attempt is the best mark by a full-season starter since the 1950s, with Kurt Warner‘s 2000 number (9.9) coming in 11 games. The 49ers’ passing attack also nearly became the sixth team in NFL history to see three pass catchers eclipse 1,000 yards, seeing Deebo Samuel‘s October shoulder injury impede that path. Brandon Aiyuk reached a career-high 1,342 yards this season, while George Kittle surpassed 1,000 as well.
This offseason brought new territory for the Saints, who had not changed offensive coordinators since promoting Pete Carmichael in 2009. Carmichael served as one of the longest-tenured coordinators in NFL history, but after two seasons calling the plays post-Sean Payton, Carmichael received his walking papers (Payton has since hired Carmichael in Denver). The Saints did rank ninth in scoring and 14th in total offense this season, but the unit submitted inconsistent work during a 7-10 campaign. Kubiak will be charged with elevating the Derek Carr-led attack in 2024.
Here is how the Saints’ OC search wrapped:
- Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach (Saints): Interviewed
- Luke Getsy, former offensive coordinator (Bears): Conducted second interview 1/31
- Brian Griese, quarterbacks coach (49ers): Interviewed
- Brian Johnson, former offensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed 1/29
- Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Conducted second interview 1/27; to stay with Texans
- Klint Kubiak, pass-game coordinator (49ers): To be hired
- Greg Lewis, receivers coach (Ravens): To interview
- Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): Second interview on 1/24; hired as Bengals OC
- Zac Robinson, quarterbacks coach (Rams): Interviewed; hired as Falcons OC
- Mike Sullivan, quarterbacks coach (Steelers): To interview
- Shane Waldron, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed; hired as Bears OC
Kadarius Toney Accuses Chiefs Of Lying About Injury Status; Toney A Healthy Scratch For Super Bowl
FEBRUARY 11: Toney was not on the Chiefs’ final injury report for Super Bowl LVIII, but he is not expected to play in the title game, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The healthy scratch may well represent the end of Toney’s time in Kansas City.
JANUARY 28: Finishing out a disappointing season with the Chiefs, Kadarius Toney has not played since Week 16. Injuries have been a constant during the 2021 first-round pick’s career, and he is listed as out for today’s AFC championship game due to a hip injury. It appears Toney is disputing this designation.
In an expletive-laden Instagram Live tirade, Toney accused the Chiefs of lying about his injury. Kansas City’s injury report listed Toney as being out due to ankle and hip injuries ahead of the wild-card and divisional-round games; only a hip issue is listed this week.
This rant occurred hours before today’s game kicked off, and given Toney’s performance to date, it could change his status with the Chiefs. Toney, who turned 25 on Saturday, was a full practice participant Wednesday but was listed as limited Thursday and Friday. The team downgraded Toney to out Saturday. The Chiefs had hoped Toney could grow into a No. 1-caliber wide receiver this season; he has fallen well short of expectations.
Acquired for third- and sixth-round picks before the 2022 trade deadline, Toney has proven unreliable in New York and Kansas City. Injuries significantly limited him with the Giants, and they cropped up immediately following his move to the Chiefs. Hamstring trouble largely derailed his final weeks as a Giant, but during his three-year career, the shifty wide receiver has dealt with ankle, quad, oblique and knee trouble since coming off the 2021 draft board 20th overall. The Giants dealt Toney due to reliability concerns; those have not dissipated in Kansas City.
Toney suffered a meniscus tear minutes into Chiefs training camp this summer, but he was back in time for the team’s opener. This has been by far Toney’s healthiest season, but it has also brought him more attention for consistency issues not involving health. Toney drops represented part of the Chiefs’ long-running receiver issues, and his offside infraction negated his own go-ahead touchdown in a narrow loss to the Bills in December. During Toney’s most recent game active, he dropped a pass that led to a Patrick Mahomes INT (and a dismayed reaction from the superstar quarterback).
The birth of Toney’s daughter also factors into his absence, with the Chiefs listing him as out due to “hip/personal” reasons. Moving beyond the issue of Toney’s accusation, this rant certainly stands to spell trouble for his future with the defending champions. Toney has just 27 receptions for 169 yards this season, and while his Super Bowl-record punt return provided a boost in the Chiefs’ narrow Super Bowl LVII win, his absence appears to have helped streamline the 2023 squad’s passing attack. The Chiefs have performed better without inconsistent wideouts Toney and Skyy Moore available; Moore remains in the IR-return window.
It would cost the Chiefs $2.53MM to cut or trade Toney after this season. One year remains on his contract. Toney’s stock already plummeted during his time in New York, and while he has displayed an intriguing skillset, the Florida alum’s trade value is obviously low at the close of his third season.
Bolts Hire NaVorro Bowman As LBs Coach
FEBRUARY 10: Well, where there’s smoke, there once again seems to be a fire as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Bowman has officially been hired as the Chargers linebackers coach under his former head coach. After watching his former teammate, Willis, be selected as a Hall of Famer and seeing his former head coach return to coaching at the NFL level, Bowman has now made news himself by breaking into coaching following the end of his playing career six years ago.
This also continues an exciting trend of former players making their way into the coaching ranks. Bowman joins a fellow linebacker from his own time period as a rookie NFL coach as Dont’a Hightower was hired to coach the same position in New England yesterday.
FEBRUARY 9: NaVorro Bowman looks close to breaking into coaching, with his most notable connection potentially set to produce a partnership. The Chargers are eyeing the former All-Pro as linebackers coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
Jim Harbaugh coached Bowman for four seasons in San Francisco. Bowman ascended to the All-Pro level during Harbaugh and Vic Fangio‘s time with the 49ers. Not previously connected to a coaching job, Bowman appears close to joining his former mentor on his first Chargers staff.
Bowman, 35, retired following the 2017 season. The severe leg injury he suffered in the 2013 NFC championship game ended his time playing under Harbaugh, who had left for Michigan by the time Bowman was ready to return. Bowman did continue his career following the injury, returning to All-Pro status and then closing his out his NFL run with the Raiders.
This comes hours after Patrick Willis learned he would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bowman starred alongside Willis in Fangio’s defense. Forming a historically successful duo, Bowman and Willis each earned first-team All-Pro acclaim from 2011-12. As Luke Kuechly quickly ascended to that level in 2013, Bowman was the 49ers’ first-team All-Pro linebacker representative. Willis settled for Pro Bowl honors that year, San Francisco’s third straight season involving an NFC title game appearance.
It will be interesting to see if Bowman will not need to start his career on the quality control level, as veteran linebacker DeMeco Ryans did in San Francisco. Moving straight to a position coach role would be impressive for the eight-year NFL defender, who has been off the radar since that 2019 retirement. Harbaugh, however, is greenlighting other reunions on his Bolts staff. The accomplished HC is bringing Jesse Minter with him from Michigan as DC, while Greg Roman — the 49ers’ OC from 2011-14 — will head to Los Angeles as Harbaugh’s OC.
A third-round 49ers draftee in 2010, Bowman became a full-time starter during Harbaugh’s first season with the team. The 49ers gave Bowman a five-year, $45.3MM extension in 2012. After a midseason 49ers release in 2017, Bowman wrapped his career with the Raiders.
Arthur Blank: Bill Belichick Never Asked To Control Falcons’ Football Ops
This offseason brought an unusual development involving a prospective coaching hire. The most accomplished coach to ever land on a carousel exited this year’s ride without a job. Bill Belichick‘s credentials are unmatched, but steady rumblings about what he would do upon taking a job look to have impacted his current free agency status.
A rare instance of power brokers interviewing a candidate and protecting their own job security came out as a reason Belichick is not currently the Falcons’ head coach. This component may well have led other teams to steer clear of the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC, who is believed to have only spoken with only one other team — the Commanders — about a coaching vacancy this offseason. While Belichick is believed to be planning to regroup with an eye on 2025, the Falcons now reside as the “what if?” team regarding the NFL’s second-winningest coach.
[RELATED: Latest On Falcons’ Quarterback Plans]
While calling Belichick’s interviews “excellent,” Arthur Blank said (via ESPN’s Michael Rothstein) Belichick did not ask the Falcons for full control of their football ops department during his interview process. A report indeed suggested the 71-year-old coach was targeting such power, though Belichick and Blank were not believed to have discussed this directly.
“I want to be clear really on behalf of Bill, just as a human being and as a storied coach in the history of our league,” Blank said during an appearance on NFL Network’s Super Bowl Live. “Been a coach 49 years in the NFL. Bill, during all of our discussions with him, it was never about power, control, needing people to work for him, etcetera. He was interested in coaching. He definitely wanted a collaborative relationship with personnel, scouting.
“He had done his reference checking on our department, had committed to me that he’d be happy to work with our people. In fact, did it in writing through a text message he sent to me at one point.”
Belichick met with Blank in a one-on-one setting before the second summit included members of the Falcons’ brass. Going into the second meeting, Belichick was viewed as the favorite. Following the larger-scale powwow in Atlanta, the team started moving in a different direction. It is natural, then, to assume the reports of Falcons brass steering Blank away from Belichick have some truth to them. GM Terry Fontenot said it was Blank’s call to hire Morris, but the fourth-year GM said (via Rothstein) he led the interview process. This came after a Falcons statement — issued in the wake of Arthur Smith‘s firing — said Blank and CEO Rich McKay would lead the search as Fontenot provided input.
One of the reports in the wake of the Falcons’ Raheem Morris hire pegged Belichick and McKay as having a less-than-stellar relationship. Despite moving out of the GM role in 2009, McKay has been a key Falcons decision-maker since. The team made a point of announcing the former Super Bowl-winning GM (with the Buccaneers) would step away from involvement in football ops moving forward. Friday, Blank said the experience Morris and Fontenot possess helped lead him to slide McKay toward the business side.
Given McKay’s 30-plus years in front offices and his 20-plus years with the Falcons, it is difficult to imagine he will not retain a voice in football matters — to some degree, at least. But Blank said Friday both Morris and Fontenot will report directly to ownership. Pointing toward Morris’ experience would seemingly represent a dig at Smith, but the former has been in the NFL much longer. Morris’ NFL run includes a three-year stay as Bucs HC and spending much of the 2020 season as Falcons interim HC.
“Bill was really focused and is focused on being a great head coach, which is clearly what he has been,” Blank said. “We looked at all the candidates that we interviewed, all the time together, and we felt for a variety of reasons that the best choice for us at this point in our lives, the life of the franchise going forward, is Raheem Morris.”
If Belichick were to book more HC interviews in 2025, teams will naturally want to know the football lifer’s expectations regarding personnel control. He held dual HC/GM roles throughout his Patriots stay. Even if Belichick makes a point of indicating he is fine being only a head coach and not a de facto GM, having someone with his experience in the building and that organization giving someone else final say would be quite the interesting dynamic. After the Falcons passed, it will be a bit before these scenarios resurface.
Seahawks To Hire Aden Durde As DC
Aden Durde‘s first offseason featuring DC interviews brought five such connections. Four teams went in other directions with their hires, but it looks like Durde will have a chance to move to the coordinator tier this year.
The Seahawks are preparing to hire the Cowboys’ defensive line coach to be their next DC, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Durde also interviewed for the Dallas post, but the team will go with an outside hire in Mike Zimmer, who has an extensive history with the franchise. This will lead Durde to Seattle. Durde and Chiefs D-line coach Joe Cullen were the only known candidates for the role.
A Dan Quinn assistant in Atlanta, Durde followed his boss to Dallas in 2021. Quinn, however, is not believed to have placed Durde atop his list for the DC gig in Washington. That job went to Cowboys DBs coach Joe Whitt. The Cowboys’ decision not to promote from within limited Durde’s options, but the NFL’s final 2024 DC vacancy looks like it will go to the England-born assistant. Regardless of who is going where, the Cowboys are losing Quinn, Whitt and Durde from their staff.
Durde, 44, hails from Middlesex, England; he entered the coaching ranks after a background in NFL Europe as a player during the 2000s. Durde was later involved in the NFL’s International Pathway Program on the coaching side, not joining an NFL staff until his late 30s. His first position coaching gig came in Dallas; three years later, he landed on many teams’ DC radars. The Falcons, Packers and Rams sent out interview requests but went with other options (Jimmy Lake, Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula) at DC.
Three of the five teams to consider Durde sought a play-calling DC, but he is not on track to call plays in Seattle. Mike Macdonald said he would begin his Seahawks tenure by calling plays, though the recently hired HC noted he was open to that changing. But Durde should be expected to begin his Seahawks stay by serving as a non-play-calling coordinator.
Under Durde, the Cowboys rolled out an impressive defensive line. Becoming essentially a full-time D-lineman in 2022, Micah Parsons has ripped off three straight seasons of 13-plus sacks. The 2022 Cowboys finished third in sacks, with 54, as Dorance Armstrong broke through for 8.5. While DeMarcus Lawrence‘s sack production has declined in recent years, Armstrong emerged along with a Dante Fowler bounce-back effort following a disappointing Falcons stint.
In steady decline in the years since the Legion of Boom’s breakup, the Seahawks’ defense is coming off back-to-back 25th-place rankings in points allowed. Seattle’s defense dropped to 30th in yardage last season. Two-year DC Clint Hurtt left to become the Eagles’ D-line coach weeks ago, before it became known Macdonald would take over as head coach. While Macdonald’s offensive coordinator will be the more important hire — due to the play-calling responsibilities that will come with that job — Durde is stepping in as the young HC’s top defensive lieutenant.