FOX Interested In Panthers’ Greg Olsen
In 2018, Greg Olsen flirted with retirement and the possibility of moving to a job in broadcasting. This year, the Panthers tight end will have similar options to consider. If Olsen wants a career in TV, FOX Sports executives will offer him a position as an analyst, Richard Deitsch of The Athletic tweets.
Two years ago, Olsen had ESPN and FOX hot on his trail. Ultimately, he turned down opportunities to do color commentary on Monday Night Football (that job went to Jason Witten, before he returned to the field) and a gig with FOX’s Thursday Night Football. Instead, he signed an extension with the Panthers – that deal is set to take him through the 2020 season.
This time around, Olsen may consider a third option – moving on to a new team. Olsen says he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding effort and, clearly, that’s what will take place in Carolina.
“I just think sometimes the writing’s on the wall,” Olsen said in December. “There hasn’t been anything officially. But I wanted to make sure if that was my last time that I made sure I told the people that I needed to how much they meant on my career.”
Olsen is set to count for a $11.8MM cap figure, but the Panthers can save $8.1MM by releasing him against just $3.7MM in dead money. He may also hold some trade value, though it’s unlikely that he’d net the Panthers a large return as he nears his 35th birthday in March.
Olsen, a first round pick in the 2007 draft, finished the season with 52 catches for 597 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. His last 16-game season came in 2016, when he tallied 1,000 receiving yards for the third straight year.
Texans To Keep Romeo Crennel On Staff
Romeo Crennel won’t serve as the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2020, but he’ll remain on staff in a “key role,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Crennel’s title is not yet known, but he’ll be there to support first-time DC Anthony Weaver, who was recently promoted from defensive line coach.
[RELATED: Texans Promote Anthony Weaver To DC]
Previously, Crennel was said to be mulling retirement. But, after 38 years in coaching, the 72-year-old can’t seem to quit football. Crennel’s resume is too long to list here, but his notable stops include runs as the head coach of the Browns and Chiefs, plus DC turns with the Browns, Pats, Chiefs, and Texans.
Crennel came under fire from fans after a so-so showing in the regular season and a No. 19 ranking in defensive DVOA. Then, the Texans’ fate was sealed in the divisional round as they allowed the Chiefs to battle back from a 24-point gap in the second quarter. It was a rough exit, but in Crennel’s defense, the Texans were just the latest victim of Patrick Mahomes & Co.
Meanwhile, the Texans will forge ahead with head coach Bill O’Brien taking on GM responsibilities. O’Brien was, more or less, acting as the team’s GM in 2019, but Tuesday’s announcement from Cal McNair made it all official. O’Brien’s appointment to GM also means that Nick Caserio, the Patriots exec long chased by the Texans, won’t be coming to Houston.
Texans Name Bill O’Brien As GM
The Texans have given head coach Bill O’Brien the title of general manager, per a club announcement. O’Brien has effectively been in charge of the roster for a while, but Tuesday’s announcement makes it official. Meanwhile, they’ve promoted executive vice president of team development Jack Easterby to executive vice president of football operations.
“Preparations are underway for the 2020 season and I thought it was important to update titles, roles and responsibilities for Bill O’Brien and Jack Easterby so they more accurately reflect the way we have been operating for the past eight months,” said owner Cal McNair. “I was encouraged by the progress that our team made on the field this year which was due in part to our new structure, operating approach and the leaders within our football operations group. I am proud that we provided our fans with many thrilling victories at home, including a playoff win, and we delivered another double-digit win season. Our fans deserve that, but now it is time for the organization to get back to work toward our pursuit of a world championship for the city of Houston.”
Last summer, the Texans fired GM Brian Gaine after just one year at the helm. Since then, they’ve taken a GM-by-committee approach, with O’Brien leading the charge and Easterby holding significant influence over the roster. Execs Matt Bazirgan, James Liipfert, and Chris Olsen were also instrumental in the revamped configuration.
With O’Brien as the de facto GM, the Texans went 10-6, captured the AFC South title, and reached the divisional round for the fourth time in franchise history.
Chiefs Owner On Patrick Mahomes Talks
The Chiefs, obviously, intend to lock up Patrick Mahomes for the long haul. It’s just a matter of how much it’ll cost – and when. On Tuesday, owner Clark Hunt indicated that the Chiefs could wait until next year to ink Mahomes to an extension.
[RELATED: Will Patrick Mahomes Get $40MM/Year?]
“There will be a right time sometime in the next 12 to 15 months to extend Patrick, and when I say right time, I mean right time for both the player and the club,” Hunt said as the Chiefs prepare to face the 49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl. “I don’t want to say necessarily it has to be this offseason, but I will say that it’s a priority to get him done. I hope Patrick is here for his entire career, and that’s going to be our goal.’‘
With his third pro season in the rear view mirror, the 2017 first-round pick is eligible for a brand new deal. The Chiefs, meanwhile, can wait things out a bit. He still has one more year to go on his base four-year rookie pact and the Chiefs can tack on another year via his fifth-year option for 2021.
When the two sides eventually reach an accord, Mahomes could become the NFL’s first ever $200MM+ player with an average annual value of $40MM or more. Those would be unprecedented numbers, but the same could be said for the QB’s stat line. In 2019, Mahomes logged 4,031 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Latest On Saints QB Drew Brees
Saints quarterback Drew Brees is giving serious thought to retirement, PFT’s Mike Florio hears. The Saints, obviously, want the future Hall of Famer to return, but a source tells PFT that the club wants him back for what would essentially amount to a bridge year. In 2021, they envision Taysom Hill taking over as the team’s starter. 
If Brees returns for a 15th season, he’d be the starter, but he’d also yield some spotlight and snaps to Hill. That plan may or may not suit Brees, who could walk away from the game with his fortune and still earn plenty more off the field, perhaps as a TV analyst.
Meanwhile, the Saints have some offseason work to do when it comes to Hill and Teddy Bridgewater. Hill will be a restricted free agent in March and another club could conceivably match their offer sheet, even at the first-round level. Bridgewater, who is beloved in New Orleans and all around the NFL, could be lured away by an opportunity to start with a contract befitting of a QB1.
As for Brees, he’s indicated that he’ll take a month to or so to weigh his options. If he does return, Brees says he’ll only suit up for the Saints.
Brees, 41, completed a league-high 74.3% of his passes in 2019, marking his third straight year at the top of the category. In his injury-shortened eleven-game campaign, he tallied 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The wild card round against the Vikings didn’t go as planned, but Brees did cap off the regular season in remarkable fashion by completing 29 of 30 passes against the Colts and setting the NFL’s new record for touchdown throws.
Dolphins Work Out Alex Collins
The Dolphins worked out former Ravens running back Alex Collins, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Collins didn’t play last season, but he’s aiming to get back to work in 2020.
Collins led the Ravens in rushing in 2017 with 973 yards, so he’d be a logical fit for the Dolphins as they look to revamp their backfield. Collins would not be the centerpiece of the Dolphins’ RB group, but he’d be an option worth exploring as a part of the team’s 90-man roster. The Dolphins figure to have upwards of $90MM in cap space and a bevy of draft picks, so they should have ample opportunities to upgrade.
Collins served his three-game ban for marijuana possession while in free agency limbo, so he’s ready to go for Week 1 of the upcoming season. If he doesn’t sign with the Dolphins, it’s possible that he could circle back to the Seahawks, Packers, and Bills – the teams he auditioned for down the stretch.
In addition to Collins, the Dolphins also worked out CFL quarterback Chris Streveler, Yates reports.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Dak Prescott
With all the talk surrounding Tom Brady‘s impending free agency, it’s almost like you could forget about Dak Prescott‘s scheduled trip to the open market. Almost. 
At the start of the season, it seemed like Prescott was right on the cusp of a brand new multi-year deal with the Cowboys. Back in September, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said a new deal was “imminent.” Then, Jones & Co. spent the rest of the year deflecting questions about a potential extension. Now, the pressure is on for the Cowboys to hammer out a mega-deal that will keep Prescott under center for the foreseeable future.
Both sides have ample reason to get something done, but the Cowboys, understandably, have reservations about tying up a ludicrously high percentage of their available dollars in a handful of players. Back in September, the Cowboys offered up a contract that would have paid Prescott an average of $33MM/year. However, Prescott held off during his insanely hot start, and he was probably eyeing Russell Wilson‘s league-leading $35MM/year average.
The Cowboys’ second-half dip cost them a playoff berth and hurt Prescott’s leverage. Through the first seven games of the year, Prescott completed more than 70% of his passes with 12 TDs and seven INTs. On the back nine, Prescott completed just 61.5% of his throws with 18 touchdowns against four interceptions.
Still, there was plenty of blame to go around for the Cowboys’ drop, and much of it fell on Jason Garrett. Prescott, who won’t turn 27 until July, figures to cash in, one way or another. If the Cowboys can’t come to an agreement with Prescott on a long-term deal, they can keep him from free agency via the franchise tag, which is projected to come in at roughly $26.9MM for quarterbacks. The former fourth-round pick would surely prefer the security of a four-year contract, but that’s still a substantial pay bump from the $2.025MM base salary he earned in the final year of his rookie deal.
What will it take for the Cowboys to get a deal done with Prescott? After he finished second in passing yards (4,902) and fourth in passing touchdowns (30, a new career-high), it won’t be cheap. By betting on himself, Prescott has all but assured that he can top Jared Goff‘s four-year, $134MM deal, which averages out to $33.5MM/year. Meanwhile, his camp surely has Goff’s $110MM in guarantees – an NFL record – in the crosshairs.
The stats and comps are only part of the equation as the prospect of multiple franchise tags looms large. Sure, the Cowboys can cuff Prescott for 2020 at ~$27MM, but what about 2021, when the cost would rise another 20% to more than $39MM? (Assuming the franchise tag rules remain in tact after the new CBA.) After that, a third tag would be downright absurd – a 44% jump would cost upwards of $55MM for the 2022 season.
We’ve been fooled before, but all signs still point to a long-term accord between the QB and JJ. If the Cowboys are unwilling to top Wilson’s AAV, it’s possible that the two sides can meet in the middle on a three-year deal, which would allow Prescott to cash in at untold levels when he’s 30 years of age and the league’s revenue climbs even higher. Or, maybe they’ll cave and give Prescott just enough to edge Wilson on a four-year deal and claim victory. In any case, the Cowboys do not want to wait for Patrick Mahomes to land his next deal, which could top $40MM per annum. And, failing all of that, a tag is surely coming.
Prescott, technically speaking, is due for free agency in March, but we’d be shocked if he gets there.
Prospect Profile: Joe Burrow
The Bengals have roughly three months to figure out who they’ll take with the No. 1 overall pick, but many are convinced that their selection has already been made. Quarterback Joe Burrow, who is coming off of a ridiculous season at LSU, may be a lock for Cincinnati. 
[RELATED: Bengals To Consider Tua, Herbert, Young]
Today, Burrow stands as the consensus top QB in this year’s class. But, in the summer, that wasn’t exactly the case. Scouts long drooled over the potential of Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jake Fromm while Burrow seemed to be on the tier below. But, thanks to Tagovailoa’s hip injury and Burrow’s meteoric rise, the landscape shifted drastically.
The former Ohio State backup debuted as LSU’s starter in 2018 but threw for only 2,894 yards and 16 touchdown passes as a junior. Then, in 2019, Tigers passing-game coordinator (and new Panthers OC) Joe Brady helped him rise to a whole ‘nother level. Burrow threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns (!), and lobbed just six interceptions en route to a National Championship and the Heisman trophy.
The numbers have generated headlines, but execs are equally impressed by Burrow’s intangibles.
“Burrow just has it. You can’t coach it; you can’t develop it. Some guys just have it,” one longtime QB coach told Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller in November. “Baker Mayfield has it. Gardner Minshew has it. The difference is that Burrow has better size than both and a much better arm than Minshew.”
There are few knocks on Burrow, but no prospect is perfect. Among the (minor) concerns – Burrow’s limited track record of excellence. A highly-touted prospect out of high school, Burrow found himself mostly buried behind J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State. It wasn’t until 2018 that he got his first crack at starting with LSU, and his numbers didn’t exactly jump off of the page. Then, in 2019, he was unstoppable. Someone playing devil’s advocate with Burrow would probably start here – Burrow’s game tape is excellent, but most of it comes from one season of work.
There’s also the matter of Burrow’s arm strength – he can’t air it out like Herbert and he doesn’t have a Kyle Boller fastball in his arsenal. Still, execs everywhere say that Burrow has the overall makeup to offset those limitations.
The Bengals will do their due diligence on every top prospect in this year’s crop, and they may even listen on trade inquiries, but all signs are pointing to Burrow as the top pick in April.
Vikings Appoint Co-DCs
The Vikings will split their defensive coordinator role in two. On Monday, the team announced that assistants Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer will serve as the club’s co-DCs in 2020. 
[RELATED: Vikings Hire Gary Kubiak As OC]
It’s an unusual move to split coordinator duties, but it will allow the team to maintain consistency on defense going forward. Patterson is entering his ninth year with the Vikes while Zimmer is entering season No. 7. Neither coach has previously served as an NFL DC.
Since rejoining the Vikings six years ago, Patterson has guided the defense to a No. 3 rank in sacks (260), rushing touchdowns allowed (123), and opponent yards per game (321.8). Last year, as the team’s defensive line coach, he had a part in the team’s 30 defensive takeaways, 17 interceptions, and 14 fumble recoveries. Meanwhile, pupil Danielle Hunter became the youngest player in NFL history to eclipse 50.0 career sacks.
Zimmer, the son of head coach Mike Zimmer, has been in charge of the team’s linebackers and instrumental in developing Pro Bowlers such as Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. In his six years, the Vikings have allowed opponents to converts on just 36.1% of third downs, the best rate in the league over that span.
Giants To Hire Freddie Kitchens
Freddie Kitchens has landed a new job. The former Browns head coach is expected to join the Giants as their new tight ends coach, according to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Kitchens was one-and-done as the Browns’ head coach in 2019. Under his watch, the Browns limped to a 6-10 finish. But, before that, Kitchens made a major impression in the league for his work on the Browns’ offensive coaching staff. When he took over as OC in 2018, the Baker Mayfield-led attack started to click in a major way and Kitchens was widely credited for getting Cleveland on track.
Kitchens won’t be considered for head coaching vacancies anytime soon, but he remains a well-regarded offensive coach. In New York, he’ll reunite with new head coach Joe Judge – the two men overlapped at Mississippi State.
As the Giants’ tight end coach, Kitchens will be responsible for the development of Ole Miss product Evan Engram. Engram, a 2017 first-round pick, has missed 13 games over the past two seasons, but he’s impressed while on the field. In an injury-shortened eight-game season, Engram finished 2019 with 44 catches for 467 yards and three touchdowns.
New York is also adding Mizzou offensive coordinator Derek Dooley to its offensive staff, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Dooley worked as the Cowboys’ wide receivers coach from 2013-17 before returning to the collegiate ranks. He had previously served as the head coach for Louisiana Tech and Tennessee.