Jaguars Interview McAdoo, Linehan
The Jaguars interviewed former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo for their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). McAdoo, who did not coach in 2019, is looking to reboot his career after a dismal run in New York. 
The Giants fired McAdoo late in the 2017 season, ending a three-plus-year run with the team as offensive coordinator and head coach. The Giants threw him under the bus following the Eli Manning benching debacle and most fans were happy to see him go – the Giants went 13-15 under his watch. Prior to all of that, McAdoo served as the tight ends and quarterbacks coach of the Packers.
The Jaguars have been searching for a new OC ever since firing John DeFilippo, who was one-and-done in Jacksonville. The Panthers are also considering McAdoo for a spot on Matt Rhule‘s maiden staff.
The Jaguars are also slated to speak to former Cowboys OC Scott Linehan this weekend – presumably for the same post. Linehan will also speak with the Panthers and Giants, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter).
Linehan, 56, got the heave-ho from the Cowboys in January of last year. Like McAdoo, he was out of the NFL for the 2019 season.
Latest On Joe Burrow, Bengals
We’re months away from the NFL Draft, but there’s little doubt about who the Bengals will select with the No. 1 overall pick. All signs are pointing to quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals aren’t hiding their affinity for the LSU star. 
“He’s got natural pocket feel. He feels it,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “It seems like he never takes his eyes off down the field. He extends the play really, really well. He’s a lot faster than you might assume when you see him running away from all those SEC guys. He’s got incredible up-field accuracy. The ball hardly ever hits the ground in a game, which is rare. He just naturally puts the ball in places where those guys can make plays.”
And, despite the Bengals’ struggles in recent years, Burrow’s father says the QB would be honored and delighted to be their signal caller.
“He’s excited to even be in that conversation and if the Bengals do draft him, he’s going to be happy,” Jimmy Burrow told TSN 690 (via Ben Baby of ESPN.com). “He’ll look at it as a challenge, but he’ll be confident that eventually, they can win a lot of games there in Cincinnati.”
Burrow put himself on the national recruiting radar at Ohio’s Athens High School, where he led the program to three straight playoff appearances. After that, he attended Ohio State and spent the next two years as a backup to J. T. Barrett. Then, when he was told that Dwayne Haskins would be the team’s new starting quarterback, he transferred to LSU and won the top job.
After a strong 2018 season, Burrow shattered all expectations with a 76.3% completion rate, 5,671 passing yards, and 60 (yes, 60) touchdowns through the air. He also added another five rushing TDs for good measure.
Latest On NFL Labor Talks
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement expires in March 2021, which means that a labor stoppage could be on the horizon. The owners and players have been talking for months about a new deal and the latest update brings reason for optimism. 
In an NFLPA memo to players, union leader DeMaurice Smith reported that the two sides have struck tentative agreement on the players’ guaranteed portion of revenues, increases in minimum salaries, changes to the offseason, and a reduction in training-camp contact. The owners have also tipped that they’ll agree to “significant modifications” in the league’s drug and disciplinary policies, according to Smith (Twitter link via Mark Maske of The Washington Post).
Of course, in order to get all of that, the union will have to make concessions. Smith confirmed that the talks have been proceeding based on a potential 17-game season with expanded playoffs. To help offset the extra game(s), the two sides are mulling a reduced preseason.
Everything sounds like it’s trending in the right direction for a new CBA, but nothing is final until everything is signed, and we’re likely a long way from that. There’s also this to consider – Russell Okung, who is open to a stoppage and strongly opposed to a 17-game season, is expected to challenge Eric Winston for the union president position.
Antonio Callaway Joins XFL
The Tampa Bay Vipers have signed former Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway, per a club announcement. The one-time University of Florida standout is looking to work his way back towards the NFL following his release from the Browns and a ten-game suspension from the league office. 
Callaway was drafted by the Browns in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He clicked with Baker Mayfield as a rookie and finished out with 43 catches for 586 yards and five touchdowns. In 2019, however, it was a different story. The NFL suspended Callaway for the first four games of the year after violating the substance abuse policy and he’s now looking at an additional ten-game ban.
Callaway was suspended during the 2019 season for four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy and, when he returned, he clashed with Browns coaches. The receiver was already teetering on the edge in November when he was hit with an additional ten-game ban for another substance abuse violation, so the Browns cut him. Despite his talent and inexpensive rookie contract, none of the team’s other 31 teams picked him up when he was available.
If Callaway can demonstrate personal growth and perform in the XFL, he might have a chance of someday returning to the NFL.
Kellen Moore To Call Cowboys’ Plays
Kellen Moore will stay on board as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator and he will be the one calling the plays, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed. Not everything will remain exactly the same, of course – the head coach explained that Moore will be blending McCarthy’s schemes with the Cowboys’ existing terminology. 
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“Between us,” McCarthy said of Moore and himself. “We can take this offense forward another step.”
Under Moore, the Cowboys jumped from 22nd in total offense to first from 2018-19. Another step forward would restore the Cowboys as Super Bowl contenders in 2020, provided that the defense holds up. It’ll be interesting to see how the offenses combine. Under Jason Garrett, Moore ran a version of the Air Coryell offense, which is drastically different from McCarthy’s West Coast philosophy.
Moore had other opportunities this offseason, including an opportunity to return to his home state and manage the University of Washington’s offense. The opportunity to make full use of his headset likely played in a role in Moore’s return to Dallas.
Panthers Still Interested In Andrew Berry
The Panthers are still interested in speaking with Eagles VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry for their Executive VP of Football Operations role, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. However, the Panthers would likely have to offer Berry control over the roster in order for the Eagles to grant permission.
Earlier this week, the Eagles rejected the Panthers’ request to chat with Berry, citing the roster control issue. At present, the Panthers’ roster is controlled by GM Marty Hurney.
The Panthers may or may not want to stick with Hurney as their front office leader for the 2020 offseason, but Berry’s candidacy for this particular job could wind up being moot. On Friday, Berry will interview for the Browns’ GM vacancy. The Eagles can’t prevent him from accepting an offer there and he could be off the table for the Panthers in a matter of days.
Browns To Interview Andrew Berry
Andrew Berry, the Eagles’ VP of football operations, will interview for the Browns GM job on Friday, Jim Trotter of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.Patriots college scouting director Monti Ossenfort will also be in the building on Friday to interview for the same job, but as Trotter notes, the Browns had similar overlap in their head coaching search.
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Berry has been the rumored favorite for the job, in part because of his relationship with the organization and owner Jimmy Haslam. The exec spent the 2016-18 campaigns as the Browns’ vice president of player personnel. Prior to that, he served as the Colts’ pro scouting coordinator from 2012-15.
Recently, the Eagles denied the Panthers’ request to interview Berry for a front office position. They have no such ability here, since the GM job would give Berry authority over the roster.
It remains to be seen whether a front office headlined by Berry, Ossenfort, or anyone else would still include assistant GM Eliot Wolf or VP of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith.
Drew Rosenhaus Parts Ways With Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown is without an NFL team and without an agent. On Thursday, agent Drew Rosenhaus “conditionally” dropped the wide receiver as a client (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
Rosenhaus informed the NFLPA of his decision in a letter, explaining that he will not represent Brown until he seeks counsel. The agent says he would like to work with Brown, but he will not do so unless he gets help.
Brown, clearly, has bigger fish to fry before he resumes his focus on the NFL. Since being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, Brown has made a number of bizarre posts on social media, ranging from unprofessional to downright scary. Most recently, he broadcasted a profanity-laced argument with police officers and the mother of one of his children.
Rosenhaus has fought Brown’s battles in radio interviews over the past few months, expressing his frustration with the league’s slow-moving investigation that has kept Brown in a holding pattern. At this point, the NFL has no real motivation to hurry things up and it’s unlikely that Roger Goodell wants Brown back on the field as he continues to find off-the-field trouble.
For many years, Brown was the focal point of the Steelers’ passing attack and one of the league’s very best wide receivers. Things deteriorated over time, however, leading him to the Raiders. The late summer drama over Brown’s helmet and his willingness to play now seems like a distant memory. Since then, Brown has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault, been released by the Patriots, and placed in indefinite limbo by a sport that doesn’t know exactly what to do with him.
In spite of all of this, teams expressed interest in signing Brown, pending the outcome of the NFL’s investigation. The Saints worked Brown out just a few weeks ago, then passed on him. Brown, who came to the audition flanked by an entire camera crew, later accused the Saints of working him out as a publicity stunt.
Brown has now lost one of his biggest allies and it’s clear that he’ll have to make wholesale changes to his life before he can get anywhere near the field again.
Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald To Return
Retirement can wait. On Wednesday, Larry Fitzgerald agreed to a new one-year deal with the Cardinals, setting the stage for his 17th season in Arizona.
The new deal mirrors Fitzgerald’s 2019 pact. No. 11 will earn a base salary of $11MM for the fifth-straight year, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. He’ll also see a roster bonuses of $500K with $250K in additional incentives.
Fitzgerald, the NFL’s oldest active wide receiver, was on the fence about playing in 2020. At the same time, he admitted that he had more fun this past season than in previous seasons.
Fitzgerald led the Cardinals with 804 receiving yards and did not miss a game for the fifth straight campaign. With that, the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer will lace ’em up for at least one more year.
Fitzgerald entered the league as a first-round pick in 2004. Since then, he’s reached the Pro Bowl eleven times and, last year, he moved into second place on the NFL’s all-time receptions list, slotting him between Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez. He’s also No. 2 in receiving yards, second only to Rice.
The Cardinals are coming off of a trying 5-10-1 season, but there’s reason for hope, including star quarterback Kyler Murray. They can also carve out as much as $74MM for free agents in March and add another impact player with the No. 8 overall pick in April.
Arrest Warrant Issued For Odell Beckham
An arrest warrant has been issued for Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after he allegedly slapped a police officer’s buttocks (link via Ramon Antonio Vargas of the Times-Picayune). The incident took place in LSU’s locker room following the championship game and was captured on video. 
In the video, a Superdome police officer is seen exchanging words with an LSU player. In the video, Beckham intervened and appears to smack the officer’s rear end. Initially, authorities originally sought a warrant for a misdemeanor sexual battery charge, but it was declined by a judge. Now, they’re seeking to arrest him for simple battery.
At maximum, it’s a charge that would likely result in nothing more than a fine for the Browns superstar. In theory, however, it could have ramifications with the league office, if a conviction arises from the arrest.
In his first year with the Browns, Beckham notched 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. On the whole, the Browns offense sagged under the guidance of Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after just one season at the helm. Meanwhile, rumors have swirled about Beckham’s dissatisfaction and the Browns buyer’s remorse, but both sides insist they’ll move forward together.