Bengals To Hire Brian Callahan As OC
The Bengals are set to hire Raiders quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan as their new offensive coordinator, according to Raiders head coach Jon Gruden (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). New Bengals HC Zac Taylor played for Brian’s dad Bill Callahan at Nebraska, giving the two men a unique connection. 
The younger Callahan was a hot name in NFL coaching circles last year, as he interviewed for the Titans’ offensive coordinator vacancy and the Jets’ quarterbacks coach position. He was also linked to a job with the Giants, but never officially met with the club. Despite that level of interest, the Lions allowed Callahan to seek employment elsewhere in 2018, leading him to the Raiders’ QB job. Now, he’s taking a big step up as he joins Taylor in Cincinnati.
Taylor is expected to call the Bengals’ plays, but Callahan should still have an active role in the offense. And, as evidenced by Taylor and others in the Sean McVay coaching tree, that type of OC job can still be a launching pad to something bigger and better.
49ers Notes: Draft, Coaching Staff
In 2017, the Niners traded the No. 2 overall pick to the QB-needy Bears in exchange for the No. 3 pick and three more draft choices. Matt Barrows of The Athletic can imagine a similar scenario unfolding this year as the Niners, once again, hold the No. 2 overall pick.
The draft board seems a little uncertain right now, but quarterbacks tend to drift up from the bottom of the first round to the Top 10 as the big day draws near. This year, teams like the Giants (No. 6 overall pick), Jaguars (No. 7), Broncos (No. 10) and Dolphins (No. 13), and Redskins (No. 15) could all be candidates to move up the board to get their next signal caller.
Here’s more out of SF:
- 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he initially rebuffed the Broncos’ attempts to speak with Rich Scangarello because he wanted to ensure that Scangarello would in fact be moving up from quarterbacks coach to a play-calling offensive coordinator (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner). Once that was confirmed, Shanahan cleared the way for Scangarello to become Vic Fangio‘s top offensive coach.
- Conversely, Shanahan says he declined requests for Mike LaFleur and Mike McDaniel to explore other opportunities because neither position they would have interviewed for would have been a promotion. In the case of both men, neither one would have been given play calling responsibilities. The Packers, Browns, and Vikings all expressed interest in LaFleur while the Packers and Cardinals reached out on McDaniel.
- Meanwhile, assistant offensive line coach Adam Stenavich was permitted to accept the Packers’ offensive line coach position.
Jets To Hire Dowell Loggains As OC
The Dolphins have granted permission for offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains to speak with other teams and won’t stop him from leaving the organization, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With that roadblock out of the way, he is expected to become the Jets’ offensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase. 
Loggains worked under Gase both in Chicago and Miami, so it’s no surprise to hear that he’ll be joining Gase in New York. Still, Gase is expected to be the offensive play-caller for the Jets.
Loggains, 38, also coordinated the offense for the Titans, but he’s never led an offense which ranked better than 19th in scoring. His 2016 Bears offense ranked 15th in yardage, but no other unit under his command has finished better than 22nd in that metric.
Still, the longtime assistant is well-respected around the league and the Dolphins even interviewed him for their head coaching vacancy this offseason. At one point, it seemed like the Dolphins might try to keep him as an assistant, but new Fins HC Brian Flores probably has a different lieutenant in mind.
Latest On Giants, Eli Manning
After the conclusion of the Giants’ season, GM Dave Gettleman had a “very extensive” and “no holds barred” conversation with Eli Manning about his future with the team. Since then, there hasn’t been a whole lot in the way of conversation. On Monday, Manning’s agent Tom Condon confirmed that the two sides have not engaged in contract talks in recent weeks. 
“It’s just too early,” Condon said.
The Giants may ask Manning to take a pay cut in order to stay on board for 2019. Manning is set to carry a $23.2MM salary next year and, speculatively, one has to imagine that the Giants would stick it out with the 38-year-old if he was willing to accept a bit of a trim. If Manning holds his ground, then it’s not hard to imagine Gettleman going in another direction.
The Giants went 5-11 in 2018, but they found some success in the second half of the year and went 4-4 over their final eight games. Defenses were kept honest with Saquon Barkley‘s running later in the season, which allowed Manning to thrive. The veteran QB wound up completing a career-high 66% of his passes last year for 4,299 yards and 21 touchdowns against eleven interceptions.
For what it’s worth, Condon said that he expects Manning to move forward with the Giants in 2019. He also echoed his client’s desire to remain in New York.
“I think he’d love to come back,” said Condon. “Guys love to play their whole careers with one team, if they have a good experience with that team.”
Saints Sign Six Players To Futures Deals
The Saints’ season is officially in the books, which means that it’s on to the offseason for New Orleans. To kick things off, the Saints signed the following six practice squad players to reserve/futures deals:
- QB J.T Barrett
- DB Chris Campbell
- DB J.T. Gray
- DT Tomasi Laulile
- LB Darnell Sankey
- OT Nate Wozniak
Barrett has been jockeyed on and off of the Saints’ practice squad all year. Over the weekend, Barrett was signed to the Saints’ taxi squad for the 13th time this season. In total, he was involved in a whopping 25 transactions during the 2018 campaign and was released 12 times. Barrett frequently switched placed with wide receiver Paul Turner, but there’s no word yet on whether Turner will be retained via a futures contract.
Sankey, 25 in October, appeared in six games for the Colts last season. This year, he did not see live action for the Saints, but he was on the scout team for most of the year.
Wozniak, a tight end at the University of Minnesota, was signed as a UDFA last year. The Saints moved the 6’10” prospect over to offensive tackle and they’re hoping he’ll be able to use his size and length to his advantage.
Titans Hire Arthur Smith As OC
The Titans hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced on Monday. Smith previously served as the team’s tight ends coach, but he’s getting a title and pay bump to run the team’s offensive attack.
“I am excited for Arthur and for our team to be able to elevate a deserving coach,” head coach Mike Vrabel said in a statement. “I was impressed throughout the season in game plan meetings with his ideas, in-game with his understanding of situations and the ability to get the most out of his position group. We spent a good bit of time last week talking about this opportunity. He has a great deal of familiarity with our players and the continuity of the offense will allow our players to continue to develop and improve.”
The Titans are certainly hoping that Smith can get the most out of their group – Smith will serve as the team’s fifth OC since Marcus Mariota was drafted in 2015. With that in mind, Smith’s promotion is a sign that they will give Mariota every chance to succeed as he goes into the final year of his rookie deal.
Matt LaFleur ran the Titans’ offense in 2018, but he left to become the new head coach of the Packers. LaFleur brought youth and energy to the role, but Smith offers more in the way of NFL experience. Before working under Vrabel, Smith served on staffs under Mike Mularkey, Ken Whisenhunt, and Mike Munchak.
Saints’ Drew Brees Plans On Playing In 2019
Things didn’t go the Saints’ way on Sunday and Drew Brees is determined to go out on a higher note. After the loss to the Rams, Brees told reporters that he plans on sticking around for at least one more season.
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“I plan on being here next year and making another run at it,” Brees said (via Luke Johnson of the Times-Picayune).
Brees, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, turned in one of his very best seasons to date. Brees completed an NFL record 74.4% of his throws and also had a career high in passer rating at 115.7. In the regular season, he threw for 32 touchdowns against just five interceptions and, if not for a controversial no-call on Sunday, he would be gearing up for an attempt at a second career Super Bowl ring.
Thanks to the two-year deal he signed with the Saints in March of last year, Brees is under contract for 2019 at a $33.5MM cap number. The Saints could seek an extension to smooth out the cap hit (and overhaul the voidable year in 2020), but New Orleans will be glad to have Brees back in any scenario.
Dolphins To Hire Patrick Graham As DC
The Dolphins plan to hire Packers’ run game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Patrick Graham as their defensive coordinator, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Of course, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores is slated to be the head coach of the team’s new look staff, but the Dolphins cannot formally hire him until Super Bowl LIII is in the books. 
Graham has a lengthy history with the Patriots and he served in a variety of roles in New England from 2009-15. The 39-year-old (40 on Thursday) coached the Giants’ linebackers from 2016-17 before joining Green Bay last season.
Before hiring Graham, the Dolphins were said to also be considering Bret Bielema, a former collegiate head coach at Wisconsin and Arkansas who currently serves as a consultant to Bill Belichick. Clearly, Flores was focused on familiar DC candidates who already know how he likes things done.
Jaguars Re-Sign S Jarrod Wilson
The Jaguars re-signed safety Jarrod Wilson to a three-year contract, according to a team announcement. Wilson was set to become a free agent this offseason, but the new deal will keep him under club control through the 2021 season. 
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Wilson first joined the Jags as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Since then, he has appeared in 47 games for Jacksonville, including two starts. The soon-to-be 25-year-old had 21 tackles, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 2018, all of which were career watermarks.
Wilson briefly got in hot water in October when he and three other Jaguars defensive backs were detained in London over an unpaid $64K bar tab. As it turns out, expensive bottles of alcohol were being sent to the players’ table and they believed someone else was paying for them. Cops spoke with Barry Church, D.J. Hayden, Ronnie Harrison, and Wilson, but no charges were filed.
NFC Notes: Wentz, Foles, Packers
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz won’t get into details about the stress fracture in his back that has cost him time over the last two seasons. Apparently, GM Howie Roseman isn’t willing to discuss specifics either, as Les Bowen of the Daily News writes.
“Carson talked about the injury [Monday] and coach [Doug] Pederson has talked about it, as well. I kind of stand by what they said,” Roseman said this week. “When we talk about injuries, injuries are of a personal nature. I don’t want to get involved in timetables or going backwards about it. We feel very good about where Carson’s going to be and having a full offseason, and we’re excited for him to have that.”
Wentz was on the official injury report with a back problem for two weeks in October. After that, he was off the injury report, until his back problems returned later in the year and ultimately shelved him. Many are left wondering whether the Eagles handled Wentz’s back problems appropriately and wondering if Wentz will be good to go for the 2019 season.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Eagles paid quarterback Nick Foles a $1MM signing bonus to account for the incentive he missed out on by just four snaps, Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Foles technically needed to play in 33% of the team’s snaps in order to cash on in the playoff bonus, but the Eagles decided to do right by their Super Bowl hero. Unfortunately for Philly, the good will gesture probably won’t be enough to keep Foles in the fold next year. Several teams are desperate for QB help and free agent riches await the veteran.
- Matt LaFleur‘s desire to call plays and advance his career led him to leave a comfortable job with the Rams to become the Titans’ offensive coordinator. That initiative impressed GM Brian Gutekunst, which helped LaFleur land the Packers‘ head coaching job earlier this month. “Most of that was just talking to people who had coached with Matt, worked with him,” Gutekunst said (via Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette). “Then his presence in the (interview) room was positive as well. He had the whole offense (while) working for a defensive head coach this past year in Tennessee. Him actively seeking that opportunity and doing that this year made me feel pretty good about it.”