Bills Sign Lorenzo Alexander To Extension
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander signed a one-year contract extension with the Bills, according to a team announcement. The new deal will keep Alexander in Buffalo through 2019, his age-36 season. 
Alexander’s one-year extension has a max value of $4.55MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The base value of the pact is $3MM, including a $550K signing bonus.
Alexander first joined the Bills in 2016 as a well-traveled veteran who could provide depth and special teams help. As it turns out, he brought much more to the table.
Since signing with Buffalo three years ago, Alexander has started in 35 games, recorded 22 sacks, and made three interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and, last season, he was elected to be a team captain.
His 12.5 sacks in 2016 were especially impressive, but he quietly had another strong year in 2018. His 6.5 sacks were second only to Jerry Hughes (7) and his 73 tackles put him in Buffalo’s top five.
In 2018, Pro Football Focus ranked Alexander as the fourth-best linebacker in the entire NFL. He placed behind only Bobby Wagner, Luke Kuechly, and Zach Brown.
Alexander would have had plenty of suitors in March, but he made it clear that he wanted to stay in Buffalo.
“Obviously, I’m invested,” Alexander said earlier this month when asked about re-signing with the Bills. “I’ve been here three years, I’m invested in the community. I’m invested in this team and this organization. I would like to be able to continue to play here and be able to retire here.”
Broncos Hire Rich Scangarello
The Broncos have officially hired Rich Scangarello as their new offensive coordinator, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) first reported Scangarello was expected to land in Denver barring any snags in negotiations.
Scangarello had a strong first interview with Vic Fangio & Co. earlier this week and he’ll be back in the building for Round 2 on Wednesday. Scangarello has just four years of NFL assistant coaching experience, but he wowed Denver brass nonetheless, and the 49ers’ initial reluctance to let him interview with the Broncos shows how much he is valued.
In 2018, the Broncos finished 19th in total offense with 350.1 yards per game. Scangarello, or whoever the hire is, will be expected to draw them closer to the Top 10.
As shown in PFR’s Offensive Coordinator Tracker, Scangarello is the only known candidate at this time. Mike Munchak was thought to be in the mix after Gary Kubiak bailed, but he has since signed on to be the Broncos’ new offensive line coach.
Lions Hire Darrell Bevell As OC
The Lions have hired Darrell Bevell as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced on Wednesday. Bevell guided the Seahawks’ offense for seven seasons and oversaw the Vikings’ attack from 2006-10. 
[RELATED: PFR’s Offensive Coordinator Search Tracker]
Bevell did not coach in 2018, but took part in some interviews during the last cycle, which included his Seattle ouster. It has been Bevell’s plan to coach in 2019, and he’s accomplished that by joining the Lions.
Bevell wasn’t necessarily known to be a leading candidate for the Lions’ job, but he either outshined other candidates or simply hung around long enough to watch the other ones sign elsewhere. Nathaniel Hackett and Todd Monken were both in the running for the job, but they’ve since hooked on with the Packers and Browns, respectively.
With Jim Bob Cooter at the helm in 2017, Matthew Stafford played some of his best football and the Lions finished out with the No. 7 scoring offense in the NFL. Last year, however, Stafford regressed hard. The Lions are hoping that Bevell will be the answer after the QB managed just 3,777 passing yards in 2018.
The Falcons and Jaguars also spoke with Bevell about their respective OC vacancies.
Latest On Seahawks’ Mychal Kendricks
Mychal Kendricks‘ sentencing date for his insider trading case has been moved from Jan. 25 to April 4, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. District court in Pennsylvania handling the case (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). It’s a development that could impact Kendricks’ football future. 
Previously, head coach Pete Carroll indicated that he would like Kendricks back in 2019, provided that a prison sentence did not interfere with his availability. Kendricks could be facing 30-to-37 months in prison, so there’s no way of knowing whether he’ll be able to play football again anytime soon. If he is imprisoned for 37 months, he’ll be 31 years old at the time of his release and three years removed from the game.
Of course, the later sentencing date further complicates matters. Kendricks will not realistically be able to sign a contract with a team or gear up for the 2019 season while his freedom hangs in the balance. In a best case scenario, Kendricks can hope for a slap on the wrist and the ability to market himself in the second wave of free agency.
Steelers’ Ryan Shazier Eyeing NFL Return
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has made tremendous strides in his rehabilitation and wants to continue forward in his recovery with an eye on playing football again, owner Art Rooney says (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette). Shazier’s contract is up, so Rooney says the team would probably have to sign him as a player in 2019 in order for him to do that.
When Shazier was carted off of the field in December 2017, doctors feared that he might never walk again. After months of grueling rehab, Shazier is now able to walk with some assistance. All along, the linebacker has been hopeful about returning to the gridiron.
“There is no ceiling in Ryan’s recovery. He aggressively approaches it every day,” Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said in March of last year. “We support him in every way possible in that endeavor. Where that leads, only he will know and he will determine further down the road. His approach, his mental approach. I can’t tell you how impressive an inspiration he is to us.”
Last May, the Steelers converted $8.26MM of the linebacker’s 2018 base salary into a signing bonus. The move had no cap implications for the Steelers, but it allowed Shazier to collect on the bulk of his pay for the 2018 season immediately rather than waiting for it in increments throughout the year. It sounds like the Steelers are prepared to do right by him once again as he continues on his inspirational journey.
Bills Sign Jeremiah Sirles To Extension
The Bills signed offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles to a one-year extension, the team announced on Wednesday. Given Sirles’ lack of playing time in 2018, the news comes as something of a surprise. 
Sirles suited up in 12 games for the Bills and took most of his snaps at right guard. His 140 snaps were not enough to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but if they were, Sirles’ score would have placed him in the bottom 25% of guards.
Before joining the Bills in September, Sirles spent the previous two years with the Vikings. Due to injuries, Sirles started ten games in 2016 and made four starts in 2017. The 6’6″ lineman also has experience at right tackle, though he has been playing primarily on the inside over the last two seasons.
Cardinals Interview Tom Clements For OC
The Cardinals interviewed longtime NFL assistant Tom Clements for their OC job on Tuesday, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Cardinals have cast a fairly wide net in their search already, but Clements could conceivably get the nod over the rest of the pack. 
Clements’ only experience as an offensive coordinator came in 2004-2005 with the Bills. However, he has coached a handful of Pro Bowl QBs, including Packers star Aaron Rodgers, so he could present himself as a strong choice to guide youngster Josh Rosen in Arizona. Even if Clements doesn’t get the OC gig, he’ll be in strong consideration for another job on the staff, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
The Cardinals also have former Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter and former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo in the mix. John DeFilippo interviewed for the job, but he has since been snatched up by the Jaguars. Kliff Kingsbury may also be eyeing Texas State head coach Jake Spavital for the position, but it’s not clear if he’ll get a formal interview or whether the Cardinals would be comfortable with an inexperienced 30-something OC.
Jets Rumors: Gase, Harbaugh, McCarthy
The Jets’ coaching search technically started with the firing of Todd Bowles on Dec. 30, but they were mulling their options much earlier than that, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears. Although Bowles had a contract through the 2020 season, the Jets started doing their homework in mid-November after an embarrassing 41-10 home loss to the Bills.
Despite their denials, the Jets had early interest in Jim Harbaugh, Vacchiano hears. The Jets did background work on the Michigan head coach, but ultimately concluded that he wasn’t the right fit, possibly due to his desire for too much power, too much money, or a lack of desire to leave Ann Arbor.
Here’s more on how the Jets’ coaching search unfolded, plus other news out of New York/New Jersey:
- The Jets started asking around about Mike McCarthy after he was fired by the Packers in December, but they were concerned about his sensitivity to criticism and how it might be amplified by the New York press, Vacchiano hears. There were also reports that McCarthy would consider sitting out the 2019 season, which may have given the Jets additional pause. McCarthy’s interview was not bad, per se, but Vacchiano hears that he did not hit it out of the park.
- Adam Gase, on the other hand, leaped over McCarthy with a strong interview in which he displayed the energetic personality that the Jets wanted. Even though Gase went 23-25 in three years with the Dolphins, the Jets did not forget about his reputation as a hot offensive assistant just three years ago, Vacchiano writes.
- New Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has agreed to a three-year deal with the club, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Before the Jets hired him, the Redskins made a push to land him as their DC.
Cowboys’ Sean Lee Leaning Towards Return
After several injury-plagued seasons in the NFL, no one would fault Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee if he were to call it a career. However, at this time, Lee says that he’s leaning towards a return in 2019 (via David Moore of the Dallas News). 
“I want to continue to play the game, but I have to evaluate physically where I’m at. I definitely have some decisions to make,” Lee said. “I’m leaning toward playing for sure.”
Staying on the field has long been an issue for Lee. Thanks to hamstring injuries, Lee appeared in only seven games in 2018 and was eventually eclipsed by rookie Leighton Vander Esch. The veteran finished out with a career-low 37 tackles and had just half a sack.
Lee was sensational for the Cowboys earlier in his career and still provides veteran leadership to the defense, so it won’t be an easy call for the team. Lee managed four interceptions in both the 2011 and 2013 seasons. He missed all of 2014 with a torn ACL, but bounced back to earn a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 and had a Pro Bowl/First-Team All-Pro season in 2016.
Lee, 33 in July, is under contract for one more season at a $10.075MM cap figure. The Cowboys can save $7MM by releasing him against just $3.075MM in dead money.
Jaguars To Hire John DeFilippo As OC
The Jaguars are expected to hire former Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo as their new OC, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). DeFilippo beat out a small group of other candidates, including former Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell and former Cardinals offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. 
There were eye rolls around the football world when the Jaguars made contact with McCoy this week and there’s sure to be some eyebrow raises about their hiring of DeFilippo. DeFilippo was hailed as a quarterback whisperer in Philadelphia for his coaching of Carson Wentz and his ability to quickly get Nick Foles ready for primetime at the end of the 2017 season, but he flopped as the OC in Minnesota. The Vikings handed him a pink slip midway through the year as their Kirk Cousins-powered offense floundered.
DeFilippo will have his work cut out for him in Jacksonville. Many believe the Jaguars should move on from quarterback Blake Bortles, but releasing him would leave $16.5MM in dead money on the cap, which may ultimately tie them to the former first-round pick for another season. If they do let him go, they’ll have less money to fill holes elsewhere and that may mean relying on a rookie QB. The Jaguars have the No. 7 overall pick, which will probably be too late to land Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, the consensus top QB in this year’s draft.