Cowboys’ Jerry Jones On Elliott, Linehan
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is determined to hammer out new deals with running back Ezekiel Elliott, quarterback Dak Prescott, edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence, and cornerback Byron Jones. However, he’s stopping short of any guarantees on those fronts. 
“I want him in the short-term and the long-term,” Jones said of Prescott in a radio interview (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas News).
He expressed the same sentiment about Elliott, Lawrence, and Jones while tempering expectations.
“Now, getting [those contracts done]…hell, I want a bigger boat,” said Jones.
This was an up-and-down year for Prescott, but the Cowboys seem committed to moving forward with the 25-year-old (26 in July). As it stands, they have the former fifth-round pick under contract for an $816K cap figure through 2019, which should work to the team’s advantage – given his relative lack of earnings to date, Prescott may take the security of a below-market long-term deal over the gamble of free agency next year.
New deals for Elliott and Lawrence will be expensive propositions, but the Cowboys are planning to devote a big chunk of their $54MM+ in cap space towards keeping the band together.
Later in the interview, Jones declined to give offensive coordinator Scott Linehan a vote of confidence.
“This is the time when these things are thought about,” Jones said when pressed on Linehan’s future (Twitter link). “This is the time when you may see an opportunity next week that you didn’t know existed next week, in the area of personnel or the area of coaching.”
Former Bucs DC Mike Smith Retires
Former Buccaneers head coach Mike Smith says that he will no longer pursue coaching opportunities (Twitter link via SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez). The 59-year-old says it’s time “to do something different” in his life after 36 years in the profession. 
Smith’s last stop came with the Bucs, but that ended when they made a change at DC just weeks into the season. At the time, Tampa Bay had one of the league’s worst defenses with 34.6 points allowed per contest and 82 points allowed over its past two games under Smith. The Bucs’ matador D was on pace to allow the most points in NFL history, so Smith’s October dismissal did not come out of the blue.
Smith began his career as a graduate assistant at San Diego State in 1982. In 1999, he crossed over to the professional ranks as an assistant with the Ravens. His first big break came as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2003, and he parlayed that into a long run as the Falcons’ head coach beginning in 2008.
We here at PFR wish Smith the best in retirement.
Coaching Rumors: Vikings, Kubiak, Dolphins
Here are the latest coaching rumors from around the NFL:
- The Vikings are in play for Gary Kubiak, according to Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The OC job is already occupied by Kevin Stefanski, but Kubiak could work with him on that side of the ball. Kubiak’s son, Klint, was on the Vikings’ staff in 2013-14 and worked with Stefanski during that time, so there’s some degree of familiarity there.
- Jim Caldwell is expected to join the Dolphins‘ staff in some capacity, though it won’t necessarily be as offensive coordinator, Albert Breer of The MMQB hears. The Dolphins could go with a younger coordinator and have Caldwell serve in a mentor-type role, but Caldwell could also don the headset after Miami missed out on guys like Greg Roman and Kliff Kingsbury.
- Christopher Johnson says the report the Jets tried to tell Matt Rhule or Mike McCarthy who to hire is completely untrue (Twitter link via Connor Hughes of The Athletic). If he is to be believed, then new head coach Adam Gase will have a good degree of freedom to fill out his staff. If you choose to believe the reports, then Gase will probably have to work off of a limited list of options provided by GM Mike Maccagnan and the rest of the front office.
Kyler Murray Enters NFL Draft
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner says he wants to play in the NFL. On Monday, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray announced that he has entered the 2019 NFL Draft, which likely means forgoing an opportunity to play professional baseball and join the Oakland A’s. 
In theory, Murray can still alter his plans and join up with the A’s, who may be willing to rework his contract in order to match his potential earning power in the NFL. But, if Murray can convince teams that he is absolutely serious about playing football, he may be able to put himself in the first-round mix, which would result in a hefty four-year guarantee.
Right now, NFL scouts estimate that he’ll be a second- or third-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. But, given his tremendous athleticism and upside, it’s not hard to see him as a Day 1 selection.
Most evaluators have also told Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) that Murray projects as a Friday pick, meaning Round 2 or 3. However, QBs tend to inch up the board as the draft draws near, which is why we’ve had 13 first-round QBs taken in the last four years versus just two second-round signal callers in the second round.
In his first season as a starter, Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for another 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Sooners. Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff semifinals with Murray at the helm but fell to Alabama 45-34.
Cowboys’ Scott Linehan Back On Hot Seat?
Hold the phone. After giving offensive coordinator Scott Linehan a vote of confidence on Monday morning, head coach Jason Garrett walked back his comments just hours later. 
“I think it’s a little early to be speculating about players, coaches, anything like that other than I really do think our group overall did a nice job,” Garrett told 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram).
Garrett went on to say that owner Jerry Jones has the final say on coaching staff matters, which probably means that Jones did not take kindly to Garrett’s Monday AM comments. For his part, Garrett claimed that he did not remember exactly what he said in the Monday morning interview.
The Cowboys offense was inconsistent – to put it mildly – under Linehan’s command in 2018. The Cowboys did manage a playoff win, however, before meeting their end on Sunday against the Rams. It’s possible that Linehan keeps his job, but nothing is guaranteed for the OC or anyone else on staff.
Garrett went on to divulge that his agent David Dunn has not had any discussions about a contract extension with the team. Late last week, it was reported that talks were underway between the two sides.
Broncos To Hire Mike Munchak
The Broncos have agreed to terms with Mike Munchak to be their new offensive line coach, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). Munchak was the runner-up in their head coaching search before the hiring of Vic Fangio and the club kept in close contact with him as they built out the staff.
The team announced the hire.
Initially, it was believed that Munchak might be a candidate for the offensive coordinator role that was abandoned by Gary Kubiak. Instead, he’s making a lateral move from the Steelers to the Broncos, though he’ll presumably receive a pay bump.
Munchak, 58, has been the Steelers’ offensive line coach since 2014. His contract expired after the 2018 season, so he had no real roadblocks on his way to Denver.
Munchak is widely regarded as one of the league’s best offensive line coaches in the NFL. Under his command, the Steelers’ front five helped transform Le’Veon Bell into a star and vaulted James Conner into the upper echelon of running backs in 2018.
Broncos To Interview Rich Scangarello
The Broncos’ interview with Rich Scangarello is back on. After being rebuffed initially, the 49ers have reversed course to allow the Broncos to talk with their quarterbacks coach (via Mike Klis of 9News).
With that, the Broncos and Scangarello will discuss Denver’s offensive coordinator vacancy on Monday afternoon. The 46-year-old is one of a few known candidates for the job that was accepted, then rejected, by Gary Kubiak last week.
Scangarello has just four years of NFL assistant coaching experience, but he did spent four years as a college OC between Northern Arizona and Wagner. Scangarello patterned his passing game after Kyle Shanahan, which is why he accepted a low-paying assistant job to join his Falcons staff in 2015 and followed him to San Francisco.
As shown in PFR’s Offensive Coordinator Tracker, Scangarello is the first known candidate to interview for the job since the Kubiak hire went bust.
Bears Speak With Kareem Hunt
Bears head coach Matt Nagy recently spoke with former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). Nagy says the call was primarily to “check in on him as a person,” so the Bears aren’t necessarily looking at him as a free agent target. However, the two men have a relationship dating back to their time together in Kansas City and it may be a situation worth monitoring. 
“[We had] a good conversation,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate situation (and) learning lesson for everybody.”
Nagy added that he believes in giving people second chances, but not third chances. That may be a reference to Hunt’s spotty off-the-field track record, which includes accusations of violence before and after his infamous brawl from February in which he appears to be kicking a woman in a hotel corridor.
Pressed with questions about Hunt, GM Ryan Pace was quick to put some distance between the team and the embattled RB. Pace says the Bears are “not even close to” the point of pursuing a deal with Hunt (Twitter link via Campbell).
Alabama’s Mack Wilson To Enter Draft
Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson will enter the NFL Draft, according to Matt Zenitz of AL.com. Wilson joins fellow Crimson Tide standouts Jonah Williams, Quinnen Williams, Josh Jacobs, Irv Smith, Saivion Smith, and Deionte Thompson in this year’s class, leaving the program with lots of big shoes to fill. 
Wilson finished with 71 tackles, five tackles for a loss, one sack, and two interceptions in his junior season. He’s widely considered to be one of the best inside linebackers in this year’s class and has a real shot at becoming a first-round pick.
“It has been an amazing three years at the University of Alabama, competing for three national championships and winning one,” Wilson wrote on social media.
ESPN’s Todd McShay lists Wilson as the No. 3 inside linebacker in the draft. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has him in the same place – he sees him at the third best ILB in this year’s crop behind only LSU’s Devin White and Michigan’s Devin Bush and believes him to be the best run-stopping LB of the whole group.
Eagles Rumors: Foles, Tate, Graham
Will the Eagles move on from Nick Foles this offseason? It sure sounds like it, based on what head coach Doug Pederson said in a Monday morning radio interview.
“I can’t say enough good things about Nick,” Pederson said (via WIP). “For him to come here and be the backup behind Carson and then to do the things he’s done the last two years, like I said I can’t thank him enough. He’s a pro’s pro. He’s a great human being, great leader in the locker room. He’ll always be remembered in Philadelphia for bringing a Super Bowl to this city. So, a lot of great things for him and we’ve got these next few weeks, few months to make some tough decision, but we’ll make them at that point.”
Last April, Foles and the Eagles agreed to a reworked contract with a mutual option for the 2019 season. The Eagles can opt into the deal if they are willing to carry Foles’ $20MM salary, but the QB can instead choose to enter free agency if he repays a $2MM signing bonus to the club.
Right now, it sounds like the Eagles will let Foles fly away while moving forward with Carson Wentz.
Here’s more out of Philly:
- Wide receiver Golden Tate told reporters that he took the most lucrative offer in his first trip through free agency when he left the Seahawks for the Lions (via Mosher). This time around, however, he says he’s looking to play for a winner. That may bode well for the Eagles’ chances of retaining him, though they are especially tight against the cap. Tate, 31 in August, had 30 catches for 278 yards and one touchdown after joining the Eagles in the middle of the season. He put up a 5/46/1 line against the Bears in the opening round of the playoffs but was largely a non-factor against the Saints on Sunday.
- Pending free agent Brandon Graham won’t say it outright, but Eliot Shorr Parks of WIP (on Twitter) gets the sense that Graham would be willing to take a little bit less money to stay with the Eagles. Graham, 31 in April, had 39 tackles and four sacks in the regular season, numbers that are down from his strong 2017 campaign. Still, Graham graded out as the ninth-best edge defender in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, placing ahead of notables such as Demarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Justin Houston, and Olivier Vernon.
- Eagles right guard Brandon Brooks confirmed that he has suffered a torn Achilles injury in Sunday’s loss to the Saints (Twitter link via Geoff Mosher). He’ll have a 6-8 month timetable for recovery after undergoing surgery, which may allow him to participate in training camp.