Todd Haley’s Contract With Steelers Expires
Todd Haley‘s contract with the Steelers has expired, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As Bouchette explains, the team does not typically allow a coach’s contract to lapse if they intend to keep him, so this could indeed be the end of his time as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator. 
Haley is reportedly at odds with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his off-the-field behavior probably doesn’t help matters. This season, Roethlisberger requested that QBs coach Randy Fichtner coach from the sidelines instead of the press box so that he can provide a buffer between him and Haley. Although the Steelers have enjoyed great success with Haley as the OC, this could be the offseason that they go in a different direction.
Fichtner has been with the team since 2007 and has served as the QBs coach for the last eight seasons, so he could be a candidate for the position if Haley is pushed out the door. His relationship with Big Ben could also help his case.
The Steelers have not allowed a coordinator’s contract to lapse without an extension since after the 2011 season. In that instance, Bruce Arians was nudged out the door in what was referred to as a “retirement.”
Cardinals To Interview Munchak, DeFilippo Again
The Cardinals are bringing Mike Munchak back in for a second interview, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team is also expected to speak with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for a second time once Philly’s season is over, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Munchak, the Steelers offensive line coach, first interviewed with Arizona on January 7. He went just 22-26 in three seasons as the Titans’ head coach, but he impressed in his initial meeting with the Cardinals and also made a strong impression on the Giants before they landed on Pat Shurmur as their likely hire.
DeFilippo helped mold Carson Wentz into one of the league’s top young quarterbacks and, under his guidance, the team has stayed afloat with Nick Foles under center. With uncertainty at QB, the Cardinals are intrigued by DeFilippo’s ability to groom an up-and-coming star – and his ability to work with secondary options. Although defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz holds a higher title and is also interviewing for HC jobs, it appears that DeFilippo is a stronger candidate around the league.
As shown on PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, nine candidates have interviewed for the Cardinals job. With Shurmur and Patricia likely spoken for, there are seven coaches still in play, but Munchak and DeFilippo appear to be the frontrunners.
Steelers Minority Owners Pushing For Coaching Change
After this weekend’s defeat at the hands of the Jaguars, some Steelers minority owners are pushing for the team to fire coach Mike Tomlin, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. This group of 13 limited partners has no authority over the management of the team, but they “have a pipeline” to main owner Art Rooney and they intend to make their case. 
It’s unlikely that this baker’s dozen of shareholders can push out Tomlin by themselves, but they could theoretically influence Rooney to make a move if he is giving any thought to making a change. It’s not clear if that is on Rooney’s radar, even after the disappointing loss to Jacksonville.
Tomlin, of course, led the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory after the 2008 season and guided the team back to the title game after the 2010 campaign. In Tomlin’s eleven seasons at the helm, the team has missed the playoffs only three times and has never finished worse than .500. The Steelers are also not known for making hasty decisions with their coaches. The team has had only three coaches since 1969 – Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Tomlin.
Browns Interview Ben McAdoo
The Browns are interviewing former Giants coach Ben McAdoo for their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (on Twitter). McAdoo has a history with new GM John Dorsey, which could make him a favorite for the position. 
After an ugly final season in New York, McAdoo must rebuild his stock before he can be considered for another head coaching job. While his ability to lead a locker room has been questioned, his offensive acumen and play-calling ability is what got him the Giants’ top job in the first place. Hue Jackson is finally ready to allow someone else to call plays and McAdoo would seem to be a strong candidate to take over.
McAdoo was the Giants’ offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, he took over as head coach when the team pushed out Tom Coughlin. He started off with an 11-5 season, but he was sacked this year when the team had amassed only two wins through December. In McAdoo’s defense, he wasn’t left with much to work with on offense when the team’s top receivers all suffered serious injuries at the start of the year.
Fired Titans coach Mike Mularkey is also in the mix for the job and Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan recently interviewed with Jackson for the position.
Browns Interested In Mike Mularkey?
Mike Mularkey is out of a job, but he should have plenty of employment options for the coming season. One possibility could be in Cleveland. This offseason, the Browns had interest in bringing Mularkey in as their new offensive coordinator if he ever became available, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Under Mularkey’s guidance, the Titans went 9-7 in back-to-back seasons and reached the playoffs in 2017. Whether that’s enough to put him in the conversation for the league’s remaining head coaching vacancies, however, remains to be seen. If Mularkey cannot put himself in the mix for the Cardinals, Lions, or Giants jobs, his best bet might be to take an OC position for at least one season and try his luck next winter.
At first glance, the Browns OC job seems unappealing given that the team has gone 1-31 over the last two seasons. However, the Browns offer potential on a number of levels. With the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks plus tons of cap room at their disposal, the Browns and new GM John Dorsey could position themselves as a winning team in 2018. Conversely, if the Browns get off to another slow start, someone like Mularkey could theoretically get a crack at the interim head coaching job with the potential to take over the post.
In December, Jackson admitted that he held off on hiring an OC because he did not want to saddle someone with a talent-poor offense. Now that the Browns are in (seemingly) capable hands, it sounds like he intends to bring one on staff.
Josh McDaniels Prefers Titans To Colts?
Josh McDaniels will be the next head coach of the Colts. Or maybe not. 
The Titans canned Mike Mularkey on Monday morning, opening up speculation that the Titans have their eye on another head coaching candidate. If that preferred candidate is McDaniels, then they could have a match. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (Twitter link), the belief prior to the Colts report was that McDaniels would prefer the Titans to all of the other available coaching jobs. McDaniels is high on Marcus Mariota‘s potential and also has concerns about Andrew Luck‘s health.
McDaniels may have had a verbal agreement with the Colts, but there’s nothing in writing as the Patriots’ season is still ongoing. Until then, there will be speculation surrounding a reunion between McDaniels and former Pats exec Jon Robinson,
Titans, Mike Mularkey Part Ways
So much for that extension. The Titans are parting ways with head coach Mike Mularkey, controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk announced on Monday morning: 
“I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization. He took over our team during a low moment and together with Jon built a solid foundation for our franchise. I appreciated that Mike devoted himself to this team and the community. In fact, we did discuss extending his future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success. It is certainly unfortunate that we couldn’t find enough common ground. I generally believe that continuity is the best path for success, but I also view this as an important moment for our football team as we try to make that next step to sustained success on the field. Jon will begin the search immediately to identify that person.”
Just eight days ago, Strunk told fans that “Mularkey is our head coach and will be our head coach moving forward.” For one reason or another, the Titans and Mularkey are now moving in different directions. Mularkey appeared to save his job with the Titans’ opening round win over the Chiefs, but the team’s divisional round loss to the Patriots has altered the club’s plans.
Wanderlust may have also played a role here with Mularkey having his eye on another job. Meanwhile, the Titans know that several hot coaching candidates are still floating out there now that Josh McDaniels is reportedly headed to the Colts and Pat Shurmur is (possibly) in line for the Giants gig.
The Titans have been frustrated Marcus Mariota‘s development, so they’ll presumably look for a coach who can get the young QB back on the right track. McDaniels could be the best man for that task, but it’s unclear he would go back on his verbal agreement with the Colts, assuming there is one in place.
Giants Down To Shurmur, McDaniels?
And then there were two. Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are the finalists for the Giants’ head coaching position, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). 
It appears that McDaniels is now a leading candidate for three different head coaching vacancies. Over the weekend, it was reported that he is set to take the Colts’ head coaching job. However, the Titans parted ways with Mike Mularkey on Monday morning, leading to speculation that McDaniels could be in play for Tennessee.
A Shurmur hire could be a popular one in the tri-state area, particularly after he called the game-winning play in Sunday’s thrilling win over the Saints. If he is indeed the next head coach of the Giants, however, fans could be waiting until February for that to be made official. If Shurmur and the Vikings get past the Eagles on Sunday, they’ll be Super Bowl bound.
Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was said to still be in the running for the Giants’ job, but it appears that is no longer the case. Meanwhile, Shurmur was believed to be a leading candidate for the Cardinals’ vacancy, so they may have to shift their focus elsewhere.
Latest On Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald still hasn’t decided whether to play in 2018. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are still searching for their next head coach. The latter decision, apparently, will weigh heavily on the former. 
“I don’t have a head coach right now so there’s a lot going on,” Fitzgerald told the Golf Channel (video link). “I’m going to take some time to figure it out. Our owner and president Michael Bidwill and General Manager Steve Keim are out right now interviewing head coaches. I’m interested to see what’s going to happen. I’ll make a decision shortly after I would imagine.”
As shown on PFR’s Head Coaching Tracker, the Cardinals have cast a wide net in their search:
- Keith Armstrong, special teams coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed on 1/8
- James Bettcher, defensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed on 1/3
- John DeFilippo, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Interviewed 1/5
- Brian Flores, linebackers coach (Patriots): Interviewed on 1/6
- Mike Munchak, offensive line coach (Steelers): Interviewed on 1/7
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed on 1/6
- Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed on 1/5
- Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed on 1/5
- Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interviewed on 1/10
If the hire is not to Fitzgerald’s liking, he might opt to spend his time on the golf course rather than the gridiron in 2018. The wide receiver did not indicate which candidate is his favorite, but one has to assume that he would like to see Bettcher promoted to the top job.
Panthers’ Thomas Davis To Retire After 2018
Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis has one more year left in him. The veteran tells Brooke Cersosimo of NFL.com (on Twitter) that the 2018 campaign will be his last. 
Davis inked a one-year, $6.75MM extension with the Panthers in August, granting him $2MM this past year plus $1MM guaranteed in the coming season. He is aware that he may be asked to take a reduced role in 2018, but he might not be okay with being relegated to a backup role.
The Panthers’ Super Bowl hopes were dashed last week when they fell to the rival Saints in the opening round of the playoffs. In his swan song, Davis is hoping to capture the Super Bowl ring that has eluded him thus far in his 12-year career.
Davis finished out the year with 76 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. He appeared in 15 regular season games with his lone missed contest coming as the result of a suspension.