Seahawks Interested In Brian Schottenheimer
The Seahawks will look to speak with Colts quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer about their offensive coordinator vacancy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: PFR’s 2018 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker]
Schottenheimer previously served as the OC of the Rams and Jets. In 2016, he become the Colts’ QBs coach and guided Andrew Luck to one of his best career seasons. Despite dealing with multiple injuries in that season, Luck finished out with a career-high 63.5% completion percentage 7.8 yards per throw.
If hired by the Seahawks, Schottenheimer will be tasked with getting better production out of the team’s Swiss cheese offensive line finding a way to re-ignite the running game. Last year, the Seahawks placed 15th in total offense but were just 23rd in total rushing yards.
Did Raiders Follow Rooney Rule?
Did the Raiders violate the Rooney Rule with the hiring of Jon Gruden? That’s what the Fritz Pollard Alliance is asking the NFL. 
“As soon as we learned of the reports, we formally requested that the NFL thoroughly investigate the matter to conclusively determine whether the Rooney Rule was violated — and if it was violated, to impose an appropriate punishment,” Fritz Pollard Alliance counsel Cyrus Mehri and N. Jeremi Duru said in a statement.
During Gruden’s introductory press conference, owner Mark Davis said that he spoke with Gruden on Christmas Eve – while Jack Del Rio was still employed as the head coach – about returning to Oakland. No deal was signed at that point, but Davis intimated that an agreement was in place. This all took place more than a week before any minority candidate was interviewed for the job.
“I felt pretty confident that he was all-in,” Davis said. “And that’s the term that we were using in our discussions and everything, are you all-in? And I never wavered from all-in. And this time he didn’t waver, either.”
The Raiders technically did interview a pair of black coaches in Oakland tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin and they feel that is enough to satisfy the Rooney Rule. However, Davis’ comments could be damning, because he appears to be saying that the Gruden hire was already a done deal before they met with GM Reggie McKenzie.
If the NFL finds that the Raiders were in violation of Rooney Rule procedure, the Raiders could face hefty fines and/or the forfeiture of draft picks.
Bears Hire Mark Helfrich As OC
Matt Nagy‘s staff is starting to come together. The Bears have hired former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich to be their new offensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Bears’ offensive scheme figures to be a mix of the west coast offense and the spread offense, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That’s roughly the style that Nagy employed in Kansas City. 
Helfrich has been out of football since he was fired by Oregon in November of 2016. In his first two seasons (2013-2014), the Ducks went a combined 24-4. Unfortunately, in 2015, his team failed to win ten games for the first time since 2007. In his final year, Oregon went 4-8 – the program’s worst record in a quarter century.
Helfrich’s resume includes the grooming of some solid young quarterbacks, including Marcus Mariota. In 2015, Helfrich and Mariota reached the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The now Titans QB also won the Heisman trophy.
Nagy and Helfrich are both represented by agent and former Bears defensive lineman Trace Armstrong, which could explain how the two men came together.
Nagy will be charged with turning around a franchise that has sagged in recent years. The Bears went 5-11 last year and have missed the playoffs in ten of the last eleven years. The Bears’ last playoff berth came was in 2010.
Coaching Rumors: Colts, Nagy, Packers
The latest coaching rumors from around the NFL:
- The Colts never offered their head coaching job to Matt Nagy, Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets. This week, the former Chiefs OC accepted the Bears’ HC position. There were some rumblings that he also had an offer on the table from Indy, but that is apparently not the case.
- The Packers hired Frank Cignetti as their new quarterbacks coach, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentintel (on Twitter). The well-traveled Cignetti spent the last two years as the Giants’ QBs coach. Before that, he served as the Rams’ QBs coach for two years and as the Rams’ offensive coordinator for one year.
- Cardinals offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Harold Goodwin has interviewed recently with the Bengals and Raiders for their OL coach positions, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. It seems unlikely that Goodwin will return to Arizona in his current role following the retirement of head coach Bruce Arians.
- To keep up with the latest on every head coaching search, consult PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker. For the latest on offensive and defensive coordinators, check out PFR’s Coordinator Tracker.
Seahawks Fire Tom Cable
The house cleaning continues in Seattle. The Seahawks have canned offensive line coach Tom Cable, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). 
Cable follows offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell out the door. The Seahawks struggled mightily in terms of offensive protection and the running game this year – the two areas that Cable was in charge of – so his dismissal does not come as a huge surprise.
The Seahawks’ O-Line has been a glaring weakness for years now, and costly moves such as this year’s acquisition of Duane Brown have done little to help matters. The Seahawks are moving in a totally different direction in an effort to better shield Russell Wilson and give their running game a jump start.
The Seahawks may also be parting ways with defensive coordinator Kris Richard.
Alabama WR Calvin Ridley Enters NFL Draft
Calvin Ridley is going pro. The Alabama wide receiver announced on social media that he is entering the NFL Draft. 
It is expected that Ridley will be the first wide receiver off the board in this year’s draft, though SMU’s Courtland Sutton and Oklahoma State’s James Washington could give him a run for his money. The Bears, who pick at No. 8 overall, are in need of a receiver and could have interest.
Ridley’s numbers have declined since his breakout freshman campaign, but that can be largely attributed to Alabama’s focus on the running game. This past season, Ridley had 63 catches for 967 yards and five touchdowns, but his 15.3 yards per reception average was a collegiate career best.
Riding the momentum of a National Championship, Ridley could become the latest Alabama receiving threat to go high in the draft, following the footsteps of Julio Jones and O.J. Howard.
Saints Place Andrus Peat On IR
The Saints have placed left guard Andrus Peat on injured reserve. Peat will not be able to play in Sunday’s divisional round game against the Vikings or in the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl, should the Saints make it. 
[RELATED: Mark Ingram Will Not Become A Free Agent This Offseason]
Peat suffered a broken fibula against the Panthers last weekend and had to be carted off of the field. Losing the third-year pro stings for New Orleans, particularly after losing Zach Strief early in the season. Senio Kelemete, who subbed in for Peat’s against Carolina, is expected to get the start.
Peat’s played both guard and tackle with the Saints since being taken No. 13 overall in 2015. Over the last two years, he has missed just two regular season games.
Matt Patricia Prefers Giants To Lions
The Patriots are bracing for Matt Patricia to leave, but it might not be for the Lions’ head coaching job. The defensive guru is also up for the Giants’ job and he prefers the G-Men to the Lions, Peter King of The MMQB hears. 
[RELATED: PFR’s 2018 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
If Patricia is offered the Giants’ head coaching position and accepts, it will have a domino effect reaching Detroit and beyond. If Patricia goes to the Giants, the Lions may pivot to Houston defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, King hears. If that happens, Vrabel would be out of the running for the Colts’ HC job.
The Giants were abysmal in 2017, but they have lots of talent to work with on defense including cornerback Janoris Jenkins and defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. If Patricia can get underperforming youngsters like Eli Apple on the right track, the Giants could return to having one of the better defensive units in the NFL. The Giants also have the No. 2 overall pick at their disposal, so Patricia’s preference towards New York is understandable.
Jets CB Rashard Robinson Facing Charges
Jets cornerback Rashard Robinson was charged with drug possession following a December arrest, as Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. Robinson no-showed his court date on Monday, Darryl Slater of NJ.com hears, and he is now scheduled to appear in front of a judge on Jan 29. If he does not show up at the end of the month, an arrest warrant will be issued. 
The Jets acquired Robinson in a pre-deadline trade this year, giving up a 2018 fifth-round choice in exchange for the former fourth-round pick. Robinson appeared in six games but recorded just two tackles.
Police say that they found a marijuana-laced candy in Robinson’s possession after pulling him over for careless driving. Apparently, this is not the cornerback’s first off-the-field incident. Mehta hears that the 22-year-old (23 in July) had an “embarrassing and troubling incident” on a Niners team flight in 2017. He also had words with SF coaches, an outburst that prompted the team to ship him east.
Mike Maccagnan‘s Jets have rolled the dice on players with iffy track records in the past, but they might not have patience with Robinson given his lack of on-field performance.
Titans’ DeMarco Murray Ruled Out
The Titans will be without the services of DeMarco Murray when they face the Patriots on Saturday. The running back was unable to practice on Wednesday and has been ruled out for the divisional round showdown, the team announced. 
Without Murray, the Titans will once again center their running game around Derrick Henry. The 23-year-old gained 191 yards from scrimmage against the Chiefs, including 156 yards rushing and a touchdown off of 23 carries.
“That was his big coming out party,” Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan said last week. “If he runs like that, we’re going to be all right.”
If Henry does not offer up a repeat performance, it could be a rough afternoon for Tennessee. The Patriots are currently favored by 13.5 points.