Vikings Deny Packers Permission To Interview George Paton For GM Job
We have some intra-divisional drama.The Packers requested permission to interview Vikings assistant GM George Paton for their GM job, but Minnesota declined the request, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Typically, teams do not stand in the way of a coach or executive interviewing for a higher position elsewhere. However, teams can decline requests from other clubs while their season is in progress. The Vikings are exercising that right, presumably because they do not want to do any favors for the rival Packers.
Paton was a GM candidate for the Colts and 49ers openings last year before those jobs went to Chris Ballard and John Lynch, respectively. He was also asked to interview for the Chiefs when they surprised everyone by dumping John Dorsey in the summer, but he declined.
As shown in PFR’s GM Search Tracker, here’s where things stand in Green Bay:
- Russ Ball, vice president of football administration/player finance (Packers): To be interviewed; viewed as favorite?
- Brian Gutekunst, director of player personnel (Packers): To be interviewed
- George Paton, assistant GM (Vikings): Interview requested, permission denied
- Eliot Wolf, director of football operations (Packers): Interviewed on 1/4
- Doug Whaley, former general manager (Bills): Mentioned as candidate
Texans Eyeing Douglas, McClay For GM Job
The Texans are showing interest in Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas and Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay for their GM vacancy, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). They join Bills vice president of player personnel Brian Gaine, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, and Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort as candidates tied to the opening. 
[RELATED: 2018 NFL General Manager Search Tracker]
Douglas was not included in the league’s annual list of prospective GM candidates, but he has wielded considerable influence over the Eagles in his year-and-a-half with the team. This past year, top exec Howie Roseman gave Douglas more control over the draft board that he has to previous lieutenants. Owner Jeffrey Lurie also recognizes the role that Douglas has had in the team’s success.
“The hiring of Joe Douglas, I thought, was the pivotal moment of the last year,” said Lurie.
Several teams have failed to lure McClay away from the Cowboys, but this could be the year that he finally leaves the nest. He is among the Fritz Pollard Alliance’s recommended minority candidates for GM jobs this offseason.
The Texans’ next GM will reportedly have roster control over head coach Bill O’Brien. But, in an interesting twist, O’Brien will be a part of the four-man team in charge of the hiring process along with McNair, team president Jamey Rootes, and vice chairman/CEO Cal McNair.
The GM job opened up this week when Rick Smith announced that he will be taking a leave of absence to care for his wife as she battles breast cancer. Both parties left the door open to Smith returning to his role as GM at some point, but that seems unlikely if a permanent hire is made. At minimum, the plan is for Smith to remain with the organization and carry the title of Executive Vice President.
Texans vice president of football operations/assistant general manager Jimmy Raye III may also be in the mix for the job, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Patriots Owner Regrets Garoppolo Trade?
The Patriots stunned many this year when they traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round pick. In a lengthy piece detailing a growing rift within the Patriots organization, ESPN.com’s Seth Wickersham writes that owner Robert Kraft forced Bill Belichick to make the deal. However, after watching Garoppolo excel in San Francisco, Kraft has “confessed to people in the building that trading Garoppolo might have been a mistake.” 
Previous reports indicated that Kraft may have pressured Belichick to part ways with Tom Brady‘s heir apparent. However, the ESPN story hints at a much bigger problem within the organization. Brady, who turns 41 in August, seemed to be elated in the wake of the Garoppolo trade. Belichick, meanwhile, only requested a second-round pick in exchange for Garoppolo, Wickersham hears. Wickersham also hints that Belichick steered Garoppolo to the 49ers out of respect for Kyle Shanahan and his father, Mike Shanahan.
Before the trade, the Patriots worked hard to keep Garoppolo in the fold. Wickersham hears that the Pats “repeatedly” offered up four-year contract extensions, in the $17MM-$18MM per year range plus increases for if/when he succeeded Brady. Garoppolo’s camp rejected those offers, likely because he preferred the possibility of immediately becoming a starter elsewhere and earning $25MM/year or more on his next contract.
The story, which we recommend reading in full, hints at a potential end to the Patriots structure as we know it. Some within the organization apparently wondered if the Pats’ Week 17 game against the Jets could be Belichick’s last regular season game as the Patriots’ head coach.
Meanwhile, the agent for Brady (and Garoppolo) has moved to cast doubt on the report.
“I don’t really know what to say — it’s tough to have a response since it didn’t appear to me to have one on-the-record quote,” Don Yee said in a statement. “All I can suggest is don’t believe everything you read.”
Louisville QB Lamar Jackson Enters Draft
Another top quarterback has declared for the draft. Louisville signal caller Lamar Jackson announced on Friday morning that he is going pro: 
“For the past three years, the (University of Louisville), as well as the city of Louisville, has embraced me as one of their own. My time in Louisville has produced some of the best memories of my life. I have had the pleasure of being in the presence of some of the best professors, coaches, advisers, training staff, athletes and fans, in the nation. With their help I have been able to grow not only as a quarterback, but as a teammate, student, and most of all, as a man. After much discussion with my family and coaches, I have made the decision to take the next step in my career and enter the 2018 NFL draft. I would like to thank the University of Louisville, coach (Bobby) Petrino and the coaching staff, my teammates and the fans. It has been nothing short of an honor to be a member of Cards Nation and to play for this university. No matter what the future holds, one thing remains true: Go Cards!”
The inclusion of Jackson gives this year’s draft another big name at quarterback. He joins UCLA’s Josh Rosen, USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph as possibilities to be drafted in the first round.
Jackson’s resume is about as impressive as it gets. As a sophomore in 2016, Jackson became the first player in Louisville history to win the first Heisman Trophy. This year, he finished third in Heisman voting and wound up as the first underclassman to reach 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards.
Still, Jackson is a polarizing prospect. He is not cut out of the typical quarterback mold and there are concerns about whether he will be able to stay under center at the next level. Any team selecting Jackson will need to have a clear plan in place for developing him, but the rewards could be astronomical.
Packers Interview Three Assistants For DC
The Packers’ search for a new defensive coordinator is getting started. And the early interview list has some striking similarities to the GM queue. 
Assistant coaches Winston Moss, Darren Perry, and Joe Whitt will interview to become the new DC, coach Mike McCarthy announced on Thursday. McCarthy stressed the importance of the job while noting that the team will also consider external candidates.
“The defense needs to be better than the offense,” McCarthy said (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). “I mean, that has to happen. So you’ve got four ways to do it. You get player acquisition, player instruction, player finance — who you pay to build your roster — and player performance. I mean, there’s so many things out there that we can advance in as far as analytics, more science, we have a strong history of developing young players, maximizing their abilities. But we can always get better, and that’s really where I’m at with it. So the defense, we need to, we need to be better.”
Moss, 53, is also up for the Lions’ head coaching vacancy. Like Moss, Perry and Whitt have been with the organization for years and offer familiarity with the system put in place by former DC Dom Capers.
Chargers’ Kenny Wiggins Wants To Play Guard
Kenny Wiggins has been lauded for his versatility throughout his career. Now on the verge of free agency, the Chargers offensive lineman says that he is solely focused on playing guard. 
“I’ve always said the more you can do, the less you get paid,” Wiggins said. “It’s the truth. You’ve got to be able to play in one spot and play it well. If you can play a bunch of spots but you play them mediocre, then you’re not going to get paid. Me playing every game at guard and locking down the spot, and being able to show people that I can be an everyday starter — go out there, stay healthy and be a contributor on our line — I think that speaks volumes.”
Wiggins has the ability to play at all five O-Line spots, but he wound up as the team’s starting right guard this past season due to injuries. On the whole, the Chargers’ O-Line performed well and Wiggins is looking to capitalize on that this spring. Wiggins started all 16 games at RG and played in 999 snaps, good for second-highest on the line. The unit as a whole, meanwhile, allowed a league-low 18 sacks and opened holes for Melvin Gordon as he eclipsed 1,100 rushing yards.
It should be noted that the advanced numbers weren’t fond of Wiggins’ play. Pro Football Focus rated him as just the 74th ranked guard in the league out of 82 qualified players. Still, his durability coupled with the overall success of the offensive line should allow him to secure a pay raise this offseason, whether it’s in L.A. or elsewhere.
Lions Interview Packers’ Winston Moss
The Lions interviewed Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss on Thursday, according to a team announcement. As shown on PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, Moss is the fourth candidate to sit for an interview, following Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, Detroit offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. 
The jump from positional coach to head coach is not unprecedented, but Moss may have a hard time selling the Lions on himself when going up against candidates with coordinator and even head coaching experience. Moss is the only known candidate for Detroit without at least having served as a coordinator. Fellow candidate Pat Shurmur is a former HC, though he owns a lifetime record of 10-23 and has not held that job in a full-time capacity since the 2012 season.
So far, the Lions are the only squad to have requested a head coaching interview with Moss. If he does not land the Detroit job, he may want to send his resume elsewhere given the upheaval in Green Bay.
Extra Points: Broncos, Talib, Jaguars, Lee
Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib wants to finish his career with the Broncos, but he also knows that a return might not be in the cards.
“If I wasn’t [returning], it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world,” Talib said on Denver’s Altitude 950 (transcription via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “You have three corners making big money and that’s rare to have. I had conversations with our staff during our exit meetings and stuff, so it’s kind of up in the air. But I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m still here. Just put it like this: I had good conversations with [head coach] Vance [Joseph], with [defensive coordinator] Joe Woods. I mean, things change. But there’s a chance I will be back.”
Talib, 31, has two years left on the five-year deal he signed with the Broncos in 2014. He’s slated to carry a cap hit of $12MM in 2018, but the team can release him and carry just $1MM in dead money. If Talib wants to stay in Denver, he’ll probably have to take a pay cut to make it happen. The Broncos can’t afford to squander any of their cap room, particularly with Bradley Roby’s salary increasing from ~$1MM to $8.5MM next season.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee did not practice on Wednesday and may not practice this week. However, the belief is that he will be able to take the field against the Bills this weekend, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Lee had the most receptions of any Jags receiver this year (56) and finished second in receiving yards (702). If Lee cannot go, Jacksonville will have to lean a bit more heavily on Allen Hurns, Dede Westbrook, and Keelan Cole.
- Meanwhile, Titans running back DeMarco Murray has been ruled out of Saturday’s Wild Card game against the Chiefs (Twitter link via Rapoport). As a result, Derrick Henry will see a larger share of carries.
- The Giants‘ interview with Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is scheduled for Friday, Rapoport tweets.
- The Cardinals will have their interview with Patricia on Saturday, Rapoport hears. Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores is set to interview on the same day.
- The Lions will get to talk with Patricia over the weekend, according to Rapoport.
Ravens To Keep OC Marty Mornhinweg
Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh says that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will return in 2018. “We’re not making changes,” Harbaugh told reporters (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun). 
In 2017, the Ravens finished 27th in total yards gained and 21st in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric this season. Last year, Mornhinweg took over for Marc Trestman as OC in October and the team finished 17th in total yards gained and 24th in DVOA. The Ravens did not take a step forward this year, but they are opting for stability over a schematic reboot. A new hire would have made six OCs in seven years for the Ravens.
Meanwhile, the team will be hiring a new defensive coordinator in the wake of Dean Pees‘ retirement. Former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano could be a leading candidate for the job.
LSU’s Arden Key Declares For Draft
LSU outside linebacker/defensive end Arden Key has officially announced that he will enter the 2018 draft. Key is widely projected as a first-round prospect with a strong possibility of coming off the board within the first 15 picks. 
“Our sincere gratitude goes out to all of the LSU fans, the state of Louisiana, [Ed Orgeron] and staff, administration and most of all my brothers,” Key said in his Twitter announcement. “A special thank you to Coach [Les] Miles for giving me the opportunity to become a Tiger. … Excited to start my new journey and prayers that my LSU fam will continue to support me. To LSU Football, bring our state of Louisiana a national championship.”
Key stands at 6’6″, weighs about 250 pounds, and is still among the more agile OLB/DE prospects in this year’s draft. From a pure talent perspective, Key has evaluators drooling. However, there are some questions about his injury history and off-the-field activities.
This past spring, Key took a leave of absence for what LSU called “personal reasons.” To this day, no one knows for sure why Key was separated from the team. Key later had shoulder surgery and missed all of summer workouts plus the first two games of the 2017 season. He was also slowed by a broken finger and a knee injury during the year.
Still, Key is tied for third on LSU’s all-time sack list and possesses more upside than most in this year’s class. With a solid showing in workouts, Key could find his way into the top ten.