Packers Interview Eliot Wolf
The Packers are interviewing Director of Football Operations Eliot Wolf for their GM vacancy on Thursday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Wolf is one of three strong in-house possibilities for the position. 
The Packers are starting the process with their internal candidates. After Wolf, the next two interviews should be with Russ Ball and Brian Gutekunst, though not necessarily in that order. Knowing the culture of the Packers, it would be a bit surprising to see them go out-of-house for the GM hire when there are three qualified execs already in the building. However, the team could reportedly consider ex-Bills GM Doug Whaley.
Wolf was connected to the 49ers and Colts GM vacancies a year ago and was recently linked to the Giants GM gig before the team hired Dave Gettleman. He’s reportedly getting antsy in Green Bay and he may consider leaving if he does not become the successor to Ted Thompson. There is a scenario in which Gutekunst becomes the GM and he stays, but the feeling is that both Wolf and Gutekunst will bail if Ball gets the job. No matter what decision he makes, it sounds like it will be tough for Packers president Mark Murphy to keep the band together.
“I think it goes back to just getting the best man, best person for the job,” Murphy said this week. “We’ve got some good people here and you don’t want to lose them, but I also think the most important thing is getting the right person.”
Packers Interested In Doug Whaley As GM?
Doug Whaley could be a candidate for the Packers’ GM vacancy. Whaley is “expected to draw interest” from Green Bay, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
Whaley was fired by the Bills less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2017 draft. The timing of the move puzzled many in the football world, but it was not an overall shock to see the Bills move on from him. During his time at the helm, the Bills’ best record was 9-7 and they did not qualify for the playoffs in any of his four seasons. He also made some big blunders, like the team’s trade to land Sammy Watkins in the 2014 draft and the onerous contract given to Marcell Dareus.
Still, it seems as though Whaley is receiving some credit for his role in the Bills’ current success. Although coach Sean McDermott and longtime ally Brandon Beane are running the show, the roster has Whaley’s fingerprints all over it. This year, the Bills ended their 17-year playoff drought and they could make some noise if they can get past the Jaguars in the Wild Card round.
In December, the Browns interviewed Whaley for their GM post before giving the job to John Dorsey. Many speculated that the interview was a sham and done only to satisfy the Rooney Rule.
Colts To Interview Kris Richard On Friday
Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard will interview with the Colts for their head coaching job on Friday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Indianapolis first requested an interview with Richard on New Year’s Day. 
Richard has been in this position before, having interviewed for the Bills’ opening last year. Ultimately, that job went to former Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. This time around, he’s going up against McDermott’s replacement in Steve Wilks. The other known candidates for the position are Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, and Texans DC Mike Vrabel.
The Seahawks defense didn’t exactly shine under Richard, but the team was also plagued injuries to several key players including Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. The Colts may be inclined to go with an offensive-minded coach to keep Andrew Luck on the right track (once he’s healthy), but they could also use some serious help on the other side of the ball. In 2017, the Colts finished near the bottom in points and yards allowed.
Richard spent the last eleven seasons with the Seahawks when counting his eight years as a coach and three years as a cornerback. He played his college ball at USC under Pete Carroll, who later brought him on board as an assistant and promoted him to DC following the departure of Dan Quinn in 2015. That’s about as strong of an endorsement as a head coaching hopeful could have.
Extra Points: Browns, Pryor, Jets
In a reply to on an Instagram post by Duke Johnson, Terrelle Pryor seemed to hint at having interest in returning to the Browns, as ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon writes. The Browns did express interest in reuniting with Pryor before the trade deadline, but it’s not clear whether new GM John Dorsey would want to sign him.
Pryor, who is scheduled to be a free agent in March, had a breakout season with the Browns in 2016, catching 77 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. This past year, however, he had only 20 catches for 240 yards and one score in nine games.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has hired Doug Hendrickson as his agent in advance of free agency, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter) wonders if ASJ could be a fit for the Seahawks and notes that Hendrickson has gotten deals done for Michael Bennett, Marshawn Lynch, Dion Jordan, and other players in Seattle.
- The Seahawks could be looking to replace kicker Blair Walsh and punter Jon Ryan, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes. This week, the team is meeting with kicker Jason Myers and punter Jeff Locke. Myers was with the Jaguars from 2015 through the first six games of the 2017 season. He was released after missing three pivotal field goals, though they were all from 52 yards or longer. All in all, he connected on 64-of-79 field goal attempts (81%) and 76-of-88 extra points (86.4%) in 38 games with the Jags. Locke, meanwhile, appeared in five games for Detroit.
- Center Corey Linsley‘s new three-year deal with the Packers is worth $27.3MM and includes an $8MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel). His cap numbers are: $3.85MM in 2017, $4.85MM in ’18, $8.15MM in ’19, and $10.5MM in ’20.
Giants To Interview Jim Schwartz
The Giants have formally requested an interview with Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The interview is expected to take place this weekend in Philadelphia. 
[RELATED: 2018 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
As of Wednesday morning, the Giants had not submitted a request to speak with Schwartz, leading to speculation that the team had cooled on him. Apparently, that is not the case. It was reported last month that Schwartz might be the frontrunner for the job and that may still be the case now that the Giants have finally put the wheels in motion.
Here is the rundown of where things stand in the Giants’ head coaching search:
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): To be interviewed on 1/5
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Requested interview
- Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Eagles): To be interviewed
- Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator (Vikings): To be interviewed on 1/6
- Steve Spagnuolo, interim head coach/DC (Giants): To be interviewed on 1/3
- Eric Studesville, former assistant head coach/RBs (Broncos): To be interviewed on 1/5
- Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Requested interview
Schwartz, meanwhile, is also up for the Cardinals’ vacancy.
Coaching Rumors: Bengals, Cowboys, Colts
A roundup of the latest coaching news and rumors from around the NFL:
- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis announced that the team is parting ways with offensive line coach Paul Alexander. Meanwhile, the team will retain offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and look to keep defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Guenther is out of contract, meaning that he is free to sign with any team.
- Cowboys special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will be allowed out of his contract, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That should pave the way for him to join Jon Gruden‘s Raiders staff. Bisaccia still had some time to go on his deal thanks to the extension he inked back in March.
- Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy confirmed to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he will interview for the head coaching openings with the Colts and Bears.
- You can keep up with the dizzying number of head coaching interviews using PFR’s up-to-the-minute tracker.
Packers Hope To Hire GM Next Week
The Packers are expected to start their GM interviews on Thursday with an eye on making a hire next week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). They’ll likely start by interviewing their trio of internal candidates: Russ Ball, Eliot Wolf, and Brian Gutekunst. 
Ball, the team’s vice president of football administration, is said to have a strong rapport with Packers president Mark Murphy. Promoting him to the GM post would likely lead Wolf and Gutekunst to go elsewhere, but if either Wolf or Gutekunst gets the job, the other exec will likely stay in Green Bay. That could weigh heavily on the decision made by Packers president Mark Murphy, who will be working with search firm Korn Ferry to make the determination.
Wolf and Gutekunst have been in the running for GM jobs in each of the last few offseasons. If they decide to leave the nest, it would not be surprising to see both men running teams in 2018.
Bears Interview Vic Fangio For HC Job
The Bears announced that they have interviewed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for their vacant head coaching position today. The interview was conducted by GM Ryan Pace. 
Fangio could have a leg-up on the competition as an in-house candidate. This obviously wasn’t a banner year for the Bears, but Fangio’s defense did manage to finish 14th in league DVOA in 2017, according to Football Outsiders. That’s rather impressive considering the so-so talent that he had to work with and injuries to linebackers Leonard Floyd, Willie Young, and Pernell McPhee.
Fangio joins Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, and Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks as known candidates for the job. Fangio could have the inside track, though the team may prefer an offensive-minded coach to work with young quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Cowboys Want To Keep Linehan, Marinelli
There will be some coaching changes in Dallas, but it sounds like the main coaches will be staying in place. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the team wants to retain offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli for 2018 (link via Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News). 
Starting this week, the team will evaluate the futures of assistants such as running backs coach Gary Brown, wide receivers coach Derek Dooley, and linebackers coach Matt Eberflus, who are on expiring deals. Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson and secondary coach Joe Baker have already been fired, according to Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
Both Marinelli and Linehand signed extensions with the team last March. The length of Marinelli’s contract is unknown, but we do know that Linehan is under contract through 2019.
Meanwhile, Jones says that he has given no consideration to replacing Jason Garrett as head coach.
“It’s not even a thought for me,” Jones said. “I do like the fact that we’ve invested, if you will. We’ve got several years of Jason evolving in this profession in the NFL. There’s no question the familiarity with teams that we’re playing, especially in our division, is a big plus. You pay a big price when you make a change at the head coach. You pay some price when you make a change at any position coach situation. On the other hand, freshness we’re talking about, new ideas, nothing set in stone, that’s a plus too. But I think that Jason’s in a good spot. We’re in a good spot with Jason. He certainly has the mentality of doing things differently, again not just to be doing them differently, but basically recognizing that we’ve got some things we do need to do differently. We’ll make that happen through our assistant coaches.”
While several jobs are up in the air, there is one confirmed vacancy on the Cowboys’ staff following the retirement of tight ends coach Steve Loney.
Chiefs Place CB Phillip Gaines On IR
The Chiefs announced that they have placed cornerback Phillip Gaines on injured reserve. This means that Gaines will not be in action for Saturday’s Wild Card game against the Titans or any other potential playoff games. 
Gaines saw a good amount of time to start the season, but slipped on the depth chart as the season wore on. He did see an uptick in playing time in Week 17, but the Chiefs are not willing to keep him on the roster while they wait to see how his elbow heals. Without Gaines, the Chiefs will move forward with Marcus Peters, Terrance Mitchell, Steven Nelson, and Darrelle Revis, Keith Reaser, and Kenneth Acker as their cornerbacks.
To take Gaines’ place on the roster, the Chiefs have signed defensive tackle Stefan Charles. Charles did not see the field in 2017 after missing the Jaguars’ initial cut, but he was a regular for the Bills and Lions over the previous four seasons.