Browns Yet To Make Offer To Hue Jackson
The Browns have completed interview No. 2 with Hue Jackson and have yet to make a formal offer, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The Bengals’ offensive coordinator still plans on going through with his scheduled interview with the Giants and that meeting will probably take place on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In short, Jackson does not have a deal with the Browns just yet, despite reports indicating that Cleveland was high on him and poised to make a serious offer. 
[RELATED: 49ers Backing Off Hue Jackson Pursuit?]
With Jackson’s Bengals out of the playoffs, the offensive coordinator is free to pursue head coaching opportunities and speak to any team. Now that Adam Gase has joined the Dolphins, Jackson has become perhaps the hottest name on the market. Cleveland is reportedly making a “big push” to land him and the Giants are also eyeing him as a candidate. The 49ers were strongly connected to the ex-Raiders head coach, but they’re apparently backing off somewhat.
It’s worth noting that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam isn’t at the NFL’s owners meetings in Houston, with his wife Dee in attendance instead. Haslam chose instead to remain in Ohio to be in attendance for Jackson’s interview.
Sandwiched around his one-year stint with the Raiders, an 8-8 season in 2011, Jackson’s been an OC for four teams — the Bengals, Raiders, Falcons and Washington — since 2003. Interestingly, Jackson’s only had one of those tenures extend beyond one season. That would be his current position in Cincinnati, where he’s served as the OC since 2014.
As PFR’s 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, the Browns have cast a wide net so far in their search. So far, the team has also interviewed Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone, Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. Adam Gase was also interviewed before he hooked on with the Dolphins.
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Vontaze Burfict To Meet With Roger Goodell
Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is scheduled to have a sit-down in the coming days with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, a source close to Burfict tells Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Burfict hopes that his meeting will lead to his three-game suspension being reduced. 
On Monday night, the NFL suspended Burfict for the first three games of this upcoming season for “repeated violations of safety-related playing rules.” Burfict’s latest and worst offense, of course, came late in Saturday’s AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers when he leveled Antonio Brown. The Steelers wide receiver was coming across the middle of the field when Burfict drilled Brown in the head, leaving him with a nasty concussion. The latest word on Brown is that he will probably not be able to play this weekend against the Broncos. Pittsburgh will have running back DeAngelo Williams back in the lineup against Denver, but they will be playing at a serious disadvantage if Brown is sidelined.
Burfict was previously been fined for safety-related violations four times in 2015, including a $50K fine for unnecessarily contacting an opponent who was out of the play in Cincinnati’s Week 17 game against the Ravens. That play, which can be viewed here, saw tight end Maxx Williams run a route in the end zone and get leveled by Burfict, even though the ball was nowhere near him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Backing Off Hue Jackson Pursuit?
Last week, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was viewed as the potential frontrunner for the 49ers’ head coaching job. But with Jackson also drawing legit interest from the Browns and Giants, it sounds like the Niners are backing off their pursuit of the Cincinnati assistant, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Kawakami says the team could double back to Jackson, but for now he appears more likely to land in Cleveland or New York.
[RELATED: Browns pursuing Hue Jackson most aggressively, could make offer on Tuesday]
Michael Silver of NFL Media, who reported earlier today that the Browns are Jackson’s most aggressive suitor, tweets that no teams are out of the running for him yet. Silver suggested a few hours ago that the Niners remained “very interested.”
With Jackson’s Bengals out of the playoffs, the offensive coordinator is free to pursue head coaching opportunities and speak to any team. Now that Adam Gase has joined the Dolphins, Jackson has become perhaps the hottest name on the market — Cleveland is reportedly making a “big push” to land him, though he may speak to the Giants before making a decision. A report this morning indicated that Jackson and the Giants will meet by Thursday morning at the latest.
The 49ers have interviewed five candidates for their head coaching opening so far — Anthony Lynn (Bills), Chip Kelly (ex-Eagles), Dirk Koetter (49ers), John DeFilippo (Browns), and Jackson have all met with the team, though DeFilippo is believed to be targeted as a potential offensive coordinator rather than a head coach.
San Francisco is conducting its sixth head coaching interview today, and it’s perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch, as former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is meeting with the 49ers. Per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the interview will take place in the New York area, and will be conducted by GM Trent Baalke — CEO Jed York is in Houston at the NFL’s owners meetings to discuss the Los Angeles situation.
As Barrows observes, DeFilippo worked on the Giants’ coaching staff in 2005 and 2006 when Coughlin was the head coach, so the Niners could be contemplating a scenario where they hire Coughlin as their new head coach and DeFilippo as the OC and heir apparent. DeFilippo is meeting today with the Rams about their offensive coordinator job.
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Browns To Make “Big Push” For Hue Jackson
TUESDAY, 10:54am: With the 49ers still considering him and the Giants intending to interview him later this week, the Browns continue to pursue Jackson most aggressively, tweets Michael Silver of NFL Media. It wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland makes a formal offer today to Jackson, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
It’s worth noting that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam isn’t at the NFL’s owners meetings in Houston, with his wife Dee in attendance instead, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). That means the Browns won’t necessarily have to put their search for a new head coach on hold during those L.A. meetings.
MONDAY, 5:02pm: The Browns are set to make a big push to hire Hue Jackson, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cleveland will look to close things out quickly with Jackson and hire him before he can get scooped up by another NFL team. If the Browns were to hire Jackson, they would be able to give him significant personnel control, Rapoport tweets. That’s something the other interested clubs might not be able to offer. 
[RELATED: Giants Request Permission To Interview Hue Jackson]
Jackson has drawn strong interest from both the 49ers and Browns, interviewing with both organizations on Sunday in Cincinnati. Both meetings reportedly went well, but neither team has made an offer yet. On Monday morning, the Giants formally submitted a request to interview Jackson, so they appear intent on getting into the mix for the Bengals’ offensive coordinator.
Sandwiched around his one-year stint with the Raiders, an 8-8 season in 2011, Jackson’s been an OC for four teams — the Bengals, Raiders, Falcons and Washington — since 2003. Interestingly, Jackson’s only had one of those tenures extend beyond one season. That would be his current position in Cincinnati, where he’s served as the OC since 2014.
As PFR’s 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, the Browns have cast a wide net so far in their search. So far, the team has interviewed Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. Adam Gase was also interviewed before he hooked on with the Dolphins.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vontaze Burfict Suspended Three Games
Vontaze Burfict has been suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2016 season for repeated violations of safety-related playing rules, the NFL announced. Burfict, of course, drilled Antonio Brown late in Saturday’s AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers. 
Burfict, a talented linebacker, has a long history of dirty plays on his resume. His late-game hit against Brown across the middle of the field, however, drew the ire of football fans everywhere and a suspension seemed to be inevitable. His agent says that he will be appealing the decision, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Burfict has three days to formally file his appeal.
Burfict has previously been fined for safety-related violations four times in 2015, including a $50K fine for unnecessarily contacting an opponent who was out of the play in Cincinnati’s Week 17 game against the Ravens. That play, which can be viewed here, saw Maxx Williams run a route in the end zone and get drilled, even though the ball was nowhere near him.
Thanks to his concussion, Brown’s status is very much in jeopardy for the Steelers’ Sunday showdown against the Broncos.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coach Rumors: Coughlin, Eagles, Giants
The latest coaching news from around the NFL:
- The Eagles have confirmed (via Twitter) that their interview with former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has concluded. Coughlin becomes the sixth candidate to sit down with Philadelphia, though one of those six – Adam Gase – has since been hired by another team. Be sure to check out our head coaching search tracker for the full breakdown.
- Meanwhile, Coughlin’s old team in New York conducted a head coaching interview of its own today. The Giants announced in a press release that their meeting with ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith has been completed. An interview with Bengals OC Hue Jackson will likely be next up for Big Blue.
- The Browns are using Monday to take a step back and regroup on their head coaching search, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. There are plenty of options on the table for Cleveland, with the club having interviewed seven candidates to date and having been linked to others.
- Veteran wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson is expected to interview for a wide receivers coaching job with the Rams and Dolphins, a source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/16
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The Vikings announced that they have inked the following seven players to reserve/future deals: guard Isame Faciane, wide receiver Isaac Fruechte, defensive tackle Toby Johnson, safety John Lowdermilk, linebacker Terrance Plummer, running back Blake Renaud, and linebacker Alex Singleton. Renaud has had several stints with the Vikings’ taxi squad since coming out of Boise State.
- The Jets announced (on Twitter) that they have signed tackle Jesse Davis and tight end Adrien Robinson to reserve/future contracts. The Jets also signed offensive lineman Lawrence Okoye to a futures deal, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
- The Bears announced (Twitter link) that they have signed linebacker Keith Browner to reserve/futures contract. Browner appeared in three games for Houston in 2014. The 6’4″, 288 pound athlete played college football at Cal and has also been listed as a defensive end in the past.
- The Texans signed guard Karim Barton, center Dalton Freeman, running back Kenny Hilliard, wide receiver Josh Lenz, cornerback Robert Nelson, defensive end Dan Pettinato, outside linebacker Gerald Rivers, linebacker Tony Washington, and tight end Eric Tomlinson to reserve/future deals, per Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Titans signed former Vanderbilt cornerback Steven Clarke to a futures deal, Jim Wyatt of Titans Online tweets.
- The Bengals announced that they have signed the following players to futures deals: wide receiver Michael Bennett, linebacker Jayson DiManche, guard Trey Hopkins, wide receiver Jake Kumerow, tight end Matt Lengel, and linebacker Jeff Luc.
AFC Notes: Titans, A. Smith, Pacman, Weeden
The Titans‘ meeting today with Chiefs executive Chris Ballard is expected to be the last interview the team conducts in its search for a new general manager, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Whether that means a hiring will follow shortly thereafter remains to be seen. With NFL team owners gathering in Houston for the next couple days, it’s possible Tennessee will wait until later in the week to make and announce a decision on its new GM.
[RELATED: Titans to interview Chris Ballard for GM job]
Once that new GM is in place, the Titans will begin their head coaching search in earnest. According to Cole, the club wants to fight the perception that it’s a dysfunctional franchise, which means going through the general manager hiring process before rushing into a head coaching search, to assure the new GM is on board with the new coach, and vice versa.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The investigation into criminal abuse allegations against Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith has concluded, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who tweets that the Fort Bend District Attorney’s office won’t charge Smith. The NFL figures to conduct its own investigation into the allegations and could discipline Smith, but the veteran defender won’t face any legal ramifications.
- After playing a key part in the Bengals‘ Wild Card meltdown on Saturday night, Adam Jones said today that he’d like to return to the team, though there have been no recent talks (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com). The veteran cornerback and return man known as Pacman had another solid season in Cincinnati, right up until the final minute of the team’s final game.
- Quarterback Brandon Weeden will weigh his options in free agency, but says he’d love to return to the Texans, writes Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. And why not? Weeden led the team to two wins – one in relief and one as a starter – after compiling a 5-19 record in his previous NFL starts.
- Within his look ahead to some of the Ravens‘ offseason decisions, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says the team will almost certainly have to restructure Joe Flacco‘s contract this winter, even if GM Ozzie Newsome said he’s fine keeping it at $28MM+.
Coach Updates: Joseph, Texans, Browns, Bucs
Earlier today, we passed along a report suggesting that former interim head coach Dan Campbell is unlikely to remain with the Dolphins. Now, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports has another update on Miami’s coaching staff, walking back his weekend report which suggested it was a “done deal” that Bengals assistant Vance Joseph would be joining the Dolphins as their defensive coordinator.
According to Marvez (Twitter links), Joseph can’t sign with another team until next Tuesday unless he’s released from his contract by the Bengals — the Dolphins could request Cincinnati release Joseph from his deal early, but the Bengals wouldn’t be required to do so.
Meanwhile, it’s not an absolute lock that Joseph will join the Dolphins when he’s free to sign with a new team. Per Marvez (Twitter link), there’s still a chance that the Bengals’ defensive backs coach could become Hue Jackson‘s defensive coordinator if Jackson gets a head coaching job, so a bidding war for Joseph’s services could be looming.
As we wait to see where Joseph lands, let’s round up a few more coaching-related updates…
- The Texans have fired three assistant coaches, including special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Wide receivers coach Stan Hixon and special teams assistant Anthony Pleasant were also let go.
- Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and three other Browns assistants have been asked to remain with the team if the new head coach wants them, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. That means defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, and several other Cleveland coaches will be free to explore opportunities elsewhere.
- According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, “word on the coaching circuit” indicates Jon Gruden would have listened very earnestly if the Colts‘ head coaching job had become available. Gruden has been linked to the Eagles’ coaching vacancy, but it doesn’t appear the ESPN analyst is going anywhere.
- After former NFL GM Mark Dominik (Twitter link) alluded to a coach in the postseason who would be a strong candidate for the Buccaneers‘ head coaching opening, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) identified that coach as Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin. Goodwin interviewed with the Bucs on Friday, but won’t be able to speak to the club again for at least a week, with Arizona still alive in the playoffs.
49ers To Name Head Coach Soon?
Although the 49ers aren’t likely to name a new head coach today, their search does appear to be wrapping up, and a new hire could be named “fairly soon,” sources tell Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson (whose interview is now complete, a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee on Twitter) still looks like the favorite for the job, and Maiocco reports that today’s meeting between Jackson and San Francisco management was “productive.”
[RELATED: 49ers fire Jim Tomsula]
As our head coaching search tracker shows, Jackson is the fifth candidate to interview with the 49ers, joining Anthony Lynn, Chip Kelly, Dirk Koetter, and John DeFillipo (the latter’s meeting may have been geared toward’s San Francisco’s offensive coordinator position). Additionally, Mike Shanahan is expected to interview at some point, while Mike Shula and Mike Holmgren have also been mentioned as candidates.
The Niners’ hunt for a new coach appears to be decidedly offensive in nature, as every coach mentioned above has a history on the offensive side of the ball. Jackson definitely fits that bill, but he also has other options, as he’s expected to meet with the Browns today as well. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier today (Twitter link) that if Jackson’s interview went well, he could be named San Francisco’s head coach by the end of today. While it doesn’t look like that announcement will come today, there’s no denying the strong link between Jackson and the 49ers.
One last interesting note: As Raiders head coach, Jackson was apparently a big fan of Colin Kaepernick when the quarterback was entering the 2011 draft, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), and pushed for Oakland to draft the Nevada QB. If that’s the case, maybe the appeal of salvaging Kaepernick’s career could be alluring to Jackson.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.