Browns Rumors: Manziel, QB, Mayhew, DC
When the Browns hired Hue Jackson as their new head coach, we heard almost immediately that the former Bengals offensive coordinator had made it clear he was prepared to move on from former first-round pick Johnny Manziel. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) echoes that sentiment, suggesting that the young signal-caller is “all but gone,” and it’s just a formality at this point that Cleveland will part ways with him.
According to Cole, the Browns, who hold the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, are strongly considering using that selection on a quarterback, whether it’s Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch, or someone else. Waiting until the second round to nab a QB is also an option for Cleveland — it’s worth noting that, with the Browns and Titans flip-flopping in the second round, and the Patriots not having their first-round pick this year, Cleveland’s second pick will be 32nd overall, essentially making it a first-rounder.
Here are a few more Browns updates:
- The Browns are attempting to move quickly to fill the vacancy in their front office, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who tweets that former Lions GM Martin Mayhew is a candidate for the job.
- The opening in the Browns’ front office is a top personnel position, but not technically a general manager job, which means other teams will have more leeway to deny requests to interview their executives. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that has already happened with the Bears — the Browns requested permission to speak to Bears director of college scouting Joe Douglas, and Chicago turned them down.
- Earlier this afternoon, we learned that Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton is considered a top candidate for the Browns’ defensive coordinator job, if Tennessee is willing to let him go. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) hears that Buccaneers DC Leslie Frazier is also a candidate for the same position in Cleveland.
- The Browns won’t retain quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. While O’Connell did a decent job with Manziel this past season, Jackson wants to pick his own guy for the job.
Browns Coach Hue Jackson Eyeing Titans DC Ray Horton
Browns head coach Hue Jackson is looking to bring Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton aboard as his own DC, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. However, it is uncertain whether the Titans will grant him permission to leave, according to a source.
The Titans, of course, can block the Browns from interviewing Horton since it would be for another coordinator position. In the case of any non-head coaching vacancy, teams always reserve the right to block their coaches from interviewing.
Last year, the Titans defense allowed 26.4 points per contest, putting them at 27th in the league. Their 342.2 total yards surrendered per game only put them at No. 12 but their 229.9 passing yards allowed per game was good for No. 7 in the league. If Horton is brought over to Cleveland, it will mark the second time he served as Browns DC. Horton was Cleveland’s defensive coordinator during the 2013 season and left after Rob Chudzinski was axed.
Browns Hire Hue Jackson As Head Coach
2:34pm: The Browns have officially announced the hiring of Jackson in a press release. The team’s new head coach will arrive in town today and meet with reporters tonight at 5:30pm CT.
“[Jackson] is highly experienced, deeply passionate about winning, and relentless in trying to find ways to put his players in the best position to succeed,” owner Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “He possesses that unique ability to reach the entire locker room in a way that demands accountability while getting the buy-in and team-first mentality that leads to positive results. I think our players will love playing for him.”
11:59am: Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is heading to a division rival, and will become the next head coach of the Browns, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Jackson confirms the move to Michael Silver of NFL Media, telling Silver that Cleveland “made me feel comfortable” (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Browns add Paul DePodesta to front office]
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links) was the first to report that Jackson and the Browns were working on finalizing a deal. According to Schefter, the Browns will lock up the former Raiders head coach before he gets on a flight to New York — Jackson had been scheduled to interview with the Giants today or tomorrow.
Since 2003, Jackson has held four separate offensive coordinator jobs, in Washington, Atlanta, Oakland, and Cincinnati. He also served as a position coach for several of those clubs, as well as the Ravens, where he coached the quarterbacks in 2008 and 2009.
Jackson’s only previous shot at a head coaching job came in 2011, when he led the Raiders to an 8-8 record. Despite the respectable result, Jackson was let go after one season when Oakland hired GM Reggie McKenzie, who preferred to bring in his own head coach.
Although he also drew interest from the 49ers and the Giants, Jackson was pursued most aggressively by the Browns, who made a “big push” this week to land him. Although the organization has a reputation as a dysfunctional one, and there’s some skepticism about how the new analytics-oriented front office will perform, the Cleveland job was somewhat appealing to candidates, since it came with more personnel say than some of the other head coaching positions around the NFL.
Jackson is expected to report directly to owner Jimmy Haslam, and will work with a front office that features Sashi Brown and former MLB executive Paul DePodesta. Neither Brown nor DePodesta have any real experience making NFL personnel decisions, and while Brown is expected to make the final call on those decisions, Jackson should have some level of influence over the team’s roster. For instance, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that Jackson “made it clear he’d want to move on” from Johnny Manziel.
With Jackson off the market, the Giants may turn to candidates like Mike Smith, Doug Marrone, or Ben McAdoo for their head coaching vacancy, while the 49ers – who reportedly backed off on their pursuit of Jackson yesterday – figure to consider Chip Kelly, Dirk Koetter, and Tom Coughlin, among others. Earlier today, I checked in with those head coaching searches to see where they stood.
The Browns are the second team this month to hire a new head coach, joining the Dolphins, who brought Adam Gase aboard.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coach Rumors: Bengals, Titans, Philbin, Colts
The Browns struck a deal today to bring Hue Jackson aboard as their new coach, leaving five teams with active head coaching searches. Additionally, plenty more clubs are looking to hire assistants to fill out their staffs, so we’ve got plenty of coaching-related notes and rumors to round up this afternoon. Let’s dive in….
- According to Michael Silver of NFL Media (via Twitter), before Jackson agreed to join the Browns, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis approached his offensive coordinator with a last-ditch attempt to keep Jackson in Cincinnati. Silver notes that the proposal included a succession plan, which would mean Jackson eventually replacing Lewis as the Bengals’ coach, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from moving on.
- The Titans‘ interview with Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will take place on Friday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the club will interview Doug Marrone one day earlier, on Thursday.
- The Colts have reached out to former Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin to see if he’s interested in the team’s offensive line coach job, a source tells Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
- Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel had a good meeting with Gus Bradley regarding the Jaguars‘ defensive coordinator opening, but Jacksonville has yet to make a decision on the position, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports has several updates on assistant jobs around the NFL. Here’s the breakdown:
- The Colts have agreed to a deal with former Giants linebackers coach Jim Herrmann for the same position in Indianapolis (Twitter link).
- Former Dolphins head coach and current 49ers assistant Tony Sparano is interviewing today for the Vikings‘ offensive line coach opening and is a strong candidate to get the job (Twitter links).
- Former Vikings offensive line coach Jeff Davidson is interviewing for the same role with the Chargers (Twitter link).
- Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is expected to replace Vance Joseph as the Bengals‘ defensive backs coach (Twitter link).
Checking In On NFL Head Coaching Searches
So far, seven teams have parted ways with their head coaches this month, and it’s possible that one or two more clubs will ultimately decide to make a change. While most of those firings occurred within a day or two of the regular season ending, only one team – the Dolphins – has hired a replacement so far. Miami tabbed Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase as its new head coach.
[RELATED: PFR’s 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
With the NFL’s owners meetings in Houston coming to an end, teams seeking a new head coach can resume that process in earnest, and it’s possible some of those clubs will conclude their searches by week’s end. Here’s where each situation stands:
Cleveland Browns
Interviewed:
Teryl Austin (Lions DC), Hue Jackson (Bengals OC), Doug Marrone (Jaguars OL coach), Sean McDermott (Panthers DC), Matt Patricia (Patriots DC)
In addition to the candidates listed above, the Browns also interviewed Gase, who has since joined the Dolphins, and Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, who appears poised to remain in Dallas.
It looks like Jackson is the top candidate in Cleveland, with the Browns said to be pursuing him most aggressively, though the club hadn’t put a formal offer on the table as of last night. Jackson is set to interview with the Giants today or tomorrow, and if he isn’t hired by New York, he looks like a decent bet to land in Cleveland.
It’s not clear who the Browns’ second choice would be, but it will have to be someone willing to work with the new analytics-oriented front office that includes former MLB executive Paul DePodesta. Despite Cleveland’s history and the club’s unusual front office structure, this job has some appeal, since the Browns’ new head coach will report directly to owner Jimmy Haslam and should have a say in personnel decisions.
New York Giants
Interviewed:
Teryl Austin (Lions DC), Doug Marrone (Jaguars OL coach), Ben McAdoo (Giants OC), Mike Smith (former Falcons HC), Steve Spagnuolo (Giants DC)
The Giants reportedly value previous head coaching experience, which could make Marrone and Smith strong candidates, but the team also doesn’t want to lose McAdoo, which may mean promoting him. Giants owner Steve Tisch said on Tuesday that New York would like to wrap up its coaching search by the end of the week, but there’s still one notable interview on tap, with Hue Jackson set to meet with the club on Wednesday or Thursday.
Jackson is another candidate who has previous head coaching experience, and the fact that he plans on meeting with the Giants even after drawing strong interest from other clubs suggests that he’s intrigued by the job in New York. The Giants’ decision may hinge on how that interview goes.
Philadelphia Eagles
Interviewed:
Tom Coughlin (former Giants HC), Ben McAdoo (Giants OC), Doug Pederson (Chiefs OC), Pat Shurmur (Eagles interim HC), Duce Staley (Eagles RBs coach)
After being initially linked to Gase, the Eagles were believed to be targeting Pederson as their next head coach, but that decision is far from final. While Shurmur and Staley don’t appear to be likely candidates to become Chip Kelly‘s permanent replacement, any of the team’s three other interviewees could be in play.
As Matt Lombardo of NJ.com details, ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested during a radio appearance that McAdoo is drawing serious consideration from the Eagles and may be the front-runner. Coughlin’s interview went well too, though he probably isn’t the type of long-term option the Eagles would prefer. Unless the Eagles conduct additional interviews, the team’s decision may come down to Pederson or McAdoo.
San Francisco 49ers
Interviewed:
Tom Coughlin (former Giants HC), John DeFilippo (Browns OC), Hue Jackson (Bengals OC), Chip Kelly (former Eagles HC), Dirk Koetter (Buccaneers OC), Anthony Lynn (Bills RBs coach)
The 49ers’ search has been one of the most confusing to follow over the last week to 10 days. After firing Jim Tomsula, the team was believed to be targeting coaches like Sean Payton and Stanford’s David Shaw, but both of those men preferred to stay where they were.
Jackson was then identified as the likely favorite for the 49ers’ job – or at least the team’s top choice – but a Tuesday report suggested San Francisco may be backing off that pursuit, perhaps due to the strong interest the Bengals OC is generating from other teams. Meanwhile, DeFilippo may be more of a target at offensive coordinator and Koetter is considered the odds-on favorite for the Bucs job, so it’s not clear if they’re seriously in the mix for the top job in San Francisco.
Could Coughlin or Kelly end up with the Niners’ job? Perhaps. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, the team doesn’t have any additional interviews on its schedule, and seems to be nearing the end of its coaching search. Although there has been speculation that the 49ers could circle back to a candidate they interviewed a year ago – such as Mike Shanahan or Josh McDaniels, among others – it doesn’t look like any of those potential candidates will get new interviews this time around.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Interviewed:
Harold Goodwin (Cardinals OC), Dirk Koetter (Buccaneers OC), Sean McDermott (Panthers OC)
The Buccaneers’ head coaching search certainly hasn’t been as expansive as some others so far. The club got in meetings with Goodwin and McDermott during their teams’ respective bye weeks, and former Falcons coach Mike Smith has been mentioned as a candidate here. But Koetter, who had a formal interview this week, continues to look like the front-runner to replace Lovie Smith.
Of course, the longer the Buccaneers’ process lasts, the more it’ll look like the team is waiting for a second interview with someone like Goodwin or McDermott, so it’ll be interesting to see how this search plays out within the next few days.
Tennessee Titans
Interviewed:
None
Interim Titans head coach Mike Mularkey, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin are all believed to have meetings on tap with Tennessee, but the club has yet to conduct any of those interviews. Chip Kelly and others have also been linked to the job.
The Titans have prioritized hiring a general manager, and are expected to name one very soon. Frankly, while Mularkey has been considered the favorite for the team’s permanent head coaching job, it’s hard to get a real idea of what direction the franchise will go until that new GM takes over.
Other potential openings
New Lions general manager Bob Quinn is still considering whether or not to retain head coach Jim Caldwell, so Detroit could become the eighth team to seek a replacement if Quinn decides to make a change.
Additionally, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that one of the eight teams still alive in the playoffs makes a head coaching change, though I don’t think it’s likely, since none of those eight coaches are presumed to be on the hot seat. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy may have been at risk if his team had lost last weekend, but barring a total meltdown in round two, I’d be surprised if Green Bay makes a change.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coach Rumors: Koetter, Bucs, Babich
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, the presumed favorite to replace Lovie Smith as Tampa Bay’s head coach, has finally had a formal interview with the team, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
While Koetter’s name surfaced as a candidate for the job within minutes of the team parting ways with Smith, the Buccaneers interviewed two other candidates first — Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott sat down with the Bucs during their respective teams’ bye weeks.
Let’s check in on a few more coaching-related stories from around the NFL….
- The Chargers have hired former Jacksonville DC Bob Babich as their new linebackers coach, as Ricky Henne of Chargers.com writes. The job was previously held by Mike Nolan, who has moved on to other opportunities. Babich has 33 years of coaching experience, including his DC job in Jacksonville from 2013-2015.
- Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, who interviewed with the Browns for their head coaching position, has elected to remain with the Cowboys, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Henderson never seemed likely to land Cleveland’s HC job, but there were rumblings suggesting he would join Adam Gase‘s staff with the Dolphins.
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer announced today that he has not renewed Jeff Davidson‘s contract, meaning Minnesota will be in the market for a new offensive line coach (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty will interview for the Vikings’ position.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
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.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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.
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).