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Seahawks Request OC Interview With Lions’ Tanner Engstrand

By | at February 1, 2024 8:56 pm

With Mike Macdonald now in place as the Seahawks head coach, the organization’s list of offensive coordinator candidates continues to grow. According to Albert Breer of TheMMQB, the Seahawks have requested an interview with Lions pass-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand for their offensive coordinator job.

[RELATED: Seahawks Interested In Alabama’s Ryan Grubb For OC Role]

Engstrand spent more than a decade on the University of San Diego coaching staff before he got his first NFL job with the Lions in 2020. It didn’t take long for him to move up the coaching ranks; after starting as an offensive assistant, Engstrand quickly earned the roles of tight ends coach and pass game coordinator.

Working alongside offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Engstrand has helped craft one of the NFL’s top offenses. The Lions have finished top-five in both points and yards over the past two years, with the passing offense jumping to second in yards and fourth in points this past season.

Thanks in part to Detroit’s success, Engstrand has emerged as a popular name in the coordinator carousel. He interviewed for the Patriots offensive coordinator job before the team opted for Alex Van Pelt, and he’s set to interview for the Buccaneers vacancy.

With Pete Carroll out in Seattle, the franchise didn’t stop offensive coordinator Shane Waldron from taking the same role in Chicago. That means Macdonald will need to add a new face to the coaching staff, and potential candidates are starting to emerge. We heard earlier today that the Seahawks were interested in Alabama OC Ryan Grubb for their own offensive coordinator vacancy.

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2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at February 1, 2024 9:55 am

The Commanders’ hire has wrapped this year’s cycle. Barring a team making an 11th-hour change, the 2024 HC carousel has come to a stop. The final breakdown produced five defensive coaches being hired compared to three with backgrounds on offense. Many teams are still searching for offensive and defensive coordinators, however.

Updated 2-1-24 (10:37am CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Hired

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

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Ben Johnson To Remain With Lions

By | at January 30, 2024 9:52 pm

After drawing significant head coaching interest for the second consecutive year, Ben Johnson has repeated his decision from 2023. Detroit’s highly-acclaimed offensive coordinator will remain with the Lions, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Johnson entered the 2024 hiring cycle as a prime candidate to land a head coaching gig. Only two vacancies remain, and he was a finalist to join both the Commanders and Seahawks. Washington in particular seemed to be in pole position to land him, but both teams’ searches will now move in a different direction. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, Johnson’s asking price served as a deterrent for some teams. Schefter further details that Johnson’s decision was learned as the Commanders were en route to speak with his counterpart, Aaron Glenn.

It is unknown if financial hesitancy applies to the Commanders and/or Seahawks, teams which have interviewed Johnson twice. The 37-year-old was believed to be Washington’s top choice on a number of occasions, and recent reports pointed to a Johnson hire being the likeliest outcome. After doing the same last year, though, he has elected to make at least one more run at a Super Bowl with the Lions.

Detroit’s offense has been among the league’s best during Johnson’s two-year run as the team’s OC. He has drawn considerable interest around the NFL as a result, and it was reported before the season ended that the Panthers would be a team to watch closely. Carolina attempted to land Johnson last year, and he was believed to be the team’s top choice before Buccaneers OC Dave Canales was tapped for the position. The Commanders and Seahawks openings profile as being more attractive than the one in Carolina, but those teams have now seen one of their finalists bow out of the running.

The Commanders have taken an extended look at candidates with a background on both sides of the ball during their search for a Ron Rivera replacement. Washington has spoken twice with Glenn, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Texans OC Bobby Slowik in addition to the second sit-down with Johnson. The Commanders are also interested in Ravens DC Mike Macdonald, and a member of that group of candidates will now be in line for the gig in the nation’s capital.

Quinn and Macdonald in particular are also central figures in Seattle’s search. Both teams decided to wait until after Sunday’s conference championship games to make their final HC decisions, and the elimination of the Ravens and Lions opened the door to their respective searches reaching an end in the near future. That may well still be the case, but Johnson is no longer in consideration.

Today’s update will of course be welcomed news on a Lions staff which was labeled as one likely to see signficant departures in the wake of the team’s success. Glenn landing a head coaching position would deal a blow to Dan Campbell and Co., but the Lions’ offense will again be expected to put up high-end production with Johnson in place. The latter’s relationship with quarterback Jared Goff was a central reason why he declined to leave last year, and their partnership will continue in 2024. That season marks the final one of Goff’s contract.

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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/30/24

By | at January 30, 2024 9:18 pm

Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Philadelphia Eagles

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Latest On Commanders’ HC Search

By | at January 30, 2024 4:24 pm

Ben Johnson loomed as the favorite for the Commanders’ HC job for over two weeks, but a curveball looks to have disrupted the NFC East franchise’s search process.

Despite being interested in the North Carolina native since last year and being prepared to pursue him for a second straight offseason, the Panthers did not wait for the Lions’ season to end, instead hiring Dave Canales last week. That seemed to be a prelude to Johnson’s Washington arrival, but the prominent HC candidate has once again pledged to stick with Detroit. This creates uncertainty for Josh Harris‘ club.

Although ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicates Johnson did not appear a slam dunk for the Washington job, he mentions Commanders brass was en route to Detroit to interview Johnson and Aaron Glenn when word emerged the Lions’ OC was bowing out of another search. Johnson’s decision surprised many, per Schefter, even though the young play-caller made the same move last year.

The Commanders indeed had Johnson installed as the frontrunner here, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. As for who is most likely to land the job now, Vacchiano indicates Dan Quinn and Mike Macdonald have been viewed as sleepers during this process. These two have been sought-after candidates, but the “sleeper” label appears to have been applied because Johnson was viewed as a borderline prohibitive favorite to become the next Commanders HC.

Quinn has interviewed twice with the Commanders, Macdonald once. Both are in consideration for the other HC vacancy. A Seahawks-Quinn reunion became rumored immediately after Pete Carroll‘s ouster, while Macdonald is interviewing with the team today.

Johnson, 37, received a raise to stay in Detroit last year. Another pay bump is not believed to be forthcoming, Schefter adds, noting Johnson’s current Lions deal runs through the 2025 season. The Lions should again be expected to field a quality offense. Jared Goff is signed through 2024, though he is on track to become a higher-paid QB before next season. Pass-catching pillars Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta remain on rookie deals, though the former is a clear extension candidate in 2024. Three of Detroit’s five O-line starters — Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Penei Sewell — are under contract for 2024 as well.

More attractive jobs could also open up in 2025. The Cowboys and Eagles spent time deliberating about their head coaches, and although Mike McCarthy and Nick Sirianni are returning, they are going to do so on hot seats (McCarthy especially, as he is a lame duck). The Jaguars’ patience with Doug Pederson could wear thin as well, given the disappointing season the team just completed. Although no head coach has been fired following a playoff berth since Mike Mularkey (Tennessee) six years ago, the Bills just became the third team in the home-field advantage era (1975-present) to lose back-to-back home divisional-round games. Sean McDermott‘s seat has likely warmed as well, though it might not rival the two coaches overseeing NFC East powers presently.

As the Commanders continue their search, they do still have Texans OC Bobby Slowik in the mix. While Slowik has only been a play-caller for one season, he joins Adam Peters in having spent extensive time in San Francisco. Here is how the Washington search looks following Johnson’s surprise exit:

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Buccaneers To Interview Lions’ Tanner Engstrand For OC

By | at January 30, 2024 2:13 pm

While the Panthers conducted a narrow OC search that will end with Buccaneers wide receivers coach Brad Idzik following Dave Canales to Charlotte, Tampa Bay is going through with a thorough process. This will now include a look at the Lions’ staff.

Detroit pass-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand is on Tampa Bay’s radar, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who notes the Bucs will interview the Dan Campbell staffer soon. Engstrand is also on the Patriots’ radar; he interviewed for the New England OC job last week.

This has marked Engstrand’s first offseason on the OC carousel. The Lions are surprisingly retaining Ben Johnson for a third year as their play-caller, but one of his top lieutenants could be headed elsewhere. That said, the Bucs have six names on their OC radar. Three of Tampa Bay’s other candidates — Ken Dorsey, Kellen Moore, Zac Robinson — landed coordinator jobs with other teams.

Campbell retained Engstrand, 41, from the Matt Patricia staff, though this was his first season as the team’s pass-game coordinator. The 2020 Detroit hire coached the team’s tight ends from 2020-22. Although the Commanders were favored to hire Johnson, the latter’s decision to again stay in Detroit has affected the HC carousel. Johnson’s call also closes off a potential OC path for Engstrand, who could have been a candidate to become Lions OC had Johnson left as expected.

Here is how the Bucs’ expansive OC search looks as of Tuesday afternoon:

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Seahawks Schedule Second HC Interview With Ben Johnson; Team To Meet With Mike Macdonald

By | at January 29, 2024 10:04 pm

The Commanders and Seahawks saw a number of the top remaining candidates for their head coaching vacancies become available via their team’s respective losses on Sunday. Washington’s intentions remain clear, but Seattle will also speak with the names most frequently connected to its own opening.

The Seahawks are set to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson tonight along with Ravens DC Mike Macdonald tomorrow, SI’s Albert Breer reports. In the former’s case, this summit will be a second interview which comes amidst expectations he is the top choice of the Commanders. The latter, meanwhile, has not yet taken part in a Seahawks meeting.

In spite of that, it was reported during the weekend that the Seahawks were interested in speaking with Macdonald. The Ravens and Lions were eliminated on Sunday, leaving their staffers free to interview with and accept offers from teams prepared to offer a head coaching position at any time. Both Johnson and Macdonald have been amongst the most sought-after candidates in this year’s cycle, and their futures could become clear in the coming days.

The Panthers were prepared to (once again) make a push to land Johnson, one of the top young offensive minds in the league. He was tapped as Carolina’s top choice, but the same is true of Washington. With the Panthers having moved on to Dave Canales, the Commanders are in pole position to land the 37-year-old.

Johnson would be a welcomed addition to any staff, but the Seahawks will have other options if he does take the Commanders gig. Macdonald, like Johnson, has only been an NFL coordinator over the past two years, but his work with Baltimore’s defense has quickly upped his head coaching stock. Prior to tomorrow’s sit-down with the Seahawks, he will meet today with the Commanders.

Of course, another name looming over the Seattle vacancy is Dan Quinn. The current Cowboys defensive coordinator has elected to turn down HC interest in the past, but a chance to succeed Pete Carroll in Seattle could await him. Quinn is among the staffers to have already conducted a second interview with the team, and Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes Quinn could presently be considered a “slight favorite” for the job. However, Seattle is high on Macdonald, he adds.

Indeed, NBC Sports’ Peter King confirms Quinn’s history with Seattle (having previously served as the team’s DC) is unlikely to represent a deciding factor in the team’s ultimate decision. Plenty is still to be determined as the Seahawks enter the next phase of their coaching search. Both they and the Commanders will be worth watching closely as the HC cycle approaches its end.

7 comments Baltimore Ravens Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Seattle Seahawks

Commanders Remain Intent On Hiring Lions’ Ben Johnson As HC?

By | at January 29, 2024 12:10 pm

JANUARY 29: In an update on where the Commanders’ search stands, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports confirms Johnson is currently seen as the favorite to be hired. Other candidates like Dan Quinn (Cowboys) and Mike Macdonald (Ravens) are still in the running, though that is also the case for both defensive coordinators as it pertains to the Seahawks’ opening. With the Lions having been eliminated last night, Johnson is free to speak with and accept an offer from Washington or Seattle at any time.

JANUARY 27: Ben Johnson entered the 2023 season having generated head coaching interest after only one year as the Lions’ offensive coordinator. His work this campaign has confirmed his status as one of the most sought-after staffers in the league, and signs continue to point him to the nation’s capital in the near future.

Johnson was reported earlier this month to be the top target for both the Panthers and Commanders. In Carolina’s case in particular, that came as no surprise. Panthers owner David Tepper made a concerted effort to land him during last year’s hiring cycle, and he was expected to deliver another strong push this offseason. Ultimately, though, Carolina elected to bring in Dave Canales after his one-year OC stint with the Buccaneers.

Once the Commanders tapped Adam Peters as their new GM, Johnson was named as a candidate to watch as the new head coach to pair with him. The latter has upped his stock considerably during his two-year run at the helm of Detroit’s offense, and the unit has played a central role in the team’s run to the NFC title game. Once the Lions’ postseason journey ends, as Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline writes, the expectation around the league remains that Johnson will be hired by the Commanders.

Teams still in contention for the Super Bowl are prohibited from having their coordinators take part in head coaching interviews during the week leading up to the conference championship games. Washington’s second interview with Johnson will therefore not take place until Detroit’s season comes to an end. The Commanders – who are joined by the Seahawks in having the league’s only remaining HC vacancies – are prepared to wait for Sunday’s games to take place before making their respective hires.

Commanders owner Josh Harris made the expected move of dismissing Ron Rivera on Black Monday, and his hand-picked committee moved quickly in landing on Peters to serve as general manager. The latter will directly oversee the team’s new head coach, a departure from the organizational structure in place during Rivera’s tenure. Johnson will be a rookie head coach if/when he is hired this year, though the same is also true of Peters after his decision to depart his AGM gig with the 49ers.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has also drawn considerable interest during this year’s cycle, and he too has a second Commanders interview lined up. Johnson is joined by Texans OC Bobby Slowik in terms of staffers with an offensive background who have drawn significant interest this year, and both have met once with the Seahawks. Seattle does not have a second meeting with Johnson on the books, however, leaving his connection with Washington something to watch closely in the coming days.

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Lions, QB Jared Goff Expected To Finalize Extension In Offseason

By | at January 28, 2024 10:04 pm

Lions QB Jared Goff is under contract through 2024, but the team remains interested in a long-term arrangement. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link), the Lions and Goff are expected to come together this offseason to discuss an extension that will make Goff one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league.

Goff was selected by the Rams with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 draft, and he struggled in his rookie season under then-HC Jeff Fisher. Of course, Sean McVay‘s hiring in 2017 proved to be one of the best decisions in team history, and for a time, McVay and Goff enjoyed a productive partnership.

Over the 2017-18 campaigns, Goff posted a 24-7 record while throwing for 60 touchdowns against just 19 interceptions. He earned Pro Bowl acclaim in both of those years and guided the the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2018 season, which prompted Los Angeles to hand him a four-year, $134MM extension a few months later.

Unfortunately, Goff regressed over the next two seasons, and after the Rams were bounced from the playoffs at the conclusion of the 2020 season, McVay was notably non-committal on Goff’s future with the club. Shortly thereafter, the Rams traded Goff to the Lions in a blockbuster deal that brought Matthew Stafford to LA and sent significant draft capital to the rebuilding Detroit outfit.

At the time of the trade, Goff’s contract looked like something of an albatross, and many believed that Lions GM Brad Holmes agreed to assume the deal merely to squeeze an extra first-round draft choice out of the Rams. But subsequent reports made it clear that Holmes — who had just joined Detroit after spending the previous eight years in the Rams’ front office — truly believed that Goff could recapture his Pro Bowl form and was not viewed as a mere bridge option.

It appears that Holmes’ assessment was correct, as Goff posted solid numbers on an otherwise poor Lions club in 2021 and has taken his game to a higher level as the talent around him has improved. Over the past two seasons, Goff has guided the team to top-five finishes in both points per game and total offense, and two weeks ago, Detroit won its first playoff game since 1991. Of course, the Lions also won last week’s divisonal round tilt with the Bucs and are one victory away from the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

In 2023, we heard rumblings that the Lions were targeting a Goff extension, though that was before the team experienced playoff success with him under center. Now, it appears there will be more urgency to that dialogue.

Sources tell Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports that there is a little doubt a deal will get done in the coming months, though Jones believes the average annual value on Goff’s next contract will be “somwhere in the 40s.” There are now 12 quarterbacks with AAVs of at least $40MM, so while Jones indicates that Goff is not overly concerned with his ranking in the QB contract hierarchy, Rapoport’s report — to say nothing of Goff’s leverage and his importance to a formerly moribund franchise — suggest that the number could check in closer to $50MM.

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