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Coaching Rumors: Bears, Washington, Packers, 49ers, Allen, Giants, Pats, Bengals

January 23rd, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Panthers and Colts are recent examples of an incoming coaching staff keeping a coordinator in place, the Bears‘ 2024 coordinators will not stick around like Ejiro Evero and Gus Bradley did elsewhere. Neither Thomas Brown nor DC Eric Washington will be retained under Ben Johnson, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns notes. O-line coach Chris Morgan, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph and interim OC Chris Beatty are also out in Chicago. This is not especially surprising, as new staffs regularly want to bring in their own hires.

Brown, 38, will be on his way to a fourth team in four years. The former Sean McVay assistant spent the 2023 season alongside Evero, as Carolina’s OC, and moved from pass-game coordinator to interim OC to interim HC in Chicago last year. The Bears went 1-4 under Brown, who has received OC interest elsewhere. Washington came over from the Bills in 2024, when Matt Eberflus replaced Alan Williams after calling the signals himself for most of the 2023 season. Washington, 55, only took over play-calling duties in 2024 when the Bears fired Eberflus.

Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:

  • Teams making HC hires will expand the OC and DC carousels, and the Bears’ entrance on the coordinator market revealed interest in Dennis Allen. The rumored favorite to follow Johnson to Chicago, Allen may also have heard from the 49ers, as ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner indicates the NFC West team showed some interest in the ex-Bengals DC. Allen, though, may have been a Robert Saleh contingency plan. Although Allen has been closely linked to the Bears, Saleh is still in the mix for the Jaguars — with a second interview scheduled — and Raiders. The Cowboys also met with the former Jets HC, who would seem likely to rejoin the 49ers if his HC paths close.
  • Speaking of Washington, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds the Packers interviewed him for their defensive line coach role. Prior to his one-season Bears stay, Washington was the Bills’ D-line coach for the previous four years. He was Carolina’s DC from 2018-19. With a few DC gigs yet to open, it will be interesting to see if Washington would return to the position coach level early rather than wait on a potential lateral move. Green Bay is also interviewing Tampa Bay D-line coach Kacy Rodgers for the role, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds Rodgers’ Buccaneers contract is up.
  • Former defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel will change facilities, but he will (presumably) not need to relocate. The four-year Jets safeties coach is joining the Giants as their DBs coach, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. A former NFL safety who ascended to the role of Falcons DC in the late 2010s, Manuel has been an NFL staffer since 2012. The Giants went 3-14 but did not fire their head coach or their coordinators, but Shane Bowen — after retaining some holdover staffers last year — is bringing in his own guy to replace Jerome Henderson, who spent five years in the role.
  • The Patriots already have a “new” OC-DC tandem, with Josh McDaniels’ third stint in the play-calling role accompanying Terrell Williams‘ arrival as the team’s defensive boss. But Mike Vrabel is retaining special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. Springer was not a Bill Belichick hire, but rather a Jerod Mayo addition; he came over from the Rams last year. Pro Football Focus graded the Pats’ ST units second overall in 2024.
  • Vrabel did not retain Mayo’s O-line coaches, and both have found new gigs. The Bengals are hiring Scott Peters as offensive line coach, with Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson adding ex-Pats assistant O-line coach Michael McCarthy to the same role in Cincinnati. Peters spent four seasons under Bill Callahan as Browns assistant O-line coach and, per Hobson, had spent previous time serving as a UFC trainer for Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez. Zac Taylor played under Callahan at Nebraska, creating a natural tie here. The Bengals fired Frank Pollack from the O-line coaching role at season’s end.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

January 19th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Two weekends of playoff football have come and gone, providing us with 10 more draft slots cemented into position as NFL teams continue to be eliminated from the playoffs. The top 18 picks were already divvied up at the conclusion of the regular season to the teams who failed to make the playoffs, while picks 19-28 have been determined over the past two weeks.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order has been determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. The playoff squads are being slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular-season record.

The league’s Super Wild Card weekend resulted in the elimination of Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, Buccaneers, and Vikings after their respective losses. Tampa Bay benefitted from the three-way tie in record with Denver and Pittsburgh, just as the Chargers did over the Packers.

The divisional round of the playoffs resulted in the elimination of the Texans, Rams, Ravens, and Lions. This time, Houston held the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, gifting it higher draft priority.

We are still at a place that, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.

Here is how the draft order looks following two weeks of playoff football:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)

OL Notes: Thuney, Packers, Cowboys, Bears

January 17th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Thuney landed on the All-Pro first team at his natural left guard position, but as the Chiefs have struggled to find a left tackle solution this season, they had kicked their standout LG to that post. Although in-season free agency addition D.J. Humphries is healthy, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes Kansas City will leave Thuney at LT. This arrangement has featured Mike Caliendo at left guard. Humphries, who rehabbed an ACL tear for most of 2024 as a free agent, suffered a hamstring injury during his Chiefs debut. Thuney has fared much better than Wanya Morris or second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia, the latter having won the job out of training camp. While the two-time reigning champions will have work to do at this spot soon, it appears their threepeat push will feature Thuney at LT the rest of the way.

Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:

  • The Packers have both their primary tackle starters (Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom) under contract for 2025, and Elgton Jenkins is tied to a lucrative extension. With Jordan Morgan‘s rookie deal going through 2027, Green Bay only has one key UFA-to-be on its offensive front. Four-year center starter Josh Myers is out of contract, but GM Brian Gutekunst labeled (via the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood) the blocker as having “his best year.” Perhaps more importantly, Gutekunst praised how Myers and Jordan Love work as a combo on offense. Although Ryan Kelly is the biggest name among available centers, Myers’ age (26) and experience (56 starts) will help him become one of the top interior O-linemen on the market. The Packers last faced a decision on a center in 2021, when they let Corey Linsley walk before drafting Myers. It will be interesting to see how they address the situation with Myers.
  • Also in Green Bay, Gutekunst noted that there could be some shuffling in the offensive line starters’ positions. Notably, he mentioned that Tom, who has started every game at right tackle for the past two years, could potentially shift over to the blind side, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Back in 2022, Tom’s rookie season, the Wake Forest alum started games at both left tackle and left guard, and Gutekunst believes Tom could play any of the five positions, though he lauds that the 25-year-old has established himself at tackle and could end up starting on the left side.
  • In the recent past Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have been extremely fortunate when forced to start rookie offensive linemen. Players like Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Connor Williams, and Zack Martin have all been players who immediately (or almost immediately) stepped in to great success on the offensive line in Dallas. This year, Jones hoped he’d be able to count to two rookies drafted in the first three rounds once again, starting first-round Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton and third-round Kansas State center Cooper Beebe for a combined 27 games. Guyton was drafted to replace departed veteran Tyron Smith, but the rookie was in a bit over his head this season. Out of 81 players graded at the position by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Guyton graded out as the 73rd-best tackle, getting benched near the end of the season. Beebe faired a bit better in 16 starts but only ranked as the 16th-best center in the league, per PFF. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Jones admitted on a radio interview with 105.3 The FAN that he “probably got a little out over (his) skis thinking, ‘just plug those guys in.'”
  • Offensive guard Matt Pryor has bounced around quite a bit over his first six years in the NFL, getting traded halfway through his rookie deal from Philadelphia to Indianapolis before spending a year each in San Francisco and Chicago. In his sixth NFL season, Pryor, who had only filled in as a starter over his first five years, found himself starting 15 games this season for the Bears. According to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, Pryor wouldn’t mind putting down some roots, saying “he’d like to return” after the one-year deal he played on this season. He graded out decently (21st of 77) per PFF, so he could fetch some money on the free agent market, but it sounds like he’s interested in staying in Chicago.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Coaching/Front Office Notes: 49ers, Packers, Giants, Bears

January 16th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Ben Levine

After moving on from special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, the 49ers have started looking at replacements. After meeting with Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins, the team has added two more candidates to the fray.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the 49ers have interview Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo for their ST coordinator vacancy. The long-time special teams ace ended his playing career following the 2022 campaign, and he quickly found post-career work in Denver. He’s spent the past two years serving as the Broncos assistant ST coach, and now he could take another career leap in San Francisco.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers also interviewed Chris Tabor for the job. Most recently, the veteran coach served as the Panthers interim head coach following the firing of Frank Reich. Before that, he spent a season-plus as the Panthers ST coordinator, a title he also held in stints with the Bears and Browns.

More coaching and front office notes from around the NFL…

  • The Packers have parted ways with defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Rebrovich just took on the role this past season after previously serving as Green Bay’s OLBs coach. Brian Gutekunst hinted that changes could be coming, as the GM recently attributed the team’s DL struggles to scheme instead of personnel. The team isn’t wasting any time seeking a replacement, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Packers will interview Jets DL coach Aaron Whitecotton for the job. Whitecotton spent the past four seasons in the role, and he previously had stints with the 49ers, Bills, and Jaguars.
  • The Giants have made some changes to their defensive coaching staff, firing defensive passing game coordinator/DB coach Jerome Henderson, per Garafolo. The Giants have also moved on from safeties coach Michael Treier. Henderson joined the organization as part of Joe Judge‘s initial Giants staff in 2020. As Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes, Brian Daboll‘s first coaching move was to retain Henderson, but the DB coach later drew some ire for his initial support (and later critiques) of Deonte Banks. Per Art Stapleton of USA Today, Marquand Manuel is a name to watch as a potential replacement for one of the vacant secondary roles. Manuel would bring plenty of experience, having once served as the Falcons defensive coordinator and most recently as the Jets safeties coach.
  • One last firing to pass along. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears have let go of director of football analytics Krithi Chandrakasan. Following stints in Kansas City and Jacksonville, Chandrakasan was brought to Chicago by Ryan Poles in 2022.

Falcons Interview Derrick Ansley For DC Job

January 16th, 2025 at 6:13pm CST by Ben Levine

There’s another name to add to the list of Falcons defensive coordinator candidates. The team announced that they interviewed Packers pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley today for their DC job.

[RELATED: Falcons Interview Jeff Ulbrich For DC Gig]

After spending close to two decades in the college ranks (plus a brief one-year stop with the Raiders), Ansley quickly worked his way up the Chargers coaching hierarchy. After spending two seasons as the team’s defensive backs coach, Ansley was named LA’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 campaign.

The Chargers defense only ranked 24th in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed that season, and the staff was naturally reworked following Jim Harbaugh‘s hiring. Still, Ansley’s reputation clearly didn’t suffer, as he garnered an interview last offseason for the Giants DC job. He ultimately landed in Green Bay as the pass game coordinator, and the Packers proceeded to finish the 2024 campaign ranked third in interceptions (17) and ninth in touchdowns allowed (23).

The Falcons recently moved on from defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake after one season with the team. Just this week, the team has already interviewed former Ravens/Giants DC Wink Martindale, Jets interim HC Jeff Ulbrich, and former Bengals DC Lou Anarumo.

2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-11-25 (11:40am CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/25

January 15th, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals around the NFL:

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jets Request HC Interview With Jeff Hafley

January 15th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets’ list of targets for their head coaching vacancy continues to grow. The team has requested an interview with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Albert Breer of Sports Ilustrated reports.

[RELATED: Tracking Jets’ GM Search]

Breer notes the meeting will likely take place toward the end of this week. Once that interview is complete, the Jets will have spoken with (or still have an outstanding request for) 17 candidates as part of their wide-ranging search. This marks the first head coaching gig Hafley has been connected to for the 2025 hiring cycle.

The Montvale, New Jersey native has extensive coaching experience at the college and NFL levels. That includes his time leading Boston College, which spanned from 2020-23. Hafley led the program to a record at or above .500 in three of his four campaigns, and he made the jump back to the pro game last offseason. He took charge of the Packers’ defense after Joe Barry was dismissed.

Improving on that side of the ball was a key priority for Green Bay in 2024, and Hafley delivered in his first year. The Packers ranked fifth and sixth in total and scoring defense, respectively, during the regular season while also finishing third in interceptions and seventh in sacks. Playing much of the year without top corner Jaire Alexander, the team posted comparatively poor figures against the pass; still, it comes as little surprise Hafley’s work has garnered at least some head coaching consideration.

The 45-year-old is joined by many staffers with a defensive background in the Jets’ search. Robert Saleh was dismissed midseason and replaced by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but his unit underperformed down the stretch. New York has looked into options regarding offense-oriented staffers, although Lions DC (and former Jets Pro Bowl corner) Aaron Glenn remains a name to watch closely. In any case, Hafley will join the growing list of coaches taking part in at least a first interview with New York.

Courtesy of PFR’s head coaching search tracker, here is an updated breakdown of the Jets’ process:

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/14/25

January 14th, 2025 at 10:18pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Once the regular season ends, teams that are eliminated from the playoffs can sign players – typically young members of their practice squads – to reserve/futures contracts. Teams that lose in the playoffs are also eligible to sign such deals. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts from around the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Holley is a former Western Michigan Bronco who started his professional career with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 2022. He then signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts for the 2023 season and played a key role in their 2024 Grey Cup championship. Holley led all CFL interior defensive linemen with 8.0 sacks, drawing attention from multiple NFL teams before signing with the Browns, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Steward was an undrafted rookie out of Troy in 2024 who spent the year on the Bears’ practice squad. He was pursued by multiple teams once the regular season ended, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, but ultimately chose to stay within the NFC North with the Vikings.

Coaching Rumors: Belichick, McDaniels, Patriots, Packers, Cowboys

January 14th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bill Belichick has come up in connection to the Raiders and Cowboys’ HC jobs. Though the ties have been loose to this point, the recently hired North Carolina coach’s staff may be causing some unrest in Chapel Hill. Belichick having only hired a few assistants — including retaining interim HC Freddie Kitchens as OC and adding son Steve as DC — despite having a $10MM staff budget has made multiple staffers nervous, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes. This report drew a rebuke from the Tar Heels’ new GM (Michael Lombardi), who indicated (via X) the team was being diligent and had hired three more staffers Sunday.

When the Cowboys separated from Mike McCarthy on Monday, Belichick came up. Reports described a situation where mutual interest would have existed, were Belichick truly available. When Belichick-Raiders tie emerged, the prospect of a quick North Carolina departure was quickly shot down. Though, Belichick’s $10MM buyout — which drops to $1MM after June 1, impacting a potential 2026 jump (albeit at age 73 by that point) — has not spooked NFL teams thus far. The coach who once famously resigned as Jets HC in early 2000 may still be caught in NFL rumors until the Cowboys fill their post, as the rookie college HC was connected as a potential 2025 option at multiple points in 2024. Jerry Jones‘ willingness to pay Belichick’s $10MM buyout has also drawn skepticism.

For now, Belichick appears to be sticking with the Tar Heels despite having immense NFL interest last year. Here is the latest on the Dallas situation and other coaching matters:

  • One of Mike Vrabel‘s rumored options for the Patriots‘ OC job came off the board today, as the Browns promoted Tommy Rees to replace Ken Dorsey. Vrabel said Tuesday (during an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show) he would conduct an expansive search to replace OC Alex Van Pelt, and he confirmed Josh McDaniels will be a candidate. Vrabel-McDaniels rumors have circulated for weeks now, and the underwhelming HC returning to the place where he won three Super Bowl rings as a coordinator would make sense. McDaniels has not been tied to North Carolina, despite helping Belichick as he searched for his 2025 landing spot, and has not coached since the Raiders fired him hours after the 2023 trade deadline. McDaniels and Vrabel overlapped on the Patriots from 2001-08 and have maintained a good relationship. With a possible third Pats OC stint in play, McDaniels has not been connected to any other team.
  • The Packers previously lured Tom Clements out of retirement, but their quarterbacks coach is again calling it quits, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes. Having coached Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love, Clements has been an NFL staffer since 1997. The 71-year-old assistant was with the Packers from 2006-16 under McCarthy, unretired to be the Cardinals’ QBs coach from 2019-20 and then rejoined the Pack in 2022 as QBs coach. Collecting a Super Bowl ring and being on staff for two of Rodgers’ four MVP awards, Clements was the Packers’ OC from 2012-14 and Bills OC from 2004-05.
  • In Deion Sanders, the Cowboys already looked toward an off-grid name to start their search to replace McCarthy; it is possible another will surface soon. Although Jason Witten has no coaching experience beyond the high school level, Florio names names him as a candidate to watch to rise all the way to the Cowboys’ HC post. Some in the organization believe the Dallas tight end great will ascend to the team’s HC job at some point, though Florio does not indicate he will definitively be a 2025 option. With Witten coaching at Liberty Christian School in Texas for four years, it would stand to reason the Cowboys would want him to gain some seasoning at the pro or college levels before he becomes a true consideration for the job.
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