2016 Home And Away Opponents Named For All 32 NFL Teams
Colts QB Andrew Luck Wants Extension
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck would be receptive to signing a long-term extension with the Colts, as Mike Chappell of CBS4 writes. Luck is under contract through 2016 with a base salary of $16.155MM.
[RELATED: Colts, Coach Chuck Pagano Still Mulling Future Together]
“Yeah, that would be great,” he said of a multi-year pact. “I haven’t thought about it too much. I wanted to make sure this season gets done. “But if there’s an opportunity for it, yeah, absolutely.”
A new contract for Luck could cost the Colts more than $22MM annually, exceeding Aaron Rodgers‘ average annual value with the Packers. In fact, Luck’s deal could even set a new watermark for guaranteed money in a deal. If they can’t hammer out a long-term contract, the Colts would have to use the franchise tag to keep him around beyond ’16. The former No. 1 overall pick ostensibly wants to get paid big bucks, but he also says that he is tired of the constant “rebuilding” talk in Indianapolis.
“It’s everybody’s goal to win the Super Bowl, right?” Luck said. “When you don’t do that, stuff happens. When you don’t get to the playoffs and give yourself a chance to win the Super Bowl, regardless of the situation going on (things happen). [Owner Jim] Irsay has done a great job of leading this franchise for a long, long time. It’s a winning franchise. Super Bowl winner and very, very successful. I know he has a vision for this team and whatever it is we’ll be there to make sure we try and get it done.”
Prior to the 2015 season, Luck led the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 seasons and established new career highs in 2014 with 4,761 passing yards and 40 touchdowns.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts: Still No Decision On Chuck Pagano
4:45pm: The two sides are still talking and both sides are evaluating the possibility of staying together, Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
4:38pm: In an unusual move, the Colts announced they will not have a verdict on coach Chuck Pagano‘s future with the team tonight. One has to wonder if the team is stalling on its decision in order to see whether other candidates become available for the position, but the team’s reasoning is not immediately clear. 
After helping lead the Colts to playoff berths in his first three years with the team, Pagano’s club missed out this season during an injury-riddled, tumultuous campaign. After guiding the team to an 8-8 finish, the Colts have been widely expected to let go of Pagano, whose contract is up. However, his fate is still up in the air.
After finishing with an 11-5 record and an AFC South crown for three straight seasons, the Colts entered 2015 with Super Bowl aspirations, but took a significant step backward. While the Colts’ struggles could be attributed, at least in part, to injuries and questionable roster construction, Pagano was already under pressure to win heading into the year, with the team offering him only a one-year extension rather than any sort of longer-team deal — he turned down that offer. Pagano holds a 41-23 record during his four years in Indianapolis, which includes the time he missed in 2012 due to cancer treatments.
The fate of GM Ryan Grigson is also up in the air as the team has yet to decide on his status for 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coach Rumors: Coughlin, Shula, Shaw, McCoy
The Giants have yet to announce a decision one way or the other on head coach Tom Coughlin, but it sounds like we’ll find out shortly whether the club will be in the market for a new coach. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Coughlin is scheduled to meet with Giants ownership at 1:00 pm eastern time, and it appears a decision has been made.
As we wait to find out Coughlin’s fate, let’s check in on a few other coaching-related notes and rumors….
- Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula figures to draw interest from teams searching for a head coach, but he doesn’t plan to interview while Carolina remains alive in the postseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Since the Panthers aren’t scheduled to play until the divisional round, that would mean any potential suitors for Shula would have to wait until at least January 17th, and possibly later, to interview him, which could reduce interest.
- Rapoport also provides an update on David Shaw, tweeting that the Stanford coach plans to remain in his current role, despite the possibility of garnering interest from the 49ers and/or Colts.
- Chargers head coach Mike McCoy is scheduled to address the media later today, and as Ben Higgins of 10News in San Diego tweets, that looks like a positive sign for McCoy, since teams don’t typically schedule presser for coaches that are being fired.
- The Browns‘ unusual approach to their coaching and GM searches could complicate the process for the team, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Since executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown will have final say on the 53-man roster, rival teams will have the option of blocking their own executives from interviewing for Cleveland’s GM job. The Browns also plan to hire a head coach before landing a GM, so while it may be appealing for a head coaching candidate to have the opportunity to bring in his own personnel guy, that guy would have to be unemployed, or employed by a team willing to let him go.
- Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is among the candidates the Eagles are expected to consider for their head coaching job, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.
South Notes: Titans, D. Brown, Colts, Saints
The NFL appears to believe the Titans‘ ownership structure in the wake of Bud Adams‘ passing may not comply with all the league’s rules and provisions, and litigation could be looming between the team and the league, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, the Titans “strongly disagree” with the NFL’s position on the situation, believing there are several other franchises with “more difficult ownership situations” than Tennessee’s.
As we wait to see how the situation in Tennessee plays out, here’s more from around the NFL’s South divisions:
- Texans left tackle Duane Brown will have surgery this Wednesday to repair a torn right quadriceps, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Brown, who will miss the playoffs, had another solid season in 2015 and probably isn’t going anywhere. Still, it’s worth noting that he’s now in his 30s, and he barely has any dead money left on his contract, which features $9.5MM+ cap hits for the next three years.
- Per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter links), the Colts haven’t yet discussed a contract extension with linebacker Jerrell Freeman, who is eligible for free agency this winter. That doesn’t necessarily mean the club won’t make an effort to get something done in the coming weeks or months, but as Holder points out, Indianapolis has explored other options at the position within the last year.
- Sean Payton‘s accomplishments over the last 10 years with the Saints speak for themselves, and if he decides he wants to pursue another head coaching opportunity this offseason, GM Mickey Loomis owes it to the coach to allow him that opportunity, writes Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Earlier today, we heard that the Saints may seek a second-round pick as compensation for Payton if they decide to let him go, though there’s some skepticism that the team would get more than a mid-rounder.
- Whether Payton stays or goes, a tumultuous offseason is on tap for the Saints, says Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.
Top 20 Teams Set For 2016 NFL Draft
With the 2015 NFL regular season now complete, the 2016 draft order has been set for the teams that didn’t earn playoff berths this year.
The order for the top 20 is determined first by record — the teams with the worst records get the highest picks. The tiebreaker for teams that finish with identical records is strength of schedules. The easier the team’s schedule, the higher its pick. The thinking there is that if two teams finished with the same record, the team that played the easier schedule is likely the “worst” of the two teams, earning that club the higher pick.
Via NFL.com, here’s how the top 20 breaks down for the 2016 NFL draft, with each team’s record and opponents’ winning percentage noted in parentheses:
- Tennessee Titans (3-13, .492)
- Cleveland Browns (3-13, .531)
- San Diego Chargers (4-12, .527)
- Dallas Cowboys (4-12, .531)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11, .473)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-11, .508)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-11, .539)
- Miami Dolphins (6-10, .469)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10, .484)
- New York Giants (6-10, .500)
- Chicago Bears (6-10, .547)
- New Orleans Saints (7-9, .504)
- Philadelphia Eagles (7-9, .508)
- Oakland Raiders (7-9, .512)
- St. Louis Rams (7-9, .527)
- Detroit Lions (7-9, .535)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-8, .481)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-8, .500)
- Buffalo Bills (8-8, .508)
- New York Jets (10-6, .441)
While teams that played weaker schedules will get the higher draft picks – via tiebreaker – in the first round, that’s not the case for every round. Teams that finished with identical records will rotate order throughout the draft, so the Browns, for instance, will pick ahead of the Titans in round two.
As for the remaining 12 spots, those will be determined based on which teams are eliminated from the playoffs first. The four teams knocked out in the Wild Card round will pick 21st through 24th, for example — the clubs with the weaker records will get the higher picks. The full order will be determined after the Super Bowl, with this year’s champion getting the last pick of the first round — unless, of course, that’s the Patriots, who won’t have a first-rounder in 2016.
Adam Gase, Teryl Austin Line Up HC Interviews
Two NFC North assistants are among the hottest head coaching candidates of the offseason, and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have already lined up multiple interviews for this week, according to various reports.
We had already heard that Gase would get interviews from at least three teams with head coaching vacancies, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has since confirmed the preliminary schedule for the Chicago OC. Gase will interview with the Eagles on Tuesday, the Browns on Wednesday, and the Dolphins on Thursday, per Rapoport.
Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that Gase would have “definite interest” in the Colts’ head coaching job as well. However, Indianapolis has yet to confirm a decision one way or the other on Chuck Pagano, and it’s not clear if Gase would be one of the team’s targets if Pagano is replaced.
As for Austin, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that he currently has formal interviews lined up with the Browns and Dolphins, with Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com indicating (via Twitter) that Austin’s meeting with the Browns will happen on Tuesday.
According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Austin will likely meet with the Eagles this week as well. However, Mortensen says Philadelphia will meet first with interim head coach Pat Shurmur and – as previously noted – Gase.
Got all that? If not, don’t worry — on Monday, Pro Football Rumors will introduce a head coaching search tracker so you can easily keep tabs on which candidates each team with an opening is pursuing and interviewing.
Coaching/GM Notes: Pagano, Browns, Fins, Cowboys, Lions
The latest news on various teams’ coaching and front office situations as Black Monday approaches:
- Colts owner Jim Irsay will meet with Chuck Pagano on Monday to discuss the head coach’s future, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. After helping lead the Colts to playoff berths in his first three years with the team, Pagano’s club missed out this season during an injury-riddled, tumultuous campaign, going 8-8. As a result, the Colts are expected to let go of Pagano, whose contract is up, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
- With Ray Farmer out as the Browns’ general manager, the franchise might turn its football operations over to executive vice president/general counsel Sashi Brown, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports (Twitter link).
- Adam Gase, Jim Mora Jr., Mike Shanahan, Teryl Austin, Mike Smith, Dirk Koetter and Doug Marrone are all currently connected to the Dolphins’ head coaching job, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
- Not surprisingly, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed Sunday that Jason Garrett will return in 2016 for his seventh season as the team’s head coach. “Let me be real clear: There’s no thought of replacing Jason. At all,” Jones said, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Jones acknowledged that Garrett’s staff could change, though, as four assistant coaches’ contracts expire (Twitter link via Williams). Whether those changes happen will be up to Garrett, who Jones says is “the ultimate-decision maker” when it comes to the coaching staff (Twitter link via Fox Sports’ Matt Mosley).
- Lions president Rod Wood says the club’s search for a new general manager will begin in earnest Monday, tweets Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. Interim GM Sheldon White will be among those interviewed, according to Wood (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press), and Greg Gabriel of NFPost.com reports the Lions will also talk to Giants assistant GM Kevin Abrams (via Twitter). Another Giants executive, Marc Ross, could also get a look, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo.
Cole’s Latest: Colts, Giants, Saban, Raiders
Let’s take a look at the latest from Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole (all video links):
- The presence of Andrew Luck could lead several high-profile names to be interested in the Colts‘ potential head-coaching vacancy, per Cole, who reports that Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, and Sean Payton could all have varying levels of interest in the position. The key question, according to Cole, is how much roster/personnel control owner Jim Irsay is willing to hand over.
- Luck makes the Colts job very attractive, but the most desirable landing spot on the market? The Giants, says Cole, due to ownership’s “hand-off” approach. Plus, the combination of Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. is very enticing to candidates.
- Despite interest from numerous teams, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is not expected to make the leap to the NFL. Saban, who does have NFL experience with the Dolphins, is quite comfortable in Tuscaloosa, and he doesn’t want to take any attention away from his team’s looming championship game against Clemson on January 11.
- Sources tell Cole that billionaire Larry Ellison (founder of Oracle Corporation) has spoken with Raiders owner Mark Davis about buying a portion of the team. While nothing is close, the mere presence of Ellison could potentially attract other investors, per Cole, and ultimately help the club make the move to Los Angeles.
Coaching Updates: 1/3/16
After learning this morning that the 49ers are expected to fire Jim Tomsula and that Jim Caldwell is more likely than not to return to the Lions in 2016, let’s dive into a few more notes on the league’s head coaching carousel:
- A “plugged-in source” tells Pro Football Talk that Chip Kelly could be headed to the Browns (Twitter link).
- Before that somewhat mysterious tweet from PFT, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted out a list of a few candidates the Browns are expected to interview in the coming days after they formally fire Mike Pettine. That list includes popular targets Adam Gase, Teryl Austin, and Doug Marrone. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the team is especially interested in Gase and has already laid the groundwork for an interview with the Bears’ offensive coordinator. It was something of a surprise that Gase did not land a head coaching job last year, but it looks like 2016 will find him in charge of his own club.
- Rapoport also passes on some news on the Colts (via Conor Orr of NFL.com), reporting that if Indianapolis parts ways with Chuck Pagano, the team will make Sean Payton and Nick Saban say no before turning its search in another direction. Although the presence of franchise quarterback Andrew Luck could alter his thinking somewhat, Saban, as Rapoport tweets, has been approached by NFL clubs countless times in recent years and always says no.
- Current Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is “a name to watch” as the Eagles attempt to fill their new head coaching vacancy, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who adds that the team would have to do some “fence-mending” to lure Sean McDermott, one of the hottest head coaching candidates, away from Carolina (Twitter links). ESPN.com news services confirms the team’s interest in Pederson, who spent four seasons as an offensive assistant under Andy Reid in Philadelphia, and adds that interim head coach Pat Shumur has not been ruled out.
- The Titans will look at interim head coach Mike Mularkey as a legitimate candidate to become the team’s permanent head coach, as Rapoport writes in his Black Monday primer.
- In the same piece, Rapoport writes that Mike McCoy has a much better chance to stay with the Chargers than originally anticipated. The NFL.com scribe reports that San Diego brass will step back and look at factors like the injuries the team has endured, the close losses it has suffered, and the omnipresent Los Angles dilemma before making a final decision. While McCoy could still be fired, it appears as though he will at least get a thorough evaluation before that happens.