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Patriots Request OC Interview With Chargers’ Marcus Brady

January 17th, 2025 at 9:12pm CST by Ely Allen

The Patriots have already gotten off to a fast start in the offseason as the first team to hire a new head coach. With Mike Vrabel now in place, they can get a head start on building the staff beneath him. With a defensive-minded head coach in Vrabel, New England has begun by searching for a new offensive coordinator. Their most recent interview target, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.

Per Fowler, New England requested to interview Brady today, making him the fourth candidate to be linked to the position. Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, who served as interim offensive coordinator and interim head coach after the team fired both coaches at different points of the season this year, is the only interviewee so far, meeting with the team earlier this week. Former Raiders head coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has also been confirmed as a candidate, but no interview has been scheduled as of yet.

Brady, a former undrafted quarterback who played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League, first got his coaching start in the CFL the season following his retirement from playing. His first coaching job came on the team he retired with, the Montreal Alouettes, as a wide receivers coach in 2009. By 2012, the team promoted him to offensive coordinator for a season before he was hired by the Toronto Argonauts for the same position. He called plays in Toronto for five years, with the Argonauts winning the Grey Cup in 2017.

In 2018, Brady finally got his chance in the NFL, getting hired as assistant quarterbacks coach for the Colts. A year later, he was the full quarterbacks coach, a role he held for two seasons before quickly rising to his first coordinator job in the NFL for Indianapolis. That role came under Frank Reich, though, who called his own plays, so though the Colts offense ranked ninth in scoring in his first year as offensive coordinator, it was not a result of his play-calling. When the team’s offense struggled mightily in his second season as OC, Reich fired Brady before getting fired himself shortly after.

Brady rebounded in Philadelphia, rejoining Nick Sirianni, who he replaced as OC in Indianapolis. He spent his first partial season with the Eagles as an offensive consultant before getting promoted to senior offensive assistant in 2023. In 2024, he joined Jim Harbaugh‘s new staff in Los Angeles in his current role. While the Chargers’ passing attack ranked only 19th in the NFL this year, largely due to Greg Roman‘s run-heavy offensive philosophy, they led the NFL with the fewest interceptions (3) and the lowest interception percentage (0.6). Justin Herbert‘s high-octane production was curtailed a bit in the new system, but reining in his turnover issues after he threw 35 interceptions in his first three seasons was an impressive feat.

Since being fired from his first NFL OC job, Brady has been active on the interview circuit. Before taking his promotion in Philadelphia, Brady interviewed for open coordinator jobs with the Rams and Jets in 2023. Brady also had interview requests for the OC opportunities with the Panthers and Bears before taking the job as passing game coordinator in Los Angeles.

After only a year in that role, Brady’s pursuit of a second chance as an offensive coordinator and an opportunity to call plays for the first time in the NFL could continue with this request from New England. Here’s how the Patriots’ OC search is shaping up so far:

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

Wink Martindale Interviews For Falcons’ DC Job, To Meet With Colts; Bengals On Radar

January 14th, 2025 at 2:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a year out of the NFL, Wink Martindale is squarely on the radar to return. Two teams have set up interviews with the veteran defensive coordinator, while a third could be eyeing the Michigan DC.

The Falcons announced they have completed an interview with the former Ravens and Giants DC. Martindale is scheduled to meet about the Colts‘ job Wednesday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Despite a turbulent New York exit, Martindale looks to be aiming to follow ex-Baltimore coworker Mike Macdonald by turning a one-year Ann Arbor stay into a return to the league.

In addition to Martindale’s Falcons and Colts meetings, Pelissero points out the Bengals — who fired Lou Anarumo after six seasons in that role — could have interest. Business is picking up for a coach who had previously ascended to the HC carousel. The Colts interviewed Martindale twice for the job Shane Steichen landed; Steichen will now determine if a fit will exist with one of his former competitors.

Martindale’s most recent NFL act certainly caught interest. After the Giants fired two of his lieutenants, Martindale stormed into Brian Daboll’s office and resigned his post. This came after the brash DC was accused of going rogue at points during the 2023 season. Rumblings about a Martindale-Daboll separation lingered for much of that ’23 campaign, and the dustup combusted quickly. The Jaguars were the only team to interview Martindale for their DC job last year, leading him to Michigan.

The Wolverines ranked 19th in points allowed per game (19.9) this season, marking only a slight step back from Jim Harbaugh‘s unbeaten national champion team. Martindale’s unit came for an 8-5 Michigan squad, with the Big Ten program’s defense in far better shape than its offense (113th in scoring) in its first post-Harbaugh season.

After a poor showing running the 2010 Broncos’ defense, Martindale found his footing with the Ravens. Baltimore’s defense ranked in the top three in scoring each year from 2018-20, before a step back commenced in 2021. The Ravens moved on from their DC, hiring Macdonald from the Michigan staff, in 2022. A Giants team thought to be rebuilding saw its defense climb to 17th in scoring defense in 2022, helping an undermanned team reach the divisional round. New York’s unit regressed in 2023, however.

Anarumo will be competing with Martindale for two of these jobs, with the former Bengals DC up for the Colts and Falcons’ positions as well. The veteran staffer will meet with the Colts on Wednesday and Falcons on Thursday, SI.com’s Albert Breer adds. While these jobs are available now, a host of new ones will likely be opening up once teams decide on HCs. Anarumo is on a few prospective HCs’ lists, Breer adds, pointing to a second-chance opportunity being more likely than not for the well-regarded coordinator.

Titans Setting Up Second GM Interviews

January 14th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 14: The Titans’ second round of interviews will take place in person today, tomorrow and Thursday, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports’ reports. Once all six candidates have been met with, it would come as no surprise if a decision were to be made in relatively short order. Tennessee may well be the first of the three GM-needy teams to move forward with a hire during the 2025 hiring cycle.

JANUARY 13: Needing a GM for the second time in three years, the Titans are moving fast. Less than a week after firing Ran Carthon, Tennessee is setting up second interviews. One of those involves a candidate the team met with in 2023 as well.

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham met with Titans brass two years ago, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the Ryan Poles lieutenant is in line for a second interview this time around. Joining Cunningham in advancing to this stage will be Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi and Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek.

We may not be at the finalist stage yet, though third interviews are virtually unheard of. Still, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray and Colts AGM Ed Dodds are also expected to receive second interviews. Ditto Jon-Eric Sullivan, per Pelissero. While this process is moving swiftly, the Titans still have several candidates in the race.

This batch of candidates includes some who are still in consideration for the Jets and Raiders’ GM gigs. Spytek, a Tom Brady college teammate, is on the Raiders’ radar early. Borgonzi is a Long Island native who has interviewed with the Jets. Sullivan interviewed for the Jets’ job as well. Beyond these three, none of the Titans’ set of second interviewees has been connected to one of the other available jobs. Though, the Raiders have not made official requests yet.

Cunningham would join the Bears’ HC search committee once he is no longer connected to leaving, but for now, the fourth-year Chicago staffer is in limbo. The Bears gave Cunningham an extension after he lost out to Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job. The Titans strongly considered Cunningham in 2023, giving him a second interview during the pursuit Carthon eventually won. Cunningham is also believed to have turned down the Cardinals’ GM job that year, with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort winning. Titans brass circling back with another second interview bodes well for Cunningham’s status this year.

Dodds has been on GM carousels previously and has been in the AFC South for seven seasons now. The Colts hired Dodds shortly after Chris Ballard took over in 2017. Dodds interviewed for the Chargers, Panthers and Raiders jobs last year. Gray met with the Bolts and Raiders but declined a Patriots interview request, joining others in doing so as the Patriots looked to satisfy the Rooney Rule for a job most correctly figured would go to Eliot Wolf.

Borgonzi was part of last year’s GM carousel as well, meeting about the Commanders job, but this year marks the first time he has met with multiple teams in the same offseason. The Chiefs have lost Ballard and Brandt Tilis from their front office during Andy Reid‘s tenure. Considering Kansas City’s success over the past several years, it would surprise if Borgonzi was not in the mix for the Jets and Titans’ jobs until the end. Both the Bucs’ assistant GMs, Spytek and Mike Greenberg, are on this year’s GM carousel. Greenberg has interviewed with the Jets. Spytek has been with the Bucs for nearly 10 seasons, two in his current role.

The Titans are giving Chad Brinker significant power, with the team’s former assistant GM — after having usurped Carthon — now president of football operations. That will affect the team’s next GM considerably, significantly affecting this search. Sullivan’s resume should be important here, as he and Brinker worked together for nearly 15 years in Green Bay. Sullivan has been with the Packers since 2004, learning under Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst. Brinker featured the same background upon arriving in Nashville.

Via PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how the Titans’ process looks nearly a week in:

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/13/25

January 13th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

The Colts announced that they’ve re-signed linebacker Cameron McGrone to a one-year extension. The former fifth-round pick has spent the past two-plus years in Indy, including a 2024 campaign where he collected six special teams tackles in nine appearances.

 

AFC South Notes: Colts, Titans, Johnson

January 13th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Ben Levine

If Ryan Kelly has his way, he’ll continue his career in Indianapolis. However, the impending free agent center understands that there’s no guarantee that he’ll return to the only team he’s ever played for. Following the Colts‘ season finale, the former first-round pick discussed his future in the NFL…and he seemed to hint that his long stint with the organization may have come to an end.

“I just can’t be more thankful to be drafted here nine years ago,” Kelly said (via Mike Chappell of FOX59 in Indianapolis). “Two hours from home [in West Chester, Ohio]. Through the ups and downs. There’s not another place I’d rather be. Indy will always be home. … I love the horseshoe, man. It’s been an honor to represent it the right way.”

Despite 2024 representing his age-31 season, Kelly has continued to produce. He was named an alternate on this year’s Pro Bowl squad despite missing a chunk of games due to a knee injury. He also helped anchor a strong running attack, and considering his track record, he should attract plenty of interest as a free agent. While GM Chris Ballard has recently focused on retaining his own free agents, there’s a chance the organization is priced out of the Kelly sweepstakes. If that ends up being the case, the lineman is proud of his nine years in Indy.

“If I’m part of the team going forward, great,” Kelly said. “If not, it was an honor to wear the horseshoe.”

More notes out of the AFC South…

  • Sticking in Indy, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. won’t require surgery for the fracture in his back, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star. The Colts WR recently revealed that he dealt with the injury for much of the 2024 season, and the issue was at one point expected to end his year prematurely. Instead, Pittman proceeded to get into 16 games with the Colts, although he finished with his fewest catches and receiving yards since his rookie campaign.
  • Nick Folk intends to add another season to his resume, as the kicker told Jim Wyatt of the Titans website that he intends to continue playing in 2025. The impending free agent also noted that he’d be interested in sticking with the Titans, where he’s led the NFL in field goal percentage in each of the past two years. The 17-year veteran hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in recent years, and he should be a popular name on the free agent market this offseason.
  • Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is also interest in re-signing with the Titans, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. The former UDFA has spent his entire career in Tennessee, and 2024 marked his most productive season with the organization. NWI found the end zone nine times this past year while hauling in 32 catches for 497 yards.
  • After inking a three-year contract with the Jaguars last offseason, Arik Armstead struggled to find his role, as the veteran finished with only a pair of sacks while starting one of his 17 appearances. After playing a rotational role on the edge in 2024, Armstead told reporters that he’s switching back to the interior in 2025. “I’m gonna switch back inside, which is what I wanted to do this season,” Armstead told reporters (including ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). “And I’m gonna be back playing [as the] elite player that I know I can be.” The veteran previously spent his entire career in San Francisco, and he spent his final two seasons with the 49ers primarily serving as a defensive tackle.
  • Diontae Johnson acknowledged that he had an issue with a lack of targets during his 2024 stops with the Panthers and Ravens, but the wideout believes he’s in a good spot with the Texans. In fact, Johnson admitted that he was hoping to join the Texans when the Panthers shopped him at the trade deadline. “I was excited because I wanted to come here before when I was about to get traded,” Johnson said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston). “Now that I’m here, fresh start and I’m looking forward to playing.”

Colts Will Interview Dennis Allen For DC Job

January 13th, 2025 at 1:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Colts are planning to interview Dennis Allen for their defensive coordinator position after firing Gus Bradley last week, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Allen was fired as the Saints’ head coach in November after seven straight losses, but his tenure in New Orleans featured significant improvements on defense. The Colts were a bottom-10 defense in points and yards allowed in 2024, so they could look for a similar turnaround under Allen.

The Saints had one of the worst defenses in the NFL when Allen arrived as a senior defensive assistant under Sean Payton in 2015. He was promoted to defensive coordinator during the season and brought the unit out of the cellar. The Saints boasted a top-five defense in 2020 and 2021, earning Allen a promotion to head coach. He maintained that standard with top-10 finishes in points allowed in 2022 and 2023, though the Saints allowed the third-most yards in 2024.

Allen would bring a more aggressive style of defense to Indianapolis compared to Bradley and his predecessor, Matt Eberflus. The Colts have already signaled their openness to such an approach.

“I definitely think there is value,” said general manager Chris Ballard when asked by ESPN’s Stephen Holder about such a change. “You’ve got to be able to affect the quarterback.”

The Colts’ other defensive coordinator candidates also suggest a change in their defensive philosophy. They have already interviewed Ephraim Banda, who coached safeties in Jim Schwartz‘s aggressive Browns defense, and they plan to interview former Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and former Cardinals HC Steve Wilks, who both have histories as blitz-heavy defensive play-callers.

2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team

January 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.

Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to $255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure between $265MM-$275MM.

As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.

Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:

  • San Francisco 49ers: $50.01MM
  • Cleveland Browns: $41.95MM
  • New England Patriots: $34.86MM
  • Las Vegas Raiders: $33.57MM
  • Detroit Lions: $23.73MM
  • Washington Commanders: $19.83MM
  • Dallas Cowboys: $18.84MM
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: $15.89MM
  • Green Bay Packers: $15.11MM
  • Tennessee Titans: $14.72MM
  • Arizona Cardinals: $11.38MM
  • Indianapolis Colts: $10.1MM
  • Seattle Seahawks: $8.42MM
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: $6.83MM
  • Philadelphia Eagles: $6.81MM
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6.63MM
  • Atlanta Falcons: $6.07MM
  • Minnesota Vikings: $5.94MM
  • Cincinnati Bengals: $5.94MM
  • Chicago Bears: $5.08MM
  • Los Angeles Chargers: $4.89MM
  • Houston Texans: $4.81MM
  • Kansas City Chiefs: $3.15MM
  • Miami Dolphins: $3MM
  • New Orleans Saints: $2.93MM
  • Los Angeles Rams: $2.75MM
  • Baltimore Ravens: $2.14MM
  • Denver Broncos: $1.91MM
  • Buffalo Bills: $1.34MM
  • New York Giants: $1.17MM
  • Carolina Panthers: $490K
  • New York Jets: $346K

Chris Ballard: Colts Eyeing QB Addition, Philosophical Shift This Offseason

January 10th, 2025 at 11:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts were considered a team to watch as ‘Black Monday’ approached considering the manner in which their season ended. Despite finishing the campaign at 8-9 and out of the playoffs once again, owner Jim Irsay immediately made it clear both head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard would be retained for 2025.

The latter is well aware Indianapolis fell short of expectations, and when speaking to the media on Friday he acknowledged his roster-building approach played a central role. Ballard’s tenure at the helm of the Colts has been defined in no small part by his preference of keeping in-house players in the fold rather than devoting cap resources to outside additions. This past offseason was no different, with 13 players either being re-signed to a new deal or receiving an extension.

“Right now, we’re not close,” Ballard conceded (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder). “I’m going to make this really clear… Going 8-9, that’s not close. No, I’m not saying we won’t be closer when we get to the start of [next] season. But right now, sitting here today, we’re an 8-9 football team. We’ve got to own that.”

Ballard noted part of the process of ending the Colts’ four-year playoff drought could very well be a change in roster-building philosophy. The likes of DeForest Buckner, Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin each received big-ticket extensions last spring, while Grover Stewart, Kenny Moore and Tyquan Lewis avoided free agency with 10-figure contracts of their own. If Ballard follows through on his plan to shift his strategy, that core could see competition brought in at several positions from outside the organization.

Like all teams, the Colts will make a number of cap-related moves in the coming weeks through cuts and restructures. As of now, though, Indianapolis is on track to have roughly $32MM in available funds once the new league year begins. That, coupled with seven draft picks (including three of the first 80 selections) will prove critical as Ballard looks to supplement the existing nucleus he has constructed.

Of course, another major goal for 2025 will be improved play under center. Year 2 did not go as planned for Anthony Richardson, and the former No. 4 pick was again unable to stay healthy for a full season. Steichen recently said he would be open to bringing in a quarterback (presumably a veteran) capable of competing with Richardson for the QB1 gig. To no surprise, Ballard echoed that sentiment on Friday.

“We can’t beat our head against the wall,” Ballard said. “We’ve got to have competition at the position for, one, competition makes everybody better and, two, [Richardson has] not proven he can play 17 games.”

Joe Flacco – who does not plan to retire – is a pending free agent, so if the Colts elect to go in another direction at the quarterback spot their intentions of looking outside the organization to a larger extent will be put to the test. With Ballard’s seat no doubt warming, it will be interesting to see how he proceeds as the offseason unfolds.

Colts Interview Browns’ Ephraim Banda For DC

January 10th, 2025 at 7:38pm CST by Ely Allen

The meteoric rise continues for Ephraim Banda. The Browns safeties coach has only been in the NFL for two years, and he already has earned his first defensive coordinator interview. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that Banda will meet with the Colts about their open defensive coordinator position.

Banda’s story is an inspiring one of perseverance and never giving up on your dreams. A high school athlete that turned down a few small school scholarship offers to do junior college and walk on somewhere bigger, Banda found himself working as a bartender while taking classes in San Antonio and staying in football shape by playing in amateur leagues. In 2007, Banda finally got his chance when Incarnate Word created a football program. He walked on at 25 years old, but since he wasn’t on scholarship, he had to continue bartending.

Unfortunately, a knee injury ended any hopes of a playing career for Banda. Still, he refused to give up on his football dream, working as a student assistant for the Cardinals in San Antonio while finishing his degree. He earned a graduate assistant position at the University of Texas on the recommendation of an Incarnate Word coach who had been hired by the Longhorns. In Austin, he met then-defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, another upstart coach who came to football after jobs outside of the sport.

He stayed at Texas for three years, even after Diaz was fired, coaching with the program through the transition from Mack Brown to Charlie Strong. Diaz bounced back in 2015 getting hired as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, and Banda joined him in Starkville as a defensive quality control coach. When Diaz was poached by Mark Richt to serve as defensive coordinator in Coral Gables, Banda got his first position coaching job as Miami’s safeties coach.

After three years and sending players like Rayshawn Jenkins, Jaquan Johnson, and Sheldrick Redwine to the NFL, Banda was promoted to co-defensive coordinator of the Hurricanes as Diaz took over the head coaching gig. In 2021, Banda finally parted ways with Diaz, taking the defensive coordinator and safeties coach job at Utah State. He held the role for two years before earning his first NFL job under Jim Schwartz in Cleveland.

In Banda’s two years in Cleveland, the Browns finished first in passing defense in 2023 and 12th this season. He’s managed an impressive safeties group over that time with Grant Delpit leading the group while Ronnie Hickman and Rodney McLeod have filled in for injuries here and there to the other starter, Juan Thornhill.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard has been quoted as valuing a more aggressive approach on defense, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder, something that is likely to affect the team’s coordinator search. According to Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports, the team has also announced that defensive backs coach Ron Milus and linebackers coach Richard Smith will not be returning to the staff in 2025.

With this note, while Banda will be interviewing for the coordinator position, this visit could also serve as an interview for the open defensive backs coaching job, should he fall short. Regardless, the 43-year-old is moving quickly through the coaching ranks of the sport and is a name to watch in the years to come.

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