Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted:G Ryan Hunter
- Placed on IR: S Juan Thornhill (story)
Former Chiefs S Ron Parker Retires
Former Chiefs safety Ron Parker has formally announced his retirement from the NFL. Parker did not play in 2019, so the news doesn’t come as a huge surprise. 
Parker first entered the league as a UDFA out of Division II Newbury College with the Seahawks in 2011. After stops with the Raiders and Panthers, he hooked on with the Chiefs in 2013, where he eventually cracked the starting lineup.
Parker went on to appear in 95 games for KC, including 78 starts. His best work came in 2015, when he notched five sacks and three interceptions as the Chiefs’ starting strong safety. All in all, Parker logged 104 games, 397 tackles, 11 interceptions, and eight sacks.
We here at PFR wish Parker the best in retirement.
Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes Expected To Reach Extension This Offseason
The Chiefs are expected to finalize a new contract with star QB Patrick Mahomes this offseason, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). The two sides have not done much work on an extension yet, but the team does expect a new deal to be in place in the coming months.
Rapoport says Kansas City wants to wait until after the first wave of free agency in March, at which point there will hopefully be a new CBA in place. Before giving Mahomes an inevitably record-breaking contract, the Chiefs want to know exactly how that contract will fit into the league’s collective bargaining framework.
We heard last January that KC was planning to extend Mahomes after the 2019 season, and obviously Mahomes has done nothing this season to suggest he is not worthy of a massive new contract. On the contrary, the third-year signal-caller turned in a second straight stellar campaign despite dealing with a sprained ankle and a scary-looking dislocated kneecap. He missed two games this season, but he still threw for 26 TDs against just five interceptions and lifted his team to a first-round bye.
Given his youth and talent, Mahomes may well land the league’s first $200MM deal. The Falcons’ Matt Ryan is the current standard-bearer in terms of total contract value ($150MM) and fully-guaranteed money ($94.5MM), and it seems likely that Mahomes will easily eclipse both of those figures.
The 24-year-old will lead the Chiefs against the Texans in next week’s divisional round.
Browns To Interview Eric Bieniemy
Eric Bieniemy turned down the Cardinals, but he’s open to joining the Browns. The Chiefs offensive coordinator will sit down with Cleveland brass on Friday afternoon, per a club announcement.
Bieniemy will be the third candidate to meet with the Browns regarding their HC vacancy. On Thursday, the club chatted with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
He won’t be the last to chat with the team, either. Per PFR’s 2020 Head Coaching Search Tracker, there are upwards of ten candidates on the Browns’ radar:
- Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): To interview on 1/3
- Brian Daboll, offensive coordinator (Bills): To interview on 1/5
- Mike LaFleur, pass-game coordinator (49ers): Expected to interview
- Mike McCarthy, former head coach (Packers): Interviewed on 1/2
- Mike McDaniel, run-game coordinator (49ers): Expected to interview
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Expected to interview
- Urban Meyer, former head coach (Ohio State): Mentioned as candidate; team denied interest
- Matt Rhule, head coach (Baylor): Turned down interview opportunity
- Greg Roman, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed on 1/2
- Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator (49ers): To interview on 1/4
- Kevin Stefanski, offensive coordinator (Vikings): Expected to interview
Eric Bieniemy To Meet With Giants, Panthers
Another Andy Reid offensive coordinator is drawing significant interest on the coaching market. After receiving interview requests from the Browns, Giants and Panthers, Eric Bieniemy has set his itinerary.
The Chiefs’ offensive coordinator will meet with the Panthers on Thursday and Giants on Saturday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It is not known if Bieniemy will take a Browns interview.
Bieniemy was part of the 2019 interview cycle, with the Buccaneers, Bengals and Dolphins requesting summits with the Kansas City OC. Should Bieniemy be hired, he would follow Chiefs OC predecessors Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy in landing HC gigs. The former led the Eagles to the Super Bowl LII championship; the latter was last season’s coach of the year. Reid’s coaching tree has proven to generate good hires.
Although the Chiefs fared well under Pederson and Nagy, they’ve certainly hit another gear during Bieniemy’s tenure. While the Reid-Patrick Mahomes partnership receives most of the credit for the Chiefs morphing into one of the league’s most explosive offenses, Bieniemy has served as K.C.’s OC during each of Mahomes’ two years as starting quarterback. Reid serves as Kansas City’s primary play-caller, but his seventh-year assistant has played a role in elevating the Chiefs to two straight playoff byes.
The Giants will also meet with Mike McCarthy and Cowboys secondary coach Kris Richard for their latest HC vacancy. They are interested in Baylor’s Matt Rhule as well. They have also requested interviews with Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge and Ravens defensive boss Don “Wink” Martindale. The Panthers have met with McCarthy, requested an interview with Josh McDaniels and are also interested in Rhule.
Latest On Browns’ Head Coaching Search
The Browns’ GM search is underway. On Tuesday, the Browns fired John Dorsey (or, mutually agreed to part ways with the veteran exec, depending on who you ask).
Before that, the Browns axed first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens. After that, the Browns wasted little time in requesting interviews. Here’s the latest on the names being considered for the job:
- 49ers’ run game coordinator Mike McDaniel is likely to interview with the Browns, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). No date has been set yet, but McDaniel figures to be one of three SF coaches to get a look. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur will also reportedly be interviewed this weekend.
- In addition to that Niners trio, the Browns have also requested an interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, as Schefter tweets. It’s shaping up to be a busy bye week for Bienemy, who has also drawn interest from the Panthers and Giants.
Black Monday Rumors: McDaniels, Bieniemy, Browns
The Giants have fired head coach Pat Shumur, the Browns have fired head coach Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland GM John Dorsey‘s fate is up in the air, Bruce Allen is out with the Redskins, Ron Rivera looks like he’s in, and we have a lot more to pass along:
- The Giants are rumored to be targeting Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, but they have requested an interview with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that the Panthers have also requested a summit with Bieniemy, a branch of the fruitful Andy Reid coaching tree whom Reid feels is ready for an HC job.
- We heard this morning that the Browns have requested an interview with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, and they also want to interview Ravens OC Greg Roman, per Schefter (via Twitter). Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets that Cleveland is expected to interview Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski again. Stefanski was a finalist for the Browns’ HC job last year before they elected to hire Kitchens.
- Schefter says the Browns have asked permission to interview 49ers DC Robert Saleh (Twitter link), and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says the team plans to interview Mike McCarthy as well (Twitter link). Cleveland had an interview scheduled with McCarthy last year, but by that time, the club had already zeroed in on Kitchens, so the interview never happened. McCarthy and Dorsey worked together in Green Bay, so Dorsey may be rooting for a McCarthy hire.
- In addition to the Browns, the Giants and Panthers have also requested interviews with McDaniels, as Schefter tweets.
- Despite recent reports indicating that he wants to stay in Baltimore, Ravens DC Don “Wink” Martindale is generating a great deal of HC buzz, as Rapoport tweets. If he is hired, Martindale would want to pluck LSU passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Joe Brady from the collegiate ranks to be his OC. If you’ve watched college football this year, you can’t blame Martindale for that choice.
- Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will meet with owner Shad Khan tomorrow to discuss his fate, as NFL insider Adam Caplan tweets.
Chiefs S Juan Thornhill Tears ACL
The Chiefs had a big Sunday, picking up a first-round bye in the playoffs thanks to their win over the Chargers and the Dolphins’ upset of the Patriots. Unfortunately they didn’t escape Week 17 unscathed, as starting safety Juan Thornhill went down with a knee injury that was later revealed to be a torn ACL, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Needless to say, the injury will keep Thornhill out of the playoffs. The Chiefs drafted Thornhill in the second round back in April, and he started all 16 regular season games for them. The rookie was a huge part of the defense, playing an every-snap role. Kansas City’s pass defense has quietly been playing really well this season, and Thornhill had formed a great safety duo with veteran Tyrann Mathieu.
Thornhill will finish his first season as a pro with 59 tackles and three interceptions. It’s a big blow as the Chiefs gear up for their playoff run. The Virginia product’s absence will leave a huge hole in a defense that had been peaking recently.
Head Coach Search Updates: Rivera, McCarthy, Panthers, Candidates
Former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera will not be unemployed for long. An earlier report noted that Washington had “strong interest” and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that sources close to Rivera expect an agreement to form quickly and could even come together in the next couple days. Aside from Washington, Rapoport notes that some teams that are considering firing their head coach (like the Giants) have Rivera circled as a top target if they do create an opening.
Rivera served as the head coach in Carolina from 2011-2019 and led the team to a 73-63-1 regular season record and a 3-4 postseason record. A linebacker in his playing days with the historic 1980s Bears defenses, Rivera has always been a defensive-minded coach. Prior to his time with the Panthers, he had served as a linebackers coach with the Eagles and Chargers and as the defensive coordinator for the Bears and Chargers.
Here’s some more notes from the NFL coaching carousel:
- As the Panthers look to replace Rivera, former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has emerged as a one of the leading candidates to take over in Carolina. According to Rapoport, McCarthy has already interviewed with the Panthers twice and did very well. Given the strong reputation of Rivera, a candidate like McCarthy, with a long resume (that includes a Super Bowl title) may be more desirable to franchise brass. With that said, Rapoport noted that Carolina plans to interview some younger coaches as well including Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy among others.
- While some teams have already begun their head coaching searches, the hiring search process will heat up as soon as teams complete the regular season. For an in-depth primer on the wide variety of coaches that could be in line to become head coaches this season, take a look at Rapoport and Tom Pelissero’s detailed list of coaches to know, which includes short descriptions on the most prominent names. The list breaks candidates into categories from former NFL head coaches to first-timers and even examines some college coaches.
Chiefs Place Spencer Ware On IR
The Chiefs have placed running back Spencer Ware on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. To fill his spot on the roster, the club activated defensive tackle Xavier Williams from IR. 
Ware returned to the Chiefs on December 3rd, but his stay was short-lived. At the time, starter Damien Williams was hampered by a rib injury, but he returned to action last week. The Chiefs now have three healthy RBs in Williams, LeSean McCoy, and sixth-round rookie Darwin Thompson.
Ware spent four years with the Chiefs between 2015 and 2018. The LSU product had his best season in 2016, when he ran for 921 yards and three scores on 214 carries. He also added another 33 receptions for 447 yards and two touchdowns that season. Ware sat out the 2017 campaign recovering from a torn PCL and knee damage, and he saw a reduced role for the Chiefs in 13 games last year.
He signed with the Colts back in April, but ankle surgery landed him on PUP, then the free agent pile in September. In this run with the Chiefs, Ware carried the ball 17 times for 51 yards in three games.
The Chiefs will enter the playoffs as the AFC West champions. They still have a outside shot at a first-round bye if they beat the Chargers, but they’ll also need the Dolphins to defeat the Patriots.