Jim Caldwell Says He Didn’t Decline Vikings, Raiders Interviews
There were rumblings this week that former NFL head coach Jim Caldwell declined interviews with the Vikings and Raiders regarding their head coaching vacancies. However, Caldwell took to Twitter this morning to deny those rumors.
“I would like to correct an erroneous report that I turned down opportunities to interview for the head coaching job with Minnesota and Las Vegas,” Caldwell said in a statement. “Those reports are not true.
“I have profound respect for both organizations and for the Wilf and Davis families and I did not decline any opportunity to interview with them.”
Caldwell, 66, served as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 before health issues forced him to step aside. Fortunately, he’s said to be back to full health now, and it sounds like he’s ready for his next job.
Between his time with the Colts and Lions, Caldwell owns a career 62-50 record as a head coach with four playoff berths and one Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell’s last stop in Detroit saw him never finish with fewer than seven wins, but he was still canned following back-to-back 9-7 seasons.
This offseason, Caldwell has already interviewed for jobs with the Bears and the Jaguars.
Raiders Expected To Interview 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans
While DeMeco Ryans is surely focused on his showdown with the Packers tonight, the 49ers defensive coordinator has garnered another interview. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Raiders are expected to interview Ryans for their head coaching vacancy.
The former NFL linebacker has been on the 49ers coaching staff since 2017, and he was promoted to defensive coordinator last offseason after Robert Saleh left for New York. During his first season in the role, the 49ers defense ranked third in yards allowed and ninth in points allowed.
We previously learned that Ryans was on the long list of candidates for the Vikings HC job. Indeed, Schefter notes that the defensive coordinator is set to meet with Minnesota on Sunday.
This is the fourth name connected to the job in Las Vegas, with Ryans joining a group that includes:
- Rich Bisaccia, interim head coach (Raiders): Interviewed 1/19
- Jim Harbaugh, former head coach (49ers): Mentioned as candidate; early frontrunner?
- Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Interview requested
NFL Moves To Dismiss Jon Gruden’s Lawsuit
The case of former Raiders HC Jon Gruden‘s lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell has taken another turn. The league has filed for the suit to be dismissed, according to a report from Daniel Kaplan of the Athletic. 
[Related: Jon Gruden Sues NFL, Roger Goodell]
Kaplan notes that the league has actually moved for the case to be taken to arbitration in Nevada state court first, and asked for it to be dismissed pending its decision on arbitration. The league’s written response to Gruden’s suit states that “Gruden sent a variety of similarly abhorrent emails to a half dozen recipients over a seven-year period” besides those sent to former WFT president Bruce Allen. Like those emails, which led to Gruden’s resignation in October, these other ones “denounced `the emergence of women as referees,’ and frequently used homophobic and sexist slurs to refer to Commissioner Goodell, then-Vice President Joseph Biden, a gay professional football player drafted in 2014, and others”.
The response also comments on claims alleging the league leaked the damning emails as a way to get revenge against Gruden due to his remarks against the commissioner. As reported by Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, the league responded that Gruden “primarily assumed the risk that his emails could be circulated beyond the original recipient group, and possessed and distributed by the WFT, NFL and others”. It continues, “to be sure, the NFL and the commissioner did not leak Gruden’s emails”.
The motion details how Goodell had grounds to fire Gruden outright, given the fact that the nature of his emails were detrimental to the league. For that reason, it states, no one at the league office had a motivation to “publicly sabotage Gruden’s career”, as the original lawsuit claims. Instead, it argues, the suit “should be dismissed in its entirety”.
No further developments (such as if the case will proceed to court) will be able to take place until the aforementioned arbitration decision is made.
Jim Harbaugh Would Reportedly Take Vegas HC Job If Offered
Rumors have been constantly swirling around Jim Harbaugh and the Raiders’ head coaching position. While most of the reporting and speculation to date has been centered on owner Mark Davis working to convince Harbaugh to return to the NFL, not much has been said with respect to the latter’s interest in the position. 
According to a report from Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the presumption that the current Michigan HC is the favorite to take over in Las Vegas is certainly warranted from both perspectives. As he writes, there are “multiple sources” inside the school’s program who “think [that] if Harbaugh is offered the Raiders’ head coaching job, he’d take it”.
The 58-year-old’s ties to the franchise date back to 2002, the start of his NFL coaching career. It was then, during his tenure as the team’s QB coach, that a longstanding friendship with Davis began. Feldman also notes that Harbaugh “has family ties to Las Vegas, which is where he met his wife”. Those were some of the factors that made him an early favorite for the HC position, before the Raiders even began conducting interviews.
Recent developments have also pointed towards Harbaugh ultimately being hired. GM Mike Mayock was let go on Monday; one of the effects of that decision is, according to many, an increased likelihood that interim HC Rick Bisaccia won’t return despite his ability to settle down a turbulent season and help guide the team to the playoffs. It has been reported for weeks, of course, that Davis has his sights set on Harbaugh, and has all along. A departure from Bisaccia would only open the door further to Harbaugh being brought in.
Two things are important to keep in mind with this situation. Firstly, Bisaccia interviewed for the full-time HC gig on Wednesday, so he does still have a chance to be retained. Secondly, as Feldman warns, “Harbaugh can be hard to read”. Taking that point into consideration, along with the fact that the Wolverines just had their best season of Harbaugh’s tenure (defeating Ohio State en route to a CFP semifinal appearance), leaves open the possibility that Michigan could try to keep him in place with a new contract.
Ultimately, though, this latest news seems to be another signal that a second head coaching role is in the cards for the former Super Bowl runner-up.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/19/22
We’ll keep track of Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals here:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, CB Breon Borders, CB Nate Brooks, DE Matt Dickerson, TE Alex Ellis, S Javon Hagan, OL Danny Isidora, OL Koda Martin, RB Jaylen Samuels, TE Bernhard Seikovits, OL Eric Smith, LB Joe Walker, TE David Wells, CB Jace Whittaker, TE Deon Yelder
Chicago Bears
- CB Lamar Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- RB John Kelly Jr.
Las Vegas Raiders
- OT William Sweet, WR Javon Wims
New York Jets
- DL Bradlee Anae
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DB Isaiah Johnson, WR Steven Sims
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Football Team
- CB D.J. Hayden
Raiders To Interview Champ Kelly
The Raiders are set to interview Champ Kelly for their GM vacancy on Thursday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Bears’ assistant director of player personnel joins Bengals scout Trey Brown, Colts vice president of player personnel Ed Dodds, and Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler on Las Vegas’ interview list.
[RELATED: Raiders Request GM Interview With Bengals’ Trey Brown]
Kelly began his career with the Broncos and has been with the Bears since 2015, the start of Ryan Pace‘s tenure as GM. The Bears have since parted ways with Pace, but they still held Kelly in high regard, interviewing him for their own vacancy last week. The Broncos and Panthers also looked at Kelly last year, before before hiring George Paton and Scott Fitterer, respectively. And, in 2019, the Jets met with Kelly before going with Joe Douglas.
Ziegler, meanwhile, is set to interview on Friday. His CV includes nine years with the Pats plus time with the Broncos.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/18/22
Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Nate McCrary
Detroit Lions
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Joe Reed
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
- G/T Kayode Awosika, WR Deon Cain, LB Christian Elliss, CB Craig James, DE Matt Leo, DE Cameron Malveaux, S Jared Mayden, CB Mac McCain, LB JaCoby Stevens, TE Noah Togiai, DT Marvin Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DE Daniel Archibong, WR Rico Bussey, DT Khalil Davis, G Nathan Gilliam, G Malcolm Pridgeon, LB Deiontae Scott, K Sam Sloman, DB Linden Stephens, TE Jace Sternberger, S Donovan Stiner, LS Rex Sunahara, WR Tyler Vaughns
Raiders Request GM Interview With Bengals’ Trey Brown
After spending some time with both of the recent spring leagues, Trey Brown is back on the NFL GM radar. The current Bengals exec has caught the Raiders’ attention.
The Raiders, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), sent an interview request to Brown. The former Eagles staffer caught on with the Bengals as a scout last year. While Brown’s current title does not match most others in GM mixes, he has been part of this process before — including with the Raiders.
A six-year Eagles staffer from 2013-18, Brown rose to the position of director of college scouting during his final three years in Philly. This garnered him attention from the Bills, who interviewed the then-32-year-old exec for the GM job that went to Brandon Beane in 2017. The Raiders then interviewed Brown for the job that went to Mike Mayock. With Mayock and Jon Gruden now out of the picture, Mark Davis is eyeing Brown once again.
In between Brown’s Raiders interview and Bengals hire, he spent time with the Alliance of American Football and XFL — with the Birmingham Iron and St. Louis BattleHawks, respectively. Brown, 36, began his NFL career with the Patriots in 2010. Brown joins Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler and Colts VP of player personnel Ed Dodds to receive Raiders interview requests.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
With the Wild Card round complete, another six positions in the 2022 NFL Draft have been confirmed.
One of the most interesting developments relates to the Philadelphia Eagles. After losing on Sunday, their own first round pick has been locked in at No. 19, having already known they would also own the 15th and 16th selections. What the team does with that much draft capital will be one of the most interesting storylines of the draft.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4*
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5*
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4*
* = Remaining playoff teams
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/17/22
Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:
Dallas Cowboys
- OT Isaac Alarcon, LB Devante Bond, DB Kyron Brown, TE Ian Bunting, OT Aviante Collins, DB Tyler Coyle, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Robert Foster, RB JaQuan Hardy, C Braylon Jones, RB Nick Ralston, WR Brandon Smith, RB Ito Smith
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Jordan Brown, G Lester Cotton, DB Kavon Frazier, OL Hroniss Grasu, DE Gerri Green, C Brett Heggie, DL P.J. Johnson, LB Justin March-Lillard, OL Jeremiah Poutasi, RB Trey Ragas, WR Dillon Stoner, WR DJ Turner
New England Patriots
- WR Tre Nixon, K Quinn Nordin, WR Malcolm Perry, RB Devine Ozigbo, G William Sherman, WR Kristian Wilkerson