Rams Hire Sean McVay
It’s a done deal. The Rams are hiring Sean McVay as their new head coach, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com tweets. The Rams have since confirmed the news. It’s a five-year deal for McVay, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports (on Twitter).
[RELATED: PFR’S 2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
McVay, still only 30, is now the youngest head coach in the modern era. On a day where the Chargers announced that they will also be moving to Los Angeles, the Rams have managed to steal the Chargers’ thunder.
“This is an exciting day for the Los Angeles Rams as we welcome Sean McVay as our new head coach,” owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement. “The accomplishments and success that he has rendered in less than a decade in our league are remarkable. I am confident in his vision to make a team a consistent winner and to ultimately bring a Super Bowl title home to Los Angeles.”
McVay, who has three years’ experience as a coordinator, teamed with head coach Jay Gruden to guide the Redskins to the NFL’s third-best total offense and a fifth-place DVOA ranking in 2016. He’s widely credited for turning Kirk Cousins into a top quarterback and the Rams are hopeful that he can do the same for No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. McVay will also get to work with Todd Gurley, a player who has the ability to be an elite running back in the right system.
Now that McVay is in Los Angeles, he will reportedly try to bring Wade Phillips in as his defensive coordinator.
Rams Unlikely To Interview Kyle Shanahan
The Rams probably will not be interviewing Kyle Shanahan, sources tell Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Nothing is finalized with Sean McVay yet, but this could be a sign that things are getting close between the two sides. 
[RELATED: If Hired By Rams, McVay Wants Phillips As DC]
We learned this week that the powwow between Shanahan and the Rams was in limbo because Shanahan has his hands full with preparing for the Seahawks and that obviously hurts his availability. In theory, the Rams could wait for the Falcons’ season to end, but they might not be patient enough. Already, Los Angeles has moved on to the second interview stage with McVay and Bills interim coach Anthony Lynn.
In other Rams news, McVay is apparently looking to bring Wade Phillips in as DC if he’s hired. The Rams also recently received permission to interview Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel. For a full rundown of all head coaching searches, check out PFR’s 2017 Head Coaching Tracker.
Chargers, Rams Meet With Anthony Lynn Again
The Bills’ head coaching job is no longer an option for Anthony Lynn, but he still has an opportunity to land on his feet in this coaching cycle. Both the Chargers and Rams plan to bring Lynn in for a second interview, sources tell ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Chargers Officially Announce L.A. Move]
Lynn is the only coach who was tied to all six coaching vacancies this offseason, but only three jobs remain after the Bills, Broncos, and Jaguars made their hires. It’s not immediately clear if the Niners are bringing Lynn back for a second interview, but the Rams and Chargers have advanced interest in him.
On Wednesday, the Rams gave a second interview to Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay and he is rumored to be the team’s leading candidate at this time. However, the Rams are conducting a thorough coaching search and they will not wrap thing up without further exploring other options, including ones that could get the most out of their defense. In total, twelve candidates have interviewed for the position.
Meanwhile, Lynn is now the first coach to have a second interview scheduled with the Chargers. Patriots DC Matt Patricia, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, Lions DC Teryl Austin, and Bucs DC Mike Smith are also said to be in the mix. McDermott and Vance Joseph are out of the running after accepting head coaching jobs elsewhere on Wednesday.
Chargers To Relocate To Los Angeles
The Chargers will have a new home in 2017: The franchise could announce as early as Thursday that it’s moving from San Diego to Los Angeles, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). In doing so, the Chargers will end their 55-year run in San Diego and join the Stan Kroenke-led Rams, who departed St. Louis for LA last winter.
The Chargers and Rams agreed in principle to a deal last January to share a stadium in Inglewood, which is currently under construction and set to open in 2019. Chargers owner Dean Spanos could have headed to LA then, but he instead kept the franchise in San Diego for 2016 in hopes of working out a new stadium deal there.
Spanos was unable to make anything happen in San Diego, however, as the money the city, the county, the Chargers and the league had combined to commit still fell $175MM short of what a Qualcomm Stadium replacement would have cost. Spanos had until Jan. 17 to strike a deal in San Diego and avoid relocation, but he is abandoning that possibility less than a week before the deadline.
It’s unclear where the Chargers will play the next couple seasons as they wait for the Inglewood facility to open. They could share the Los Angeles Coliseum with the Rams and USC Trojans, though the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., has also come up as a potential stopgap. However, that stadium is only capable of holding 27,000 people. The Chargers called the Coliseum home in 1960, their inaugural season, before relocating to San Diego the next year. That partnership worked out for five and a half decades, but now the Chargers are headed back to where they began.
With the Bolts’ future now known, all eyes will turn to the Raiders, who could also go elsewhere – Las Vegas – by next season. The Raiders were an outside possibility for LA, but that’s now officially off the table. The franchise has until Feb. 15 to file for Vegas relocation, and the league’s 31 other owners could vote on its fate sometime in March.
Latest On Chargers’, Raiders’ Relocation
The Chargers had been facing a Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to join the Rams in Los Angeles by next season, but the NFL pushed that date back Wednesday, per the Associated Press. The Bolts now have until Jan. 17 to choose their fate, and the league is still holding out hope that they’ll remain in San Diego, a source told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. However, the league won’t prevent owner Dean Spanos from relocating the team if he’s unable to find a stadium solution in San Diego, another source informed Acee.
“No one is going to tell Dean he can’t go,” said the source. “They’re going to tell him he shouldn’t go.”
Spanos doesn’t seem eager to leave San Diego, but he also hasn’t made enough progress toward a new facility that would replace the 50-year-old Qualcomm Stadium. As of last week, the Chargers were of the belief that a $100MM to $175MM gap existed between the funds the city, county, league and team were willing to put forth and what a new stadium would actually cost. That remains the case, per Acee, who now lists the figure at exactly $175MM.
The Chargers would welcome more financial aid from the league, but its owners – especially the Rams’ Stan Kroenke – haven’t shown any urgency to make that happen, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). With that in mind, the Chargers are operating as if they’re about to relocate, Acee reports. The franchise has already drafted a press release and planned a news conference, though Acee adds that it did the same a year ago before delaying its LA decision.
The league’s stadium and finance committees met Wednesday to discuss the futures of the Chargers and Raiders, but the latter club was the primary focus.
“There was little to no discussion on the topic of the Chargers,” league executive Eric Grubman revealed.
The Raiders have until Feb. 15 to file for relocation to Las Vegas, where businessman Sheldon Adelson could contribute $650MM to a $1.9 billion stadium. The two sides continue making progress after some previous hiccups in negotiations, tweets Cole, but the Raiders aren’t going to be content to let their Vegas dreams slip away if Adelson backs out.
“The Raiders are looking at the potential of doing [it] without Mr. Adelson if it comes down to that,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who’s also chairman of the league’s stadium committee.
There’s no word on exactly how the Raiders would raise $650MM in Adelson’s absence. The team is set to put forth $500MM toward the cause, while Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Legislature previously signed off on contributing a record $750MM in public funds.
Rams' Meeting With Kyle Shanahan "In Limbo"
- A potential head coaching interview between Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and the Rams is “in limbo,” per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. With the Falcons preparing for a Saturday playoff game against the Seahawks, Shanahan might not have time to meet with the Rams this week, La Canfora adds (Twitter link).
- The Jets will hire Dennard Wilson to succeed the fired Joe Danna as their defensive backs coach, according to Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. Wilson had been with the Rams since 2012, when they hired him as their defensive quality control coach. He became the team’s defensive backs coach in 2015.
If Hired By Rams, McVay Wants Phillips As DC
Things are heating up between the Rams and Sean McVay, so much so that the youngster is already thinking about his potential staff. If hired by L.A., McVay’s top option for defensive coordinator is Wade Phillips, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Phillips has served as the Broncos’ DC for the last two years. Although he has been largely successful in Denver, the team is apparently allowing his contract to lapse. As shown in our Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker, Phillips was contacted about the Browns’ vacancy before the job was given to Gregg Williams and other teams have also been linked to him. No matter what, Wade won’t be out of work for long.
The Rams did alright in terms of defensive DVOA last year, finishing 15th in the NFL. The Rams also have some tremendous players on that side of the ball, including linemen Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn.
Rams Hold Second Interview With Sean McVay
At the age of 30, Sean McVay could be on the verge of becoming the youngest coach in the modern era of the NFL. The Redskins’ offensive coordinator is having a second meeting with the Rams, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Meanwhile, sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) that he is the “leading” candidate for the job. There have been a number of candidates for the Rams’ vacancy, but McVay is the first to receive a follow-up interview.
[RELATED: Rams Get OK To Interview Texans’ Mike Vrabel]
As a head coach, McVay could conceivably be younger than a few of the players on his roster. That doesn’t seem to bother the Rams and it hasn’t precluded the 49ers from considering him for their job either. McVay is widely credited for developing Kirk Cousins into a solid quarterback and that’s the type of acumen L.A. is looking for as they groom No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. Despite his youth, we ID’d McVay as a top ten coaching candidate for the Rams back in December.
So far, there have been 13 candidates identified in the Rams’ search, though only a dozen remain after Doug Marrone was given the job in Jacksonville.
Chargers, 49ers, Rams To Interview Vance Joseph
The Broncos have completed their head coaching interview with Vance Joseph, and the Dolphins defensive coordinator will now continue his busy schedule with three more meetings this week. Joseph will interview with the Chargers, 49ers, and Rams over the course of the next three days, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Joseph, 44, is among the hottest head coaching candidates of this year’s hiring cycle, as five of the six clubs — all but the Jaguars — have requested permission to interview the Miami DC. Joseph will have one interview per day during the next three days, but no date has yet been set for a meeting between Joseph and the Bills, the remaining team that has expressed interest.
Thought to be the favorite for the Denver job after Gary Kubiak announced he was stepping away from the NFL, Joseph has apparently completed his interview without being offered the head coaching position, as general manager John Elway tweeted a message signalling the meeting had come to a close. At last check, however, Joseph was still in the Broncos facility, per Mike Klis of 9NEWS (Twitter link).
Joseph interviewed for Denver’s vacant head coaching position during the 2015 offseason when he was still the Bengals’ defensive backs coach. Though the Broncos ultimately hired Kubiak, the club maintained strong interest in bringing Joseph in as defensive coordinator, but Cincinnati blocked the move. Since that time, Joseph has moved on to Miami, where he’s helped improve the team’s defense from a No. 25 DVOA rank in 2015 to No. 17 this year.
2017 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker
While at least six NFL teams are making head coaching changes this offseason, the number of clubs replacing offensive and/or defensive coordinators figures to be much higher than that. In addition to all those teams hiring new head coaches, who may want to bring in their own assistants, several clubs also figure to make changes on one side of the ball or the other after getting disappointing results in 2016. And, of course, the teams whose coordinators landed head coaching jobs will need to replace them.
With reports circulating on potential candidates, interview requests, and actual meetings, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the latest updates on teams hiring new offensive and/or defensive coordinators. This post, which will be updated daily, can be found under the “PFR Features” menu on the right-hand side of the site.
Updated 2-13-17 (2:30pm CT)
Offensive Coordinators
Atlanta Falcons (Out: Kyle Shanahan)
- Steve Sarkisian, offensive assistant coach (Alabama): Hired
- Chip Kelly, former head coach (49ers): Falcons have expressed interest
- Matt LaFleur, quarterbacks coach (Falcons): Viewed as candidate
- Mike McDaniel, offensive assistant (Falcons): Viewed as candidate
Buffalo Bills (Out: Anthony Lynn)
- Rick Dennison, former offensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
- Brad Childress, co-offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Viewed as a top candidate; out of running?
- Ken Dorsey, quarterbacks coach (Panthers): Interviewed
- Greg Olson, former offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
- Mike McCoy, former head coach (Chargers): Viewed as likely choice
Denver Broncos (Out: Rick Dennison)
- Mike McCoy, former head coach (Chargers): Hired
- Bill Musgrave, former offensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed; named QBs coach
Houston Texans (HC Bill O’Brien will call plays, replacing George Godsey)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Nathaniel Hackett, interim offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
- Chip Kelly, former head coach (49ers): Interviewed
Los Angeles Rams (Out: Rob Boras)
- Matt LaFleur, quarterbacks coach (Falcons): Hired
- Bill Callahan, offensive line coach (Redskins): Mentioned as possible candidate
- Chris Foerster, offensive line coach (Dolphins): Interview requested, permission denied
New York Jets (Out: Chan Gailey)
- John Morton, wide receivers coach (Saints): Hired
- George Godsey, former offensive coordinator (Texans): Could interview
- Matt Nagy, co-offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Mentioned as possible candidate
- John DeFilippo, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Interview requested, permission denied
- Mike McCoy, former head coach (Chargers): Mentioned as possible candidate
- Eric Studesville, Running backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed, withdrew from consideration
Oakland Raiders (Hired/Promoted: Todd Downing, replacing Bill Musgrave)
Washington Redskins (Hired/Promoted: Matt Cavanaugh, replacing Sean McVay)
Defensive Coordinators
Atlanta Falcons (Out: Richard Smith)
- Marquand Manuel, secondary coach (Falcons): Hired
- Jerome Henderson, pass game coordinator (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate
- Raheem Morris, wide receivers coach (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate
- Jeff Ulbrich, linebackers coach (Falcons): Mentioned as candidate
Buffalo Bills
- Leslie Frazier, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Hired
- Al Holcomb, linebackers coach (Panthers): Viewed as frontrunner
Carolina Panthers (Hired/Promoted Steve Wilks, replacing Sean McDermott)
Cleveland Browns (Hired: Gregg Williams, replacing Ray Horton)
- Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Contacted about job
Denver Broncos (Out: Wade Phillips)
- Joe Woods, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Hired
- Reggie Herring, linebackers coach (Broncos): To be interviewed
Houston Texans (Hired/Promoted Mike Vrabel, replacing Romeo Crennel, who was named assistant head coach)
Los Angeles Chargers (Out: John Pagano)
- Gus Bradley, former head coach (Jaguars): Hired
- Ron Milus, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Would have been hired if Bradley went elsewhere
Los Angeles Rams (Out: Gregg Williams)
- Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
Miami Dolphins (Hired/Promoted: Matt Burke, replacing Vance Joseph)
San Francisco 49ers (Hired: Robert Saleh, Out: Jim O’Neil)
- Robert Saleh, former linebackers coach (Jaguars): Hired
- Brian Flores, linebackers coach (Patriots): Mentioned as candidate
- Jerome Henderson, pass game coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed
- Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator (Bears): Expressed interest, move blocked by Bears
- Gus Bradley, former head coach (Jaguars): Mentioned as candidate
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Signed Mike Smith to extension; Smith withdrew name from Chargers’ HC search)
Washington Redskins (Out: Joe Barry)
- Greg Manusky, outside linebackers coach (Redskins): Hired
- John Pagano, defensive coordinator (Chargers): To be interviewed
- Mike Pettine, former head coach (Browns): Interviewed
- Rob Ryan, former assistant head coach/defense (Bills): Interviewed
- Jason Tarver, linebackers coach (49ers): To be interviewed
- Dennis Thurman, former defensive coordinator (Bills): To be interviewed
- Gus Bradley, former head coach (Jaguars): Hired by Chargers
- Romeo Crennel, assistant head coach (Texans): Denied permission to interview
- Paul Guenther, defensive coordinator (Bengals): Denied permission to interveiew
- Steve Wilks, AHC/DB coach (Panthers): Interview requested, promoted by Panthers