Latest On HC Candidate Anthony Lynn
Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn was reportedly a “virtual lock” as of this past Sunday to earn the job on a full-time basis, but that’s not necessarily the case anymore. There’s now buzz that Lynn might not even want to take over for his former boss, the fired Rex Ryan, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
The 48-year-old Lynn has options outside of Buffalo, as it’s now official that he’ll interview with the Rams and 49ers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s also conceivable that any of the other teams with head coaching vacancies – the Broncos, Jaguars and Chargers – could court Lynn. Notably, the former running back played in Denver with then-quarterback and now-general manager John Elway. He also began his coaching career there as a special teams assistant in 2000.
Lynn drew some interest in head coaching searches last winter, but he was merely a running backs coach at the time. Then, after the Bills fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman in mid-September, Lynn took over and guided the unit to impressive results. Thanks largely to the NFL’s best rushing attack, the Bills’ offense finished the 2016 campaign 10th in both scoring and DVOA.
On the heels of Ryan’s late-December dismissal, Lynn earned the interim title for Week 17, though the Bills lost in embarrassing fashion, 30-10, to the Jets. In defense of Lynn, the Bills benched starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor for business reasons, leaving the coach with EJ Manuel and Cardale Jones as his only options under center. It now seems possible that could go down as Lynn’s only game as the embattled organization’s head coach.
Coaching Rumors: Rams, Chargers, Patricia
We have six head coaching vacancies and it’s not easy to keep track of every candidate and development in each search. That’s why Pro Football Rumors rolled out the 2017 NFL Head Coaching Tracker this week. Bookmark the page and keep up with every bit of news out of Los Angeles, Buffalo, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, and Jacksonville.
Here’s the latest coaching news from around the league:
- The Rams‘ interview with Panthers assistant head coach Steve Wilks will take place today (Tuesday), a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks the Rams’ first coach interview of this cycle.
- The Chargers have requested to interview Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Broncos, he adds, are expected to do the same. Special teams coordinators are not often considered for head coaching jobs, but we have seen a few serve as interim head coaches. In the past, Toub has been an advocate for special teams coaches to get a chance at running the show.
- Matt Patricia‘s interviews with the Rams and Chargers will go down this weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Patricia, the defensive coordinator for the Patriots, must get his interviews out of the way before the Pats’ first playoff game.
Rams Checking In On Vance Joseph, Kyle Shanahan For HC Job
- The Rams, Bills, and Chargers are requesting permission to speak with Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). We learned earlier today that the 49ers have also expressed interest in Joseph.
- All Rams assistants have been told they are free to seek other employment, freelance NFL reporter Michael Silver tweets. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise since the next coach in L.A. will probably want to bring in a lot of his own guys. Even if the next head coach wants to keep some of the current assistants, it wouldn’t be fair to hamstring them while the search continues.
- The Rams, Jaguars, Broncos, and 49ers will all interview Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan between Friday and Saturday, reports Rapoport (via Twitter).
- The Rams are planning on interviewing Panthers secondary coach and assistant head coach Steve Wilks for their head coaching gig, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). The 47-year-old has been in the NFL since 2008, and he’s also coached for the Bears and Chargers.
[SOURCE LINK]
2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker
Several NFL teams are currently hunting for a new head coach, and amidst reports about interview requests and potential candidates, it’s easy to lose track of the latest updates in the shuffle. So we’ll use this space – which will be updated until every team has hired a new head coach – to keep track of the most recent news and rumors. It can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features.”
Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here’s the current breakdown:
Updated 2-7-17 (10:22am CT)
Buffalo Bills
- Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Hired
- Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed
- Frank Reich, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Was expected to interview; no request submitted
- Kris Richard, defensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interview requested; hired first by Broncos
- Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator/interim head coach (Bills): Interviewed
Denver Broncos
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed 1/7; prefers Denver’s job to others
- Dave Toub, special teams coach (Chiefs): Interviewed
- Anthony Lynn, interim coach (Bills): Could be interviewed; no meeting requested as of 1/5
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Doug Marrone, interim head coach (Jaguars): Hired
- Tom Coughlin, former head coach (Giants): Interviewed
- Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed
- Chip Kelly, former head coach (49ers): Interviewed
- Mike Smith, defensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed
- Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator/interim head coach (Bills): Expected to interview; hired first by Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
- Sean McVay, offensive coordinator (Redskins): Hired
- Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed
- John Fassel, interim head coach (Rams): Interviewed
- Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Sean Payton, head coach (Saints): Rams have interest in trading for him
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interview now unlikely
- Steve Wilks, assistant coach/secondary coach, (Panthers): Interviewed
- Mike Vrabel, linebackers coach (Texans): Permission granted for interview
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Was to be interviewed 1/13; hired by Broncos
- Anthony Lynn, interim head coach (Bills): Will receive second interview
- Doug Marrone, interim head coach (Jaguars): Interviewed
San Diego Chargers
- Anthony Lynn, interim head coach (Bills): Hired
- Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Mike Smith, defensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed; signed extension to stay as Bucs’ DC
- Dave Toub, special teams coach (Chiefs): Interviewed
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Was to be interviewed; hired by Broncos
- Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Was set for second interview, hired as Bills’ HC
San Francisco 49ers
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Hired
- Tom Cable, offensive line coach (Seahawks): Interviewed; withdrew from search
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Was to be interviewed; hired by Broncos
- Anthony Lynn, interim head coach (Bills): Interviewed
- Doug Marrone, interim coach (Jaguars): Team has interest
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed; withhdrew from search
- Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Hired as Bills’ HC
- Sean McVay, offensive coordinator (Redskins): Interviewed
Coaching Rumors: Shanahan, Rams, Broncos
It’s a New Year and a new start for many teams on the sidelines. With a zillion interviews being requested today, we’ll run down the latest coaching rumors and requests here:
- The Rams and Broncos have requested permission to talk to Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, as Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. GM John Elway says the team will consider “three or four” candidates for the job, which means that Shanahan is on the short list. It will be interesting to see if the rocky relationship between Elway and Shanahan’s father, Mike Shanahan, plays a role in his candidacy.
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians confirmed that the Bills and Rams have asked permission to interview offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin (Twitter link via Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic). As previously reported, the Jaguars will interview Goodwin today.
- The Bills will make a push for former Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley as their defensive coordinator, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. La Canfora, like many, expects Anthony Lynn to shed the “interim” title this offseason and take over as head coach.
- The Rams have requested interviews with Lynn and Matt Patricia (Patriots defensive coordinator), according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
- The Jaguars will interview Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith for their head coaching vacancy, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
- Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said teams have contacted Miami about talking to Vance Joseph for head coaching jobs, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets.
Rams Ask To Interview Doug Marrone
The Rams are requesting permission to interview Jaguars’ interim head coach Doug Marrone for their own head coaching job, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
It’s not an automatic that the Jaguars will grant L.A.’s request since Marrone is a candidate to take over as head coach. Marrone had dinner with owner Shad Khan recently to discuss the job and a second meeting is likely on the horizon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Khan has consulted with a number of people about the matter and one Super Bowl-winning coach advised him to promote Marrone (Twitter link).
The Rams are said to be looking to make a splashy hire, and Marrone may be a longshot in a search that will include 8-10 candidates in total. At minimum, however, the request could ratchet up the pressure on Khan and help Marrone’s case for taking over as head coach in Jacksonville.
Reportedly, if Sean Payton and the Saints part ways, Marrone will be in the mix for that job as well.
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Rams To Interview Sean McVay
In a league that is continually going younger on the field, the Rams might take that trend to the sidelines and hire a babyfaced coach. Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay, who is still just 30 years old, will interview with the Rams this week, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. That meeting will likely go down on Thursday, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Josh McDaniels To Interview WIth Rams]
McVay is widely credited with developing Kirk Cousins into a top quarterback and the Rams are eyeing him as someone who could help groom Jared Goff into a franchise guy. Cousins himself has praised McVay for his leadership skills and offensive knowledge.
“I could be here a long time talking about Sean’s help in my development and his ability to call plays for our offense and lead our offense,” Cousins said in August. “In the 2015 offseason I was coming off a year when I had been benched halfway through and was going into the next year with the chance to really only compete as a backup. I was a little disappointed with that and Sean was a great encourager through that process, challenging me to stay the course. I think his belief in me and his support and his encouragement was what enabled me to eventually have the opportunities that I had.”
Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is also a likely interview candidate for Los Angeles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. All in all, the Rams are expected to interview 8-10 candidates.
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McDaniels To Interview With Rams, Jags, 49ers
Josh McDaniels is a popular man. As the Patriots offensive coordinator gears up for the playoffs, he’ll interview for three vacancies towards the end of this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Rams, Jaguars, and 49ers will all speak with the highly sought after coaching candidate. 
[RELATED: Three Teams Reach Out To McDaniels]
Over the weekend, we learned that all three teams reached out McDaniels and we now have confirmation that he will meet with all three. McDaniels is reportedly likely to take a head coaching job this offseason and each of these openings have their perks. The Rams job could be particularly appealing for the Pats’ OC, provided that he has a high opinion of quarterback Jared Goff. McDaniels could instead prefer the idea of resurrecting Blake Bortles‘ career or starting fresh with a quarterback of his choosing in San Francisco.
Last week, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen wrote that McDaniels is not a likely fit for the Jaguars. Regardless, Jacksonville will meet with him this week since this could be the last chance for all interested teams to meet with McDaniels if the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.
2017 NFL Draft Order
The Browns almost blew it yesterday. In the regular season finale, the Browns took the Steelers to overtime before ultimately losing 27-24. Had they won, the Browns would have been picking at No. 2 instead of the top position. Meanwhile, the Jaguars nearly slipped to No. 5, but they held their ground in the draft order when they lost 24-20 to the Colts. Phew.
The playoffs will help determine the bottom 12 picks, but the draft order has now been set for most of the NFL. Here is the list, with ties being broken by strength of schedule:
1. Browns (1-15)
2. 49ers (2-14)
3. Bears (3-13)
4. Jaguars (3-13)
5. Titans (via the 4-12 Rams)
6. Jets (5-11)
7. Chargers (5-11)
8. Panthers (6-10)
9. Bengals (6-9-1)
10. Bills (7-9)
11. Saints (7-9)
12. Browns (via the 7-9 Eagles)
13. Cardinals (7-8-1)
T-14. Eagles (via the 8-8 Minnesota Vikings)
T-14. Colts (8-8) (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens (8-8)
17. Redskins (8-7-1)
18. Titans (9-7)
19. Buccaneers (9-7)
20. Broncos (9-7)
Rams To Pursue Sean Payton Trade
Saints head coach Sean Payton reportedly has “sincere interest” in the Rams’ vacancy, and it appears the feeling is mutual. Los Angeles is likely to ask the Saints for their permission to speak with Payton during the upcoming week, reports Larry Holder of NOLA.com. Now, having just completed their third straight 7-9 season, the Saints would be open to trading Payton, a source told Holder.
If Saints general manager Mickey Loomis does deal Payton, it’s doubtful he’d seek a significant return. The Tom Benson-owned franchise would instead be content with freeing up the $40MM remaining on Payton’s contract. New Orleans hasn’t gotten bang for its buck from Payton lately, as it has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons.
Despite the Saints’ recent struggles, Payton’s tenure in the Big Easy has been a resounding success. The 53-year-old has led the team to a 94-65 record and five playoff berths in 10 seasons, and the crowning achievement during his run with the Saints is their Super Bowl victory to cap off the 2009 campaign. Of course, Payton also missed the 2012 season – in which New Orleans went 7-9 – after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for his role in the Bountygate scandal.
Going forward, Payton’s commitment to the Saints is clearly up in the air. The offensive guru refused to provide any useful answers Sunday to reporters who asked him about status, instead replying, “Next question.” He also met with Loomis after the Saints’ season-ending loss to the Falcons to discuss his future, according to Holder. It now seems that future could be in Los Angeles, which would represent a homecoming for the California native.
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