AFC Notes: Canty, Ravens, Jets, Bills, Dolphins
Ravens defensive lineman Chris Canty is considering retirement following the team’s 35-31 loss to the Patriots yesterday, reports Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. The 32-year old veteran has one year remaining on his contract.
“I love being a part of the National Football League, but obviously, there’s another side to it,” said Canty. “You have to think about your future. You have to think, ‘Can your body take the pounding going through a regular season and being able to stay healthy?’ The last couple of years I’ve been pretty banged up, so it’s a situation where I’ll take some time away from the game, spend some time with my family and make a decision when we have to make a decision.”
Here are some other notes from around the AFC:
- The Ravens could lose defensive backs coach Steve Spagnuolo, who is a candidate for the Giants’ defensive coordinator opening, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Zrebiec notes that the offensive coaching staff should stay in tact.
- The Jets are still looking to fill their head coaching vacancy, and the team has targeted Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that as long as Jets owner Woody Johnson is content waiting for Quinn to become available, he will be the team’s next head coach (via Twitter). Quinn will join new Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan in this rebuilding project.
- Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has not decided whether he would be interested in staying with the team, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). Schwartz will meet with Rex Ryan once his deal is finalized.
- Dolphins’ wide receiver Brian Hartline is under contract for 2015, but it isn’t certain the team will bring him back, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “I understand there’s a business side,” Hartline said. “So when there is transition, you have to find out if you’re part of that transition or you’re not. Because of that, there’s probably a little bit of unrest that’s new to me that I haven’t experienced before.” Hartline would like to remain with the team.
East Notes: Quinn, Spagnuolo, Hartline
It’s been a busy morning in the AFC East, as the Bills have tabbed Rex Ryan as their new head coach and Greg Roman as their new offensive coordinator, and the Jets are set to name Mike Maccagnan as their new GM. Let’s take a look at some other news from the league’s east divisions this morning:
- If the Seahawks had lost to Carolina last night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Jets were prepared to fly to Seattle to offer Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn their head coaching job.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork takes a look at how the Ryan hiring affects the Jets‘ roster and staffing.
- The Giants would have been interested in Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to fill the same position with Big Blue, but with Schwartz apparently set to remain in Buffalo, Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News writes that New York will interview Bills defensive line coach Pepper Johnson to fill its vacant defensive coordinator job.
- Despite the Giants‘ interest in Johnson, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes that all signs point towards the team’s hiring Ravens secondary coach Steve Spagnuolo as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Spagnulo, of course, won a Super Bowl ring with the Giants as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2007 before becoming head coach of the Rams in 2009. Raanan names former Falcons head coach Mike Smith as a dark horse candidate for the position.
- New Washington GM Scot McCloughlan says that head coach Jay Gruden will have complete control in hiring a new defensive coordinator, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. “The head coach hires the coaches,” McCloughlan said.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald says the Dolphins owe Brian Hartline a quick decision as to whether the team will retain him, release him, or ask him to take a pay cut. In a separate piece, Salguero looks at the uncertainty facing the entire Miami receiving corps.
AFC East Notes: Bills, Ryan, Revis, Dolphins
Today’s thrilling divisional playoff contest between the Patriots and Ravens may end up being the best game of this year’s postseason, and it also ensured that at least one coveted offensive coordinator would become available for head coaching interviews. Josh McDaniels and his New England offense will advance to the AFC championship game, but Gary Kubiak is now free to speak to teams about head coaching positions.
As our head coaching search tracker shows, reports have suggested the Bears, 49ers, and Jets have interest in Kubiak, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that New York still has a request in for an interview. The club is “intrigued” by the Ravens offensive coordinator, per Rapoport. However, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets, Kubiak didn’t say after Baltimore’s loss whether he’d interview for the Jets’ opening, indicating that he’d rather not talk about it today.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- Rex Ryan is expected to be a finalist in the Falcons’ search for a head coach, and at least one report says the former Jets coach has serious interest in the 49ers. Now, it appears we can add the Bills to the list of Ryan’s legitimate suitors — Adam Schefter and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com report that Buffalo conducted a second interview with Ryan tonight in Florida. A source tells Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (Twitter link) that the interest between Ryan and the Bills is mutual, but Buscaglia cautions that it’s too early to tell if things will move forward.
- The Patriots and cornerback Darrelle Revis will meet to discuss a new contract once the team’s season ends, with mutual interest in continuing the relationship, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). Howe adds that the idea would be to rip up Revis’ current contract and work out a new agreement. The star corner didn’t have a great game against the Ravens today, but was one of the Pats’ most important contributors during the regular season.
- After registering a complaint about Washington’s hiring of Scot McCloughan, the Fritz Pollard Alliance – which monitors the NFL’s Rooney Rule – is also concerned about the Dolphins‘ hiring of Mike Tannenbaum. “We believe the Dolphins need to clarify Tannebaum’s role such as what role he has controlling the draft board and his overall duties and responsibilities,” Fritz Pollard Alliance counsel Cyrus Mehri tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Further, they need to explain, given his title, why they think the Rooney Rule does not apply. It appears the Rule applies given his title, but they mistakenly thought it didn’t. If they made a mistake they should own up to it.”
AFC Mailbags: Ravens, Dolphins, Jets, Jags
It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s first take a look at some of the rumbling coming out of the AFC…
- The Ravens can’t realistically expect rookie defensive back Rashaan Melvin to continue exceeding expectations. As a result, Jamison Hensley believes the team should still draft a defensive back, forcing Melvin to compete with Asa Jackson for the fourth cornerback spot.
- If the Dolphins struggle next season, James Walker expects the organization to “clean house.” This would allow new executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum to bring in his own staff.
- When asked which Jets coaches could ultimately stick around for 2015, Rich Cimini points to defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, quarterbacks coach David Lee and running backs coach Anthony Lynn.
- Meanwhile, Cimini has no interest in paying Jets wideout Percy Harvin his $10.5MM salary next season, with the writer suggesting a more reasonable $6MM deal.
- When it comes to some of the notable free agents, Michael DiRocco would support the Jaguars pursuit of wideout Randall Cobb or safety Devin McCourty. However, the writer isn’t as high on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Minor Moves: Thursday
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day, starting with a pair of signings left over from last night:
- Veteran linebacker Ricky Sapp has signed with Washington, according to a Twitter announcement from the team, which also confirmed the previously-reported signing of Austin Spitler. Sapp, who inked a future/reserves contract, was released from the Texans’ injured reserve list in November.
- The Steelers have signed safety Jordan Dangerfield and wide receiver L’Damian Washington to futures deals, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Dangerfield spent some time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad during the 2014 campaign.
Earlier updates:
- Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Giants, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Stanzi, cut by the Jaguars in August, worked out for the Giants in September and finished the season on the Texans’ practice squad.
- Besides signing kicker Zach Hocker, the Dolphins also added wide receiver Michael Preston on a reserve/futures contract, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Preston, who was waived by the Titans at the end of the preseason, worked out for a handful of teams during the season, including Miami in September.
Coach Notes: Philbin, Ryan, Bowles, Trestman
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced last month that the team would be retaining head coach Joe Philbin for the 2015 season, and the next step is to lock up Philbin with an extension. As Aramando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins will indeed make an extension offer to Philbin, to ensure that he doesn’t enter 2015 as a lame-duck coach, and to make sure his price tag doesn’t go up if Miami has a strong ’15 campaign. Of course, if the Dolphins take a step back next season, Philbin could still be dismissed — Ross and the team would just have to eat the remaining cost of his deal.
Here are a few more Thursday coaching updates from across the league:
- Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle is hearing that Rex Ryan‘s first choice is the 49ers, followed by the Falcons (Twitter link). However, it’s not clear if Ryan would be atop the Niners’ list as well.
- The Falcons pushed their interviews for Teryl Austin and Todd Bowles back to Friday and Saturday, respectively, due to the passing of Molly Blank, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That’s why Bowles is meeting with the Bears today instead of Saturday.
- Meanwhile, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says (via Twitter) that the Raiders have been “knocked off” Bowles’ list, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears the Cardinals defensive coordinator is making a “very strong impression” in his head coaching interviews. Bowles met with the Jets yesterday, and had the Bears on tap today, before he moves on to the 49ers on Friday and Falcons on Saturday.
- Following Kyle Shanahan‘s departure from the Browns, Marc Trestman‘s name has come up as Cleveland considers new candidates, and the former Bears head coach would be interested in talking to the team, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
- The Jaguars, on the other hand, aren’t leaning toward Trestman to be their new offensive coordinator, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
- The Giants have requested permission to interview Washington defensive backs coach Raheem Morris for their defensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Noting that the contract of Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver expires in less than two weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) says Tarver is a DC target for some head coaching candidates around the league. The Raiders would like to keep him, but Tarver could choose to pursue a DC job under a new head coach for another team, depending on who lands where.
Coach/GM Notes: Falcons, Bears, Jets, Eagles
According to our head coaching search tracker, there are eight candidates involved in the Falcons‘ hunt for Mike Smith‘s replacement, and if no new names are added to that list, the team’s first round of interviews should conclude tomorrow after a meeting with Todd Bowles. So it makes sense that Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests today (via Twitter) that Atlanta intends to bring in its finalists for a second round of interviews. According to Rapoport, Rex Ryan will be among those finalists, though it’s not clear yet who will join him.
Here are a few more items from around the league related to coaches and front offices:
Coaching:
- Todd Bowles and Frank Reich completed their interviews with the Jets today, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Bowles’ next visit will be with the Bears.
- A Tuesday report indicated that the Bears would likely meet with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position after hiring a new general manager, but despite Shanahan’s past success with Jay Cutler (and Brandon Marshall), he’s not currently on Chicago’s list of candidates, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We’ll have to see if anything changes on that front after the team makes its GM hire.
- After sitting in on the Raiders‘ interview with Shanahan, John Madden is expected to be in attendance for Tony Sparano‘s meeting with the club as well, tweets Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com.
- In the wake of Perry Fewell‘s dismissal, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com offers a few suggestions for the Giants to consider for their defensive coordinator job, including Bills defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, who Graziano thinks could be among New York’s top candidates.
Front office:
- The Bears confirmed that they interviewed Chris Ballard and Ryan Pace for their GM vacancy, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
- Jon Robinson‘s interview with the Jets will take place tomorrow, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- The Jets announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve lined up an interview with Buccaneers personnel executive Jon Robinson for their general manager position. The club also confirmed the candidates they’ve spoken to so far: Chris Grier (Dolphins), Trent Kirchner (Seahawks), Bill Kuharich (Browns), Mike Maccagnan (Texans), Rick Mueller (Eagles), and their own Rod Graves.
- The Jaguars have granted pro director Chris Polian permission to interview with the Eagles for their GM job, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (via Twitter).
- The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL on minority hiring issues, has filed a complaint with the league over Washington‘s general manager search, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Washington spoke to Jets executive Rod Graves about the GM job, but didn’t run the request for permission by the league, and seemed to do it only as a formality while working out an agreement with Scot McCloughan, so as to abide by the Rooney Rule.
- Meanwhile, the Dolphins appear to have evaded a Rooney Rule violation by changing the role of recently-hired Mike Tannenbaum, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains. The club has altered Tannenbaum’s and Dennis Hickey‘s duties since first announcing the hiring, so that Tannenbaum doesn’t qualify as a GM-type hire, meaning the club wouldn’t have needed to meet the Rooney Rule.
Extra Points: Shanahan, Trestman, Ryan
Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will consider leaving the Browns, even for a lateral move, because of friction within the organization, writes Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. Shanahan is aiming to become a head coach somewhere (perhaps in Buffalo) but he’d also like to reunite with his father, Mike Shanahan. The 49ers, Raiders, and Bills are have interest in hiring Mike as a head coach with Kyle as the offensive coordinator. More from around the NFL..
- Washington interviewed Rod Graves on Monday for their GM position, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). By interviewing Graves, Washington has satisfied the Rooney Rule, so that is not a roadblock in their talks with Scot McCloughan.
- Former Bears head coach Marc Trestman will interview for the Jaguars‘ offensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Trestman has already interviewed with the Buccaneers.
- Rex Ryan will be meeting with CBS executives tomorrow to discuss a possible TV role if he doesn’t land a head coaching job, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- The Eagles have requested permission to interview recently promoted Packers exec Eliot Wolf for their personnel opening, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Wolf was recently promoted by Green Bay, ostensibly to keep him in-house as the heir apparent to their own GM job.
- The Eagles requested GM interviews with Chris Grier (Dolphins), Chris Polian (Jaguars), and Brian Gaine (Texans), sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Texans might have interest in former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, according to Dan Pompei of Sports On Earth (on Twitter).
- Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson is scheduled to interview with the Jaguars for their offensive coordinator position on Thursday, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Gaine and Lake Dawson, the Titans‘ vice president of player personnel, completed their interviews with the Bears for their GM opening, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
- Saints GM Mickey Loomis says that the team will take linebacker Junior Galette‘s arrest “very seriously,” as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. “If at some point we deem it necessary for the club to take some action, we’ll do that,” Loomis said.
- Loomis feels that the Saints are in better shape financially, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune (on Twitter). “I would say we’re in a better situation than we were a year ago — on pure salary cap.” He also scoffed at a recent report indicating that he will move into a new role with the team (link).
Reactions To Dolphins Shakeup
Earlier today, we learned that former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum will join the Dolphins’ front office full-time. Tannenbaum, who has been working as a sports agent in recent years, served as a consultant for Miami during the 2014 season. Now, he takes on a much more significant role. Here’s more on that and related news out of Miami..
- Tannenbaum made a point to praise GM Dennis Hickey and coach Joe Philbin on multiple occasions in a conference call with reporters earlier today, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. Still, it’s no secret that this upcoming season is playoffs-or-bust for Hickey and Philbin or significant changes could be made, Walker writes.
- “I don’t think we’re far away,” Tannenbaum said, according to Walker. “I think it’s really critical that we have our self-evaluation of where the roster is. I think it starts with that. … We have to attack our needs aggressively.”
- The Dolphins (on Twitter) announced that Hickey will report directly to Tannenbaum and continue to lead the personnel and scouting departments. He’ll also maintain control of the 53-man roster.
- Beasley (on Twitter) wonders what will happen if Philbin and Hickey want Mike Wallace out but Tannenbaum wants him back in 2015.
- Tannenbaum says he will not be involved in the negotiations of his coaching candidate clients, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. That would include Dan Quinn.
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The Dolphins’ hiring of Tannenbaum to head the team’s football operations is a move that “creates more questions than it offers answers,” writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- In another piece, Walker wonders if the Dolphins truly believe in Hickey.
- A Dolphins official spoke with Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) and said,”I’m surprised you were surprised. No one around the team is surprised one bit.“
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league, including 53-man roster moves by a team still alive in the postseason:
- The Seahawks announced that they have placed defensive lineman Jordan Hill on season ending injured reserve, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. To fill his spot, Seattle signed safety Steven Terrell to the active roster. Jimmy Staten was signed to the taxi squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
- The Colts have placed guard Hugh Thornton, who started eight games for the team this year, on injured reserve, the club announced today in a press release. To replace him on the roster, Indianapolis signed running back Michael Hill, who spent time on the team’s practice squad earlier in the season.
- Like the Colts, the Panthers are still in the playoff mix, but Carolina’s Tuesday move doesn’t affect the team’s 53-man roster — Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets that the Panthers have signed tight end Mike McNeill, who was with the club in training camp, to a reserve/futures contract.
- Former Louisville offensive lineman Alex Kupper signed a reserve/futures contract today with the Bills, according to the team.
- The Dolphins have signed kicker Zach Hocker to a futures deal, according to a tweet from Hocker himself. Hocker was selected in the seventh round of 2014’s draft by Washington.