Volin’s Latest: McDaniels, 49ers, Reich, Jets
As reports continue to trickle in on the NFL’s five head coaching openings, as well as the GM vacancies in Chicago and New York, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe explores the rumor mill and passes along a handful of interesting tidbits in his latest column. Here are the highlights:
- One league source tells Volin that without Jon Gruden or Jim Harbaugh in the mix for any of the current openings, there’s a “dearth of superstar candidates.” The source expects most teams to hire candidates with previous head coaching experience.
- Volin hears from one source the Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will be “very careful” about which opportunities he pursues. The source predicts that the Falcons will be the only club McDaniels seriously considers, given his relationship with general manager Thomas Dimitroff and the presence of a solid, risk-free quarterback in Matt Ryan.
- An internal promotion remains a strong possibility for the 49ers, despite the fact that the team is reaching out to several outside candidates. Volin hears that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a likelier candidate than defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.
- According to Volin, Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich is the “most serious” candidate for the Jets‘ head coaching vacancy in the early stages of that search. Reich is also expected to be a top candidate for the Bills if Doug Marrone decides to opt out of his contract, though Marrone is considered likely to stay in Buffalo.
- One source predicts to Volin that Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin isn’t yet completely safe, in spite of owner Stephen Ross‘ comments earlier this month.
- Former Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland could get a few interviews this offseason, but he has nothing lined up at the moment, says Volin.
Extra Points: Suh, David, Accorsi, Draft
Lions star Ndamukong Suh has a chance of winning the appeal of his suspension, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. If Suh can win the appeal, he’ll be in action for Sunday’s playoff game against the Cowboys. While we wait to see how that plays out, let’s take a look at more news from around the NFL..
- Discussing linebacker Lavonte David, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said the team would “like to lock him up now,” tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, adding that negotiations on a new deal are underway. The 2012 second-round pick becomes extension-eligible this offseason for the first time.
- The Bears announced today that they’ve hired former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi as a consultant as the team searches for a new GM and head coach, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Meanwhile, team president and CEO Ted Phillips confirmed today that besides offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, whose contract was terminated, all of the other Bears assistants are still with the team (Twitter link). That includes defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.
- Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown and Arkansas defensive tackle Darius Philon may be playing their final college games tonight, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link), who says both players are leaning toward entering the 2015 draft. The two players’ teams square off in the Texas Bowl.
- Former star NFL wideout Cris Carter indicated today (via Twitter) that his son, CFL receiver Duron Carter, will visit the Colts on January 5 and the Vikings on January 9.
- According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (all Twitter links), Carter isn’t the only notable CFL player drawing significant NFL attention. Caplan reports that Hamilton Tiger-Cats cornerback Delvin Breaux has 18 teams interested in bringing him in for a visit and/or a workout, including the Eagles, Patriots, Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Cardinals, Steelers, Lions, 49ers, and Broncos.
- Utah offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi announced that he will enter the 2015 draft, as Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports tweets. Poutasi projects as a mid-round prospect.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Wallace, Caserio, Bills
Dolphins‘ receiver Mike Wallace was benched during today’s game against the Jets for what was apparently an attitude problem, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). Breer highlights this as a situation to watch going forward into the offseason.
Wallace is signed through 2017, with cap numbers of $12.1MM, $13.7MM, and $13.7MM the next three seasons. The team would only save $2.5MM by cutting him this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:
- The Patriots extended the contract of director of player personnel Nick Caserio earlier today, and one reason for this could be the opinion of head coach Bill Belichick, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “He contributes in a lot of different ways, and I’m glad I have him. I need him,” Belichick said. “He probably does more than any other person in his position in the league in terms of his amount of responsibility and the number of different things at the coaching and scouting level. He’s really a valuable guy that has great working knowledge of really everything that we do on the scouting end and the coaching end.”
- Bills‘ CEO Russ Brandon and head coach Doug Marrone both confirmed that they do not have any scheduled meetings with new owners Terry and Kim Pegula, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “I’m sure at some point we’ll get into some more in-depth meetings,” Brandon said. “There’s nothing scheduled at this point. I talk to Terry all the time, and I have nothing on the books right now for any meetings.” Marrone confirmed that he had not been contacted regarding a meeting.
- Marrone has three days after the end of the season to opt out of his contract with the Bills due to a change in ownership, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio does not believe Marrone will exercise this clause in his contract.
- Bills‘ running back Fred Jackson earned an incentive of $150,000 in the team’s Week 17 victory over the Patriots, reports Rodak (via Twitter).
Draft Order Set For Non-Playoff Teams
The 2015 NFL Draft is looking clearer now, after the Ravens clinched the final playoff seed in the AFC. That means the 20 teams to miss the playoffs have their orders set.
The Chiefs will pick right after the Chargers based on divisional tiebreakers.
The first 20 picks are as follows, based on overall record and strength of schedule, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.
- Buccaneers
- Titans
- Jaguars
- Raiders
- Washington
- Jets
- Bears
- Falcons
- Giants
- Rams
- Vikings
- Browns
- Saints
- Dolphins
- 49ers
- Texans
- Chargers
- Chiefs
- Browns (from Bills, via trade)
- Eagles
AFC East Notes: Rex, Dolphins, Patriots
We’ve already passed along the news of front office executive Nick Caserio’s extension with the Patriots and a batch of Jets notes, but there’s more news from the AFC East…
- As we’ve heard, the Jets are expected to fire GM John Idzik this week, but Rex Ryan might still have a chance to save his job. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Jets are open to letting the club’s next general manager decide Ryan’s fate. Ryan hasn’t been told that he’s fired, but he’s already cleared out his office. And per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), New York contacted Ryan’s agent to determine the interest of a separate client in the Jets job, so it would be a surprise to see Ryan return.
- Sources tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle’s performance will be assessed after season, leading to speculation that he could be let go. Head coach Joe Philbin declined to give Coyle a vote of confidence last week after it was announced that Philbin would return to Miami in 2015. Under Coyle’s leadership, the Fins finished 10th in defensive DVOA, but 19th in weighted DVOA, meaning the unit got weaker as the year progressed. In a separate piece, Salguero speculates that Ryan could be a fit as the club’s new DC.
- As Joel Corry of CBS Sports points out (on Twitter), Patriots quarterback Tom Brady‘s base salaries for 2015-17, which total $24MM, are now guaranteed for injury and skill because he’s on New England’s roster for Week 17.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe lauds the work done by Bill Belichick, noting that Patriots head man has excelled both in his coaching responsibilities and his front office role. While allowing that this year’s draft class hasn’t produced much so far, Volin writes that nearly every free agent signing or trade orchestrated by Belichick has worked out this season.
- Deep into his Sunday notes piece, Volin rounds up the various performance escalators that are on the line for several key Patriots today.
- After speaking with agent Brian Ayrault, Florio reports (via Twitter) that Ayrault won’t be taking a job with the Bills. Florio had speculated as much earlier in the day.
Breer’s Latest: Black Monday, Texans, Bengals
As we head to the final week of the regular season, Albert Breer of NFL.com has provided his latest notes column, synthesizing news and opinion from around the league. Lets’ dive in…
- The number of head coaches who are fired after the season figures to drop this year, writes Breer, who argues that there aren’t any “slam-dunk” candidates available. For example, the top two coordinators on the market, the Broncos’ Adam Gase and the Seahawks’ Dan Quinn, were virtual unknowns just two years ago. As such, as few as four teams could be looking for new HCs. Said one NFC executive to Breer: “If you’re Miami, do you stick with Joe Philbin, or is the guy who’s replacing Joe Philbin gonna be that big an upgrade?”
- Another reason that Black Monday might be uneventful is that clubs are placing a higher value on continuity. Young players thrive when they’re able to stay in the same scheme for some period of time — if the Dolphins had fired Philbin for example, Ryan Tannehill would be playing under his third offensive coordinator in three seasons next year. As one veteran OC told Breer, “Players are drafted by coaches and the personnel staff for a reason — they met a schematic element those guys had in mind. Most NFL coaches are good at developing people and players, but say that shift comes, then the new coach doesn’t like something about the fit with a guy,” said the OC. “There’s no benefit of the doubt anymore, because he didn’t draft him. So he’s not getting better anymore.”
- The Texans have been quietly impressed with how their season has turned out, writes Breer. Even though the club’s draft class didn’t produce much in 2014, the team was able to find veterans like Ryan Pickett, Kendrick Lewis, and Danieal Manning to fill in holes. If Houston is able to upgrade at quarterback, it could be a formidable unit in 2015.
- Bengals personnel man Duke Tobin deserves credit for finding talent in the draft, and Marvin Lewis should earn praise for developing young players, per Breer, who notes that Cincinnati is now regarded as something of a model franchise. Guard Kevin Zeitler and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, each of whom are former first-rounders who struggled early in their careers, are now playing well, a testament to the team’s vision.
- As Breer notes, there was plenty of skepticism when the Dolphins hired Dennis Hickey as general manager earlier this year. But after making a few shrewd signings in free agency, and nailing his first two draft picks — Ja’Waun James and Jarvis Landry — Hickey looks like a wise choice. He’ll probably still need the club to make the postseason in 2015 in order to keep his job, though.
AFC East Links: Jets, Patriots, Moore
For the second time in two years, the Jets are expected to be in the general manager market, so Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com ran down the potential candidates. At the top of the list are some familiar names: Chiefs’ exec Chris Ballard, Falcons’ assistant GM Scott Pioli, and Patriots’ director of player personnel Nick Cesario. Former Bears’ GM Jerry Angelo and Ravens’ assistant GM Eric DeCosta – who would likely turn down an opportunity to interview with the Jets yet again – are also on the list of names.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:
- Brian Costello of the New York Post offers up many of the same names plus a few more in his list of 15 Jets GM candidates. Beyond a GM change, he feels that the team also requires an overhaul of the scouting department. GM John Idzik has had his last two drafts picked apart, but the Jets’ draft woes go back much further than that. Dating back to 2008, the Jets have gotten weak returns on their draft classes.
- Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com looked at some key contract notes for Patriots players. Quarterback Tom Brady has a big one coming up. Tomorrow at 3pm CT, his base salaries of $7MM, $8MM, and $9MM become guaranteed over the next three years. Sebastian Vollmer, Julian Edelman, and Vince Wilfork also have big incentives on the line this weekend.
- Dolphins‘ backup quarterback Matt Moore is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and his future with the team is uncertain, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. “I’ve enjoyed everything about my time here,” Moore said. “I’m not sure if that’s going to end or if there’s a new chapter. I don’t know yet. When that time comes, I will figure it out then.” Walker writes that Moore is considered to be one of the top backups in the league, and the Dolphins’ salary cap issures and commitment to Ryan Tannehill could force Moore out. “If the situation is right, that will happen,” Moore said of coming back. “If there’s a situation elsewhere that is intriguing, it might also happen. … I’m going to kind of feel my way through it.”
- The Bills had a successful season despite missing the playoffs, starting 8-7 behind EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton and a porous offensive line. Still, new owner Terry and Kim Pegula could make changes during their first offseason with the team, and although head coach Doug Marrone likely did enough this season to keep his job, general manager Doug Whaley could be fired at the end of the year, writes Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News.
AFC East Notes: Vick, Wilfork, Clay
Michael Vick‘s season in New York likely didn’t go as planned, and the quarterback doesn’t sound like he’s anxious for a return to the Jets next season.
“I don’t know, I couldn’t say right now,” Vick said yesterday (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). “I’d have to talk to my agent and see what’s the best situation for me. Obviously, this organization has to do what’s best for them. I really can’t say right now, but hopefully I have a chance to play somewhere and continue to give that effort.”
“I still feel like I can start. I still feel like I can play at a high level, like I said. I think with the right talent around me and good structure I feel like I can win some games.
“I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank. I can’t say it’s five years worth, but maybe it’s a good solid two. I’m just going to train for that, get ready for that and set my mindset. If it doesn’t happen and I have to grind my way back up to a starting position, then that’s what it will be. I think at the end of the day my mindset is to just continue to play football. I love the game. I want to continue to play until it’s all out of me.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the division…
- One thing you can say about Geno Smith is that the quarterback does not lack confidence. Smith told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) that he envisions himself being the Jets quarterback for “a long time.”
- One part of Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork‘s restructured contract called for a $2.5MM boost should the former Pro Bowler play at least 70 percent of the team’s defensive snaps this season. As Tom E. Curran of CSNNewEngland.com points out, if the team decides to sit Wilfork this weekend, he likely won’t reach the required number.
- The Bills released Alan Branch in late August, and he caught on with the Patriots soon after. The defensive tackle has played well in New England, but his former coach isn’t bitter about the player’s production for a rival. “I see him playing with a lot of enthusiasm,” Doug Marrone told Curran. “Obviously we’re happy for him. Obviously, you don’t like playing against good football players and Alan’s a very good football player. You see him making plays and you see him out there having fun and he brings a lot of energy and he’s a solid football player and he’s playing well.”
- James Walker of ESPN.com says Dolphins tight end Charles Clay wants to stay with Miami. The upcoming free agent told Walker that he’d love to ink a long-term extension, and the writer believes there would be mutual interest. However, both sides may have different opinions on the player’s value.
Dolphins Promote Two Players To Roster
As the Dolphins prepare to close their 2014 season against the Jets this Sunday, the team has tweaked its 53-man roster, calling on replacements at two spots. According to the team (Twitter links), offensive lineman Nate Garner has been placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, while cornerback Jamar Taylor has been put on injured reserve. Center Sam Brenner and defensive tackle Deandre Coleman will take their spots, having been promoted from the practice squad.
Brenner, who played seven games for the Dolphins last season, had spent the entire 2014 campaign on the team’s practice squad. Coleman, who started the season with the Jaguars’ practice squad, has been with Miami – either on the team’s active roster or taxi squad – since late September.
The series of transactions leaves the Dolphins with three openings on their practice squad, so we’ll see if more moves are coming later this week.
East Notes: Philbin, Clark, Jets, Vick
Count Jets coach Rex Ryan among those who believes that Joe Philbin deserves to stay on board as Dolphins coach. “I’ll tell you what, it’s obviously great. It’s obviously well-deserved,” Ryan said, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. “He’s a helluva football coach. Obviously, Miami made a great decision bringing him back. I can tell you, going against him, that’s a heck of a football team and that’s a really well-coached team.” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross gave Philbin the endorsement for next season after Miami’s close victory over the Vikings. More from the AFC and NFC East..
- Safety Ryan Clark says that he wants to keep playing beyond this season, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). He has yet to have talks with Washington, however.
- While sources say no decision has been made on GM John Idzik and Ryan, it is clear Jets owner Woody Johnson is seriously considering cleaning house, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. The Jets are 3-12 heading into their season finale.
- Jets quarterback Geno Smith says he’s confident that he’ll be starting for Gang Green in 2015, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). From the outside, it seems likely that the Jets will at least explore other options under center.
- As we’ve heard earlier, Jets quarterback Michael Vick says that he has “a good, solid two years” left in his career (via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com on Twitter).