Bears Interview Titans’ Monti Ossenfort
Today the Chicago Bears announced that they interviewed Monti Ossenfort for the their open general manager position. While not previously mentioned as a candidate for Chicago, Ossenfort has interviewed with the Giants and will interview with the Vikings tomorrow.
Ossenfort has been the director of player personnel in Tennessee for the past two years. Prior to the Titans, he spent 17 seasons in the Patriots’ organization, acting as the director of college scouting in his last six years in New England.
As far as we’ve seen, Ossenfort is the fifth candidate to interview for the open general manager position and Chicago has several other targets who have yet to interview. Follow the updates on all three open general manager positions on our 2022 NFL General Manager Search Tracker.
Vikings Request Permission To Speak With Six More Coaches About HC Job
And like that, we’ve got a growing list of candidates for the Vikings HC job. Following news that the Vikings requested permission to interview Todd Bowles for the gig, we’ve learned that the organization requested permission to interview six additional coaches:
- Jonathan Gannon, defensive coordinator (Eagles) (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter)
- Nathaniel Hackett, offensive coordinator (Packers) (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Cowboys) (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter)
- Kevin O’Connell, offensive coordinator (Rams) (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter)
- Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator (Cowboys) (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers) (via Pelissero on Twitter)
Five of those coaches have already been connected to other HC vacancies, but this is the first reported interview request for Ryans. 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.
Of course, the Vikings may not be sticking with only seven candidates. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin tweets that the Vikings have also explored the candidacy of Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Per Pelissero (on Twitter), the Vikings are hoping to find a replacement for former GM Rick Spielman before they hire a replacement for former HC Mike Zimmer. However, considering the anti-tampering rules, the Vikings only have until Sunday to interview coaches on byes, so they have reason to speak with someone like Hackett ASAP. The Vikings plan to kick off their GM interviews on Sunday, with Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort first in line.
Vikings Request Permission To Interview Todd Bowles
We’ve got our first definitive candidate for the Vikings head coaching gig. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the Vikings have requested permission to interview Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
We haven’t heard a whole lot about potential candidates for the Minnesota HC job since Mike Zimmer was fired. There was a report that Doug Pederson was expected to interview for the gig, but it remains to be seen if that interview will actually happen. With today’s news, we definitively know that the Vikings at least have their eye on Bowles. The defensive guru does have a kinda-sorta relationship to Minnesota’s organization; Bowles and the Wilf family (who own the Vikings) are both from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Plus, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune tweets, Bowles was one of the Vikings’ leading candidates before they hired Zimmer eight years ago.
The DC is turning into a popular name on the HC circuit, as he’s already been connected to jobs in Chicago and Jacksonville. And for good reason, despite the fact that he would be a second-chance HC candidate. Following his Jets exit, he has overseen one of the league’s top defenses in Tampa Bay for the past three years. Bowles’ game plan helped the Bucs ground the high-flying Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
The Buccaneers gave Bowles an extension back in August, but the new pact didn’t “preclude him from taking another head coaching job.” There were rumblings that Bruce Arians would like Bowles to succeed him as Buccaneers head coach whenever he retires, but Arians might stick around too long for that to come to fruition.
Vikings Make Four More GM Interview Requests
4:04pm: More names are emerging on the Vikings’ fast-growing candidate list. The Vikings want to interview Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets. Ossenfort’s name has been tossed around for GM vacancies for a bit now, dating back to his time with the Patriots.
With the Titans since 2020, Ossenfort advanced to the second round of Panthers GM interviews last year. He also has a history with the Vikings. The Minnesota-Morris alum worked as a training camp intern with the Vikes in 2001, Goessling notes.
8:59am: It was reported overnight that another three names have been added to the Vikings’ list of general manager candidates. Two of them are from the Eagles, including one who represents a piece of NFL history.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings have put in a request to interview Eagles VP of football operations Catherine Raiche (Twitter link). That news is ground-breaking, as it is believed to be the first time a woman has been requested to be interviewed for a GM position. Schefter and others have noted that Susan Tose Spencer was the first female GM in NFL history, holding that title from 1983-85, but she was promoted internally to that role.
This doesn’t appear to be the first time that someone has shown interest in Raiche. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes in his annual GM preview that current Browns GM Andrew Berry tried to bring the 32-year-old with him when he left that same VP of football operations role to come to Cleveland. He adds that one of her former colleagues has stated “she will be the first female GM [hire]”. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes that Raiche was promoted to her current position last year, following successful stints in the CFL and XFL which have helped her climb the executive ladder very quickly.
Garafolo also tweets that Eagles director of player personnel Brandon Brown has had an interview requested as well. Brown started full-time in an NFL front office with the Colts in 2015, then came to Philadelphia in 2017. He has spent the past five seasons with the Eagles, and was promoted to his current role – which includes work on both the pro and college scouting levels – in 2021.
Finally, Schefter tweets that the Vikings are requesting to interview Chiefs director of player personnel Ryan Poles. He has already been named as a candidate for the Giants’ open GM position, and was also linked to the Panthers for the same job last season. Poles has been with Kansas City since 2009, where he began as a scouting assistant, and has worked his way up to being a key member of the Chiefs’ font office.
These additions brings the total number of interview requests for the Vikings’ GM position to eight.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/12/22
A number of players continue to sign reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
- QB Ryan Willis
Denver Broncos
- DE Jonathan Kongbo
Detroit Lions
- TE Matt Sokol
Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints
- QB Blake Bortles, C Cohl Cabral, DL Malcolm Roach, DB Bryce Thompson, WR Kevin White, TE Ethan Wolf
Minnesota Vikings
- G Kyle Hinton
New York Jets
Washington Football Team
- DT David Bada
Vikings Request Interview With Bucs’ John Spytek
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, in their search to make their first general manager outside hire in over a decade, the Vikings have requested an interview with Buccaneers’ executive John Spytek (Twitter). Spytek is the current vice president of player personnel in Tampa Bay.
A Midwest-native, Spytek got his start as an operations intern for the Lions in 2004. He became a player personnel intern for the Eagles in 2005, taking only a year to earn a full-time college scouting assistant position. From Philadelphia, he moved to Cleveland to become their director of college scouting. After three seasons in the Browns’ organization, he spent about three more years in Denver before taking a position in the Buccaneers’ front office. He’s currently in his sixth season with Tampa Bay and his 18th in the NFL.
The connection to Minnesota is interesting due to Spytek’s connection to the Kubiak family from his time in Denver. Be sure to track the Vikings’ interest in Spytek and other candidates to replace Rick Spielman here.
Vikings Begin GM Interview Requests
Likely set to hire an outside GM for the first time in over a decade, the Vikings have taken a bit more time to send out their interview requests. But they sent out their first summons Wednesday night.
Browns vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook received a Vikes interview request, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets. Cook has landed on the radar of both the NFC North’s GM-seeking franchises, having interviewed for the Bears’ GM gig Wednesday.
In addition to Cook, the Vikings sent out requests to speak with Patriots senior consultant Eliot Wolf and fellow Browns staffer Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Those two are also on Chicago’s interview list.
Previously in the Packers organization, Cook joined the Browns in 2016. Cook started in the scouting department and rose to the level of assistant pro scouting director, before climbing to his current post in 2020. The Browns were not exactly a sought-after organization for executive talent when Cook arrived, but they have seen multiple execs receive interview requests during this cycle. Both Minnesota’s other two early interview hopefuls worked in Cleveland, where longtime Vikings assistant Kevin Stefanski landed.
Prior to stays in Cleveland and New England, Wolf enjoyed a lengthy Green Bay tenure. The son of Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf, Eliot has been in the GM mix for a few years now. Yet to rise to a GM role, Wolf interviewed for the Packer job that went to Brian Gutekunst. He also was in the mix for the Colts’ GM post in 2017. The Browns’ vice president of football operations, Adofo-Mensah spent time with the 49ers before joining the Browns in 2020. He interviewed for the Panthers’ GM position last year.
The Vikings are seeking to replace Rick Spielman, who had been with the organization since 2006. In addition to the three requests sent out, Colts VP of player personnel Ed Dodds and Chiefs director of football administration Brandt Tillis are potential candidates, ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin tweets.
Panthers Plan To Talk With Vikings’ Klint Kubiak About OC Opening
Matt Rhule appears to be staying put, and the Panthers head coach is now searching for an offensive coordinator to complete his revamped staff. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the Panthers are planning to talk with Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak about the OC vacancy.
[RELEASED: Panthers Eyeing Jay Gruden, Bill O’Brien For OC]
The oldest son of former NFL coach Gary Kubiak, Klint got his start in coaching with Texas A&M in 2010. He got his first NFL job with the Vikings in 2013, and following short stints with Kansas and the Broncos, he returned to Minnesota as their quarterbacks coach in 2019. Kirk Cousins made a Pro Bowl during Kubiak’s first season in the role, and the coach was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021 following the retirement of his father.
While Kubiak’s disciplined offense had the fewest giveaways in the NFL, the offense showed inconsistency throughout the 2021 campaign. The Vikings were middle-of-the-road in yardage and points scored.
“It’s something that we could have done a lot better job of this year,” Kubiak said recently (via Andrew Krammer of the Minnesota Star Tribune). “Being more consistent, sustaining drives, being a better third-down team. That’s the most important that sticks out — being better on third downs.”
In Minnesota, there’s no guarantee that Kubiak sticks around following the ousting of head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
The Panthers fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady in early December, with offensive assistant Jeff Nixon taking over in the role. We recently learned that Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden were among the names that Carolina was eyeing, and there were also whispers that the Panthers would reach out to Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
Vikings Expected To Interview Doug Pederson For HC Vacancy
Doug Pederson is turning into a popular name on the coaching circuit. Per Jason La Canfora (on Twitter), the former Eagles head coach is expected to interview with the Vikings for their head coaching vacancy. We previously learned that Pederson was set to interview with the Bears and Broncos, and he’s already completed an interview with the Jaguars.
[RELATED: Vikings Fire HC Mike Zimmer]
Pederson was actually fired by the Eagles exactly one year ago. Pederson had Carson Wentz playing at an MVP level through the first 14 weeks of the 2017 season, up until his fateful ACL tear. Then, with backup QB Nick Foles under center, he guided the Birds to their first ever Super Bowl ring. Pederson’s final Philadelphia season ended with a 4-11-1 mark, but he remains an attractive candidate nonetheless.
The Vikings decided to shake up their staff yesterday when they fired coach Mike Zimmer (along with GM Rick Spielman). The organization is clearly looking to take it to another level with their new HC. Zimmer ranks third in franchise history with 71 wins and had plenty of regular-season success. However, the Vikings managed only one postseason victory over the past four seasons. The new HC will be tasked with changing the team’s playoff woes.
Pederson is the first reported candidate for the Vikings HC vacancy, but we’ll surely learn of more options over the next few days.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/22
A bunch of teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and these front offices are now starting to prepare for the offseason. Today, a number of players were inked to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:
Baltimore Ravens
- DB Robert Jackson, OT Jaryd Jones-Smith, G/DT Kahlil McKenzie, WR Jaylon Moore, C James Murray, TE Tony Poljan, DB Kevin Toliver, WR Binjimen Victor
Carolina Panthers
- RB Spencer Brown, CB Madre Harper, DL Frank Herron, OL Mike Horton, OL Aaron Monteiro, WR Aaron Parker, FB Giovanni Ricci, WR C.J. Saunders, TE Colin Thompson, QB P.J. Walker
Cleveland Browns
- TE Miller Forristall, G Hjalte Froholdt, TE Nick Guggemos, CB Nate Meadors, G David Moore, FB Johnny Stanton, OT Alex Taylor, DE Curtis Weaver
Denver Broncos
- TE Shaun Beyer, RB Damarea Crockett, WR Travis Fulgham, OT Drew Himmelman, G Zack Johnson, LB Barrington Wade
Detroit Lions
- DE Eric Banks, LB Tavante Beckett, DE Bruce Hector, WR Javon McKinley, QB Steven Montez, CB Parnell Motley, OT Dan Skipper, CB Saivion Smith, TE Shane Zylstra
Houston Texans
- RB Darius Anderson, WR Jalen Camp, G Sam Cooper, DT Michael Dwumfour, OL Jake Eldrenkamp, DB T.J. Green, DE Demone Harris, WR Damon Hazelton, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, FB Paul Quessenberry, OL Jordan Steckler, LB Connor Strachan, LB Josh Watson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Jeff Cotton, RB Nathan Cottrell, OL Coy Cronk, WR Josh Hammond, OL Jared Hocker, WR Tim Jones, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, OL Badara Traore
Minnesota Vikings
- LB Tuf Borland, S Myles Dorn, WR Trishton Jackson, WR Myron Mitchell, CB Parry Nickerson, T Timon Parris, RB A.J. Rose, DT T.J. Smith
New Orleans Saints
- WR Kawaan Baker, LB Sharif Finch, OT Jerald Hawkins, DT Braxton Hoyett, DB Dylan Mabin, DB Jordan Miller, DB KeiVarae Russell, WR Easop Winston
New York Giants
- LB Omari Cobb, OT Devery Hamilton, LB Trent Harris, TE Jake Hausmann, DE Niko Lalos, QB Brian Lewerke, DT David Moamat, WR Travis Toivonen
New York Jets
- K Matt Ammendola, WR Tarik Black, TE Brandon Dillon, OL Grant Hermanns, WR D.J. Montgomery, OL Ross Pierschbacher, DL Hamilcar Rashed, OL Dru Samia, DL Tanzel Smart, OL Isaiah Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Myles Adams, WR Matt Cole, LB Aaron Donkor, T Greg Eiland, WR Aaron Fuller, DT Jarrod Hewitt, CB Michael Jackson, WR Cade Johnson, G Pier-Olivier Lestage, DT Niles Scott, WR Cody Thompson, LB Lakiem Williams
Washington Football Team
- G Zack Bailey, C/G Beau Benzschawel, G Deion Calhoun, DT Tyler Clark, WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR Kelvin Harmon, G Nolan Laufenberg, WR Marken Michel