Patriots Waive Griff Whalen
- In order to clear a roster spot after claiming Michael Floyd off waivers, the Patriots waived fellow wide receiver Griff Whalen, the club announced today. Whalen, 26, was signed exactly a week ago, but was not active during Monday night’s game agaisnt Baltimore.
Patriots Claim Michael Floyd Off Waivers
Michael Floyd has a new home. One day after being cut by the Cardinals, the wide receiver has been claimed off waivers by the Patriots. 
[RELATED: Patriots Audition Devin Hester]
Floyd was considered a promising not too long ago and the Patriots are hoping that they can get something out of him late in the season. The Cardinals are on the hook for Floyd’s Week 15 salary, so the Pats are responsible for just two weeks of his pay. Floyd gets $430K per week on his $7.32MM salary, so claiming him costs them $861K. If he does well in the final weeks of the season and in the playoffs, he could find a role with the team next year. Alternatively, Floyd could net the Pats a compensatory draft pick if he were to sign elsewhere this offseason as a free agent.
So far this year, Floyd has 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, Floyd has slipped down the depth chart and his DUI was apparently the last straw for coach Bruce Arians & Co.
The 11-2 Patriots are tied for the best record in the NFL with the Cowboys. Since New England had winning successful claim, that means just about every other team in the league passed on adding Floyd for the home stretch of the season.
Patriots Audition Devin Hester
The Patriots brought in return specialist Devin Hester today for a tryout, a source tells Courtney Fallon of NFL Network (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether they will sign him, however. 
[RELATED: Tom Brady Wants To Play Until He’s 45]
Hester, one of the greatest kick returners of all-time, was dropped by the Ravens on Tuesday. Despite his impressive resume, he had a few bad hiccups this year and his decision to not field a punt on Monday night resulted in a safety.
Hester may not be the player that he once was and he can no longer cover up his suspect decision-making with Olympic-level speed. However, the Patriots may still see him as an upgrade over their current options. Some time after Hester’s misstep, Matt Slater fumbled on a kick return and gave the Ravens the ball deep in the Pats’ territory. That quickly led to a Baltimore TD.
Hester was cut loose by Atlanta this offseason and hooked on with Baltimore after healing up from toe surgery. In 2014, he showed that he could still get the job done on the other side of 30. He earned his fourth career Pro Bowl nod as he returned 45 kicks for 1,128 yards and 18 punts for 240 yards.
Tom Brady Wants To Play Until 45
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says that playing until he’s 45 years old is a “great goal” of his, as WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable writes.
Brady is signed through 2019, when he will be 42 years old. Will the Patriots sign him to another deal? That depends on a lot of factors, including his performance and whether they have a succession plan in place involving Jimmy Garoppolo. Last year, we saw Peyton Manning decline sharply in his final season when he was only 39, so Brady will have his work cut out for him.
Patriots Work Out Three Free Agents
- The Patriots worked out three free agents – running back Shakir Bell, defensive tackle Michael Brooks and linebacker Deon Lacey – on Wednesday, tweets Doug Kyed of NESN. The only member of the trio with NFL experience is Brooks, who appeared in one game with the Seahawks in 2013.
Opinion: Blount One Of NFL's Best RB Values
Three running backs have proven to be tremendous values for their respective teams this year, Will Eddowes of Over The Cap writes. That list includes Patriots tailback LeGarrette Blount, who is earning just $1MM on a one-year deal with $100K in full guarantees + $1MM in incentives. The Patriots have been leaning more on the run game this year than they have in recent seasons and that’s partially because of Blount’s effectiveness. The question now is whether the Patriots can retain him for next season. Blount has certainly earned himself a pay raise but the Patriots often prefer to replace free agents with cheaper options. Darren Sproles of the Eagles and Theo Riddick of the Lions are also highlighted as strong values.
10 Coaching Candidates For The Rams
In an iconic scene from season nine of The Simpsons, Krusty the Klown announced his retirement to a scrum of not-so-stunned reporters. 
“But Krusty,” one reporter asks. “Why now? Why not twenty years ago?”
It wouldn’t have been out of place for any Rams beat reporter to channel that sentiment and ask a similar question of COO Kevin Demoff when he addressed the media on Monday. Jeff Fisher‘s dismissal was long overdue and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of the coach’s family who disagrees.
For now, the Rams will turn things over to special teams coordinator John Fassel on an interim basis. While this is ostensibly a chance for Fassel to impress team brass and land the head coaching job for 2017, most are expecting the Rams to hire a name brand coach that will energize the fan base and give the team some additional panache in free agency.
With a few weeks to go between now and the official end of the Rams’ season, here are ten names that could be considered for the job:
Jim Harbaugh, head coach at the University of Michigan: Some say that living well is the best revenge. Others say that the best revenge against your former employer is setting up shop across the street and destroying them. Santa Clara-to-Los Angeles is a lengthy drive, but you get what we’re getting at.
Harbaugh, in theory, could leave his alma mater and crush the 49ers by joining up with a divisional rival. The Rams have reportedly been loafing in practice and Harbaugh is the kind of throwback disciplinarian that the team badly needs. It’s fair to assume that the Rams will get in contact with Harbaugh, but it will be tough to get him to leave his lucrative job in Ann Arbor.
With National Signing Day around the corner, Harbaugh could publicly remove himself himself from consideration if he is not at all interested in an NFL return. Alternatively, if Harbaugh wants to get sweet revenge against the Niners, Stan Kroenke better have his checkbook ready. Signing Harbaugh could cost upwards of $10MM/year and that’s before factoring in his buyout clause with the Wolverines. If Harbaugh bolts, he’ll owe U-M the prorated portion of his $2MM signing bonus. With two of the seven years served, 5/7ths of that amount comes out to roughly $1.43MM.
Click here to read more from Zach Links..
Jaguars Interested In Josh McDaniels?
The Jaguars — and more specifically, Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell — are thought to have interest in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. The Jaguars haven’t definitively signaled that they’ll fire incumbent head coach Gus Bradley, but with Jacksonville sitting at 2-11, the team seems likely to make a change once the season ends.
[RELATED: Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart]
McDaniels, of course, has already had one go-round as a head coach, as he led the Broncos from 2009-10. After beginning his Denver tenure with an 6-0 record, McDaniels proceeded to post a 5-17 record from there on out, losing the team amid reports of micromanagement. He was fired midway through the 2010 campaign, then spent a year with the Rams before returning to the Patriots.
Recent reports have indicated that McDaniels is likely to pursue head coaching vacancies this offseason, and McDaniels himself has stated he’d “love” to be a head coach again. However, some observers believe that McDaniels might stick in New England as a “coach-in-waiting” ready to take over when Bill Belichick retires. Either way, the Jaguars figure to have competition if they pursue McDaniels in the coming weeks, as he’s already been mentioned as a candidate for the Rams’ coaching vacancy.
Now 40, McDaniels was linked to the Titans and Dolphins vacancies last offseason, but never officially interviewed for either position.
Latest On Rams’ Head Coaching Vacancy
Despite recently announcing an extension for Jeff Fisher, the Rams fired their head coach on Monday, installing special teams coach John Fassel as the interim coach for the remainder of the season. The Los Angeles job should be an attractive opening for the latest round of head coaching candidates, and earlier today PFR’s Zach Links examined some of the potential contenders for the opening, listing names such as Jim Harbaugh, Jim Bob Cooter, and David Shaw, among others.
Let’s take a look at some of the fallout, reaction, and speculation regarding the league’s newest head coaching vacancy…
- Calling the circumstances surrounding Fisher’s firing an “organizational failure,” Rams COO Kevin Demoff emphasized that the Rams’ entire decision-making structure will come under scrutiny in the coming weeks, meaning general manager Les Snead could also be in danger of losing his job. “Starting today we’ll have a complete review of the entire organization. We’ll analyze [the front office],” Demoff said, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Snead, like Fisher, recently inked a contract extension, but that shouldn’t stop Los Angeles from cleaning house.
- The Rams job will be among the most coveted head coaching slots in the league, and many offensive minds are already interested in the opening, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (TwitLonger link) and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link). Both scribes identify several factors — a young quarterback and running back, patient ownership, a blank slate, the Los Angles market — that will likely persuade coaches to quickly hand in their résumés.
- While the club does have stars on both sides of the ball in the forms of Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald, reinforcements have been an issue during the Fisher/Snead regime, and Rams coaches had been openly voicing concerns about the lack of depth on the roster, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. That problem might not be alleviated any time soon, especially given that Los Angeles sacrificed a haul of draft picks to move up and draft Jared Goff.
- While Harbaugh’s name has been tossed out as a candidate for the Rams position, the Michigan head coach doesn’t sound as if he’s ready to make the leap back to the NFL. Harbaugh told his Wolverine players that recent rumors about his leaving Ann Arbor are “lies made up by our enemies,” tweets Dan Murphy of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, a source tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that Harbaugh isn’t leaving Michigan right now, and in fact may never leave the Maize and Blue.
- Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is also thought to be a possible suitor for Los Angeles, but the New England play-caller isn’t biting on any attempts to link him to the job. “My focus and my attention is gonna stay right here in the building” McDaniels told reporters, including Phil Perry of CSNNE.com (Twitter link), today.
- Whomever the Rams tap as their next head coach, he should be in place in the next month or so, as Demoff told Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com that LA would “ideally” like to hire a coach by mid-January.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/16
Here are today’s practice squad transactions.
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Darius Kilgo (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)