NFC Coaching Notes: Eberflus, Bucs, Panthers, Giants, Packers
Although Matt Eberflus landed the Bears job because of the Colts’ defensive performance, Chicago’s new HC is planning more of a CEO-type role for himself. Eberflus is not planning to call defensive plays for the Bears this season, via The Athletic’s Adam Jahns (on Twitter). Instead, new Chicago DC Alan Williams will handle that responsibility. Williams, 52, has previous DC experience, working under Leslie Frazier in Minnesota in the early 2010s, and has enjoyed a few tours as a DBs coach. This will be an interesting transition for Eberflus, a first-time HC. It will not be a notable transition for the Bears, who spent much of the past two seasons with their head coach operating in a CEO-type capacity. Matt Nagy handed off play-calling duties to then-OC Bill Lazor in each of the past two seasons.
Here is the latest from the NFC coaching carousel:
- The Buccaneers are set to go through a major transition, with Tom Brady‘s retirement ending a brief but successful era that likely doubled as the second-highest peak in franchise history. But Bruce Arians is not eyeing a rebuild. The fourth-year Bucs HC denied a report that indicated the team would allow assistants to pursue other jobs even if the new positions were not promotions, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman (on Twitter). It looks like Arians will keep both coordinators — Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles — for the 2022 season, so Tampa Bay will still feature considerable continuity despite Brady’s departure and the presumptive exits of some key free agents.
- Circling back to the Bears, the team made some additional hires in recent days. New OC Luke Getsy‘s right-hand man on the Justin Fields front will be Andrew Janocko, Chicago’s new quarterbacks coach. Janocko spent the past seven seasons with the Vikings, ending the run by serving as their QBs coach in 2021. He also worked as the Vikes’ receivers coach and assistant O-line coach at points during his long Minnesota tenure. The Bears also hired James Rowe as their secondary coach. Rowe will come over after serving as the Colts’ cornerbacks coach. David Overstreet, Indianapolis’ assistant DBs coach, will also follow Eberflus and fill the same position with the Bears. Overstreet moved up from the quality control level with Indy in 2021.
- Former Packers offensive line coach James Campen landed a job as the Panthers‘ O-line coach, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Following a 12-year tenure in Green Bay, Campen will begin the 2022 season with a new team for the fourth straight year. He coached the Browns, Chargers and Texans’ O-lines from 2019-21.
- Giants running backs coach Burton Burns is expected to retire, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post tweets. Burns, 69, began coaching in 1981 and spent the past two years as the Giants’ RBs coach — his only NFL position during his career. Fellow college-staff veteran Kevin Sherrer is expected to follow Burns on the way out, per Dunleavy. Sherrer served as the Giants’ linebackers coach last season and migrated to the NFL level, like Burns, for the first time in 2020.
- To replace tight ends coach Justin Outten, who made a big leap to become the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, the Packers promoted John Dunn. Although this is a promotion, after Dunn spent the 2021 season as an offensive analyst in Green Bay, he coached Jets tight ends from 2019-20.
Giants Interview Jim Schwartz For DC
Four former defensive coordinators have now interviewed with the Giants. Jim Schwartz was the latest to do so, going through a virtual meeting with the team Saturday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
A Titans assistant, Schwartz has extensive experience as a defensive coordinator. He gained plenty of intel on recent Giants teams from his five-year post as Eagles DC. The Eagles hiring a new head coach last year ended up sending Schwartz back to Tennessee, where he aided Mike Vrabel‘s staff from a non-DC position this season.
The Giants have now met with Schwartz, ex-Ravens DC Don Martindale, multi-stint DC Teryl Austin and 2021 Bears defensive play-caller Sean Desai. After being prepared to keep Patrick Graham on for a third season, Brian Daboll appears to prefer Graham’s replacement have coordinator experience. Graham agreed to become the Raiders’ DC on Friday night.
Schwartz, 55, is best known for his time with the Lions. Inheriting a team coming off an 0-16 season, Schwartz guided Detroit to a 10-6 slate in 2011. After the Lions fired Schwartz following the 2013 season, he resurfaced as the Bills’ DC before moving to Philly and collecting a Super Bowl ring. The Colts interviewed Schwartz recently but ended up hiring Gus Bradley as their defensive leader.
Giants Interview Teryl Austin For DC
The Steelers interviewed previous Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for their DC role last month. Less than 24 hours after Graham’s decision to leave for Las Vegas, the Giants met with Mike Tomlin‘s top defensive assistant.
Steelers secondary coach Teryl Austin met with the Giants about their DC position Saturday, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets. Austin is both a familiar face to the Giants, having interviewed for their HC job in 2016, and could have a higher-profile role with the Steelers as well.
Austin looms as an option to succeed Keith Butler as Pittsburgh’s DC, though the organization has continued to interview candidates following a report surfaced indicating Austin was on track to land the gig. Austin joins ex-Ravens DC Don Martindale and former Bears DC Sean Desai as Giants DC interviewees thus far. Brian Daboll had hoped to retain Graham as the team’s defensive play-caller, but the Raiders — now run by ex-Graham Patriots coworkers Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler — poached him Friday.
Formerly a defensive coordinator in Detroit and Cincinnati, Austin began his NFL career in 2003 but was a college staffer for over a decade before that. The 56-year-old assistant was once a regular on the HC interview circuit; his last such meeting came in January 2018.
Austin has worked as the Steelers’ secondary coach, while assisting Tomlin in game management, since 2019. With Tomlin having taken over the Steelers’ defensive play-calling role last season, the Giants — who recently hired an offensive-minded HC in Daboll — would offer greater responsibility.
Giants To Hire Eagles’ Brandon Brown As Assistant GM
Howie Roseman will lose another lieutenant from his front office. The Giants are hiring Eagles director of player personnel Brandon Brown to be their assistant general manager, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This move comes barely a week after the Bears hired the Eagles’ other co-player personnel director — Ian Cunningham — to be their assistant GM. Brown will join Joe Schoen‘s front office in New York. Previous Giants assistant GM Kevin Abrams is moving to a different role. He will become the team’s senior vice president of football operations and strategy.
A Giants organization that had either promoted GMs from within or hired familiar faces (in the case of Dave Gettleman) for the previous three decades now has two outsiders atop its front office. In Brown, the Giants are bringing in a young executive and one that has gone through multiple GM interviews. The Vikings interviewed Brown for their GM job last month.
Brown had been with the Eagles since 2017, joining the team ahead of its Super Bowl-winning season after spending two years as a Colts scout. The Eagles bumped Brown up to their pro scouting director post in 2019 and elevated him to VP of player personnel last year. Brown finished his Eagles run by overseeing their scouting department. Brown and Cunningham’s Philadelphia exits come not too long after the Jets and Browns, respectively, hired their GMs — Joe Douglas and Andrew Berry — from Roseman’s front office.
Abrams has since been the team’s assistant GM for the past 20 years, working under GMs Ernie Accorsi, Jerry Reese and Gettleman. The Giants interviewed Abrams for the GM job in 2017.
“Kevin has been and will continue to be an invaluable resource for me and our staff,” Schoen said. “In his new role, Kevin will be assisting with the day-to-day football operation, administration and strategy of the organization moving forward.”
Giants To Interview Don Martindale, Sean Desai For DC Job
With Patrick Graham heading to Las Vegas, Brian Daboll and the Giants are hunting for a new defensive coordinator. Well, it sounds like some contenders are starting to emerge. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Giants will interview Don “Wink” Martindale and Sean Desai for their defensive coordinator vacancy. The interviews will both take place today.
Martindale has been a coordinator for two teams, also serving as the Broncos’ DC during a poor 2010 season. He revamped his reputation with the Ravens, with Baltimore ranking as a top-10 defense from 2018-20. The veteran coach entered the season with lame-duck status in Baltimore, and the two sides ultimately decided to part ways. The Ravens regressed defensively this season, dropping to 25th in yards allowed, but the team dealt with injuries throughout. Before the Giants settled on Graham, “Wink” was a strong candidate for the gig, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (on Twitter).
Desai’s NFL coaching career dates back to 2013. At the age of 38, he already has an impressive amount of experience, with three different roles in the college ranks (including special teams coordinator at Boston College) and, most recently, the DC role he held with the Bears in 2021. With Matt Eberflus electing to bring a familiar face in Alan Williams with him from Indianapolis, though, Desai is in search of a new home.
One of the top young defensive minds in the coaching ranks, Desai’s unit ranked sixth in the league in yards allowed this season, despite injuries to the likes of Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks. That success earned him interest from the Seahawks and Raiders.
Raiders Hire Patrick Graham As DC
The Raiders have agreed to hire Patrick Graham as their new defensive coordinator, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). With that, Graham will make a lateral move from the Giants to work under newly-hired head coach Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas. 
[RELATED: Raiders Name Champ Kelly Assistant GM]
New Giants head coach Brian Daboll wanted to retain Graham as his DC, even though he was a Joe Judge holdover. The two men worked together in New England, but their history wasn’t enough for Graham to stay put. Ultimately, Graham would have liked to stay as the head coach. The Giants and Vikings both had him as a finalist, but he did not land an HC offer in this cycle.
“I have had a good relationship with Pat for some time in this league,” Daboll said at his introductory press conference. “He’s very diligent. He’s smart. I think the players respect him. I have a good working relationship with him. Selfishly, I would love him to be here“.
It’s also worth noting that Graham has even more ties with the Raiders’ new regime — he’ll now work with fellow ex-Patriots in McDaniels and recently crowned GM Dave Ziegler. McDaniels and Graham overlapped in New England from the 2011 postseason through the end of the 2015 season, when Graham left for the G-Men.
Raiders Interview Patrick Graham For DC, Set Up OC Meeting With Drew Petzing
Patrick Graham has generated considerable attention this offseason. After making it to the final round of the Vikings’ HC search, he booked a Raiders defensive coordinator interview.
The Raiders are interviewing the Giants’ DC for the same position Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. They also requested a meeting with Browns tight ends coach Drew Petzing, Zac Jackson of The Athletic tweets. Petzing will interview for Las Vegas’ OC job Saturday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Should Graham’s Raiders interview go well, he may have an interesting decision to make. New Giants HC Brian Daboll wants Graham back as DC, despite the latter being a Joe Judge holdover. Daboll and Graham worked together in New England, however. Graham also has close ties to the new Raiders power structure, having worked alongside Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler with the Patriots. McDaniels and Graham overlapped as Pats staffers from the 2011 playoffs — when McDaniels returned after a one-and-done Rams OC stint — through the end of the 2015 season, after which Graham left for his first run as a Giants assistant.
The Vikings chose Rams OC Kevin O’Connell over Graham, but Graham has now met with three teams — also being up for the Steelers’ DC job that went to in-house candidate Teryl Austin — this offseason. The 43-year-old defensive play-caller will land on his feet soon. The Raiders poaching Graham would force the Giants into other plans.
This upcoming OC interview marks new territory for Petzing, who has been a position coach for the past several seasons. Petzing, 34, has worked with Browns HC Kevin Stefanski throughout his career. After five years with the Vikings, Petzing went with Stefanski to Cleveland in 2020. McDaniels plans to call plays for the Raiders, minimizing their next OC’s role to some degree. The team has its new QBs coach in place already, in Bo Hardegree. The Raiders are also retaining wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett.
Giants To Hire Mike Kafka As OC
The search for Brian Daboll‘s first offensive coordinator seems to be over. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Chiefs quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Mike Kafka is set to be the Giants’ OC (Twitter link). 
Kafka was named by Garafolo as one of three remaining finalists for the role after the Bills (as expected) promoted Ken Dorsey to OC, filling the vacancy left by Daboll going to New York. The other two were reported to be Pep Hamilton, QBs coach/passing game coordinator with the Texans, and Chad O’Shea, the WRs coach/pass game coordinator in Cleveland.
Kafka, 34, was drafted by the Eagles in 2010. After a short playing career, he followed Andy Reid to Kansas City, at first as an offensive quality control coach in 2017. One year later – the season in which Patrick Mahomes took over as the Chiefs’ starting QB – he assumed the role of QBs coach. The enormous success the pair have enjoyed since has generated interest for Kafka to go on to bigger and better things.
It came out two years ago that the Eagles were interested in hiring Kafka as their OC, but he remained in KC. That wasn’t the first time he stayed put, as Garafolo’s colleague James Palmer tweets that “Kafka has been blocked several times in the past”, though he adds that “there was a thought that this offseason that wouldn’t be the case”. Kafka will look to replicate his Chiefs success with Daniel Jones and an offense that struggled mightily in 2021. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that Kafka is likely to handle play-calling duties in New York.
NFC Coaching Notes: Lions, Bears, Giants, Falcons, 49ers
Dan Campbell and the Lions will begin interviewing candidates for the offensive coordinator vacancy this week, reports Dave Birkett of Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). However, tight ends coach Ben Johnson remains the favorite for the job.
Campbell took over play-calling duties from the one-and-done Anthony Lynn midseason, but Johnson’s responsibilities expanded in Detroit, as well. The 35-year-old has spent the past two seasons as the Lions tight ends coach, playing a big role in Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson‘s ascension.
Previously, Johnson served as the Lions offensive quality control coach. He also had a seven-year stint on the Dolphins coaching staff.
More coaching notes out of the NFC…
- The Bears continue to add to their coaching staff. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Bears have hired Tyke Tolbert as their new wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. The 54-year-old coach had spent the previous three seasons as the Giants WRs coach. Tolbert has also had stints with the Broncos, Panthers, Bills, and Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Bears announced that they’ve hired Chris Morgan as their offensive line coach. The veteran coach was the assistant offensive line coach with the Steelers in 2021, and he had a stint as the Falcons OL coach from 2015 to 2020.
- Bobby Johnson will be joining Brian Daboll in New York. According to Michael Silver (on Twitter), the Bills offensive line coach will be joining the Giants coaching staff in the same role. Johnson ended up spending three seasons in Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Giants are hiring Laura Young as their director of coaching operations, reports ESPN’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter). This is believed to be the organization’s “first known woman hire on the coaching side.” Young previously served as the player services coordinator for the Bills.
- The Falcons have hired Michael Pitre as their new running backs coach, the team announced (on Twitter). Pitre held the same role with the Bears this past season. The Falcons have been searching for a new RB coach since Desmond Kitchings left Atlanta to be the OC at Virginia.
- Jon Embree won’t be back as the 49ers tight ends coach/assistant head coach next season, reports Matt Maiocco NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter). Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Embree declined a pay cut to return to San Francisco. The coach had spent the previous five seasons with the 49ers and was often credited for George Kittle‘s development.
Brian Flores Sues NFL, Dolphins, Giants, Broncos
Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos — on Tuesday, alleging racial discrimination, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports. The Dolphins’ decision to fire him after three seasons, along with the Giants and Broncos choosing other candidates in 2022 and 2019, respectively, are at the root of this suit, which he filed in New York.
The Dolphins stunned most by firing Flores after back-to-back winning seasons, but the 2019 season — one in which the team was connected to tanking for the 2020 No. 1 overall pick — comes up frequently in Flores’ suit. The since-fired HC alleges Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him an additional $100K for each loss that season and that GM Chris Grier informed Flores that Ross was mad when the team’s wins down the stretch that season compromised its 2020 draft position. The Ross allegations are particularly explosive, and the Dolphins owner came up in another part of this lawsuit as well.
Miami likely fielded the NFL’s worst roster in 2019, having gutted it at the start of a rebuild, but Flores went 5-11 to push the team’s 2020 draft slot down to No. 5. The Dolphins were connected to Tua Tagovailoa for over a year, but they had changed course and wanted Joe Burrow after his record-setting Heisman campaign. Instead, the Bengals landed the LSU superstar and rebuffed the Dolphins’ attempt to trade up from No. 5.
Flores also alleged Ross wanted Flores to recruit a “prominent quarterback” at the end of the 2019 season — before free agency, which would have violated the NFL’s tampering rules. This, per Flores, included a meeting on a yacht before the legal tampering period. When Flores refused to go through with this meeting, he claims he was met with “treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with.” The Dolphins cited collaboration issues as part of the reason they fired Flores last month.
The unnamed quarterback is believed to be Tom Brady, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). The Dolphins were linked to Brady, whom Flores spent over a decade with in New England, but were not believed to be among the finalists for the future Hall of Fame passer by the time the tampering period began.
The Giants hired Brian Daboll over Flores, who called his interview process with the team “a sham” meant to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates teams interview two minority candidates for HC positions. Flores, who spoke with the Giants before they hired GM Joe Schoen and later interviewed with Schoen and Co. in person, cites Bill Belichick texts about his pursuit of the job in his suit. In the messages, Belichick claimed that he had “Buffalo and NYG that you are their guy.” Flores’ former boss later texted his apologies for misunderstanding the situation. The suit claims Flores’ in-person meeting with the Giants came after they had already decided to hire Daboll, via the New York Post.
Flores also alleges members of the Broncos’ interview contingent, including former GM John Elway, arrived for his 2019 HC interview an hour late and hungover. The Broncos ended up hiring Vic Fangio to replace Vance Joseph that year, leading Flores to Miami. Calling Flores’ account “blatantly false,” the Broncos detailed their 2019 interview process with Flores (via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, on Twitter). The Dolphins and Giants have also rejected Flores’ claims.
Flores conducted a second interview with the Texans on Monday, and the Saints did go through with their interview Tuesday at the Senior Bowl, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett tweets. This lawsuit certainly complicates Flores’ chances of landing a job this year. His suit against the NFL aims, among other matters, for the league to increase the number of Black coordinators, incentivize the hiring and retention of Black GMs, HCs and coordinators and provide transparency of the salaries attached to GMs, HCs and coordinators.
“God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals,” Flores said. “In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.”
The NFL called Flores’ claims meritless in a swiftly released statement. The league changed its Rooney Rule multiple times during Flores’ Miami tenure but currently features just one team employing a Black head coach. Two others — Washington and the Jets — employ minority HCs.
“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the NFL said in a statement, via Rapoport (on Twitter). “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”