Dolphins Unlikely To Express Interest In Eli Manning
Although the Dolphins have already been linked to a possible offseason acquisition of Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Miami is “highly unlikely” to pursue Manning given the club’s investment in fellow signal-caller Ryan Tannehill, team sources tell Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but first is the subject of whether Manning will even be available during the offseason. The Giants fired both general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo on Monday, meaning another group of decision-makers will be leading the club next year. Manning is under contract through 2019 with cap charges north of $22MM in each of the next two campaigns, and his deal also contains a full no-trade clause.
If Manning does hit the free agent or trade market, the Dolphins would make — on the surface — make sense as a potential destination, especially given the presence of head coach Adam Gase. Gase worked with Eli’s brother, Peyton Manning, for three seasons in Denver, meaning he should have a familiarity with the Manning clan.
While there’s almost no chance Jay Cutler returns to South Beach in 2018 given that he ranks in the bottom-five of nearly every quarterback metric, every report has indicated Tannehill will be back next season. In October, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Miami still thinks “extremely highly” of Tannehill and plans to utilize him as its starting quarterback next year. While there haven’t been any recent health updates on Tannehill (who tore his ACL in August), his injury timeline should allow him to recover in time for the start of the 2018 campaign.
Tannehill, 29, is under contract through the 2020 season, although he’s essentially working on a “pay-as-you-go” deal. The Dolphins could cut ties at any point over the next three years without incurring greater than $5MM in dead money.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/2017
Today’s practice squad updates:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Jeremy Liggins
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Cameron Lynch
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB David Rivers, DE Jonathan Woodard
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Derrick Mathews
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: WR Tevaun Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Cody Riggs
- Waived: RB Dare Ogunbowale
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Cameron Jefferson
Giants Place LB Jonathan Casillas On IR
The Giants have placed linebacker Jonathan Casillas on injured reserve and promoted wide receiver Darius Powe from their practice squad, the club announced today. New York also waived linebacker Nigel Harris from injured reserve, tweets Dan Duggan of NJ.com.
Casillas, who is dealing with injuries to both his neck and his wrist, didn’t play against the Raiders on Sunday, and has missed four games total this season. When he was on the field, the 30-year-old Casillas wasn’t effective: Pro Football Focus ranked Casillas as the single worst run-defending linebacker in the NFL, and while his pass defense mark was a bit better, Casillas still placed as a bottom-10 ‘backer overall. He’ll hit the open market next spring when his three-year contract expires.
Powe, who went undrafted out of Cal in 2016, has never appeared in an NFL game, as he’s spent the entirety of his pro career on the Giants’ practice squad. On a roster now devoid of weapons, Powe could certainly see playing time down the stretch behind Sterling Shepard, Roger Lewis, Tavarres King, and Travis Rudolph.
Gettleman Viewed As Giants GM Candidate
Inside the NFL, former Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman is perceived as the most likely candidate to take over the same job with the Giants, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. While that’s far from naming Gettleman as an official candidate for New York position, it’s a sign that the early link established between Gettleman and Big Blue wasn’t misconceived. Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi — whose New York career overlapped with Gettleman’s for a decade — is consulting the club on its GM hunt.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/17
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Spencer Paysinger
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jared Norris
Chicago Bears
- Promoted to active roster: LB Howard Jones, OL Cameron Lee
Houston Texans
- Promoted to active roster: TE MyCole Pruitt, WR DeAndrew White
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: C Anthony Fabiano
New York Giants
- Waived from injured reserve: DE Evan Schwan
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted to active roster: C Joey Hunt
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted to active roster: T Mike Liedtke
Giants Reinstate Eli Manning As Starter
It’s official – the Giants are going back to Eli Manning as their starting quarterback, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). Manning will be under center this weekend as the Giants face the Cowboys in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Mired in a lost season, the Giants made a daring move to bench Manning on Sunday in favor of Geno Smith. The decision ended Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive NFL starts and caused an uproar among Giants fans. There’s little doubt that the ensuing controversy sped up the inevitable for coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese.
At 2-10, the Giants aren’t playing for much this year, but the outcome of these next four games will help shape the offseason. If Manning plays up to par, it’s conceivable that he could return as the starting QB in 2018, though that might require some healing between the two-time Super Bowl champ and team ownership. Manning remains under contract through next season, but the team must decide whether to keep him before his $5MM roster bonus comes due on March 18.
Manning, 37 in January, has completed 62.5% of his passes with 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions this year. He currently ranks as the 18th best quarterback in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics have not been a big fan of his work over the last five seasons. In 2011 and 2012, however, he rated as a top five passer in the NFL.
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that Manning would be reinstated as the Giants’ starting quarterback.
Notes on Abrams and Other Gm Candidates
Now that the Giants front office and coaching staff is set to go through a number of changes after the firing of Jerry Reese and Ben McAdoo, there’s a ton of speculation of who could be the person put in charge to bring the franchise back to perennial success.
While many people think the hire will come outside the organization, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network thinks interim GM Kevin Abrams should not be overlooked as the Giants begin their search.
- Apart from Abrams, Mike Sando of ESPN.com speculated a few candidates from outside the organization who could be contenders for the Giants general manager and head coaching gigs. Sando names front office guys like Nick Caserio from the Patriots, former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman and former Colts President Bill Polian. He also highlights many well known up-and-comers such as Eric DeCosta (Ravens), George Paton (Vikings), Eliot Wolf (Packers) and Terry McDonough (Cardinals) among many others. Sando added that former GM’s Scott Pioli (Falcons) and John Dorsey (free agent) could be intriguing hires as well. In terms of potential head coaching candidates, Sando names guys who were on the teams original list back before they hired McAdoo prior the 2016-17 season. This would include current coordinators like Teryl Austin (Lions) and Mike Smith (Buccaneers). An under-the-radar name to watch is Texans defensive coordinator, Mike Vrabel, who is best known for his time leading the Patriots defense to Super Bowl titles.
Latest On Giants’ Coach, GM Search
Ben McAdoo‘s stint in New York was short and ended without a championship, but he did make history in his own way. McAdoo was at the helm for just 28 regular-season games, giving him the lowest total by a Giants head coach since 1930 (as noted by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, via Twitter). In that season, Benny Friedman spent two games as a co-player-coach.
Starting today, the Giants are officially looking to fill vacancies at head coach and GM. Here’s the latest out of New York/New Jersey:
- Giants owner John Mara says his “very strong preference” is to have a separate head coach and GM. However, he does not rule out a dual role if the right candidate emerges (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY).
- Mara says that both interim hires (GM Kevin Abrams and head coach Steve Spagnuolo) will be interviewed for the full-time jobs (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com). Personally, I don’t think the odds are in Spagnuolo’s favor, even though he is well-regarded by the organization. After a disastrous 2017 season, it seems more likely that the Giants will opt for a reset when it comes to the next head coach.
- Reese was not responsible for the firing of Tom Coughlin and subsequent hiring of McAdoo, Kinkhabwala tweets. When Coughlin was fired, Reese advocated for two candidates over McAdoo.
- Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi has agreed to serve as a consultant in the GM search, Mara announced (Twitter link via team). The owner added that it is possible that a GM hire will be made before the season is through, noting that the team already has some names in mind (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).
- Mara says that McAdoo is the one who initially came up with the plan to bench Eli Manning (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson).
Giants Fire GM Jerry Reese
The Giants are now in search of both a new head coach and a general manager. The Giants have fired GM Jerry Reese, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Giants Fire Ben McAdoo]
There is precedent for head coaches and GMs to be fired on the same day, but not necessarily during the season. In one fell swoop, the Giants have canned coach Ben McAdoo as well as the man who constructed his roster.
“This season has been incredibly disappointing for the organization and our fans, and while it would be ideal to make these kinds of decisions at the conclusion of the season, we simply felt now is the time to prepare for a fresh start,” owner John Mara said in a statement released by the team. “I have great respect for both Jerry and Ben. Jerry has worked tirelessly for this franchise for 23 years. He has always communicated in a straight forward and honest manner.”
Although the Giants have enjoyed great success during Reese’s tenure – including two Super Bowl championships – he has made some perceived blunders in recent years. His timidity in moving up on draft day has left the Giants with some serious busts in the top rounds. This past offseason, he failed to strengthen the Giants’ offensive line even though it was one of the team’s most glaring needs.
Reese has been with the Giants organization since 1994, meaning that he’ll have to find a job elsewhere for the first time in 23 years. Ten years after coming on board as a scout, Reese became the team’s Director of Pro Personnel in 2004. Then, in 2007, he was promoted to GM.
Giants’ assistant general manager Kevin Abrams will take over as GM for the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of team’s moves tells Kinkhabwala (Twitter link). Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been appointed as the team’s new interim head coach.
Giants Fire Ben McAdoo
Giants coach Ben McAdoo has been fired (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). His dismissal comes in the midst of a disappointing season, but also less than one year after leading his team to the playoffs. 
[RELATED: Giants Fire GM Jerry Reese]
The Giants will install defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as the team’s interim head coach. Meanwhile, Giants’ assistant general manager Kevin Abrams will serve as the GM for the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of team’s moves tells Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link).
“Steve and I spoke after yesterday’s game in Oakland and agreed to talk again today,” said owner John Mara in a statement released by the team. “Ben, as a first time head coach, continued up until this morning to do everything in his power to give us a chance to win. I know the public perception of both these men is not positive, but within these walls, you could not ask for two better professionals.”
This marks Spagnuolo’s second stint as an NFL head coach. After making a name for himself as the Giants’ DC years ago, he went on to become the head coach of the Rams. Things didn’t go as planned in St. Louis, unfortunately, as his teams went a combined 10-38 in three seasons. While he remains highly respected in coaching circles, it’s fair to wonder if he is the right guy for the Giants’ top job given their defensive struggles this year.
Heading into the season, the Giants believed that they had the talent necessary to contend in the NFC East. Instead, a slew of injuries early in the year – including several in the wide receiver group – hurt them early in the year. The offense slumped without Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall, but the front office apparently feels that a lack of leadership was also to blame.
Last week, McAdoo was slammed by fans when Geno Smith was installed as the starter for Sunday’s game over Eli Manning. The decision to give Smith a shot over the franchise hero was not exclusively McAdoo’s, but it seems that he is being made to be the fall guy. Smith had his moments against Oakland, but ownership has decided to clean house after watching the Giants fall to 2-10 on the year.
McAdoo first made a name for himself nationally as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach in Green Bay. In 2014, he joined Tom Coughlin‘s staff as the offensive coordinator for the Giants. Two years later, the Giants pushed Coughlin out and installed McAdoo as the head coach. At the time, the Giants felt that they were choosing the coach best suited to guide Manning. That wasn’t the case in hindsight, but other teams had serious interest in hiring McAdoo, including the rival Eagles.