Panthers’ Julius Peppers Retires From NFL
Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers announced his retirement from football on Friday morning. The 39-year-old is hanging ’em up after 17 seasons in the league. 
Peppers leaves the game after a storied career and the fourth-most sacks in NFL history. Many thought Peppers would have continued to play for at least another season to jump to third on the all-time list – his 159.5 sack total is just half a sack behind Kevin Greene.
“Anybody who knows me knows I’m not big on words and I don’t like to put myself out there, so I’m just gonna get right to it,” Peppers wrote in a piece for The Players’ Tribune. “Seventeen years is a long time to be playing this game. It’s two careers for a lot of people. I’m thankful that I have been able to play so long and still be healthy. I’m not all banged up and beaten down. I still feel good. But as much as I would love to play forever, I know that I can’t. It’s gotta end at some point. That point is now. Today, I’m retiring.”
The UNC product was a star from the get-go as he tallied 12 sacks in 12 games as a rookie. He spent his first eight years in the league with the Panthers, but when the two sides couldn’t agree to terms on a new deal in 2010, he joined up with the Bears on a six-year, $91.5MM deal. Later, he hooked on with the Packers before returning home to Carolina in 2017.
“In getting to know Julius over these past months, I’ve learned that he is a man of few words. When he speaks, everyone listens. With that in mind, I will be brief. He’s one of the best to ever wear a Carolina uniform,” new Panthers owner David Tepper said in a statement released by the team. “He carries himself with dignity, integrity and class, and will always be a Panther.”
Peppers was hoping for something better than back-to-back 7-9 seasons to wrap up his career, but he came full circle nonetheless and excelled on a personal level. He notched eleven sacks in ’17 and was still productive last season with five QB takedowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Peppers graded out as the No. 21 DE in the NFL last year (tied with Ryan Kerrigan and Michael Bennett).
We here at PFR wish Peppers the best in retirement.
Cowboys Promote Kellen Moore To OC
The Cowboys have filled their offensive coordinator post, and it will be Kellen Moore who will take over for Scott Linehan. The team announced Moore, rumored to be the frontrunner for this post, will become an OC in his second season as a coach.
Jon Kitna will be the team’s new quarterbacks coach, taking over for Moore. The latter’s playing career did not conclude until after the 2017 season, and it is now fair to label Moore, at 29, as one of the fastest-rising assistants in NFL history.
Moore is expected to call plays next season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Jason Garrett was initially rumored to reclaim play-calling duties, but the Cowboys prefer their head coach in a CEO-type role on game days. Dallas will be taking a gamble on an inexperienced coach, who will be flanked by Kitna — a high school head coach until being brought back to Dallas this month. Moore and Kitna served in their new roles at the Pro Bowl, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.
The Cowboys made Dak Prescott a major part of this process, and the three-year starter again gave Moore a ringing endorsement, despite his lack of coaching credentials.
“He can be crazy-creative,” Prescott said, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “From the time he was a player to his time now, he sits over there, we’re watching plays and he’ll draw a play up and say, ‘Hey, this is a complement off that.’
“I mean that was the main reason I pushed for him to be the quarterback coach in the first place because I knew the intelligence he has in the game, how smart he is, how creative he can be. He’s a phenom when it comes to the game.”
Both Moore and Kitna, like Garrett, served as Cowboys backup quarterbacks for a time. Moore and Kitna started games with the team this decade. Kitna, 46, finished his career in 2011 as Tony Romo‘s backup, playing that role for two seasons. Moore was not turned to as frequently, last playing in a game in 2015. But the Cowboys kept the former Boise State standout around as a third-stringer through the 2017 campaign.
Over the past three years, the Cowboys’ offense regressed from fifth to 14th to 22nd — both in scoring and yardage — and the team wanted to promote from within to see if it could improve. No outside candidates were believed to have been interviewed, though tight ends coach Doug Nussmeier — a college OC from 2008-17 — will take on more responsibility.
Redskins Promote Kevin O’Connell To OC
Two years ago, the Redskins lost their young offensive coordinator to the Rams. They are pivoting back in that direction. Washington promoted quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell to OC on Tuesday.
Two-year OC Matt Cavanaugh will remain with the franchise, being set to shift to a senior offensive assistant role.
Cavanaugh took over for Sean McVay after he took the Rams’ HC job. Now, the 33-year-old O’Connell will be one of the Redskins’ top assistants and continue his climb through the coaching ranks. The former quarterback began his coaching career in 2015, overseeing the Browns’ QBs, and will become a first-time OC. Jay Gruden added “passing game coordinator” to O’Connell’s title in 2018.
It is not yet known if O’Connell will call plays for the Redskins next season, but John Keim of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) it may be heading in that direction. Cavanaugh did not call plays during his two-year run as Washington’s OC, but McVay did when he was in that position.
The Redskins’ QBs coach for the past two seasons, O’Connell received an interesting assignment in 2018. Washington lost both Alex Smith and Colt McCoy for the season and turned to Mark Sanchez in the emergency situation. When Sanchez faltered, workout veteran and AAF-affiliated Josh Johnson took his first NFL snaps in seven years. In three starts, Johnson helped Washington win a game — over the Jaguars, the only contest the Redskins won post-Smith.
Cavanaugh, 62, worked as Washington’s quarterbacks coach under McVay for two seasons before his promotion. These past two slates marked his first work as a coordinator since the mid-2000s, when he was the Ravens’ OC for six seasons. Washington finished 29th in scoring this season, though the team lost two quarterbacks and was without several linemen, but was 16th during Kirk Cousins‘ final D.C. season.
Redskins Expect Alex Smith To Miss The Entire 2019 Season
The Redskins are expecting Alex Smith to miss the entire 2019 season with his leg injury, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Washington’s team president Bruce Allen recently gave an update on Smith’s status to the media, and he didn’t sound overly positive, so this isn’t shocking news.
Allen said the team is going to explore all options with respect to potential new quarterbacks, and also added that the team still likes Colt McCoy. McCoy was initially inserted as the starter when Smith got hurt, but soon went down with a season-ending leg injury of his own. Smith recently made his first public appearance since the gruesome injury, and had a bulky apparatus on his leg.
Soon after Smith got hurt in a Week 11 game against the Texans, news came out that he was battling an infection in his leg. The updates only got worse from there, and we heard last month that he was unlikely to be ready for Week 1 of 2019. With the news that the team is expecting him to miss the entire season, it’s fair to wonder if Smith will ever be able to return, as there has been consistent concern since the injury that it could be career-threatening.
Thanks to the four-year contract extension he signed in 2018 shortly after he was acquired from the Chiefs, Smith is under contract with the Redskins through the 2022 season. The 34-year-old is set to carry a $20.4MM cap number in 2019. The Redskins pick 15th in this Aprils’ draft, and could be a candidate to draft a signal caller. Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins is currently projected to be off the board by then, but Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Missouri’s Drew Lock could be potential targets at 15.
Chiefs To Hire Steve Spagnuolo
The Chiefs will hire Steve Spagnuolo as their new defensive coordinator, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a reunion for Spagnuolo and Andy Reid – Spags started his NFL coaching career in Philadelphia under Reid years ago and now joins him in Kansas City. 
Bob Sutton was fired this week after the Chiefs’ heartbreaking exit in the AFC Championship Game. Soon after, the loud and lovable Rex Ryan was connected to the job, but former Giants and Rams coach won out over the ex-Jets coach, who may or may not have been a real contender anyway.
Spagnuolo didn’t coach in 2018, but he is highly respected around the NFL for his work as the Giants’ DC. The 59-year-old also comes with head coaching experience, as he led the Rams from 2009-11. We didn’t hear his name much in this cycle, but he was connected to the Broncos’ DC job at one point.
Sutton’s Chiefs D struggled in 2018 while the offense ascended to new heights. Clearly, there’s real potential for the Chiefs with quality pieces like Eric Berry, Justin Houston, and Dee Ford (if he’s re-signed) and Spagnuolo gets to re-enter the league with a plum job.
As the Giants’ DC, Spagnuolo’s defenses finished in the top 10 in 2007, 2008, and 2016. If the Chiefs can get anywhere close to those results, they’ll be very happy with their new hire.
Ravens, John Harbaugh Agree To Extension
John Harbaugh‘s new deal is finally done. On Thursday, the Ravens announced the signing of a fresh contract for their head coach. It’s a four-year extension that will take him through the 2023 season.
Harbaugh and the Ravens began discussing an extension early in January, but things took a bit of time to come together. Ultimately, the two sides were able to hash things out after a few weeks. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely that the new deal will position him as one of the highest paid head coaches in the NFL.
In this cycle, multiple teams were said to be mulling trades for Harbaugh that probably would have called for the forfeiture of draft compensation. The Buccaneers and Dolphins gave it real thought, but they wound up hiring Bruce Arians and Brian Flores, respectively.
Harbaugh, 56, is 114-77 for his career and ranks fifth in wins among active coaches. Three straight Ravens playoff absences — and a 40-40 record from 2013-17 — moved him close to the chopping block, but the switch to Jackson (and Baltimore’s defense returning to elite status) transformed a 4-5 team to a 10-6 division champion. This past season marked the Ravens’ seventh playoff appearance under Harbaugh.
Cardinals Re-Sign Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald will return for his 16th season. On Wednesday, the Cardinals announced that Fitzgerald is back in the fold with a brand new one-year deal. 
“No player has meant more to this franchise or this community than Larry Fitzgerald,” said Cardinals President Michael Bidwill. “In my discussions with him, it was clear that he is as driven and passionate as ever. We are thrilled he’ll be back for 2019.”
Fitzgerald was once again on the fence about retirement, but it appears that the team’s hiring of Kliff Kingsbury helped convince him to continue playing.
“Hell of a coach. … Look at his resume,” Fitzgerald said this week. “He’s innovative offensively. That’s the wave of the future right now, so I’m excited for the chance to meet him.”
Fitzgerald, 36 in August, was held to just 69 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns last year as the Cardinals’ offense sagged. If the Cardinals are able to get back on track and balance things with David Johnson, Fitzgerald will likely be able to get back to his old form. In 2017, his age-34 season, Fitzgerald managed 1,156 yards off of 109 catches with six TDs.
Fitzgerald, in theory, could have tested the open market, but he has repeatedly stated that he’s only willing to play in Arizona.
Chiefs Fire DC Bob Sutton
The Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, according to a team announcement. Sutton was rumored to be on the hot seat after the Chiefs’ heartbreaking exit in the AFC Championship Game. 
One can’t help but wonder whether Sutton would still be in charge if Dee Ford hadn’t accidentally lined up in the neutral zone prior to the Patriots’ snap. In any event, Sutton is out, and the team’s overall inconsistent defense this past season is the main reason for his ouster.
“Bob is a good football coach and a great person,” head coach Andy Reid said in a statement. “He played an integral role in the success of our team over the last six seasons. I’ve said before that change can be a good thing, for both parties, and I believe that is the case here for the Chiefs and Bob. This was not an easy decision, but one I feel is in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward.”
Despite the Chiefs’ defensive struggles in 2018, the gig is viewed as one of the most valued defensive jobs in the game. With a world-class offense, the Chiefs should be right back in the Super Bowl mix in 2019, and the continued health of star safety Eric Berry should go a long way towards helping the cause.
Chiefs Plan To Extend Patrick Mahomes After 2019; Mahomes Could Earn $200MM+
The Chiefs are expected to pursue extensions for a few key members of their roster this offseason, and it makes sense for the club to get those commitments out of the way, because it will have a particularly big order of business to take care of after the 2019 season. At that point, quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be eligible for a long-term extension of his own, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Kansas City is expected to work out a second contract with him before the 2020 campaign.
That contract, per Schefter’s sources, could be the league’s first $200MM deal. If that’s the case, Mahomes would dwarf Matt Ryan‘s recent extension with the Falcons, which has a total value of $150MM, and Schefter suggests that Mahomes’ new pact would include an average annual value that far eclipses Aaron Rodgers‘ $33.5MM mark.
Mahomes is also expected to become much more visible this offseason, according to his agent, Leigh Steinberg. Mahomes will likely be named the league’s MVP this season, but Steinberg has instructed Mahomes to keep a low public profile to this point. Now that his client has taken the football world by storm, Steinberg says that Mahomes is in line for multiple marketing deals and television commercials.
Speculatively, Kansas City could attempt to frontload expected extensions for players like Tyreek Hill and Chris Jones to create more flexibility when Mahomes cashes in. Mahomes, just 23, passed for 5,097 yards and a league-leading 50 touchdowns in 2018, and he will lead the Chiefs against the Patriots in a much-anticipated AFC title game this afternoon.
A Super Bowl appearance or two will only increase Mahomes’ otherworldly asking price.
Rams To Discuss Extension With Sean McVay
Rams head coach Sean McVay has been remarkably successful in his brief tenure with the club, and his run with LA has compelled other teams in search of a head coach to look for candidates with his personality and background and to give serious consideration to younger coaching talent.
And although McVay still has three years remaining on the five-year contract he signed with the Rams in January 2017, the two sides are expected to discuss a contract extension in the offseason, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. The soon-to-be 33-year-old is probably near the bottom of the head coaching pay scale at the moment, given that he became the youngest head coach in the modern era when he signed his contract, but any extension will likely catapult him up that list.
The Raiders’ Jon Gruden is making $10MM per season, the Seahawks’ Pete Carroll just signed an extension giving him $11MM per year, and it would not be a surprise to see McVay land somewhere in that stratosphere if he and the Rams finalize their own extension in the coming months. If he leads the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance, and certainly if he leads them to a Super Bowl victory, his price will only increase.
After all, he has become the face of the franchise in many respects, and he has helped make the Rams a hit not only in the Los Angeles market, but on the national level as well. With the team set to open a new stadium in 2020, adding some time onto McVay’s present deal makes sense.