Saints TE Ben Watson Plans To Retire
It sounds like Ben Watson will play in his final regular season game on Sunday. Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune reports (via Twitter) that the veteran tight end is planning on retiring at the end of the season.
The 38-year-old has been incredibly durable throughout his 15-year career. Watson appeared in at least 12 games in 13 of his 15 seasons, and he had at least 20 receptions in 12 of those campaigns. The 2004 first-round pick spent the first six years of his career with the Patriots, including New England’s Super Bowl run in 2004 (although he won on the IR during their playoff run). Watson then spent three seasons in Cleveland before finding a home in New Orleans; the tight end has spent four of his past six seasons with the Saints (he also had a two-year stint with the Ravens).
Watson has been particularly productive during his tenure with New Orleans, including a 2015 campaign where he compiled a career-high 825 receiving yards. Watson re-joined New Orleans on a one-year, $2MM deal back in March, and he’s appeared in 15 games (four starts) for the Saints this season, compiling 33 receptions for 371 yards and two scores (including Drew Brees‘ 500th career touchdown pass).
Despite being up there in age, the veteran has still graded out as one of the better tight ends in the NFL. Pro Football Focus currently ranks Watson 21st among 70 eligible tight ends, with the site giving him particularly high scores in receiving and pass blocking.
In his career, Watson has 528 receptions, 5,856 receiving yards, and 44 touchdowns. The veteran has also appeared in 11 career postseason games, hauling in 21 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns. The tight end has been a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and he’s a former winner of the Bart Starr Award.
Packers Interview Chuck Pagano For HC
In addition to Jim Caldwell, the Packers have also interviewed former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano for the team’s head coaching vacancy, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein tweets. 
In June, Pagano, 58, told reporters that he was hoping to return to the sidelines soon after being fired from Indianapolis following a 4-12 season in 2017.“I’ve got a couple years left in me. I’ve got unfinished business. I’d love to have another opportunity, I just love being around the guys, being on grass and competing.”
He could get his wish with Green Bay, which has interviewed at least him and another former Colts head coach in Caldwell.
In his first three seasons in Indianapolis, Pagano led the Colts to back-to-back-to-back 11-5 seasons in Andrew Luck’s first years in the league. He then authored consecutive 8-8 campaigns before finishing 4-12 while Luck missed the entire season with an injury.
As Silverstein notes in his tweet, Pagano has significant ties to the Packers’ current staff, having worked with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine in Baltimore and having hired Green Bay’s current interim coach Joe Philbin with the Colts.
Pagano spent this season as a consultant for the NFL working with officials.
Jim Caldwell Has Interviewed For Packers HC
Just before Christmas, it was reported that former Lions and Colts head coach Jim Caldwell would be a head coaching candidate in 2019. Just a few days later, he has apparently already interviewed for the vacancy in Green Bay, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports (Twitter link). 
The vacancy, of course, is the helm left after the team fired longtime head coach Mike McCarthy earlier in the season. A longtime quarterbacks coach, Caldwell would seemingly be a solid addition to work with Aaron Rodgers. In his career, Caldwell has worked with franchise quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford.
However, Rodgers seemingly put his support behind interim head coach Joe Philbin after this past week’s win, according to Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal.
During his run as a head coach, Caldwell has amassed a 62-50 record and delivered three winning seasons in four campaigns with Detroit after the team logged just two such seasons in the previous 16 years before his arrival.
Before that, Caldwell was a longtime assistant with the Colts who became Indianapolis’ head coach in 2009 after Tony Dungy retired. He guided his club to an AFC championship in his first season at the helm and the Colts lost the Super Bowl that year. They returned to the playoffs in 2010, but finished 2011 with a 2-14 record after the season-long injury to Manning and Caldwell was fired at the end of the season.
Caldwell is a Wisconsin native who was born and raised in Beloit, just across the border from Illinois.
Phillip Lindsay Has Ligament Damage In Wrist
Broncos rookie running back Phillip Lindsay‘s season came to an end on Monday, as tests revealed he suffered ligament damage in his injured wrist vs. the Raiders, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets. In addition to missing the season finale, Lindsay will also likely be sidelined for the Pro Bowl. 
The damage to the ligaments are described as significant, and he will receive a second opinion on a possible scaphoid fracture according to 9News’ Mike Klis (Twitter link). The duration for his recovery has not been outlined but is expected to be a lengthy one, as surgery is likely.
“I was just going through a play and it got hit and it just got numb a little bit,” Lindsay said. “They took precaution and felt that I should stay out … they decided it was probably smart for me to sit out.”
It’s a crushing blow for Lindsay, who became the first undrafted rookie offensive player to be selected to the Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018. After splitting carries as a change-of-pace back early in the season, the Colorado product moved into a prominent role with his first start in Week 8 and held the role through Week 16. He finished the season with three 100-yard rushing efforts and touchdown runs in six of his final nine games.
One of the league’s best bargains, Lindsay is signed through the 2020 season at a total remaining salary of $1.2MM.
D.J. Swearinger Claimed By The Cardinals
It didn’t take long for former Redskins safety D.J. Swearinger to find a new suitor. Less than a day after being released by Washington, the veteran defender announced he was joining the Cardinals in a post on Instagram. 
The Cardinals had priority for waiver claims and didn’t want to take the chance on the South Carolina product being tabbed by another team.
In the post, Swearinger addressed his release from the Redskins after he criticized defensive coordinator Greg Manusky’s playcalling in a loss at Tennessee.
“I Gave That Organization My Heart And Soul And They Spit In My Face For Giving My Opinion Only To Better The Team!! Right Wrong Or Indifferent I’ve Found My Peace And Learned From It And I Am So Excited To Go Back To The Sunny Desert Arizona Like I Never Left!”
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden addressed Swearinger’s release by saying:
“We made it pretty clear that we try to keep our business within these walls,” Gruden said, “and we’ve had many a talk before about that and unfortunately he chose to go to the media again and talk about his displeasure with some of the calls. I know Coach Manusky works extremely hard, as does the rest of the staff, to put together a game plan, and unfortunately we didn’t get it done.”
By joining the Cardinals, Swearinger returns to Arizona where he spent parts of two seasons before joining Washington. In 2016, the defender impressed with 64 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks, earning him a three-year, $13.5MM deal with the Redskins. The Redskins will save $4.5MM off their 2019 salary cap with the move, and the Cardinals will be responsible for paying his $176K paycheck for Week 17.
Seahawks Sign Pete Carroll To Extension
The day after Pete Carroll steered the Seahawks to another NFC playoff bracket, he signed an extension to stay with the team long-term.
The Seahawks announced they now have their head coach under contract through 2021. This deal will be worth more than $11MM per year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), keeping Carroll among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches.
Carroll’s previous Seahawks contract, signed in 2016, ran through next season. Both Carroll and GM John Schneider are now locked up through 2021. Contract talks began last week, Carroll said (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, on Twitter) and obviously progressed quickly.
The most successful coach in Seahawks history, Carroll has now piloted teams to the playoffs in seven of his nine Seattle seasons. Given the expectations going into this season, this latest berth may be the veteran coach’s most impressive work. Viewed as a rebuilding team after jettisoning many Super Bowl-era cornerstones, the Seahawks are 9-6 and likely set for the NFC’s No. 5 seed. Seattle has defeated other playoff-qualifying teams, its best win coming Sunday night against likely AFC No. 1 seed Kansas City.
The oldest active NFL head coach at 67, Carroll said at the end of last season he was not considering retirement. Carroll retooled his coaching staff, replacing coordinators Darrell Bevell and Kris Richard with Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr., and helped oversee significant roster turnover. The Seahawks have quickly moved into a Russell Wilson-centric era — playing 2018 without the likes of Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor and, for the most part, Earl Thomas — and may be a dangerous underdog next month.
Formerly the Jets’ and Patriots’ HC, Carroll has now passed Mike Holmgren as the Seahawks’ winningest coach. He is 88-54-1 running the Seahawks after going 33-31 in four combined 1990s seasons in the AFC East. In between, Carroll revitalized the USC program, winning two national championships.
With more than $63MM in projected 2019 cap space, the swiftly reloaded Seahawks could be an interesting team this offseason. And their longtime Schneider-Carroll power structure will oversee matters for the foreseeable future.
Titans Place DL Jurrell Casey On IR
The Titans will be battling the Colts this weekend for a playoff spot, but they’ll be without the services of a key defensive lineman. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the team is placing defensive end Jurrell Casey on the injured reserve.
Casey exited yesterday’s win over the Redskins with a knee injury, and Schefter notes that veteran suffered a sprained MCL. The defensive lineman had also suffered a knee injury during the Titans previous game against the Giants, but it’s uncertain if Casey aggravated that ailment or suffered a brand-new injury. Either way, the lineman’s season has come to an end.
Losing Casey will certainly hurt, as the Titans had been relying on the 29-year-old all season. In 15 games, the eight-year veteran had compiled 62 tackles, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles, a performance that helped earn him his fifth-straight Pro Bowl nod. Pro Football Focus was bullish of his performance in 2018, ranking him 13th among 118 eligible interior defenders.
Casey would have been particularly useful against Marlon Mack and the Colts rushing game this weekend, as the lineman had graded out as one of the top run-stoppers in the league. Now, the team will have to rely on their depth to make up for Casey’s absence, although that’s easier said than done. With Casey now out of the picture, the team is only rostering a pair of healthy defensive ends in DaQuan Jones and Matt Dickerson.
Redskins Cut D.J. Swearinger
The Redskins made a surprising move this morning, releasing one of their defensive leaders. Safety D.J. Swearinger told Grant Paulsen on 106.7 The Fan that he was called into Jay Gruden‘s office this morning and informed of his release (via ESPN’s John Keim on Twitter).
The veteran has been vocal about his team’s woes this season, and that continued following Saturday’s loss to the Titans. Swearinger specifically called out defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, saying his coach’s play-calling allowed Tennessee to secure a go-ahead score. Swearinger pointed to Manusky’s decision to go man-to-man on a third down play against Titans backup Blaine Gabbert; the play ended in a holding penalty on Fabian Moreau.
“In that type of situation, you got a backup quarterback, I wouldn’t call man-to-man to make it easy for him,” Swearinger told NBC Sports Washington. “He hadn’t practiced all week. So, disguise a zone and let him throw the ball right to us. We didn’t make the plays we needed to, but when it’s crunch time, put us somewhere where we can make a play. Don’t put us in man-to-man where it’s easy for the quarterback. It’s too easy for the quarterback.”
Following a standout 2017 season, Swearinger was having another productive campaign in 2018. The 27-year-old had compiled 53 tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles, and four interceptions in 15 games. Pro Football Focus was also fond of his performance this season; the site ranked Swearinger 11th among 86 eligible safeties. The safety had played all but one of Washington’s defensive snaps, and he earned a spot as a Pro Bowl alternate.
There should be some interest in Swearinger’s services, although the safety is subject to waivers. If a team places a claim, they’d be responsible for paying his $176K paycheck for Week 17. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan points out (on Twitter) that the veteran’s $4.25MM 2019 base salary was not guaranteed. The move will provide Washington with $4.5MM in cap space and $1.33MM in dead money.
Jets Eyeing Jim Harbaugh For Head Coach
We heard last week that one unknown team was planning to make a run at Jim Harbaugh at the end of the season. Well, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reports that the mystery team is the New York Jets.
The organization is planning to offer the Michigan head coach a lucrative contract. As Florio points out, that offer would be in excess of the $7MM salary that Harbaugh is currently earning at Michigan. The organization started planning their pursuit a month ago, and the front office is hoping they’ll be able to land an interview. For what it’s worth, Harbaugh previously said that he doesn’t have any plans to leave his current gig at Michigan.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying at Michigan,” Harbaugh said earlier this month. “We have big plans here, and there’s a lot we want to accomplish.”
Harbaugh had a memorable four-year run with the 49ers, where he compiled a 44-19-1 record. San Francisco made the playoffs three times during his tenure, and they won the NFC in 2012. The 55-year-old was hired by Michigan in 2015, and he’s proceeded to lead his team to a 38-13 record over the past four years. The head coach has continued to reiterate that he has no intention to leave Ann Arbor.
While the Jets are expected to move on from head coach Todd Bowles, it’s uncertain if they’re going to retain general manager Mike Maccagnan. While Maccagnan may be the one campaigning for a Harbaugh hire, Florio points out that the coach may want full roster control if he were to take the Jets gig.
Demaryius Thomas Believed To Have Torn Achilles
The Texans may be down another receiver. Wideout Demaryius Thomas was carted off the field during today’s game against the Eagles, and he’s been ruled out with an Achilles injury. While he’s set to undergo tests, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the wideout is believed to have torn his Achilles.
NFL Network’s James Palmer tweets that Thomas pushed off the line and immediately fell to the ground, with the reporter noting that the veteran appeared to be “in unreal pain.” Thomas was also seen punching the ground before he was ultimately carted off the field.
The 30-year-old wideout was acquired by the Texans from the Broncos in late October. Thomas proceeded to start each of his six games with Houston, hauling in 20 receptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns. His overall numbers were down this season, as he was on track to finish with fewer than 900 receiving yards for the first time since 2011. While the numbers haven’t been all that encouraging, Pro Football Focus was still bullish on his performance; the site ranked Thomas 45th among 128 eligible wideouts.
The team was already shorthanded on offense heading into today’s game, as both running back Lamar Miller and wideout Keke Coutee had been ruled out yesterday. With Will Fuller on the injured reserve, the Texans are now left with only three healthy wideouts in DeAndre Hopkins, DeAndre Carter, and Vyncint Smith.