Cardinals Expected To Fire Steve Wilks
It has been rumored for some time now, but the Cardinals are indeed expected to fire head coach Steve Wilks at the end of the season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Wilks was one of the hottest names on the head coaching circuit last year, but his first — and presumably last — season as Arizona’s HC has been a disaster, and the club is planning to move on.
The Cardinals have limped to a 3-11 record this season, and as is the case with many struggling teams, they have had to deal with a fair amount of turmoil this year (from offensive coordinator Mike McCoy‘s firing to Patrick Peterson‘s trade request). Arizona’s defense has graded out as an average unit per Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric — and to give credit to Wilks, defense is his specialty — but the club’s offense has been abysmal, and the team’s performance overall has not inspired much hope that things will get better anytime soon.
For what it’s worth, though, Wilks does appear to have the support of his team. Cardinals legend and surefire Hall-of-Famer Larry Fitzgerald may not even be with Arizona next season, but he told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that he and all of his teammates would want Wilks to return. Fitzgerald said, “[w]e all would want him back. I love Wilks. Great dude. We all play hard for him. That’s the team — not me alone — speaking on it.”
Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com agrees with Fitzgerald, tweeting that Arizona coaches and players think Wilks should get a chance to come back in 2019.
And in the piece linked above, Rapoport suggests that owner Michael Bidwill has not made a firm decision one way or another. If he does bring Wilks back, however, Wilks would be expected to make significant staff changes, which he would be willing to do. Since Wilks was the last head coach to be hired this year, there were fewer viable assistants to choose from.
Of course, GM Steve Keim‘s job also remains in jeopardy.
Josh Gordon Violated Drug Policy Multiple Times
Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon was recently hit with an indefinite suspension, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) reports that the suspension stemmed from multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy and was not based upon just one failed test. Further, Rapoport says that Gordon’s drug use was not limited to marijuana, so he obviously has bigger concerns than football at the moment.
However, because the ban is indefinite and does not carry a minimum number of games, it is possible that Gordon could return for the start of the 2019 season, as Rapoport notes. But the odds of that seem quite long, as Gordon would have to prove to the league that he can remain clean for a sustained period of time.
Gordon was enjoying a productive stint with the Patriots, having posted 720 yards and three scores in 11 games with the team. There was even chatter that New England should use a first-round tender on Gordon at season’s end to prevent another club from poaching him, and a league source tells Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that Gordon and quarterback Tom Brady were developing a genuine bond.
Volin also notes that the Patriots did everything they could to support Gordon: they threw him a cookout shortly after he was traded to the team in September, receivers coach Chad O’Shea and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took him under their wing and did their best to keep him occupied, and character development coach and pastor Jack Easterby made Gordon his No. 1 project.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Patriots also assigned people to be with Gordon at all times so that he could avoid temptation, but that proved to be unsuccessful. Schefter suggests that Gordon “eluded” the team’s security network during the November 18 bye weekend, but as Rapoport stated, Gordon violated the league’s drug policy multiple times. Even league commissioner Roger Goodell tried to help Gordon instead of simply banishing him, but Gordon has not been able to shake his demons despite all of the safeguards designed to protect him.
The Patriots, though, have not given up on the troubled talent. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports also hears that Gordon was a well-liked member of the Patriots and a good teammate, and the club — which apparently had no idea a suspension was coming — hopes to continue supporting him regardless of whether he ever plays another snap.
Raiders In Discussions With San Francisco Giants About 2019 Home Site
The city of San Francisco does not have an NFL team playing within its city limits, with 49ers home games being played at the Santa Clara-based Levi’s Stadium.
It’s possible that may change in 2019. The Raiders have engaged in discussions with the San Francisco Giants about playing their home games next season at AT&T Park.
“There has been initial interest expressed in exploring the opportunity of the Raiders playing at AT&T Park … many details would need to be figured out,” the MLB team said in a statement. “The Giants want to do what’s best for Bay Area fans and would be open to the concept just as we hosted Cal Football in 2011 when Memorial Stadium in Berkeley was being renovate.”
With Oakland suing the Raiders, the franchise’s 2019 home is much less certain than it once was. The team’s Las Vegas domed stadium is not scheduled to be ready until 2020, and this suit may scuttle the Raiders’ intentions of playing one more season in Oakland.
A few cities have reached out to the team, Raiders president Marc Badain said (via Vince Sapienza of Fox 5, on Twitter), adding the Raiders intend to speak to a few sites about a solution they hope doesn’t disrupt the team much. Mark Davis said all options remain open.
Davis and Giants CEO Larry Baer were part of discussions for San Francisco to host the 2024 Olympics years back, per ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez. While AT&T Park has been mentioned previously, Gutierrez notes other cities — Reno, Nev., Glendale, Ariz., San Diego and a temporary partnership with the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium — remain in play. Oakland also remains an option, in the event a deal can still be brokered. Portland and Seattle have also been mentioned as stopgap solutions, but the NFL appears to view the best solution being the Raiders staying in the Bay Area.
A possible stumbling block to the Raiders playing at the National League stadium is the 49ers having territorial rights to San Francisco. The 49ers would need to consent to the Raiders playing at AT&T Park, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The 49ers have previously expressed that they would be open to the Raiders sharing their Santa Clara stadium but have not addressed a possible scenario where the Raiders play in San Francisco. Davis has not shown much enthusiasm for sharing a stadium with the 49ers.
AT&T Park, which can hold 45,000 fans in an expanded football capacity, is a much closer trek from Oakland compared to Levi’s Stadium. In addition to housing the Cal Golden Bears in 2011, the MLB venue was home for the XFL’s San Francisco Demons in 2001. A bowl game (an event now known as the Redbox Bowl) was also played there from 2002-13. Interestingly, the bowl games and Cal’s home contests in 2011 featured both teams standing on the same sideline, Gutierrez points out.
John Harbaugh Will Return In 2019
After a lot of speculation about his job security, John Harbaugh will be returning to coach the Ravens in 2019, the team announced in a tweet.
The brief statement read “John Harbaugh will continue as our coach for the 2019 season, and [we] are working on an extension to his existing contract, which expires after the 2019 season.” It had previously been reported that Harbaugh had been on the hot seat and was facing “mounting pressure” in Baltimore. One recent report said that Ravens players were expecting Harbaugh to be fired if the team didn’t make the playoffs, but that clearly wasn’t the case. The Ravens are still far from assured a playoff spot with two games to go, but ownership clearly appreciated how Harbaugh was able to stabilize the team and get things turned around after it looked for a while like their season was collapsing.
The Ravens have won four of their last five games since making the switch to Lamar Jackson under center, and can still very easily win the AFC North. The decision to bring back Harbaugh could have an interesting domino effect on the rest of the league, as Mike Garafolo of NFL Network noted in a tweet that “other teams would’ve been ready to pounce” had Harbaugh been let go. That echoes the sentiment we’ve heard all season, which is that Harbaugh would’ve been the hottest head coaching candidate out there, and would’ve been pretty much guaranteed to have found a new job. This move means there will be at least one more job opening for other candidates than there would’ve been if he hadn’t been retained.
The announcement comes the day before the team’s pivotal Saturday night game against the Chargers in Los Angeles. Jackson has led the team to a 4-1 record, but has faced five relatively weak defenses, and will get by far his toughest test yet in a nationally televised game. Fortunately for Harbaugh, his job will now be safe no matter what happens.
Patriots’ Josh Gordon Banned Indefinitely
Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon has been suspended indefinitely for violating terms of his reinstatement under the substance abuse policy, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). On Thursday afternoon, the NFL made it official via press release.
The impending ban explains why Gordon took to Twitter on Thursday morning to announce that he’s stepping away from the game to address his mental health.
“I take my mental health very seriously. At this point, to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level, [I am taking time away from football],” Gordon wrote on social media. “I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, i will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health. I would like to thank Coach Belichick, Mr. Kraft, as well as countless others within the Patriots organization for their continued support. I want to thank my fans for their support as well as I continue down the path getting back to 100%”
Gordon remained in Stage 3 of the substance abuse policy even after reinstatement, so this is a truly indefinite ban with no one-year minimum, as is often the case with other lengthy suspensions. There is no timeline for Gordon’s return and no guarantee that he’ll be cleared to play for the 2020 season.
The Patriots knew the risk associated with the ultra-talented Gordon when they acquired him from the Browns in September. The rest of the league knew the risks involved as well, which is why the Pats were able to land the former All-Pro for a fifth-round pick, with a seventh-round choice coming back. Gordon’s season with the Patriots – which may prove to be his last – ends with 40 catches, 720 yards, and three touchdowns across eleven games.
The Patriots are just two weeks away from the playoffs and are working to clinch a first-round bye. Losing Gordon stings, but they still have plenty of pass-catching weapons including Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and James White. Gordon, and the every-down threat he provides, will be missed, but it’s hardly a death sentence for one of the league’s strongest teams.
“We support Josh Gordon in his continued efforts to focus on his health,” the Patriots said in a statement. “His attempt to do so is a private and personal matter, which we intend to respect.”
Gordon has a long history substance abuse issues and has been suspended multiple times by the league office. His last ban, also of the indefinite variety, was lifted under the condition that he would stay sober. It’ll be a long road back for Gordon should he try to play in the NFL again.
Gordon was hit with a ten-game suspension in 2014 and missed all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to substance-abuse trouble. After that, he did not suit up for the Browns again until December 2017 when he was reinstated. Gordon also missed Browns training camp this past year, reportedly checking himself into a rehab facility in fear of another substance-abuse relapse. He has also admitted to playing under the influence since high school, so his issues with drugs go back at least a decade.
Panthers To Sit Cam Newton
The Panthers are effectively out of the playoffs and they’re opting to protect their starting quarterback with two games to go. Cam Newton and his sore shoulder will head to the bench and Taylor Heinicke will take over as the starter for the rest of the year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Technically, the Panthers have a path to the postseason, but it would require a whole lot of favorable breaks in addition to two more wins. As the New York Times playoff tree shows, Carolina would need to win out and gain the cooperation of at least five other outcomes in order to even have a chance at extending their season. With less than a 1% chance of that happening, the Panthers will not risk the health of their franchise quarterback.
Newton, 29, captured the league’s MVP trophy in 2015 and led the Panthers to a Super Bowl 50 appearance. Since then, Newton and the Panthers have not been able to find the same level of success. The 2018 season was up-and-down for Newton & Co., even though the QB will finish out with a career high 67.9% completion percentage.
The Panthers inked Newton to a five-year, $103.8MM extension in the summer of 2015, so it only makes sense for them to protect their investment. Newton is set to count for a $23.2MM cap figure next year and a $21.1MM figure in 2020. However, next year will be a pivotal year for Newton and his future in Carolina. The Panthers can escape the final year of his deal with just $2MM in dead money, so finances would not prevent them from a reboot under center.
Knee Injury Could End Aaron Jones’ Season
Packers running back Aaron Jones left Sunday’s game against the Bears on his fourth carry of the afternoon with a knee injury. It appears that tote could be his last of the season, as the running back expects to be sidelined a while, PackersNews.com writes. 
Though an official word has not been released, the running back said it was “similar” to the torn MCL he suffered last season, which cost him two games. With just two games remaining in the season and the Packers eliminated from playoff contention, it would make sense that the emerging back is done for the season. He would not rule out his return, however.
“I’m hoping that I will be able to play next week,” Jones said. “I’m a competitor and I want to play, and it killed me not to be able to play.”
In a backfield committee, Jones has shined in his second season. Through Week 14, the Packers back led the NFL in yards-per-carry (5.6) and had already posted career highs in rushing yards (720), rushing touchdowns (eight) and receptions (26).
His short time in the NFL has been marred by injuries, however. As a rookie, he suffered a pair of knee injuries — one to each knee — and was limited to just 81 carries in 12 games. The fifth-round selection has shown plenty of promise, though, and figures to feature heavily in the Packers’ plans in 2019. He is signed through the 2020 season.
Ravens Expected To Cut Or Trade Joe Flacco In 2019
This is not particularly surprising news in light of the team’s decision to stick with rookie Lamar Jackson even though Joe Flacco is once again fully healthy, but Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) reports that Flacco is not expected to be back with the Ravens in 2019. Jackson is 3-1 in his time as a starter, and he would be 4-0 if not for a difficult loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City last week.
When Baltimore traded back into the first round in this year’s draft to select Jackson, it seemed that Flacco’s time with the Ravens was coming to an end. But Jackson struggled to develop as a passer, the front office finally made a concerted effort to surround Flacco with some weapons, and the team got off to a hot start led by strong play from its long-time signal-caller. The Ravens, though, lost three in a row before Flacco succumbed to a hip injury, and given that Jackson’s presence has opened up the running game, and given that Jackson has made noticeable improvement with his arm (though he is still far from perfect), Baltimore is seemingly prepared to usher in a new era.
This offseason marks the first time the Ravens can cut ties with Flacco and save money against the salary cap, which Rapoport suggests is a possibility. However, RapSheet also says that Baltimore plans to treat Flacco with class and could orchestrate a trade to a team of his choice.
Flacco has received his fair share of criticism over the years, some of which is justified. But the fact remains that, notwithstanding his large contract — which was signed at a time when plenty of teams would have lined up to give it to him — Baltimore’s front office has largely treated the offense as an afterthought, asking Flacco to make hay with a collection of declining veterans or unproven (and generally unproductive) players. Even when the Ravens have tried to invest significant financial or draft resources into the offense, it has rarely worked out (see, e.g., Breshad Perriman).
That is not to mention the parade of uninspiring offensive coordinators the team has employed; it is worth noting that Flacco enjoyed the best regular season of his career when Gary Kubiak served as the team’s OC in 2014, and Baltimore would have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last two seasons if not for backbreaking defensive collapses at the end of the year.
All of which supports Rapoport’s point that Flacco will be a hot commodity this offseason, either as a free agent or as a trade candidate. Rapoport names the Jaguars, Redskins, Dolphins, and Raiders as potential landing spots.
Steelers Place Marcus Gilbert On IR
The corresponding move from Pittsburgh’s Eli Rogers activation will be key. Marcus Gilbert‘s season will come to a close.
The eighth-year right tackle will head to the Steelers’ IR list, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Gilbert has been dealing with a knee injury and has not played since October.
Matt Feiler has filled in for Gilbert, and while the former UDFA has not been quite on the level of Gilbert at full strength, the replacement has played well. Pro Football Focus has graded Feiler as its No. 39 overall tackle this season.
Unavailability has been an issue for Gilbert in recent years. Injury and suspension trouble limited him to seven games last season, and Pittsburgh saw his 2017 replacement, Chris Hubbard, defect to Cleveland in free agency. Gilbert returned to his right-edge post this year but only got in five games before the knee problem sidelined him in mid-October.
While the 30-year-old blocker is under contract for the 2019 season, his issues staying on the field may put the Steelers to a decision this offseason.
The team could save nearly $5MM by releasing Gilbert, the Steelers’ starting right tackle since his 2011 rookie season. That said, the top-tier right tackle is only in line to count $6.6MM toward the Steelers’ cap. The Steelers are also projected to hold $28MM-plus in cap space, potentially allowing them to keep Gilbert on the books and see if he can re-establish his previous form. But after the troubles the former second-round pick has experienced the past two years, that won’t be a lock.
Raiders WR Martavis Bryant Banned By NFL
Raiders wide receiver Martavis Bryant has been suspended indefinitely by NFL, according to Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter). Bryant has been fighting a substance abuse suspension for months, but a lost appeal means that he will be out of the game until further notice. 
The Raiders have feared this news for quite a while, though team execs have been mum on the subject. It’s fair to say the Raiders regret sending a third-round pick to the Steelers for Bryant earlier this year.
The Bryant trade occurred after the Raiders moved down from No. 10 for the Cardinals’ No. 15 pick, plus third- and fifth-round selections. That third-round choice was shipped to Pittsburgh, bringing Bryant to Oakland. UCLA tackle Kolton Miller has potential and may prove to be a quality first-round selection, but the Raiders effectively threw away a Top 100 selection when they acquired Bryant.
Before the deal, Bryant spent his entire four-year career with the Steelers. His tenure was tumultuous, as he missed the entire 2016 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The 26-year-old (27 next week) showed flashes of brilliance early on, including a rookie campaign where he caught eight touchdowns, but the red flags have been long apparent.