Patriots Hire Josh McDaniels As OC
Josh McDaniels is indeed returning to New England. The 2025 season will mark his third stint as offensive coordinator of the Patriots, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The team has since announced the move.
McDaniels emerged as a candidate to watch in the aftermath of Mike Vrabel being hired as New England’s head coach. He has served as the team’s offensive coordinator for a combined total of 13 years across his first two stints. He interviewed for the role earlier today, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Schultz adds McDaniels has continued to live in Foxborough since his last New England gig came to an end. Prior to the news of his hire coming out, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the 48-year-old was viewed as the favorite. Now, the six-time Super Bowl champ will again take charge of the team’s offense, although of course this time he will do so while working under Vrabel rather than Bill Belichick.
McDaniels’ first stint with the organization saw him quickly rise through the ranks. After starting as a personnel assistant in 2001, he made his way up to QBs coach in 2004 before taking over as OC in 2006. With Tom Brady leading the way, McDaniels oversaw an elite offense during his first three years as a coordinator, including a record-breaking unit in 2007.
McDaniels parlayed that performance into the head coaching job with the Broncos. An 11-17 record (along with a videotaping scandal) led to his ouster after only a year-plus, and he landed back in New England ahead of the 2012 season. That second stint lasted a decade, with McDaniels at the helm as the team transitioned from Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones. McDaniels got the most out of Jones during the QB’s rookie campaign, as the first-round pick tossed 22 touchdowns, went 10-7, and earned a Pro Bowl nod.
McDaniels then parlayed that performance into his second head coaching gig, this time with the Raiders. He had similar results in Las Vegas, as his squad went 9-16 before McDaniels was fired during the 2023 campaign. The coach has spent the past year-plus out of football, but Albert Breer of TheMMQB says the coach has been keeping busy. Per Breer, McDaniels used the past year to refine his own offensive approach. This meant studying offenses in both the NFL and college, and Breer believes McDaniels will be able to apply more “user-friendly” lessons to a “pretty complex offense.”
Even during his time off, the coach was continually connected to his long-time organization. There were rumblings he could join the staff in 2024 if Belichick stuck around; the team instead pivoted to Jerod Mayo, who brought in Alex Van Pelt to lead his offense. Of course, that coaching staff was cleared out following a dismal 2024 campaign, making way for Vrabel to take over operations (and for McDaniels to rejoin the familiar role).
McDaniels’ ugly head coaching stints have probably shut the door on any near-future opportunities, so Vrabel made have landed a long-term OC. Now, McDaniels will be tasked with guiding a offense that showed some offensive promise with rookie Drake Maye under center.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Vikings, Kevin O’Connell Agree To Extension
The Vikings have not waited long after the end of their season to work out an extension with Kevin O’Connell. Minnesota’s head coach has a new deal in place, the team announced on Tuesday.
“Kevin is exactly who we believed him to be when we named him as our head coach – an innovative play caller, an excellent communicator and a strong leader who motivates and connects with his players,” a statement from owner Mark Wilf reads. “He has helped establish a culture that positions us for sustained success, and he will continue to set the standard we need as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans.” 
O’Connell was previously set to enter the final year of his pact in 2025, but it became clear immediately after the team’s wild-card loss that the team would engage in extension talks. Those efforts carried the potential of an agreement being worked out in short order, and that has proven to be the case. No specifics are known with respect to term, but this new contract has been announced as a multi-year accord.
Hired in 2022, the 39-year-old had experience as an offensive coordinator prior to his arrival in Minnesota but none as a head coach. O’Connell made an immediate impact, though, leading the team to a 13-4 record in his debut season at the helm. Expectations were high last year as a result, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles midway through the campaign, however, and the team wound up 7-10 and out of the playoff picture.
Cousins’ free agency was a central offseason storyline for the Vikings last spring, and the team ultimately watched him depart on the open market by signing with the Falcons. J.J. McCarthy was selected as a long-term replacement under center, but (especially with the Michigan product being sidelined for the year with a meniscus tear) it was veteran free agent pickup Sam Darnold who handled QB1 duties in 2024.
Darnold delivered by far the most productive season of his career during his first campaign working with O’Connell. The latter’s reputation as one of the league’s top offensive minds has increased as a result, although it remains to be seen if Darnold will remain in Minnesota or take a lucrative deal with another team on the open market. In any case, Year 2 with the former top-three pick or a fresh start with McCarthy atop the depth chart will result in high expectations following a 14-3 campaign.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in the same situation as O’Connell with respect to his current deal being set to expire after the 2025 season. It would come as little surprise if he too were to land an extension, though. Indeed, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes talks on a new deal for Adofo-Mensah are underway.
Ensuring the top organizational decision-makers remain in place for the foreseeable future is a logical goal for the Vikings. O’Connell’s situation has now been taken care of, while Adofo-Mensah is on track to be extended as well. That pairing has led Minnesota to a 34-17 record, and continued success in a highly competitive NFC North will remain the target for 2025 and beyond.
Bears Hire Ben Johnson As HC
No second interviews are coming for Ben Johnson, after all. The coveted coordinator has made his choice, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the Bears are expected to reach an agreement with the three-year Lions play-caller. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
Although Johnson had stepped away as the Panthers’ preferred candidate in 2023 and then informed the Commanders late in last year’s process he was out, the Bears will land the coach who had been viewed by many as this year’s biggest fish. This represents one of the more significant developments in modern Bears history, as they had been connected to the rival coordinator for months.
As of Sunday, the Jaguars and Raiders were still in pursuit. Johnson had spoken to Tom Brady for hours during a Zoom meeting, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports, but the Las Vegas setup had a notable hole the Chicago gig does not. The Bears used the Bryce Young trade to acquire the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, giving them Caleb Williams access. They have now secured a coach to develop the well-regarded prospect. The Raiders have yet to identify a quarterback, with Brady tasked with helping the organization land one. Las Vegas also dropped to the No. 6 pick thanks to two late-season wins, which may well have been a factor in this now-Brady-led HC search.
The Jaguars’ setup is not in line with what Johnson preferred, Russini adds, helping to eliminate them. Jacksonville made the unexpected move to keep Trent Baalke as GM after firing Doug Pederson. Baalke’s polarizing presence was believed to have turned off some coaching candidates, and it appears Johnson was one of them. The Jags were believed to be open to moving Baalke to a different position in the organization depending on their HC hire, as they prepared an aggressive Johnson push, but that may not have been enough to satisfy a coordinator with options.
The Bears may be zeroing in on a defensive coordinator as well. As Russini reported, both Dennis Allen and Lou Anarumo had engaged in discussions about potentially joining Johnson wherever he landed. Johnson is expected to choose Allen, and Anarumo just committed to be the Colts’ DC. Allen has indeed emerged as a prime candidate to follow Johnson to Chicago, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Allen was in charge of the Saints’ defense from 2016-24, before being fired during his third season as head coach. Though, the ex-Sean Payton assistant — Aaron Glenn‘s boss in New Orleans — played the lead role in turning the Saints’ defense around during Drew Brees‘ final seasons.
Baalke’s Jacksonville presence may not be too dissimilar to how Chicago’s power structure looks now. Candidates were curious about what role third-year president Kevin Warren would play. While Warren had said GM Ryan Poles was running what turned out to be an expansive search — featuring nearly 20 confirmed candidates — the team president was believed to be closely involved in football operations. Advertised as an exec who would primarily stay on the business side, Warren has been instead heavily involved in football matters.
This setup still did enough for Johnson, who will work with Poles in attempting to restore the Bears as a power in a strong division. It should also be noted (h/t Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager) Poles and Johnson were each Boston College graduate assistants in the late 2000s. Poles served on the football staff in 2008 after his playing career ended, while Johnson was at BC from 2009-10.
Dan Campbell said earlier today he did not expect either Johnson or Glenn to return. Glenn remains a candidate with several HC-needy teams, but Johnson has loomed as Detroit’s more coveted option. His decision to back out of the Commanders’ job came as reps from the NFC East club were en route to Detroit for interviews with he and Glenn. Rather than hire Glenn, Washington chose Dan Quinn.
The latter’s team just eliminated Johnson’s from the playoffs, freeing the Bears up to make their preferred hire now rather than wait at least another week. Had the Lions held seed and advanced to Super Bowl LIX, the Bears would have needed to wait until after the mid-February event to make their hire.
The Lions’ shortcoming will benefit the Bears, who have not been able to firmly establish themselves as a contender since at least the mid-2000s. And that defense-powered operation only stayed afloat on that level for two seasons. The Bears have not made three straight playoff berths since Mike Ditka‘s tenure more than 30 years ago. The offensive minds the Bears have hired in the recent past (Marc Trestman, Matt Nagy) have not been able to move the needle, Nagy’s two playoff berths notwithstanding. Johnson, however, checks in as a candidate on a higher plane by comparison to those two HCs or really any coach the Bears have hired in recent history.
Although the Lions did not book three straight playoff berths during Johnson’s tenure, they may well be on their way to that. Detroit’s hotshot OC, promoted from a post as tight ends coach after being hired by Matt Patricia, played a central role in the long-downtrodden organization’s climb. The innovative play-caller drove Detroit to two fifth-place offensive rankings and this season’s top mark in terms of scoring. The Lions ranked in the top four in yardage in each of Johnson’s three seasons calling plays.
Johnson, 38, restored Jared Goff as an upper-crust quarterback, doing so after the Lions had acquired the five-year Rams starter as the throw-in piece in the 2021 Matthew Stafford trade. Goff guided Detroit to last year’s AFC championship game and a 15-2 record this season. Johnson was seen as the architect of that resurgence.
Whereas Trestman was given Jay Cutler and Nagy mostly Mitchell Trubisky, Johnson will be tasked with developing Williams. It looks like he chose a Williams partnership over seeing what Brady could come up with in Vegas or working with Trevor Lawrence — and a $55MM-per-year contract — in Jacksonville. Williams ranked 28th in QBR this season, one in which the Bears had Thomas Brown move to three positions — pass-game coordinator, OC and interim HC — during a disjointed campaign marred by a 10-game losing streak. Williams showed a Justin Fields-like penchant for taking sacks, leading the NFL with 68. But the former Heisman winner also showed flashes that attracted candidates; he is signed through at least 2026 on a rookie contract.
This Johnson hire will be the Bears’ aim to maximize their Williams investment, and the team having D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze signed long term undoubtedly helped woo the picky HC candidate. The Raiders and Jags will need to pivot to other options, while the Bears stand to immediately become more interesting in a division in which they finished five games behind the third-place Packers. Johnson will get to work at attempting to reel in his former employer and a Vikings team that just went 14-3.
Via PFR’s HC Search Tracker, here is how the long-running Chicago HC search wrapped up:
- Bill Belichick, head coach (North Carolina): Candidate expressed interest
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/17
- Thomas Brown, interim head coach (Bears): Interviewed 1/13
- Matt Campbell, head coach (Iowa State): Interview expected
- Pete Carroll, former head coach (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/9
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/18
- Marcus Freeman, head coach (Notre Dame): Team wants to interview
- Eddie George, head coach (Tennessee State): Interviewed 1/19
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/11
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Hired
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): Interviewed 1/9
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): Interview requested, won’t interview until after season
- Mike McCarthy, head coach (Cowboys): Interviewed 1/15
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/17
- Drew Petzing, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed 1/8
- Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/12
- David Shaw, senior personnel executive (Broncos): Interviewed 1/14
- Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator (Steelers): Interviewed 1/15
- Adam Stenavich, offensive coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/18
- Mike Tomlin, head coach (Steelers): Denied meeting
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Interviewed 1/8; hired by Patriots
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/9
Colts Add Lou Anarumo As DC
Although the news coming out of Chicago will probably be the biggest across the NFL today, the Colts have identified their next defensive coordinator. Lou Anarumo is the pick, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The team has since confirmed the news.
Anarumo and Dennis Allen had been discussing the possibility of joining Ben Johnson wherever he landed, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds. While the new Bears HC is expected to choose Allen to be his top defensive assistant, Anarumo will make an early jump to Indianapolis. Allen was also a Colts interviewee.
The Chicago component here helps explain why Indianapolis moved so quickly with Anarumo. But the former HC candidate figured to have more options as soon as other teams hired coaches. The ex-Bengals defensive boss had already met with the Falcons about their vacancy, but Atlanta went with Jets interim HC Jeff Ulbrich. That cleared a path for the Colts, who will replace Gus Bradley with another DC with considerable experience in the role.
Anarumo, 58, had devised a plan to cool off Patrick Mahomes and a then-elite Chiefs offense to help the Bengals to an upset in the 2021 AFC championship game. While he was unable to match that feat in the teams’ rematch a year later, the Bengals had entered the 2022 AFC title game ranked sixth in scoring defense. This came after the team went toe-to-toe with the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Not too many HC looks emerged, however, as Anarumo only met with the Giants (2022) and Cardinals (2023). The Colts had passed on such a meeting, but they will pair Anarumo with Shane Steichen after Bradley’s defense had become somewhat stale.
After Matt Eberflus had engineered three top-10 defensive finishes in his four seasons, Bradley had seen his troops rank 28th, 28th and 24th in points allowed during his three seasons at the helm. The former Jaguars HC and four-time DC coached a similar cast from 2023-24, with GM Chris Ballard continuing to focus on retaining players rather than pursuing outside help. The results did not produce success, potentially leading to a philosophical shift. Bradley’s unit bottomed out in Week 17, when a 45-point outing from a basement-level Giants team eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.
While Anarumo is also coming off a down season (25th in point and yardage), as the Bengals’ defense effectively kept an MVP-caliber Joe Burrow season from even producing a wild-card berth, he has been a well-regarded option for a while. Anarumo spent more than 20 years in the college ranks but has now been an NFL assistant for 13 years. He coached Dolphins DBs under Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, moving to the Giants for a one-year tenure as their secondary coach in 2018. The Colts will sign off on a quick second chance as a DC, keeping one of the higher-profile options off the market for the five teams that still need to hire HCs.
Via PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how Indy’s process concluded:
- Dennis Allen, former head coach (New Orleans Saints): Interviewed 1/17
- Lou Anarumo, former defensive coordinator (Cincinnati Bengals): Hired
- Ephraim Banda, safeties coach (Cleveland Browns): Interviewed 1/10
- Wink Martindale, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Interviewed 1/15
- Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (San Francisco 49ers): Interviewed
Falcons Hire Jeff Ulbrich As DC
Atlanta has spent this week looking into several candidates for the vacant defensive coordinator position. With the interview process complete, a decision has quickly been made.
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich is set to receive the Falcons’ DC position, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. An announcement from the team has since confirmed the news. This will represent a return to Atlanta while also confirming that he will not be tapped for New York’s full-time head coaching gig. 
Ulbrich started his pro coaching career in Seattle before a three-year stint at UCLA. That time on the West Coast was followed by a role on the Falcons’ staff beginning in 2015. He served as the team’s linebackers coach for five years, eventually having assistant head coach added to his title. Midway through the 2020 campaign, Ulbrich was promoted to interim defensive coordinator.
Of course, that development came when Raheem Morris – who worked alongside Ulbrich in that same 2015-20 stretch – took over from Dan Quinn as interim head coach. Morris returned to the Falcons this past offseason to lead the team, and his familiarity with Ulbrich made the latter a strong contender for this hire. Now, Ulbrich will handle coordinator duties for the fifth full season in 2025 after guiding the Jets’ defense since 2021.
The 47-year-old drew praise for his work in that capacity during much of his time in New York. The Jets finished last in the NFL in yards allowed in Ulbrich’s first season at the helm, but since then the team has finished no worse than fourth in that department. With respect to points surrendered, New York was generally unable to match that success, including during Ulbrich’s time as interim head coach.
The Jets fired Robert Saleh after Week 5 in an attempt to spark a midseason turnaround. That did not prove to be the case, with the team’s offense in many instances failing to live up to expectations. The was often true on the other side of the ball despite the fact Ulbrich continued calling defensive plays after his promotion to interim HC. Still, after finishing the season 2-9, he interviewed for the full-time position before doing the same this week for the Falcons’ DC gig.
New York has cast a wide net in search of a new coach, but another candidate can now be crossed off the list of contenders on that front. Ulbrich will turn his attention to helping the Falcons improve on defense moving forward. The team ranked 23rd in points and yards allowed this past season, the first with Jimmy Lake as defensive coordinator. Lake was fired after the campaign ended, and starting in 2025 plenty of room for improvement exists against both the run and pass in Atlanta’s case. Once again, the team struggled in the pass-rush department this in 2024, ranking 31st in the NFL with 31.
Part of a busy offseason for the Falcons last year included the trade for edge rusher Matt Judon and the signing of safety Justin Simmons. Both are pending free agents, so finding replacements at each of those positions could be a priority on defense for Ulbrich and Co. in the near future. In any case, he will look to guide a rebound on that side of the ball in Atlanta and in doing so help the team move past a disappointing end to the 2024 campaign and boost his future head coaching stock in the process.
Here is the final breakdown of how the Falcons’ search played out:
- Lou Anarumo, former defensive coordinator (Cincinnati Bengals): Interviewed 1/15
- Derrick Ansley, pass-game coordinator (Atlanta Falcons): Interviewed 1/16
- Grady Brown, secondary coach (Pittsburgh Steelers): Interviewed 1/17
- Matt Eberflus, former head coach (Chicago Bears): Interviewed 1/18
- Wink Martindale, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Interviewed 1/14
- Jeff Ulbrich, interim head coach (New York Jets): Hired
- Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (San Francisco 49ers): Interviewed 1/17
Titans Hire Mike Borgonzi As GM
The Titans moved quickly after narrowing their list of general manager candidates to a group of finalists. With second interviews complete, a decision appears to have been made. 
Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi is set to take over the Titans’ front office, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. A formal agreement had not originally been worked out, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes a five-year contract is now in place. Tennessee’s GM vacancy has been filled with plenty of time left in the offseason.
Six candidates took part in second interviews over the past few days. Borgonzi was among them, which came as little surprise given his experience and how close he came to landing a GM gig last year with the Commanders. After 16 seasons in Kansas City – including the past four in his role as assistant general manager – Borgonzi will depart the two-time defending champions to oversee the Titans’ rebuild.
Tennessee moved on from Jon Robinson late in the 2022 campaign, ending his seven-year run span at the helm of the franchise. Ran Carthon was brought in as his replacement, and the decision by owner Amy Adams Strunk dismiss head coach Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season seemed to set Carthon up for a long runway in his position. The Titans bottomed out this year, though, and while Brian Callahan was retained after one year as head coach, Carthon was let go.
Borgonzi was one of the top candidates in this year’s GM hiring cycle, interviewing as well for the Jets’ position. New York’s search continues, but one name has now been removed from the list of remaining options. Without a head coaching hire to make (which is still the case for both the Jets and Raiders), meanwhile, the Titans can move forward with a new power structure once the Borgonzi hire becomes official.
Kansas City and Tennessee have been connected on the trade front recently, with the swaps which saw cornerback L’Jarius Sneed head to Tennessee in the offseason and which sent wideout DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City ahead of the deadline this year representing recent examples. Borgonzi will aim to make immediate progress with respect to roster-building in his first GM opportunity, something which will include the No. 1 pick in April’s draft.
Chad Brinker joined the Titans’ staff along with Carthon, and he was promoted to president of football operations last year. He ran Tennessee’s GM search, and his connections to Borgonzi made this development one to watch for. Given the team’s announcement (during the statement confirming Carthon’s firing) that Brinker would “break ties” when it comes to key decisions, it will be interesting to see how much authority Borgonzi ends up wielding especially in the early portion of his tenure.
For now, though, attention will turn to building out the rest of the front office staff. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes the scouting department is an area which could see additions made in the near future, with former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler being an option on that front. In any case, the Titans have found the executive who will be tasked with finding a franchise quarterback and returning the team to postseason contention.
Here is the final breakdown of how Tennessee’s search broke down:
- Matt Berry, senior director of player personnel (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/11
- Mike Borgonzi, assistant general manager (Chiefs): Hired
- Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Conducted second interview 1/15
- Thomas Dimitroff, former general manager (Falcons): Interviewed 1/10
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Conducted second interview 1/14
- Terrance Gray, vice president of player personnel (Bills): Conducted second interview 1/14
- Catherine Hickman, assistant general manager (Browns): Interviewed 1/11
- Reggie McKenzie, senior personnel executive (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/10
- John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Conducted second interview 1/16
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Conducted second interview 1/16
Browns To Promote Tommy Rees To OC
The Browns‘ search for a new offensive coordinator is set to come to an end. Tight ends coach Tommy Rees is being promoted, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Ken Dorsey took on the role of OC last offseason, allowing him a quick turnaround following his in-season 2023 firing by the Bills. Things did not go according to plan on offense for Cleveland this year, however resulting in another dismissal. Many expected a return to someone familiar with head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s with the next hire. As a result, this news comes as no surprise.
Rees quickly emerged as one of the candidates to receive offensive coordinator consideration. An interview was lined up last week, and with reported interest existing from outside teams, Cleveland needed to move quickly with respect to handing him the reins on offense. After speaking with Darrell Bevell (Dolphins), Charles London (Seahawks), Kevin Koger (Falcons) and Klint Kubiak (Saints), the top in-house candidate has received the no. This will be Rees’ third OC position in his career, but the first at the NFL level.
The 32-year-old quickly transitioned from playing to coaching, holding down one-year positions in the college and pro games in 2015 and ’16. After that, Rees worked as the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame, his alma mater. He served in that capacity from 2017-22, with the final three seasons of that stretch doubling as his time at the helm of the team’s offense. In 2023, Rees joined Nick Saban‘s staff at Alabama and handled OC responsibilities.
That period was followed by a return to the NFL coaching ranks with the Browns. Rees held the role of tight ends coach but also pass game specialist during his first year working under Stefanski. This promotion will result in a major increase in responsibilities and expectation, although the possibility remains Stefanski will reclaim play-calling duties. In any case, a step forward in production will be needed for the Browns in 2025.
Indeed, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes Stefanski is expected to take back play-calling responsibilities. This will make Cleveland’s 2025 OC job a bit less important than the team’s 2024 position proved to be, but the Browns canned Dorsey after one year, doing so shortly before elevating a coach who drew interest elsewhere. Rees had emerged on Mike Vrabel‘s radar as a possible Patriots option, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Vrabel, a Browns consultant this past season, had been tied to Rees before he committed to the Pats. Josh McDaniels has also surfaced as an option for Vrabel’s team.
It certainly says plenty about Rees’ stock in Cleveland that the Browns passed over far more experienced options to go with him, and if the former Fighting Irish and Crimson Tide OC fares well, HC looks will be expected in the not-too-distant future. For now, the Browns — who employed Alex Van Pelt as Stefanski’s non-play-calling OC for four years — will go with a third OC in three seasons. As they aim to find a starting QB upgrade on the underperforming Deshaun Watson (who suffered a second Achilles tear), Rees will be a key part of the team’s equation.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Cowboys Considering Deion Sanders For Head Coaching Job
10:35pm: Sanders acknowledged that Jones reached out to him about the Cowboys HC job, but the coach also reiterated his commitment to Colorado.
“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,” Deion Sanders said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community.”
7:50pm: While Deion Sanders has been mentioned as a potential candidate for a handful of NFL jobs, the Colorado head coach has yet to garner definitive interest from an organization. It sounds like that’s about to change, as the Cowboys apparently have their former star player on their radar.
[RELATED: Mike McCarthy Will Not Return As Cowboys’ Head Coach]
According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spoken with Sanders about the team’s head coaching vacancy. “Discussions are expected to continue,” and Prime is considered a top candidate for the position. At the same time, Schultz cautions that the organization plans to interview other candidates as part of their process. The two sides haven’t scheduled an interview, but they’re expected to continue the dialogue, per Schultz.
Sanders, of course, had a standout five-year stint with the organization after the Cowboys won the “Deion Sweepstakes” during the 1995 offseason. While Sanders was limited to only nine games during his debut season in Dallas, he had a productive three-game postseason run to a Super Bowl championship (his second-straight after his one-season stop in San Francisco). Sanders proceeded to earn three-straight first-team All-Pro nods with the Cowboys between 1996 and 1998, but he was released due to salary-cap constraints following the 1999 campaign.
Close to two decades after his playing career ended, Sanders returned to the sideline as head coach of his own Prime Prep Academy. After coaching his sons for a year in high school, he was named head coach of Jackson State University, where he spent three seasons. He parlayed that performance into a gig at Colorado, where he had a chance to once again coach his son, Shedeur Sanders. Colorado’s run this past season solidified Sanders as an up-and-coming head coach, and it didn’t take long for the Hall of Famer to be connected to NFL coaching vacancies.
That included the job in Las Vegas, which Sanders was reportedly eyeing. The coach has a relationship with Tom Brady (who is spearheading the Raiders search), and there’s a chance the organization could make a move for Shedeur in the draft. Ultimately, the Raiders denied their interest in Sanders, but it didn’t take long for Prime Time to pop back up as a candidate in Dallas.
The Cowboys announced today that they’re moving on from Mike McCarthy, opening the door for a potential Dallas return for Sanders. The coach previously said he’d only consider a move to the NFL if he had the opportunity to coach his son, and with Dak Prescott attached to a newly-inked extension, it seems unlikely that Shedeur would land in Dallas. However, perhaps Deion would change his tune considering his relationship with the Cowboys organization. Schultz echoes the sentiment that Sanders has generally dismissed a move to the NFL, “but this was one call he wasn’t going to ignore.”
Mike McCarthy Will Not Return As Cowboys’ Head Coach
After talks on a new deal failed to result in an agreement, Mike McCarthy is set to depart the Cowboys. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports Dallas and the former Super Bowl winner will go their separate ways this offseason. A team announcement has since confirmed the news. 
Several signs have pointed throughout the year to McCarthy remaining in Dallas despite the fact he spent the season on an expiring contract. He and owner Jerry Jones communicated with one another once the campaign ended, a point at which the Bears and Saints emerged as teams which could be interested in the event McCarthy became a free agent. Tomorrow night looms as the expiration date of his current pact, although Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport notes he is free to speak with teams immediately.
[RELATED: Fallout From Cowboys-McCarthy Separation]
A report from last week stated McCarthy and the Cowboys were set to begin negotiating the terms of a new contract. A window of opportunity therefore existed for the parties to reach an agreement before tomorrow’s deadline, but that will no longer be the case. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier on Monday there had not, in fact, been substantive talks on a new contract up to this point. Now, this latest update on the situation confirms Dallas will be in the market for a new head coach after McCarthy held the role for five seasons.
The first year of that tenure produced a 6-10 season, but McCarthy managed to deliver sustained regular season success after that point. The 61-year-old helped lead Dallas to a 12-5 record every year from 2021-23. This past campaign, a Cowboys roster which lost several key players in the offseason was hit hard by injuries. Dallas fell out of playoff contention early, although a turnaround late in the year seemed to help McCarthy’s stock.
Of course, the veteran’s tenure in Dallas will best be remembered for his playoff outings. Of the four postseason games McCarthy coached with the Cowboys, the team only ended up winning one. Jones cited last year’s home wild-card defeat against the Packers as a main reason why he made the decision to retain McCarthy without offering him an extension. After making it clear no in-season firing would take place (as was the case when his Green Bay tenure ended), questions were raised about how negotiations would proceed.
As Pelissero and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones note, one of the main sticking points between Jones and McCarthy was the length of a potential new contract. Given the former’s hesitance to make a new commitment last offseason, it would of come as something of a surprise if a long-term offer has been made over the weekend. As the latter prepares to seek out his market, meanwhile, his assistants are also set to become free agents.
The Bears requested permission to interview McCarthy last week, when his Dallas future remained uncertain. The Cowboys blocked it, a move which has now proven to be a moot point. Chicago has conducted a wide-ranging search with interest being shown in NFL and college staffers. Longtime Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll – who is now joined by McCarthy as a 2025 candidate with a lengthy resume and a Super Bowl title – already interviewed with the Bears. It will be interesting to see if McCarthy does the same.
It was also learned last week that the Saints could be a team to watch in the event McCarthy reached the market. Since that is now the case, New Orleans will be free to set up an interview. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is seen as the top candidate for the job at this point, but plenty could change on that front over the coming days and weeks.
Former DC Dan Quinn could have represented a candidate to take over from McCarthy had a change been made last year. Quinn took the Commanders’ coaching gig, however, leaving Dallas in need of a different defensive coordinator. Mike Zimmer was brought in after previously leading the team’s defense over a seven-year period. The former Vikings head coach has expressed a desire to land another HC gig, and it will be interesting to see if Jones considers promoting him to the role. Meanwhile, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Bill Belichick would have had interest in Dallas’ opening had it existed before his decision to take charge of North Carolina. He adds that feeling likely would have been mutual, but now the Cowboys will need to move in another direction.
McCarthy sports an all-time winning percentage of .608, making him one of the most accomplished staffers available for the 2025 hiring cycle. He is a somewhat late addition to the list of options for the winter, but with the Patriots representing the only team to make a head coaching hire so far he could have several suitors in the near future.
Patriots Hire Mike Vrabel As Head Coach
To no surprise, the Patriots have named Mike Vrabel as their next head coach. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com was the first to report that the hire was imminent.
Just yesterday, we learned that New England and Vrabel were engaged in contract discussions, a clear sign that a deal was forthcoming. Now, just over a year after he was dismissed as head coach of the Titans, Vrabel is back in the HC ranks at the helm of the team with which he won three Super Bowls as a player.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Vrabel is the seventh person to become the head coach of a team that he once helped win a Super Bowl as a player. The sixth person on that list, Jerod Mayo, was fired by New England last week after just one season in the top job.
Mayo was owner Robert Kraft‘s hand-picked successor to Bill Belichick, and for a long time, it appeared that Mayo would be given at least another year in charge. After all, he inherited a team that was clearly in the early stages of a rebuild, and despite a few public missteps, it would have been easy to justify allowing him to return for 2025.
Last week, however, it was reported that those public “gaffes” — in conjunction with a locker room culture that may not have been as strong as some players portrayed it to be and an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Chargers in Week 17 — were conspiring to drive Mayo out of Foxborough. He was canned later that same day, shortly after the Pats’ regular season finale.
Speculatively, Vrabel’s availability may well have clinched Kraft’s decision to hand Mayo his walking papers. During his time as the Titans’ head coach, Vrabel established himself as one of the league’s better bench bosses, and he is highly-regarded for his game management and his ability to develop a strong culture predicated on accountability. The Titans posted a winning record in each of Vrabel’s first four seasons in Nashville, which included three playoff appearances and a trip to the AFC title game. He earned Coach of the Year honors following the 2021 campaign, but things took a turn for the worse over the 2022-23 seasons.
A seven-game losing streak to close out the 2022 season left Tennessee with a 7-10 record after a division title seemed to be in the cards, and the team slipped to a 6-11 mark in 2023. During that 2023 campaign, Ran Carthon‘s first as Titans GM following Jon Robinson‘s surprising firing, there was reportedly tension between Vrabel and Carthon (a situation that may have been exacerbated by the fact that the Titans hired Carthon instead of Ryan Cowden, who was Vrabel’s preferred Robinson successor).
Vrabel may have also wanted more input in personnel matters in Tennessee, a situation that will bear monitoring in New England. The Pats have already announced that they will retain executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and top front office executive Alonzo Highsmith, though as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com wrote this morning, the roles of those two men are to be determined. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports reports that Cowden, who is currently serving as a personnel advisor for the Giants, will likely be added to the Patriots’ personnel department in a non-GM capacity, though he believes Wolf will retain final authority.
Another situation worth monitoring will be whom Vrabel chooses as his offensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels, a familiar face for Patriots fans, has been named as an obvious choice, and the defensive-minded Vrabel will need to get that hire right in order to maximize the potential of young quarterback Drake Maye. Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, showed flashes as a rookie and is one of the reasons why the New England HC job was generally seen as a desirable one, and his continued development will be a top priority.
Indeed, as Reiss points out, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — one of the most respected offensive minds in the game — was New England’s second choice. If they had offered Johnson the job, and if Johnson had accepted, the Pats would have had an ideal coach-QB pairing, but unlike Vrabel, Johnson has never had to create his own team culture. Vrabel, on the other hand, does have that experience, and the Pats are banking on his ability to properly fill out his staff.
As our head coaching search tracker shows, Vrabel was connected to each of the six teams in need of a new HC this year, further underscoring the strength of his candidacy. Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Bears and Jets made “consistent and late pushes” to land him, and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic believes New York had a real shot at him until the Patriots’ job became available. Meanwhile, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that, despite the Raiders‘ (and minority owner Tom Brady‘s) interest in Vrabel, Brady’s former teammate declined a Las Vegas interview because he knew he would be accepting the New England gig (video link).
Despite the Patriots’ 4-13 record in 2024, the presence of Maye, the hiring of Vrabel, and the prospect of the most salary cap space in the league will surely create plenty of excitement in New England in the coming months.