NFL Moves To Dismiss Jon Gruden’s Lawsuit
The case of former Raiders HC Jon Gruden‘s lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell has taken another turn. The league has filed for the suit to be dismissed, according to a report from Daniel Kaplan of the Athletic. 
[Related: Jon Gruden Sues NFL, Roger Goodell]
Kaplan notes that the league has actually moved for the case to be taken to arbitration in Nevada state court first, and asked for it to be dismissed pending its decision on arbitration. The league’s written response to Gruden’s suit states that “Gruden sent a variety of similarly abhorrent emails to a half dozen recipients over a seven-year period” besides those sent to former WFT president Bruce Allen. Like those emails, which led to Gruden’s resignation in October, these other ones “denounced `the emergence of women as referees,’ and frequently used homophobic and sexist slurs to refer to Commissioner Goodell, then-Vice President Joseph Biden, a gay professional football player drafted in 2014, and others”.
The response also comments on claims alleging the league leaked the damning emails as a way to get revenge against Gruden due to his remarks against the commissioner. As reported by Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, the league responded that Gruden “primarily assumed the risk that his emails could be circulated beyond the original recipient group, and possessed and distributed by the WFT, NFL and others”. It continues, “to be sure, the NFL and the commissioner did not leak Gruden’s emails”.
The motion details how Goodell had grounds to fire Gruden outright, given the fact that the nature of his emails were detrimental to the league. For that reason, it states, no one at the league office had a motivation to “publicly sabotage Gruden’s career”, as the original lawsuit claims. Instead, it argues, the suit “should be dismissed in its entirety”.
No further developments (such as if the case will proceed to court) will be able to take place until the aforementioned arbitration decision is made.
Jim Harbaugh Would Reportedly Take Vegas HC Job If Offered
Rumors have been constantly swirling around Jim Harbaugh and the Raiders’ head coaching position. While most of the reporting and speculation to date has been centered on owner Mark Davis working to convince Harbaugh to return to the NFL, not much has been said with respect to the latter’s interest in the position. 
According to a report from Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the presumption that the current Michigan HC is the favorite to take over in Las Vegas is certainly warranted from both perspectives. As he writes, there are “multiple sources” inside the school’s program who “think [that] if Harbaugh is offered the Raiders’ head coaching job, he’d take it”.
The 58-year-old’s ties to the franchise date back to 2002, the start of his NFL coaching career. It was then, during his tenure as the team’s QB coach, that a longstanding friendship with Davis began. Feldman also notes that Harbaugh “has family ties to Las Vegas, which is where he met his wife”. Those were some of the factors that made him an early favorite for the HC position, before the Raiders even began conducting interviews.
Recent developments have also pointed towards Harbaugh ultimately being hired. GM Mike Mayock was let go on Monday; one of the effects of that decision is, according to many, an increased likelihood that interim HC Rick Bisaccia won’t return despite his ability to settle down a turbulent season and help guide the team to the playoffs. It has been reported for weeks, of course, that Davis has his sights set on Harbaugh, and has all along. A departure from Bisaccia would only open the door further to Harbaugh being brought in.
Two things are important to keep in mind with this situation. Firstly, Bisaccia interviewed for the full-time HC gig on Wednesday, so he does still have a chance to be retained. Secondly, as Feldman warns, “Harbaugh can be hard to read”. Taking that point into consideration, along with the fact that the Wolverines just had their best season of Harbaugh’s tenure (defeating Ohio State en route to a CFP semifinal appearance), leaves open the possibility that Michigan could try to keep him in place with a new contract.
Ultimately, though, this latest news seems to be another signal that a second head coaching role is in the cards for the former Super Bowl runner-up.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/19/22
We’ll keep track of Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals here:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, CB Breon Borders, CB Nate Brooks, DE Matt Dickerson, TE Alex Ellis, S Javon Hagan, OL Danny Isidora, OL Koda Martin, RB Jaylen Samuels, TE Bernhard Seikovits, OL Eric Smith, LB Joe Walker, TE David Wells, CB Jace Whittaker, TE Deon Yelder
Chicago Bears
- CB Lamar Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- RB John Kelly Jr.
Las Vegas Raiders
- OT William Sweet, WR Javon Wims
New York Jets
- DL Bradlee Anae
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DB Isaiah Johnson, WR Steven Sims
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Football Team
- CB D.J. Hayden
Raiders To Interview Champ Kelly
The Raiders are set to interview Champ Kelly for their GM vacancy on Thursday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Bears’ assistant director of player personnel joins Bengals scout Trey Brown, Colts vice president of player personnel Ed Dodds, and Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler on Las Vegas’ interview list.
[RELATED: Raiders Request GM Interview With Bengals’ Trey Brown]
Kelly began his career with the Broncos and has been with the Bears since 2015, the start of Ryan Pace‘s tenure as GM. The Bears have since parted ways with Pace, but they still held Kelly in high regard, interviewing him for their own vacancy last week. The Broncos and Panthers also looked at Kelly last year, before before hiring George Paton and Scott Fitterer, respectively. And, in 2019, the Jets met with Kelly before going with Joe Douglas.
Ziegler, meanwhile, is set to interview on Friday. His CV includes nine years with the Pats plus time with the Broncos.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/18/22
Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Nate McCrary
Detroit Lions
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Joe Reed
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
- G/T Kayode Awosika, WR Deon Cain, LB Christian Elliss, CB Craig James, DE Matt Leo, DE Cameron Malveaux, S Jared Mayden, CB Mac McCain, LB JaCoby Stevens, TE Noah Togiai, DT Marvin Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DE Daniel Archibong, WR Rico Bussey, DT Khalil Davis, G Nathan Gilliam, G Malcolm Pridgeon, LB Deiontae Scott, K Sam Sloman, DB Linden Stephens, TE Jace Sternberger, S Donovan Stiner, LS Rex Sunahara, WR Tyler Vaughns
Raiders Request GM Interview With Bengals’ Trey Brown
After spending some time with both of the recent spring leagues, Trey Brown is back on the NFL GM radar. The current Bengals exec has caught the Raiders’ attention.
The Raiders, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), sent an interview request to Brown. The former Eagles staffer caught on with the Bengals as a scout last year. While Brown’s current title does not match most others in GM mixes, he has been part of this process before — including with the Raiders.
A six-year Eagles staffer from 2013-18, Brown rose to the position of director of college scouting during his final three years in Philly. This garnered him attention from the Bills, who interviewed the then-32-year-old exec for the GM job that went to Brandon Beane in 2017. The Raiders then interviewed Brown for the job that went to Mike Mayock. With Mayock and Jon Gruden now out of the picture, Mark Davis is eyeing Brown once again.
In between Brown’s Raiders interview and Bengals hire, he spent time with the Alliance of American Football and XFL — with the Birmingham Iron and St. Louis BattleHawks, respectively. Brown, 36, began his NFL career with the Patriots in 2010. Brown joins Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler and Colts VP of player personnel Ed Dodds to receive Raiders interview requests.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
With the Wild Card round complete, another six positions in the 2022 NFL Draft have been confirmed.
One of the most interesting developments relates to the Philadelphia Eagles. After losing on Sunday, their own first round pick has been locked in at No. 19, having already known they would also own the 15th and 16th selections. What the team does with that much draft capital will be one of the most interesting storylines of the draft.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4*
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5*
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4*
* = Remaining playoff teams
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/17/22
Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:
Dallas Cowboys
- OT Isaac Alarcon, LB Devante Bond, DB Kyron Brown, TE Ian Bunting, OT Aviante Collins, DB Tyler Coyle, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Robert Foster, RB JaQuan Hardy, C Braylon Jones, RB Nick Ralston, WR Brandon Smith, RB Ito Smith
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Jordan Brown, G Lester Cotton, DB Kavon Frazier, OL Hroniss Grasu, DE Gerri Green, C Brett Heggie, DL P.J. Johnson, LB Justin March-Lillard, OL Jeremiah Poutasi, RB Trey Ragas, WR Dillon Stoner, WR DJ Turner
New England Patriots
- WR Tre Nixon, K Quinn Nordin, WR Malcolm Perry, RB Devine Ozigbo, G William Sherman, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Raiders Won’t Retain GM Mike Mayock
We heard earlier this evening that the Raiders had requested permission to interview two GM candidates. There was one issue: Mike Mayock was still the team’s general manager. Now, we’re learning that Mayock is out in Las Vegas. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders have informed Mayock that he won’t be retained.
[RELATED: Raiders Request Interviews With Patriots’ Jerod Mayo, Dave Ziegler]
“We have relieved Mike Mayock of his duties as General Manager of the Las Vegas Raiders,” the team said in a statement (via Albert Breer on Twitter). “We thank Mike for his contributions over the last three years in helping to form the foundation for the franchise to build upon in its future.”
Per Rapoport (on Twitter), the Raiders organization made their decision to fire Mayock “several days ago.” Their requests to interview Patriots exec Dave Ziegler and Colts exec Ed Dobbs were made earlier this evening. It’s uncertain when Mayock learned of his fate. According to Breer (on Twitter), there were rumblings prior to the draft that Mayock could be on his way out with the organization. He kept his gig and saw his team make the playoffs, but Aaron Wilson tweets that the organization had been putting out feelers on potential HC and GM candidates over the past few days. It doesn’t sound like that sits well with current Raiders staffers; NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe tweets that scouts, coaches, and executives were currently prepping for the draft and free agency without knowing there could be a major shakeup atop the front office.
The broadcaster-turned-GM didn’t have final say over transactions during much of his tenure with the Raiders; that honor belonged to head coach Jon Gruden before he resigned this season. There were plenty of misfires during the duo’s time with the organization; both of the Raiders’ 2020 first-round picks (Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette) were cut this year, and the front office surely has regrets with how things unfolded with acquisitions like Antonio Brown, Trent Brown, and Lamarcus Joyner.
However, as PFF’s Doug Kyed tweets, Mayock should be credited with a handful of late-round hits, including defensive end Maxx Crosby, wideout Hunter Renfrow, tight end Foster Moreau, and cornerback Nate Hobbs. The Raiders also improved during each of Mayock’s three seasons at the helm, culminating in the GM’s first playoff appearance this season following a 10-win regular season. Not to mention, that playoff performance came amid a tumultuous season off the field. Alas, the organization will now look for a new GM to guide the front office, with Ziegler and Dobbs first on the list of candidates.
Meanwhile, this news doesn’t bode well for interim head coach Rich Bisaccia‘s chances of keeping his gig. The long-time special teams coordinator guided the team to a 7-5 record and a playoff appearance, but a new GM will surely prefer their own coaching staff. We already heard earlier tonight that the organization requested permission to interview Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. According to Schefter (on Twitter), Bisaccia “remains with the team at this time.”
Raiders Request Interviews With Patriots’ Jerod Mayo, Dave Ziegler
At the moment, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and general manager Mike Mayock are still on the Raiders payroll. However, that hasn’t stopped the organization from requesting interviews with potential replacements. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), Las Vegas requested permission to interview Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo for their HC job and Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler for their GM job. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Raiders are expected to put in a request for Colts executive Ed Dodds, as well.
We heard recently that Mayock’s job wasn’t necessarily safe, even following a tumultuous season where he was one of the organization’s calming presences en route to a playoff appearance. Mayock has spent three season’s as the Raiders GM, with the team improving their win total each season. Bisaccia, meanwhile, helped steadied the ship amid a rough season, but recent reports indicated that he was a long shot to keep his job, and that appears to be more apparent following the Raiders one-and-done postseason.
Mayo is now the team’s first definitive HC candidate. The linebacker previously had a standout career with the Patriots, with the former 10th-overall pick earning two Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl ring during his eight seasons in New England. Mayo rejoined the organization as their linebackers coach in 2019. While New England is currently operating without a true defensive coordinator, Mayo (along with Steve Belichick) are assumed to be atop the defensive coaching depth chart.
Ziegler has risen from the scouting level to director of pro personnel to his current post. While he has spent much of his career as a Pats exec, he began his NFL run with the Broncos. Last offseason, he was connected to gigs with the Broncos and Giants.
Dodds was a popular name in the GM circuit last offseason, when he was connected to gigs with the Lions and Panthers. Dodds has worked with the Colts since 2017, and he was promoted to his current position in 2018. Dodds previously spent time in the Seahawks front office, where he played a major role in constructing a Super Bowl-winning roster. He’s already been mentioned as a candidate for the Bears GM gig this offseason.