Dolphins To Hire Sean Duggan As DC
Another important hire on Jeff Hafley‘s Dolphins staff is being made. Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan is heading to Miami to become the team’s new defensive coordinator, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Once the Dolphins brought in Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new general manager, signs increasingly pointed to Hafley following him to South Beach as head coach. As expected, that proved to be the case roughly two weeks ago. Hafley will have a familiar face at the coordinator spot on his first Miami staff.
The Dolphins interviewed Clint Hurtt for the position, but Duggan was recently named as the expected hire in this case. He and Hafley have worked together at the college and pro levels. Duggan worked as a graduate assistant at Ohio State before following Hafley to Boston College. The two continued to work alongside one another for Hafley’s two seasons as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
Hafely will call plays on defense during his first NFL head coaching stint. The coordinator spot will still of course be an important one, though, and Duggan will take on increased responsibilities with this new title. The 32-year-old was a defensive assistant in Green Bay in 2024 before coaching the team’s linebackers this past season. He will see an expanded purview during his first DC gig at the pro level.
Today’s news comes as little surprise but it confirms incumbent defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will not be retained for 2026. Weaver spent the past two seasons as Miami’s DC, and he was a popular target for head coaching interviews around the NFL during this year’s hiring cycle. Weaver, 45, was a finalist for the Cardinals’ gig but it went to Mike LaFleur earlier today. Late in the coordinator hiring process, Weaver will now seek out a new opportunity.
Miami ranked 24th in total defense and 22nd in points allowed last season. Improvement across the board will be sought out under Hafley, Duggan and Co. this season with the Dolphins aiming for sustained success under their new regime. Mike McDaniel managed a pair of wild-card appearances during his four-year tenure, but he did not post a playoff win and oversaw a team which regressed over time.
Bobby Slowik had already been promoted to offensive coordinator prior to today’s move. Chris Tabor is also in place as Miami’s new special teams coordinator. With Duggan now in place, many of Hafley’s most important hires have been taken care of.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Expects To Be Medically Cleared By April
The partially-torn left ACL he suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 season has reportedly threatened Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ’s availability for the start of the 2026 slate. Penix, however, has other ideas.
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The 25-year-old signal-caller recently told Zach Klein of WSB-TV that he is already doing squats and believes he will be medically cleared by April. In light of prior reports, that would appear to be a rather optimistic timeline, but it would be a welcome development for player and team.
2026 will be a pivotal year for the Falcons, Penix, and Penix’s future earning power. He will be extension-eligible at the end of the season, and Atlanta will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option – always a lucrative proposition for quarterbacks – by May 2027. At this point, he has not yet lived up to his status as the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 draft and has not done enough to suggest he is the Falcons’ franchise QB.
Still, multiple scouts and coaches recently opined that the club’s offense under former head coach Raheem Morris and former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson did not properly utilize Penix’s abilities, particularly his arm strength. New HC Kevin Stefanski was not able to do much with less-than-ideal quarterback situations during the 2024-25 seasons in Cleveland, but he did earn two Coach of the Year nods during his Browns tenure thanks in large part to the production he coaxed out of Baker Mayfield in 2020 and a 38-year-old Joe Flacco in 2023.
If Stefanski and new OC Tommy Rees can help Penix realize his potential, the Falcons may be able to crack the postseason for the first time since 2017. Of course, as they will be installing a new offensive system, it will be especially helpful if Penix can be on the field for OTAs and training camp.
In 12 games as an NFL starter, Penix has posted a 4-8 record. His 58.0 QBR in 2025 was 18th in the league out of 41 qualified players and placed him above passers like Jared Goff and Sam Darnold. Traditional quarterback rating was less bullish, as Penix’s 88.5 mark was below average and similar to those earned by players like Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields.
Greg Roman, Darrell Bevell Among Finalists For Jets’ OC Job
FEBRUARY 1: It appears Bevell is another finalist. Josina Anderson of The Exhibit reports that Bevell will take an in-person interview with the Jets on Monday.
JANUARY 31: After parting with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on Tuesday, the Jets plan to narrow their search for his replacement down to three finalists, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The list includes Greg Roman, who will have an in-person interview with the Jets early next week.
The 53-year-old Roman, one of five candidates to interview virtually with the Jets, is in the running alongside Frank Reich, Darrell Bevell, Ronald Curry and Lunda Wells. Given his vast experience as an offensive coordinator, it’s no surprise Roman is under serious consideration to replace Engstrand, who had never held the role until Glenn hired him last year.
Roman, a longtime Jim Harbaugh assistant, worked in the NFL as his O-coordinator in San Francisco from 2011-14 and rejoined him over the past two years with the Chargers. Between then, Roman served as a coordinator in Buffalo (2015 until an early season firing in 2016) and Baltimore (2019-22). Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert are among the quarterbacks who have performed well under Roman.
With Roman at the helm in Los Angeles this season, Herbert put together his second Pro Bowl campaign. However, after Herbert and the Chargers’ offense fared horribly in a 16-3 loss to the Patriots in the wild-card round, Harbaugh replaced Roman with Mike McDaniel.
Taylor is now a Jet, but as a soon-to-be free agent, his future is uncertain. While Justin Fields and Brady Cook are under contract for next season, it’s doubtful either will factor into the Jets’ Week 1 plans in 2026. Despite handing the mobile Fields a guaranteed $30MM on a two-year deal last offseason, expectations are the Jets will release him in the coming weeks. Head coach Aaron Glenn benched Fields for the rest of the year in mid-November.
With all three of their QBs posting lackluster results in 2025, the Jets easily had the worst passing offense in the NFL. That helped lead to 29th-place finishes in both scoring and total offense. The Jets ranked a much more respectable 10th in rushing, but their No. 1 back, Breece Hall, is due to become a free agent on the heels of his first 1,000-yard season. As a run-first coordinator, Roman may prefer to keep Hall.
Whether the Jets hire Roman or someone else, it’s imperative for Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey to give their next coordinator more talent than Engstrand had at his disposal in 2025. Star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, tight end Mason Taylor, and the tackle tandem of Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou are foundational pieces who are sure to return next season, but there’s plenty of room for improvement around them.
Giants Considering Brian Callahan, Kliff Kingsbury For OC
The Giants have added to their list of offensive coordinator candidates. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, New York has either spoken with, or plans to speak with, Brian Callahan and Kliff Kingsbury about its OC vacancy.
Callahan, 41, lasted less than two seasons as the Titans’ head coach, as Tennessee fired him before the halfway point of the 2025 campaign. Still, he earned that position on the strength of his performance as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator prior to his stint in Nashville, and he has received interest as an OC in this year’s cycle.
He interviewed for the Chargers’ position that ultimately went to Mike McDaniel, and he landed a second interview for the Bucs’ gig. Tampa Bay chose to hire Zac Robinson instead, but Callahan apparently remains well-regarded in league circles. This is despite the fact that he was a non-play-calling coordinator during his time in Cincinnati, and while he is credited for helping Joe Burrow become one of the league’s best quarterbacks, the Titans – who obviously do not boast a talent like Burrow under center – faltered with Callahan calling plays (in a failed effort to right the ship, Callahan even gave up those duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree before Week 4 of the 2025 slate).
Kingsbury, 46, enjoyed some success as the Cardinals’ head coach from 2019-22, helping quarterback Kyler Murray become a Pro Bowl-caliber player and leading the team to a playoff berth in 2021. A 4-13 showing in 2022 triggered his ouster, but he seemed to rebuild his stock as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024. That season, QB Jayden Daniels earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and Washington made a surprise trip to the NFC Championship Game.
Daniels’ injury-marred sophomore slate was the biggest factor in the Commanders’ 2025 regression. As such, it would not have been surprising to see Kingsbury – who spurned HC interest last year in order to continue working with Daniels – remain in place in 2026. Instead, philosophical differences with GM Adam Peters and HC Dan Quinn led to a parting of the ways.
Kingsbury nonetheless landed HC and OC interviews with both the Ravens and Titans this year. If he secures the Giants’ post, he will have the opportunity to work with another promising young passer in 2025 first-rounder Jaxson Dart, whose presence is one of the reasons why Big Blue’s HC opportunity was considered an attractive one.
John Harbaugh earned that post after his 18-year stint as the Ravens’ sideline general came to an end. As Dan Duggan of The Athletic observes, Harbaugh has generally preferred to hire OCs with play-calling experience at the professional level. Now that the Browns hired Todd Monken – who had been expected to follow Harbaugh from Baltimore to New York – as their head coach, Harbaugh will need to look elsewhere for that type of experience.
As Fowler notes in a follow-up post, the Giants are expected to bring their OC finalists to their facility for in-person interviews this week. Here is an updated look at New York’s search:
- Brian Callahan, former head coach (Titans): Interview expected
- Jim Bob Cooter, offensive coordinator (Colts): To interview 2/1
- Shane Day, quarterbacks coach (Chargers): To interview
- Kliff Kingsbury, former offensive coordinator (Commanders): Interview expected
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Hire expected
- Robert Prince, wide receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/23
- Willie Taggart, running backs coach (Ravens): Joining staff in different capacity
- Alex Tanney, pass-game coordinator (Colts): To interview 1/30
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Interview requested
- Charlie Weis Jr., offensive coordinator (LSU): Mentioned as candidate
Eagles DC Vic Fangio Leaning Towards 2026 Return, Has Not Ruled Out Retirement
The Eagles have already made a change at offensive coordinator this year, hiring Sean Mannion to replace the demoted Kevin Patullo. It is unclear whether the club will also be in search of a new defensive coordinator.
During a recent appearance on The Anthony Gargano Show, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network said he has not heard that DC Vic Fangio is retiring, nor has he heard that Fangio will return (video link). He added that he would not be surprised either way.
According to Garafolo, during the Eagles’ Super Bowl party last year, Fangio told his fellow attendees that he appreciated working with them and suggested he was going to end his career on a high note with a Super Bowl ring. And then he elected to continue working.
It sounds as if something similar transpired this year. Citing multiple sources, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com says Fangio told the team he was retiring, only to be convinced to come back for at least one more season. That said, a team spokesperson declined to confirm that Fangio would remain in place in 2026.
Following up on Kempski’s report, Garafolo reiterates that while Fangio appears to be leaning towards returning at the moment, that could still change. Dianna Russini of The Athletic also heard that Fangio waffled a bit in 2025, but a team source told her that “we’ll convince him to stay” in 2026.
It is not difficult to see why the Eagles want Fangio to return. One of the most respected and influential defensive minds in the game, Fangio joined Philadelphia in his current capacity in 2024, after a collapse on the defensive side of the ball torpedoed the club’s chances of a deep postseason run the year prior. A concerted effort to address deficiencies in the secondary certainly helped, but after the Eagles finished 26th in total defense and 30th in scoring defense in 2023, they finished first and second, respectively, in those areas in 2024. They went on to capture the second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Although Fangio’s unit regressed a bit in 2025, its performance was still respectable (13th in total defense, fifth in scoring defense). This time, it was the Patullo-directed offense that undermined Philadelphia’s championship aspirations.
Additionally, with a rookie play-caller in the offensive coordinator seat, it stands to reason that head coach Nick Sirianni wants some stability and experience among his top lieutenants. It does appear the Eagles have been formulating a backup plan just in case Fangio decides to call it quits.
According to Kempski, Philadelphia reached out to former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, whose success in that role over the 2021-22 campaigns helped him become the Cardinals’ head coach in 2023. Arizona cut ties with him last month, and he subsequently accepted the Packers’ DC position.
Philly was also planning to contact Jim Schwartz, per Kempski. Schwartz was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator when they won their first Super Bowl title at the end of the 2017 season. After being passed over for the Browns’ head coaching job in this year’s cycle, Schwartz reportedly wants out of Cleveland, where he has worked as the DC since 2023.
Now 67, Fangio previously said he wants to finish his coaching career as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. It is too soon to say whether that time has already come. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Fangio has not responded to questions about his future since the 2025 season came to an end.
Bills To Hire Jim Leonhard As DC
After starting his NFL playing career in Buffalo in 2005, Jim Leonhard is headed back to western New York. The Bills are expected to hire the 43-year-old as their defensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Leonhard spent the last two seasons in Denver as their defensive pass game coordinator. He additionally held the title of defensive backs coach in 2024 and assistant head coach in 2025. In that time, the Broncos defense has been one of the best in the NFL, ranking second in yards per attempt last year and leading the league this past season. He is the team’s second assistant to join Joe Brady‘s new staff in Buffalo; Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael accepted a job as the Bills’ new offensive coordinator earlier this week.
Leonard has now completed a remarkable rise from walk-on safety at the University of Wisconsin to NFL defensive coordinator. Despite three straight All-Big Ten nods to end his college career – and a strong pedigree as a returner – Leonhard went undrafted in 2005. He signed with the Bills and made the 53-man roster, kicking off a decade-long career that featured stints with five other teams.
Among them were the Broncos, who gave Leonhard his first NFL coaching job, and the Ravens, who requested to interview him for their defensive coordinator vacancy. He also interviewed with the Cowboys, Chargers, and Jets, but they all went with other candidates. Instead, he will join Brady in Buffalo as the play-caller for a Bills defense that was one of the league’s best from 2021 to 2023 but faltered in the last two years.
The Bills’ coaching jobs were viewed as some of the most desirable in the league due to the franchise’s recent success and the presence of star quarterback Josh Allen. But a closer look at the roster reveals significant holes. The defensive line features only two proven impact players in Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver, veteran linebackers Matt Milano and Joey Bosa are set to hit free agency, and the secondary either needs more veteran depth or some development from their younger players.
Leonhard can certainly address that final issue right away. A number of Broncos defensive backs have taken significant steps forward under Leonhard, including cornerbacks Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian. Safety Talanoa Hufanga earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2025, his first year in Denver, and Patrick Surtain won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
Leonhard starting his coaching career at his alma mater in 2016. After a year as defensive backs coach, he was promoted to defensive coordinator and eventually served as the interim head coach in 2022. He then spent a year at Illinois as an analyst before joining Sean Payton‘s staff in Denver.
Offseason Outlook: Carolina Panthers
An optimistic viewpoint can tab the Panthers' 2025 season as clear progress. The team ended a seven-season playoff drought and pushed the high-powered Rams once there. Pessimism would conversely point to a 27th-ranked offense and a minus-69 point differential -- as the NFC South has been unable to get its act together in recent years -- to indicate considerable work needs to be done.
No firing rumors followed Dave Canales or Ejiro Evero, and the Panthers at long last have achieved a semblance of stability under David Tepper. The team still needs a better answer on Bryce Young, and more help is almost definitely coming on that side of the ball this offseason.
Coaching/front office:
- Reached extension with DC Ejiro Evero; DC interviewed for Falcons, Raiders, Steelers' HC jobs
Although Evero checks a key box in generating interview slips -- being a five-year Sean McVay assistant -- the Carolina DC has been a fixture in receiving them despite continually being tied to teams with losing records. This marks the fourth straight year Evero has coordinated the defense of a losing team only to be contacted for a head coaching interview. Las Vegas met with Evero twice this year. He remains connected to that search, as the Vegas job is vacant, but Klint Kubiak is the favorite for a Raiders team that has been tied to an offense aim during its latest HC search. The Panthers will otherwise have Evero back for a fourth season.
Fallout From Vikings’ Firing Of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
To the surprise of many, the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday. However, the move didn’t come as a shock to Adofo-Mensah, who “was not blindsided by this,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN says. Adofo-Mensah somewhat expected to take the fall after a 9-8 season that did not include a playoff berth, though the Vikings waited almost a month to pull the trigger.
It took the Vikings 26 days after their season finale to hand Adofo-Mensah his walking papers. Owner Mark Wilf explained why on Friday, telling reporters he wanted to avoid a “knee-jerk” reaction and take a “methodical” approach (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN).
Multiple reports on Friday pointed to a tense atmosphere in Minnesota during Adofo-Mensah’s last season on the job. There may have been a rift between Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell, whom the GM hired four years ago, but Wilf claims there wasn’t disharmony in the building.
“We are in touch with everyone in the building, sensing the dynamic, how people work together. I think, again, it’s a good collaborative situation,” he said. “People get along here. Everything was good. It’s strictly a professional decision on where we think the dynamic was best going forward.”
Moving on from Adofo-Mensah was “100% ownership”-driven and about the GM’s full “body of work,” declared Wilf, who tabbed executive vice president Rob Brzezinski to lead the Vikings’ front office through the draft. Wilf said the Vikings will consider a promotion to GM for Brzezinski, but they’ll conduct a “thorough” post-draft search before naming Adofo-Mensah’s replacement.
While Wilf is leaning toward giving the next GM power over personnel decision-making, he expects O’Connell to provide “extremely heavy input.” With O’Connell considered one of the game’s top coaches, that isn’t a surprise. Although Minnesota has gone 0-2 in the playoffs under O’Connell, its .632 winning percentage since he took over in 2022 is tied for the fifth-best mark in the NFL.
Poor quarterback play, mostly from 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, undermined the Vikings’ chances in 2025. McCarthy grabbed the reins after the Vikings lost veteran signal-callers Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones in free agency last March. After carrying his 2024 Minnesota breakout to Seattle this season, Darnold is preparing for Super Bowl LX against the Patriots. Jones had an impressive season with the Colts before tearing his Achilles in early December.
It may be too early to write off the 23-year-old McCarthy. For now, though, he looks like yet another draft miss for Adofo-Mensah, who traded up a spot to pick the former Michigan starter 10th overall. McCarthy’s struggles so far are especially damning with Darnold a week away from playing for a Lombardi Trophy.
Another draft trade – the 2022 deal that delivered wide receiver Jameson Williams to NFC North rival Detroit – also looks like a black mark on Adofo-Mensah’s resume, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes. The Vikings traded the 12th and 46th picks to the Lions for Nos. 32, 34 and 66. The Lions spent the 12th pick on Williams and the 46th choice on defensive end Josh Paschal. Paschal hasn’t been a difference-maker, but Williams is fresh off his second straight 1,000-yard season. Meanwhile, the Vikings used their first pick that year on former Georgia defensive back Lewis Cine, who didn’t last long with them after fracturing his leg in his rookie season. Cine is now a member of the United Football League.
Of the 10 players Adofo-Mensah drafted in his inaugural class, only fifth-round running back Ty Chandler and sixth-round receiver Jalen Nailor are still with the Vikings. Neither has risen above role player status, and the same is true of most of the picks Adofo-Mensah made during his four-year tenure. None of his selections have made the Pro Bowl to this point.
Adofo-Mensah, a former commodities trader who never played or coached football, started off in the NFL as a manager of research and development for the 49ers in 2013. He rose up to become the Browns’ vice president of football operations from 2020-21 before the Vikings chose him to replace former GM Rick Spielman. As an analytics-based hire who didn’t come with a traditional football background, Adofo-Mensah “was never truly accepted [in Minnesota] from day one,” sources told Fowler.
Latest On Bills’ Joe Brady Promotion
Buffalo’s latest early playoff exit led to the firing of long-tenured head coach Sean McDermott, but after interviewing nine candidates for the job, the team stayed in-house to replace him. Joe Brady, McDermott’s offensive coordinator for the past two-plus years, became the Bills’ head coach on Tuesday.
Although Brady carries no head coaching experience, the Bills believe they found a “CEO of their football operation” in the 36-year-old, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says. Indeed, Brady won the Bills over during the “CEO portion” of his interview, Jordan Schultz reports.
“When we started this process, we were looking for a CEO-type head coach,” said general manager Brandon Beane, who added that Brady will provide a “fresh, new vision for the Buffalo Bills” (via Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News).
As he adjusts to his CEO position, Brady will continue to call the offensive plays in 2026. Asked how he’ll handle juggling both roles, Brady said he learned from former boss Sean Payton, whom he assisted in New Orleans from 2017-18.
“I’ve been in the room and seen how his day-to-day goes, and seen what that looks like from a game-planning standpoint,” Brady told One Bills Live. “Being with the defense also, and then, okay, now I can get ready to go call a game … That’s 20-plus years of doing it from Sean Payton, so I’m understanding of that. There’s going to be growing pains with it.”
Less than a week into his head coaching tenure, Brady has already pried two notable assistants from Payton’s staff in Denver. After hiring Pete Carmichael Jr. as his offensive coordinator on Friday, Brady brought in Jim Leonhard as his D-coordinator on Saturday.
Before joining Payton in Denver as an offensive assistant in 2024, Carmichael was his OC with the Saints from 2009-21. Payton, not Carmichael, called the offensive plays during their long-running partnership in New Orleans. Carmichael will now take on a similar role in Buffalo.
The Bills’ Brady-led offense is coming off its second straight top-five finish in points. Quarterback Josh Allen won the MVP award in 2024, Brady’s first full season in charge. Allen took an active role in the Bills’ HC search, sitting in on all interviews, though he wasn’t involved in assembling a list of finalists or the hiring itself, Peter Schrager of ESPN reports. The 29-year-old is fully on board with Brady’s promotion, though (via Syndey Ciano of the team’s website).
“He’s a real human that guys can get behind and understand and play for,” Allen said. “I thought in his interview, the vision that he had for this team … He’s going to continue to keep working hard and trying to find ways for our team now to be put in successful positions.”
Jaguars Unlikely To Re-Sign Devin Lloyd?
Last spring, the Jaguars declined Devin Lloyd‘s fifth-year option. As a result, the productive linebacker is currently on track for free agency in March. 
2026 will mark Lloyd’s first trip to the open market unless a new Jacksonville pact can be worked out. It seems as though that will not take place, though. ESPN’s Rob Demosky writes the Jags will “likely” see Lloyd depart by taking a big-ticket contract elsewhere.
[RELATED: 2026 Salary Cap To Exceed $300MM]
The fifth-year option groups inside and outside linebackers together for valuation purposes. As a result, NFL teams have increasingly opted against picking up the option in cases like Lloyd’s. Similarly, the franchise tag does not differentiate between the two positions. That means tagging Lloyd would cost roughly $28.2MM in fully guaranteed compensation for 2026.
The top of the LB market is currently $21MM per year, so tagging Lloyd would come as a major surprise. A long-term pact is more feasible for the 27-year-old, and wherever it comes from it will no doubt include a considerable raise. Lloyd was held under 113 tackles for the first time in his career during the 2025 season, but he set a new career high with five interceptions while totaling 81 stops. His production and role in Jacksonville’s impressive defense resulted in second-team All-Pro honors.
Lloyd remained a full-time starter despite seeing a dip in his defensive snap share. The Utah product will be counted on as a key contributor for his next team, and the linebacker market will offer few alternatives in free agency which are younger than him. Lloyd’s second contract could see him join the list of linebackers attached to an AAV of at least $12.5MM. That would move him within the top eight at the position in terms of average annual value.
Foye Oluokun inked a new Jags contract in 2024; he has two years remaining on his pact. Jacksonville also has recent Day 3 picks Ventrell Miller and Jack Kiser in place at the LB position. One or both could be in line for a sharp uptick in defensive usage in the event Llyod were to depart in free agency.