AFC East Notes: Hall, Hill, Patriots, Bills
It is fairly well known the Jets have wanted to retain Breece Hall. After all, they rejected a Chiefs offer believed to include a fourth-round pick at the deadline. The Jets eyed at least a third, and they retained the four-year starter as he finished his first 1,000-yard rushing season. As the likely top running back set to be available in free agency, Hall could command a salary around $12MM per year. With Aaron Glenn continually speaking highly of the former second-round pick, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini mentions the franchise tag as a possibility to ensure he stays in New York. The running back tag is expected to cost more than $14MM, per OverTheCap, though precise tag figures are not yet known. The transition tag could also be a possibility, per Cimini. That is expected to come in just south of $12MM, though the Jets would not be entitled to any compensation if Hall signed an offer sheet and departed.
The Jets are projected to hold the fourth-most cap space, so a tag would be a way to ensure Hall does not bolt for a contending team. Rumors ahead of the deadline pointed to the RB wanting to be moved, though he denied he requested a trade. Here is the latest from the AFC East:
- Tyrod Taylor played out a two-year, $12MM Jets contract. After backing up Aaron Rodgers in 2024, Taylor began this season as Justin Fields‘ understudy. The team then turned to Taylor after Fields struggled, but by season’s end, overmatched rookie Brady Cook was taking snaps. A November report indicated the Jets were likely done with Taylor, but Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline indicates the team has interest in re-signing him. If the Jets re-sign Taylor, he would be placed into a third offensive system in three years as the team hires a new OC. That, of course, would not be new for Taylor — a veteran of six teams during a 15-year career. The Jets retaining Taylor would give them some continuity as they search for a new starter.
- The NFL is investigating allegations from Tyreek Hill‘s wife, who has accused the All-Pro wide receiver of domestic abuse over an extended period. The league is reviewing parts of Hill’s deposition in his divorce case with Keeta Vaccaro, the Miami Herald’s Grethel Aguila notes. Vaccaro filed for divorce and alleged eight incidents of domestic violence. Hill is no stranger to such accusations. He was arrested in 2014, pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend in college, and was later the subject of an NFL investigation into abuse claims by the same woman — the mother of his oldest children — in 2019. Hill and Vaccaro’s divorce trial is expected to begin in June. Hill, 31, is expected to be a Dolphins cap casualty soon.
- Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was arrested on a domestic assault charge late last year, and the Boston Globe’s Travis Anderson indicates the sixth-year defender’s arraignment has been pushed back to March. The arraignment was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but Barmore’s lawyer pushed for a delay. This will prevent Barmore from making a court appearance during Super Bowl week. Any suspension for the high-priced D-lineman would likely come before or during the 2026 season.
- Jordan Phillips has enjoyed three stints with the Bills, returning after being released by the Cardinals and Cowboys. Phillips’ third Bills stay came after the Cowboys moved on midway through the 2024 season; he re-signed with Buffalo in August. The veteran defensive tackle spent the past two years in Buffalo and does not want to relocate again if he continues his career. Phillips, 33, is amenable to continuing his career but only wants to do so in Buffalo, ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets.
Bills To Rehire Bobby April III, John Egorugwu; Team Adds Drew Terrell To Staff
Two former Bills defensive coaches are returning under new DC Jim Leonhard. The team is rehiring Bobby April III and John Egorugwu, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. They will coach the Bills’ outside and inside linebackers, respectively.
Buffalo is also making two new hires, with Schefter adding the team is bringing in Drew Terrell as its wide receivers coach and adding former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Jay Valai as its cornerbacks coach. Terrell interviewed for the Chargers, Commanders and Falcons’ OC jobs last month.
April is coming to Buffalo after three years as Stanford’s defensive coordinator. More notably with regards to this Bills hire, April worked with Leonhard at Wisconsin from 2018-22. April served as the Badgers’ OLBs coach during that span, which featured Leonhard as the Big Ten program’s DC and interim HC. Before heading to Madison, however, April was linebackers coach under Rex Ryan in Buffalo from 2015-16. April is the son of former NFL ST coordinator Bobby April Jr.
While April’s Bills stint occurred before Brandon Beane‘s arrival, the current GM was on staff when Egorugwu was in place previously. The Bills hired Egorugwu from the Ravens in 2017. Egorugwu, who completed a notable jump in being a 2015 Ravens hire weeks after he had pledged to work at then-Division I-FCS Missouri State, was on Sean McDermott‘s staff from 2017-20. The final three years featured him as assistant LBs coach. Egorugwu spent the past four seasons as the Giants’ linebackers coach under Brian Daboll, having reunited with ex-Bills coworkers Daboll and Joe Schoen after a season at Vanderbilt.
Terrell spent the past three seasons as the Cardinals’ pass-game coordinator under Drew Petzing. Terrell had spent the previous three seasons as wideouts coach in Washington under Ron Rivera. Valai spent the past four seasons as Oklahoma’s co-DC, having previously coached at Texas and Alabama. He worked under Bob Sutton as a quality control assistant with the Chiefs in 2018. While Valai was a former Wisconsin DB, his tenure did not overlap with Leonhard’s time as a player or a coach with the program.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio Expected To Return In 2026
FEBRUARY 2: Fangio did indeed “seriously entertain” retirement in recent days, but PHLY Sports’ EJ Smith reports the Eagles are now “confident” he will remain in place for at least one more year. A third season with Philadelphia as the team’s D-coordinator can be expected.
FEBRUARY 1: 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.
Broncos Want To Extend GM George Paton; Vikings On Radar?
George Paton has completed one of the more interesting GM recovery efforts in recent memory. After a disastrous 2022 offseason that brought the Nathaniel Hackett hire and the Russell Wilson trade/extension sequence, the veteran GM has presided over a Broncos turnaround.
Denver overcame two years of historic Wilson dead money to make the playoffs in both seasons, including a 2025 No. 1 seed and AFC championship game berth. When Paton took over for John Elway in 2021, he signed a six-year contract. That makes 2026 a platform year. Although Paton is technically a lame duck as it stands, the Broncos want to keep his partnership with Sean Payton going long term.
[RELATED: Bo Nix Addresses Sean Payton Injury Comments]
“We’d love to have both of them here long term,’’ Broncos CEO Greg Penner said, via 9News’ Mike Klis. “I think the partnership they’ve created and how they work together, it’s very complementary. In terms of their contracts, those are things that we’ll always deal with on a personal basis in private and take that as it comes.”
A recent report indicated the Broncos were eyeing a second Paton contract, and one will need to be worked out soon if the team indeed will keep the Payton-Paton pair together beyond 2026. The longtime NFL exec lost some power when he orchestrated the January 2023 trade for Payton, but the team has done well to rebound. While the Payton-Bo Nix union has led the way, the GM’s round of extensions have been no small part of that.
From 2024-25, the Broncos extended six All-Pro or Pro Bowl players — Patrick Surtain, Quinn Meinerz, Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto. All six were honored as All-Pros or Pro Bowlers in 2025, with five of the six receiving one or both those distinctions in 2024 a well. Paton’s 2021 draft class produced Surtain, Meinerz and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper; the latter is also tied to an extension.
The Broncos hired Paton after his lengthy run with the Vikings, who employed him from 2012-20. Paton served as Vikings assistant GM from 2015-20, becoming a regular GM candidate in that span. A year after removing his name from Browns consideration, Paton took the Broncos’ job. The Vikings now have a GM vacancy, having fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday. With his Broncos contract not yet extended, Paton’s name has floated in connection with a potential Minnesota return, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis note. Paton still has strong relationships with Minnesota, per The Athletic.
Paton, 55, was Rick Spielman‘s top lieutenant with the Vikings. He was there long enough to cover the Brett Favre seasons all the way to Kirk Cousins‘ second Vikes contract. The franchise made the playoffs with five different starting quarterbacks from 2009-19. The Vikings hired Paton from the Dolphins in 2006.
Considering the success the Broncos have begun to achieve with this regime, it would surprise if the team let its GM out of the building. Despite Payton having no relationship with Paton upon arrival in 2023, the veteran HC has spoken well of his partnership with the GM since. The Broncos would have to grant the Vikings permission to interview Paton, since the hire would be a lateral move. But Minnesota interest could give the sixth-year GM some leverage as he prepares for extension talks in Denver.
Rams Expect To Retain WR Davante Adams For 2026
As part of the Rams’ roster moves at the receiver spot last offseason, Davante Adams was added via free agency. His two-year pact was structured in a way which left Los Angeles an out during the 2026 offseason. 
The Rams are currently set to have Adams carry a $28MM cap charge for next season. The team could create $20MM in savings with a trade, while a release carrying a post-June 1 designation would free up $18MM. Neither route should be expected, however. Head coach Sean McVay said on Monday (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop) he has “no reason to believe” Adams will not be retained for 2026.
[RELATED: Rams Extend McVay, GM Les Snead]
The former Packer, Raider and Jet arrived with the Rams tasked with providing a veteran presence following the release of Cooper Kupp. Adams was limited to 14 games during the regular season due to a hamstring injury, but he was a key figure on the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense. The 33-year-old totaled a league-leading 14 touchdowns while adding 789 yards on 60 catches. Adams managed to return to the lineup in time for the playoffs, posting a statline of 11-185-1.
Puka Nacua is eligible for an extension this offseason, and he will no doubt become one of the league’s highest-paid wideouts once his new deal is in place. That will need to be taken into consideration as the Rams contemplate the Adams situation. The six-time Pro Bowler is owed $24MM next season; $6MM of that figure will be paid out as a roster bonus in mid-March. Any efforts to work out a restructure or extension will take place before that point.
Tutu Atwell remained in place with the Rams by signing a one-year, $10MM deal last offseason. He once again faces the possibility of departing via free agency this spring, although there will not be a strong market in Atwell’s case after he made just six catches in 2025. Los Angeles is currently projected to be among the league leaders in cap space this offseason. That should help accommodate Adams’ jump in cap hit along with any potential Nacua raise if one is to be finalized this spring.
Adams has played 12 seasons in the NFL, with most of them seeing him play alongside Aaron Rodgers. Another reunion with the four-time MVP would come as a surprise at this point, but a second campaign partnered with Matthew Stafford would allow Adams to remain a productive contributor.
Buccaneers Add Ken Zampese, T.J. Yates To Offensive Staff
With Zac Robinson taking over as their offensive coordinator, the Buccaneers recently made two other key hires on that side of the ball, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Ken Zampese will serve as a senior offensive assistant, and former NFL QB T.J. Yates will work as the Buccaneers’ passing game coordinator.
Yates is replacing Kefense Hynson, the Bucs’ passing game coordinator in 2025, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. Hynson’s expected to coach elsewhere next season.
Considering Robinson’s history with Zampese and Yates, it’s no surprise they’re accompanying him to Tampa Bay.
Zampese was a senior offensive assistant in Atlanta during Robinson’s run as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator from 2024-25. Yates was the Falcons’ QBs coach in 2024 before moving to passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach this past season.
Zampese is now set to reunite with Buccaneers signal-caller Baker Mayfield, whom the Browns took first overall in the 2018 draft. Mayfield spent his first NFL season with Zampese, then the Browns’ QBs coach, and finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
With Mayfield entrenched as Tampa Bay’s starter eight years later, Robinson, Zampese and Yates are walking into a better QB situation than they had in Atlanta. The Falcons made huge investments in free agent signing Kirk Cousins and first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. heading into the 2024 campaign, but neither lived up to expectations over the past two seasons.
While Cousins and Penix combined to throw for the fifth-most yards in 2024, they put up a below-average passer rating (86.6) and tossed just two more touchdowns (21) than interceptions (19). The Cousins-Penix tandem dramatically lowered their INT total to eight in 2025, but they plummeted to 19th in yards and only threw 19 TDs.
The Buccaneers finished one spot worse than the Falcons in passing yards this season, though a slew of costly injuries contributed to Mayfield’s drop in production from a career-best 2024 showing. Wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan combined to miss 30 games. Stalwart offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch combined for 26 absences.
Godwin, McMillan, Wirfs, Goedeke and Mauch are sure to return to Tampa Bay next season, though Evans and tight end Cade Otton are a little over a month from reaching free agency. Evans and Otton are important parts of the Buccaneers’ passing attack, but it’s anyone’s guess if Yates will have an opportunity to work with either of them in 2026.
Evans’ exit would still leave the Bucs with Godwin, McMillan and Emeka Egbuka atop their receiving corps. Nevertheless, losing the franchise icon after 12 years would be a significant blow.
Up front, Wirfs, Goedeke, Mauch and the rest of the Buccaneers’ offensive linemen will have a new assistant OL coach in Andrew Mitchell, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. An NFL lineman from 2010-12, Mitchell spent 2025 as Oklahoma State’s O-line coach. Mitchell blocked at Oklahoma State for Robinson, then the team’s QB, from 2008-09. Seventeen years later, Robinson is giving Mitchell his first pro coaching position. Mitchell will work under offensive line coach Kevin Carberry in Tampa Bay.
Titans, Cardinals Eyeing Gus Bradley For Defensive Coordinator
Less than two weeks ago, it appeared 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley was poised to replace the departed Robert Saleh as the team’s defensive coordinator. While Kyle Shanahan called Bradley an “obvious” candidate for the position in late January, the head coach hired Raheem Morris to run the 49ers’ defense on Sunday.
Bradley is still on the 49ers’ staff, but other defensive coordinator jobs are on the table for the 59-year-old. Both the Titans and Cardinals are interested in Bradley, Albert Breer of SI.com reports. Landing with either team would give Bradley a fifth chance to serve as an NFL defensive coordinator.
Bradley previously led defenses with the Seahawks (2009-12), Chargers (2017-20), Raiders (2021) and Colts (2022-24). He was particularly successful from 2011-12, the beginning of Seattle’s dominant “Legion of Boom” era, which convinced the Jaguars to hire him as their head coach.
The Bradley era couldn’t have gone much worse for Jacksonville. The Jags gave Bradley nearly four full seasons, but after he managed just 14 wins in 62 games, the team pulled the plug in December 2016.
Bradley’s Jaguars tenure produced disastrous results, though he garnered more working experience with Saleh after the two coached on the same staff in Seattle from 2011-12. They reunited in San Francisco this past season, but Saleh left last month to become the Titans’ head coach. There’s now a chance Bradley and Saleh will work together with a fourth different franchise in 2026.
Although Bradley’s relationship with Saleh is a plus, the latter will call the defensive plays in Tennessee. Conversely, Bradley would work as the Cardinals’ play-caller, and that could tip the scales in their favor, according to Breer. Bradley and just-hired Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur have no previous experience together. Nevertheless, bringing in Bradley would give the offensive-minded, first-time head coach a grizzled complement on the other side of the ball.
Despite the presence of a defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon, LaFleur’s predecessor, the Cardinals ranked a subpar 27th in yards allowed and 28th in points surrendered in 2025. The Titans, 21st and 28th in those categories, endured similar struggles under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Saleh is now eyeing Bradley to take over for the fired Wilson, but he’ll have to fend off the Cardinals for his services.
John Harbaugh Tried To Talk Todd Monken Into Taking Giants’ OC Job
When John Harbaugh was nearing an agreement to become the Giants’ head coach in mid-January, all signs pointed to then-Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken taking the same position in New York. Monken, who worked under Harbaugh in Baltimore from 2023-25, was in discussions with the Giants on a contract as recently as last week.
To Harbaugh’s chagrin, his plan went out the window when Monken became the Browns’ head coach last Wednesday. While Harbaugh told Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media he’s “proud of [Monken],” he’s nonetheless disappointed the two didn’t reunite with the Giants
“I tried to talk him out of it,” Harbaugh said. “That’s my job, right. I really thought he was coming with us, but Cleveland was in there all along and he had been there before in 2019 as the offensive coordinator, so they knew him and he wanted this opportunity”
With Monken out of the picture, the Giants are still without an offensive coordinator in early February. However, Harbaugh believes there are still “a lot of really good candidates” out there. Harbaugh’s history of O-coordinator hires suggests he’ll opt for someone who has called plays before, Brookover notes. All seven OCs Harbaugh worked with in Baltimore from 2008-25 came with prior play-calling experience.
“Proven guys are always probably the most interesting, but then proven guys also have scars,” he told Brookover. “Sometimes people don’t want to live with the scars. But if you don’t have any scars you haven’t been in any fights.”
So far, the Giants have either interviewed or considered interviews with Brian Callahan, Jim Bob Cooter, Shane Day, Kliff Kingsbury, Robert Prince and Alex Tanney. Prince is no longer in the running, having joined the Falcons as their wide receivers coach last week.
Day and Tanney are left as the only members of the group who have not called plays in the NFL. Unless Harbaugh veers from his typical approach, it seems likely Callahan, Cooter, Kingsbury or a yet-to-be-named candidate who’s an established play-caller will serve as the Giants’ top offensive coach in 2026.
Cowboys, WR George Pickens Have Not Held Contract Talks
George Pickens enjoyed a highly productive debut season with the Cowboys. He is on track for free agency at the moment, although the franchise tag looms as an option for Dallas to prevent a departure. 
The alternative of a long-term contract remains one the team has shown interest in. As things currently stand, however, there is considerable progress still to be made on the negotiation front. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News confirms no contract talks have taken place yet with Pickens’ camp.
Acquired via trade from the Steelers last offseason, Pickens quickly made it clear he was comfortable playing out the 2025 season without an extension in hand. As Watkins notes, a second contract averaging at least $30MM annually was the target before the start of the campaign. Pickens certainly helped his earning potential by setting new career highs in several categories.
The former second-rounder finished eighth in the NFL in receptions (93), third in yards (1,429) and tied for fourth in touchdowns (nine). Pickens will thus have a very strong case for joining the $30MM-per-year club at the WR position. There are currently nine receiver contracts with an average annual value at or above that figure; Ja’Marr Chase‘s Bengals extension tops the market at $40.25MM per season. He and Justin Jefferson (Vikings) are the only two wideouts whose contracts contained more guarantees at signing than the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb commitment.
The investment made in Lamb (four years, $136MM) in the summer of 2024 obviously represents a challenge for the Cowboys as they plan out future spending on offense. Having Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott on the books for years to come is something which must be weighed by Dallas. The team enjoyed a strong showing from running back Javonte Williams, and to little surprise a new Cowboys pact will be sought out in his case prior to free agency. Talks with Williams have taken place.
Pickens is represented by Athletes First, the agency led by David Mulugheta which also has Micah Parsons as a client. Direct negotiations between Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not yield the desired results last offseason, but Jones expects to speak directly with Pickens this spring. It will be interesting to see how that plays out once negotiations begin.
The franchise tag for receivers is projected to cost roughly $28.82MM next season. Teams have until March 3 to apply the tag. That comes just before the onset of free agency and the start of the new league year. Before that point, updates on the Pickens situation will be worth watching for closely.
Dolphins To Retain Joe Barry, Austin Clark
The Dolphins a have a new head coach in Jeff Hafley, but his first staff will include some holdovers from the Mike McDaniel era. The team is retaining inside linebackers coach/run game coordinator Joe Barry and defensive line coach Austin Clark, per reports from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Barry, who signed a multiyear deal to stay in Miami, will enter his third season with the club in 2026. He joined McDaniel’s staff after a three-year run as the defensive coordinator in Green Bay. The Packers fired Barry on the heels of a January 2024 loss to the 49ers in the divisional round.
Interestingly, it was Hafley who replaced Barry as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. Two years later, Barry will work under Hafley and new Dolphins DC Sean Duggan in South Florida.
Clark is now set to serve under his third HC since he became the Dolphins’ OLBs coach in 2020. Brian Flores originally hired Clark, who’s coming off his fifth season leading their defensive line.
Clark will continue coaching the likes of Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips in 2026. The Dolphins invested heavily in Grant, the 13th overall pick in last year’s draft, and spent a fifth-rounder on Phillips. Neither Grant nor Phillips offered great production as rookies, but they finished second and third, respectively, in snaps among Dolphins D-linemen.
Elsewhere on the Dolphins’ staff, they’re adding former Georgia Tech OLBs coach Darius Eubanks as an assistant special teams coordinator (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 and Pete Nakos of On3). Brock Olivo, a special teams analyst with Missouri from 2023-25, is also heading to Miami as an assistant ST coach, according to agent Paul Sheehy of ProStarSports. The move will reunite Olivo with new Dolphins special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who held the same position with the Bears from 2018-21. Olivo assisted Tabor in Chicago from 2018-19.
While Eubanks and Olivo are on their way in, the Dolphins are not expected to retain assistant HC/tight ends coach Jon Embree, Jackson reports. The 60-year-old is a longtime McDaniel confidant who worked with him in San Francisco from 2017-21 and moved to Miami when the latter became its head coach in 2022.
With 88 catches, 884 yards and eight touchdowns, Jonnu Smith had a career year under Embree in 2024. No other Dolphins tight end exceeded 35 catches during Embree’s four years on the staff, though Darren Waller was productive during an injury-limited 2025. Waller came out of a one-year retirement to record 24 catches, 283 yards and six TDs in nine games. It’s unknown if the 33-year-old Waller will return to Miami next season, but he’ll have a different position coach if he does.