Trent Baalke’s Presence Affected Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn’s Jaguars Interest

Liam Coen‘s about-face regarding the Jaguars confirmed what most had assumed about that job. Trent Baalke‘s presence, reported to be an issue for some HC candidates, had impeded this Jags search. The team was believed to have been “embarrassed” by Coen initially passing on a second interview.

Shad Khan then fired Baalke more than two weeks after canning Doug Pederson. The Jaguars will soon turn their attention to replacing him, but it is worth wondering what would have happened had the team done what many expected and fired Baalke along with Pederson. This particular “what if?” impacted the top offense-oriented candidate in this year’s hiring cycle.

Rumored to be interested in the Jaguars’ job, Ben Johnson received aggressive interest from the team. When he turned down the Jaguars to accept a Bears HC offer, the three-year Lions OC indeed expressed reservations about the team’s front office setup. Johnson may have been leery about signing on with Baalke, as Pederson was rumored to be back in 2022, but SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates Johnson may not have been ready to demand Baalke be fired in order to take over in Jacksonville. He then committed to Chicago, which is also keeping its GM — Ryan Poles — on staff.

The Jags discussed a big-money offer with Johnson, Breer adds, and earlier reports that Khan being willing to boot Baalke for the right HC candidate — despite giving Baalke the keys to this coaching search — certainly proved accurate. Before moving on from Baalke, Khan gave Johnson’s camp the impression he would be willing to do so, Breer adds. Johnson committed to the Bears two days before the Jaguars canned Baalke.

It is not known how serious the Jaguars were on Aaron Glenn, beyond the parties’ virtual interview January 11, but Breer notes that the four-year Lions DC expressed interest in bringing along a personnel staffer had he landed the Jacksonville gig. It is unclear who Glenn wanted to add in Jacksonville, but Baalke balked at this setup due to how it would impact his top lieutenant, senior personnel exec Tom Gamble. Khan had already spoken of beefing up his front office, and the upcoming GM hire may well move on from a prominent Baalke lieutenant anyway. Glenn signed on with the Jets on the same day Coen had informed the Jags he was out.

Khan keeping Baalke more than two weeks after Black Monday appears to have been a blunder. The owner allowing an embattled GM to make critical calls during the hiring period did not align with the team’s future. Baalke certainly could have steered the search toward a direction in which the incoming head coach would work with him rather than guide it to a candidate who wanted his own GM. In the end, the organization will pay up for Coen, doing so despite the one-and-done Buccaneers OC not being a finalist anywhere else. Coen, of course, had committed to staying in Tampa as OC before big Jags promises lured him back into that race.

Coen has the rare opportunity, as a first-time HC, to essentially pick a GM; he also signed a five-year contract believed to be worth Johnson-level money. Coen fared much better with the Bucs than he did with the Rams, when an injury-plagued offense plummeted to last in yardage in 2022. After going back to Kentucky, the two-time Wildcats OC had the Bucs’ offense third in yardage and fourth in scoring. Coen helping Baker Mayfield sustain his Dave Canales-overseen rebound played the lead role in him obtaining rare leverage; the Jaguars’ present state didn’t hurt matters, either.

As expected, Coen confirmed Monday he will call plays in Jacksonville. This was a sore spot during Pederson’s stay, as the two-time HC insisted — despite reported Baalke pushback — OC Press Taylor stay in that role. Taylor, whose presence caused issues on Pederson’s way out in Philly as well, was the Jags’ primary play-caller in 2023 and ’24. Although Trevor Lawrence‘s injuries impacted the team in that span, the Jags plummeted to 26th in scoring offense this season.

Additionally, the Jags are retaining special teams coordinator Heath Farwell. Hired in Pederson’s first offseason in charge, Farwell agreed to a three-year deal, ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco notes. A 10-year NFL player, Farwell has been an ST coordinator since 2019. He in that role with the Bills for three seasons and has been an NFL assistant since 2016.

Texans Interview Jeff Nixon For OC

After Bobby Slowik went from HC candidate to coordinator free agency, the Texans are moving with their replacement search. They have completed their interview with quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, and another meeting is also in the books.

Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon met with the Texans about the position, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Nixon arrived at the ACC program last year, joining as Fran Brown took the Orange’s reins, but has NFL experience. He was in the league most recently as Giants running backs coach in 2023.

Nixon, 50, was a Matt Rhule staffer who followed him from Baylor to the Panthers in 2020. Nixon was Rhule’s RBs coach for three seasons in Carolina, finishing out the 2022 campaign after the HC’s early-season dismissal. Nixon coached the Dolphins running backs from 2011-15 and served as a 49ers assistant under Chip Kelly in 2016. He signed on as Rhule’s co-OC at Baylor a year later, beginning his path with the short-term NFL leader.

The Texans have now complied with the Rooney Rule, as Nixon is Black. While GM and HC vacancies require in-person meetings with at least two external minorities, OC and DC posts only require one such interview. This is not Nixon’s first NFL OC meeting, however, as he met about the Cowboys’ vacancy — one that went to Brian Schottenheimer — in 2023.

Riding impressive showings from NFL-bound skill players LeQuint Allen and Oronde Gadsden II, the Orange went 10-3 this past season and ranked 21st nationally with 34.6 points per game. That marked a significant jump from 2023, when Syracuse’s 23.5 PPG number ranked 92nd.

Houston has been linked to Kelly, who was DeMeco Ryans‘ final NFL HC, joining Jacksonville in that regard. Kelly would stand to be more attracted to the Texans’ opening, as it would come with play-calling duties; Liam Coen will call plays for the Jaguars. But a Johnson promotion, and now a Nixon hire, sit on the radar as well.

Liam Coen ‘Pushing Hard’ For Mike Greenberg To Become Jaguars GM?

Already losing one of their assistant GMs, via John Spytek‘s Raiders agreement, the Buccaneers may have one more search to sweat out. Considering the only team still looking is the one that poached Liam Coen to complete an awkward Bucs breakup, it might not be a smooth process.

The Bucs are not expected to allow any contracted assistants to make lateral moves and join Coen in Jacksonville, but they would not be able to block a coordinator interview or a GM meeting involving a promotion. This may bring popular GM candidate Mike Greenberg back into the picture soon. Coen is believed to be eyeing his short-lived Tampa coworker.

[RELATED: Trent Baalke’s Presence Impacted Jags’ Ben Johnson Pursuit]

The new Jaguars HC is “pushing hard” to bring Greenberg over from Tampa, Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline notes. The matter of Greenberg wanting this job, per Pauline, may be a potential issue. Thus far, no interview requests have gone out. But with Coen hired, the Jags need a front office boss to replace Baalke. Of course, Coen is expected to have a significant say in this process; that could then make this a less powerful GM job once the dust settles.

Coen having the opportunity to drive a GM search despite having only been an NFL coordinator for two seasons, on-and-off stints with the two nonconsecutive Kentucky OC seasons sandwiched in, is unusual. First-time HCs are not regularly given this opportunity, but with the Jags making a major change — the belated Baalke firing — in order to convince Coen to take a second interview and thus sign on, the 2024 Bucs OC pounced on an opportunity to exert leverage.

Greenberg was believed to be one of the Bucs power brokers who attempted to reach Coen during the play-caller’s off-grid stretch on his way out of Tampa. After agreeing to an extension to stay with the Bucs, Coen backtracked once the Jags fired Baalke. The Jags wanted Coen to keep his interview schedule private, allowing the team to interview Patrick Graham and comply with the Rooney Rule, and this led to him dodging calls from Greenberg and Bucs GM Jason Licht. Although Coen is believed to have eventually told Todd Bowles what he was up to, this was far from a smooth exit. On that note, it would be interesting if Greenberg — a 15-year Bucs staffer — would consider jumping ship given the way Coen left town.

Greenberg met with the Jets during their recent search and met about the Panthers’ vacancy last year. Instrumental in helping the Bucs maneuver to land Tom Brady and then rearm for a Super Bowl LV title defense by ensuring the entire starting lineup returned, Greenberg helped the Bucs pay the likes of Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs this past offseason. Losing Spytek and Greenberg in the same offseason would deal a blow to the Bucs, but it is far from certain if the latter would follow Coen after one year together. GMs rarely receive second chances, so identifying the right fit is paramount for rising execs.

NFC Coaching Rumors: Bucs, Bowles, Kafka, Martindale, Lions, Falcons, Cardinals

Liam Coen‘s Buccaneers divorce has become one of the most memorable staff separations in recent years. In addition to the Bucs’ OC search, multiple additional fallout items have emerged from Coen backtracking on an extension agreement to accept the Jaguars’ HC offer. Some around the league are now wondering how willing coordinator candidates will be to join up with Todd Bowles, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones writes. Bowles has evaded firing rumors for multiple seasons, though it was quieter on that front in 2024. While it is a bit odd that he continues to win division titles (3-for-3 in that regard), the rumors about the veteran HC’s murky status in Tampa persist.

On that note, Jones adds the Bucs should not be expected to let any coaches out of their contracts to follow Coen to Jacksonville. Bowles, Jason Licht and assistant GM Mike Greenberg attempted to reach Coen on Thursday, when he was supposed to sign his Bucs extension. Coen had already delayed the signing. The one-and-done Tampa Bay OC had even fibbed about a personal matter to continue his Jags negotiations, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicated during a Pat McAfee Show appearance the Bucs were plenty irked about his exit process.

Here is the latest from the NFC side of the coaching carousel:

  • The Bucs have completed four interviews with outside candidates, but an internal Coen replacement option has surfaced as well. Pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard is on the radar to be promoted, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes. Grizzard, 34, has been in the NFL since 2017 and joined Bowles’ staff to work under Coen. The Bucs thought they had avoided a scenario in which they use a fourth OC in four seasons, via the Coen agreement, and Mayfield will now have a sixth play-caller since the 2021 campaign. An internal promotion would help ensure some familiarity.
  • Mike Kafka is still in the running for the Saints‘ HC job, though Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy may be more likely to land the job. If the Giants’ OC were to pull an upset and jump from a 3-14 team to another club’s top coaching job, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes he would be expected to bring Wink Martindale with him as DC. Kafka and Martindale worked together in New York for two seasons, before the latter’s explosive 2024 exit. Martindale, who spent the 2024 season as Michigan’s DC, interviewed for the Colts and Falcons’ DC jobs this month.
  • Acting swiftly to fill the void created when Kelvin Sheppard made the jump to replace Aaron Glenn, the Lions are elevating another recent NFL linebacker. Detroit will promote Shaun Dion Hamilton to its LBs coaching post, 247Sports.com’s Matt Zenitz tweets. Hamilton attempted to make the Lions’ active roster in 2022 but instead found a job on their coaching staff. Dan Campbell hired Hamilton, an ex-Washington defender, as an assistant. He moved up to assistant LBs coach in 2023, and at 29, is climbing the ladder again.
  • The Falcons are making two hires for Jeff Ulbrich‘s defensive staff. They added Mike Rutenberg as pass-game coordinator and Nate Ollie as D-line coach. Rutenberg will follow Ulbrich from the Jets, having coached their linebackers for four seasons. The Robert Saleh hire oversaw the development of Quincy Williams from waiver claim to All-Pro, while Ollie was also on Saleh’s first Jets staff. The Colts hired him as D-line coach in 2022, and he landed with the Texans as assistant D-line coach last year.
  • The Cardinals are losing their linebackers coach to a college coordinator role. Virginia Tech hired Sam Siefkes to be its next DC. Jonathan Gannon had hired Siefkes after two years as a Vikings assistant. Prior to that, he had served in the college ranks, heading up Wofford’s defense. Additionally in Arizona, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes the team is not bringing back D-line coach Derrick LeBlanc. On the Dolphins’ staff before heading to Arizona in 2023, LeBlanc had spent nearly two decades at the college level.

Patrick Graham Is ‘A Top Candidate’ To Be Jaguars DC

JANUARY 27: Graham has already huddled up for another Jaguars interview. After the HC job went to Coen, Graham has now met about Jacksonville’s DC position. Considering the team met with Graham twice for the HC job, the second fulfilling the Rooney Rule requirement, and now a third time in an official coordinator interview, it would be a bit of a surprise if he was not the pick.

JANUARY 26: The dust is still settling from the Jaguars’ chaotic leadership changes last week, but new head coach Liam Coen must press along to put together his first staff of assistants.

Coen’s offensive expertise will make his defensive coordinator hire crucial to his success in Jacksonville. Raiders DC Patrick Graham, who interviewed twice for the Jaguars’ head coaching vacancy, is “a top candidate” for the DC job, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Graham’s second interview was a key piece of last week’s drama. The exact timeline remains unclear, but the Jaguars appear to have decided on Coen as their top choice before meeting with Graham in person, as needed to fulfill the Rooney Rule. That could cause tension with Graham if he believes that he was never under serious consideration to be the team’s next head coach.

Offering him the DC job could repair the relationship, especially if the Raiders don’t retain Graham after hiring Pete Carroll as head coach. Las Vegas has yet to announce any additional changes to last year’s staff, though at least a few can be expected with the regime change.

The Jaguars were one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, allowing the second-most points and fifth-most yards with a league-low nine takeaways. The job has some appeal, with a solid, young quartet of Travon Walker, Josh Allen, Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd in the front seven, but Graham would have to do some serious work in the passing game. The Jaguars allowed a league-high 4,375 passing yards in 2024 and lack any elite players in the secondary. In addition to a new defensive coordinator, Jacksonville will need to invest in defensive back talent this offseason.

Bills Extend T Ryan Van Demark, Sign Seven To Reserve/Futures Deals

Although ill-timed secondary injuries again bit the Bills in a Chiefs playoff matchup, the team has enjoyed good health along its offensive line over the past two seasons. This has kept swing tackle Ryan Van Demark mostly on the bench.

But the Bills still have plans for the backup lineman. Van Demark signed an extension Monday, allowing him to bypass exclusive rights free agency. This is a formality, as the Bills could have tendered Van Demark as an ERFA and retained him without any outside competition. Nevertheless, the young blocker is under contract for 2025.

Van Demark beat out David Quessenberry for the Bills’ swing job in 2023 and held a key backup role again this season. The 26-year-old former UDFA made his first two starts this season. While one of those came in a Week 18 after the Bills had wrapped up the AFC’s No. 2 seed, Van Demark also filled in for Spencer Brown at right tackle against the Chiefs in Week 11. He played 199 offensive snaps this season.

The Bills initially added Van Demark on a practice squad deal in September 2022; the Colts had included the UConn alum in their UDFA class that year but did not carry him onto their 53-man roster. Buffalo is still in good shape at tackle, having extended both Brown and Dion Dawkins in 2024.

In addition to Van Demark, the Bills conducted standard postseason business by handing out reserve/futures contracts. Running back Frank Gore Jr., who joined one of his father’s former teams by signing as a UDFA last May, is among the seven sticking around with the team into the 2025 offseason. Here is that contingent:

Buccaneers Interview Nick Caley For OC Job

A fourth candidate is confirmed to be on the Buccaneers’ post-Liam Coen radar. Nick Caley, who joins Coen in having worked on Sean McVay‘s staff, is in the mix to replace him.

Caley interviewed for the Bucs’ OC post Monday. Caley follows Nate Scheelhaase as Rams assistants to meet with the Bucs about this job. Caley, the Rams’ pass-game coordinator, met virtually with the Bucs about the position.

Although Caley and Coen both come from the McVay tree, the two did not work together in Los Angeles. Caley arrived in L.A. as tight ends coach weeks after Coen returned to be Kentucky’s OC. Most of Caley’s career steps came in New England.

He had interviewed to move up to the Patriots’ OC post in 2023, but the team chose Bill O’Brien. Caley, who had spent eight seasons on Bill Belichick‘s staff, relocated after that decision. The Pats circled back to Caley in 2024, interviewing him twice about the OC position. But Jerod Mayo went with Alex Van Pelt.

The Rams’ TEs coach position has been somewhat of a launching pad in recent years. Thomas Brown had served in that role before becoming the Panthers’ OC; Caley has been a tight ends coach in each of the past eight seasons. The Patriots named Caley as Rob Gronkowski‘s position coach in 2017, and he stayed in that role through the 2022 season. McVay’s orbit has been a good place to fly for aspiring coordinators and HCs, and Caley’s name has now come up for multiple teams once again.

The Jets have shown interest in Caley, to the point he may be their top candidate, but no interview has taken place as of yet. Caley, 41, would be an interesting Bucs option due to his familiarity with McVay’s system. Coen came to Tampa after two stints under McVay, and Baker Mayfield doubled down on his 2023 rebound by throwing 41 touchdown passes and piloting the team back to the playoffs. With the Bucs feeling a bit burned by the way Coen left for Jacksonville, they can at least attempt to foster some continuity by poaching Caley from L.A. But they may be competing with the Jets, and perhaps other teams, to do so.

Bills S Micah Hyde To Retire

Micah Hyde flirted with retirement in 2024, eventually confirming he would only return to the Bills if he opted to continue his career. Buffalo kept the door open and eventually called on Hyde as insurance. Though, the team did not opt to turn to that insurance policy when a significant safety injury occurred.

The Bills did not elevate Hyde from their practice squad for the AFC championship game; Sean McDermott confirmed the team would not do so despite Taylor Rapp‘s hip injury in the divisional round. With Hyde spending his final season in Buffalo on the practice squad, he confirmed (via the Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski) he will retire.

Hyde said as much upon rejoining the Bills in early December. The Bills had split up one of the longest-tenured safety tandems of the free agency era in March, cutting Jordan Poyer and not re-signing Hyde. Poyer joined the Dolphins, but Hyde remained in Buffalo as a backup plan. Although the Bills centered their 2024 safety setup around Rapp and Damar Hamlin, they added Hyde to their P-squad for the stretch run. Hyde effectively replaced the seldom-used Mike Edwards — released midseason — but did not log any appearances in his 12th season.

This season obviously does not best encapsulate Hyde’s run in Buffalo. The former Packers draftee played a central role in the team’s McDermott-era rise. Signed to midlevel deals in McDermott’s first offseason in charge, weeks before Brandon Beane came aboard as GM, Hyde and Poyer started together for seven seasons (a 2022 Hyde injury did interfere during that stretch).

Each Buffalo safety earned at least one All-Pro honor, giving the Bills reliable back-line deterrence. The Bills made the playoffs six times during the Hyde-Poyer pair’s seasons together. Although the perennial AFC East champions have run into a rough trend of seeing their top cornerbacks unavailable for Chiefs matchups in the playoffs, the team was regularly able to count on its Hyde-Poyer duo for years.

Hyde, who turned 34 in December, made 95 starts with the Bills. Among Buffalo safeties, that ranks behind only Poyer (107), 1990s bastion Henry Jones (129) and all-time leader Steve Freeman (134). The Iowa alum earned two second-team All-Pro nods — in 2017 and 2021. Each season featured five Hyde interceptions. He added another pick in a 2021 wild-card rout of the Patriots.

A fifth-round Packers pick, Hyde yo-yoed as a starter in Green Bay. The Bills gave him a five-year, $30.5MM deal in March 2017 and later extended him in 2021 (two years, $19.25MM). While Hyde never became a top-market safety, he did well for himself as a pro by crossing the $50MM mark in career earnings during the 2023 season. Overall, Hyde has earned more than $53MM as a pro.

Hyde came back from a season-ending neck injury, one that gave Hamlin his first batch of starts before the latter’s terrifying injury in Cincinnati, to start alongside Poyer in the 2023 season. But the Bills drafted Cole Bishop in the 2024 second round; the Utah product became their No. 3 safety this season. Rapp’s new deal locks him down through the 2026 season, while Bishop could be in line to replace Hamlin as a starter — should the free agent-to-be leave Buffalo in March.

Raiders To Interview Rob Leonard For DC

The Raiders are in position to move on from Patrick Graham after he worked as the team’s defensive coordinator for the past three years. New head coach Pete Carroll has not dismissed Graham, but he is looking into alternative DC options.

At least one of those will be an internal candidate. Vegas will interview defensive line coach Rob Leonard for the coordinator position, as noted by Tashan Reed of The Athletic. Leonard is now the second staffer connected to the gig.

For the first three seasons of his coaching career, Leonard worked at his alma mater (North Carolina State). He has been in the NFL since 2013, with his first pro opportunity coming from the Giants. Leonard worked as a position coach during his six-year New York tenure, one which was followed by time with the Dolphins and Ravens. A veteran of multiple roles coaching players along the defensive front, he has been in place with the Raiders for the past two seasons.

Vegas was hit hard up front by injuries in 2024. Malcolm Koonce faced high expectations entering the campaign, but a knee injury left him sidelined for the entire season. Fellow edge rusher Maxx Crosby was limited to 12 games due to an ankle injury, meanwhile, something which left the Raiders particularly shorthanded to close out the campaign. The team took a step back in terms of sacks recorded this year, but in 2023 Leonard’s unit demonstrated potential in that department.

It is already known that Seahawks pass-game coordinator Karl Scott has received an interview request. Scott is the last remaining Seattle staffer with ties to Carroll, so it comes as no surprise a reunion will be considered. It will be interesting to see if any other in-house options receive a look in addition to Leonard as the Raiders (presumably) expand their search over the coming days.

Packers To Retain Luke Getsy, Extend ST Coordinator Rich Bisaccia

JANUARY 27: Getsy is indeed set to remain with the Packers as a senior offensive assistant, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. It comes as no surprise he will return to his more familiar side of the ball in 2025.

Silverstein adds that special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia has received an extension. Green Bay’s assistant head coach was believed to have one year left on his deal, with Silverstein noting retirement may have been under consideration. Now, another year has been tacked onto his pact, so the 64-year-old is in position to remain in place through 2026.

JANUARY 24: Following Robert Saleh, Luke Getsy joined Matt LaFleur‘s Packers staff in an advisory capacity after an in-season firing. The short-lived Raiders OC worked remotely for a stretch helping out Green Bay’s defense, while the defense-oriented Saleh aided the offense.

Getsy has an extensive history with the Packers, and ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky indicates the team is expected to retain the two-time OC on its 2025 staff. The Pack need a new quarterbacks coach, after veteran Tom Clementslatest retirement, and Getsy has experience in that role.

The Bears hired Getsy off the Packers’ staff in 2022, as Matt Eberflus tasked him with elevating Justin Fields. Although steady criticism came Getsy’s way, Fields did take significant steps as a runner during Getsy’s tenure. A bid to break Lamar Jackson‘s single-season QB rushing record fell short, as the Bears rested Fields for a Week 18 game in which a loss would have given them a chance at the No. 1 overall pick. Fields did not ultimately progress where the Bears wanted as a passer, though had Chicago not obtained that top pick in 2023 and traded it to the freefalling Panthers (ahead of Carolina’s pick becoming No. 1 in 2024), there is a good chance Fields would have played out his rookie deal with the Bears.

Antonio Pierce also booted Getsy, doing so halfway into a miserable Raiders season. As Pierce voiced issues with the Raiders’ Gardner Minshew-centered quarterback plan, the team traded Davante Adams after having lost Josh Jacobs in free agency. Amid a losing streak, Getsy lost his job. LaFleur, who had rehired Getsy after he had initially caught on under Mike McCarthy, gave his former assistant a landing spot post-Las Vegas. Barring another OC interview coming up, Getsy may be prepared to settle in Green Bay once again.

Getsy, 40, worked with the Packers from 2014-17 and then again, after a year at Mississippi State, from 2019-21. He served as the team’s QBs coach during Aaron Rodgers‘ third and fourth MVP seasons (and Jordan Love‘s first two NFL years), launching him onto the OC carousel. The Pack could also be a team to watch involving recently dismissed OC Bobby Slowik, per Demovsky, as the second-generation NFL coach is a Green Bay native. But Slowik generating OC interest is more plausible compared to Getsy right now; it is far from certain he would be available as an assistant to work under/alongside OC Adam Stenavich.