Raiders Hire Chip Kelly As OC
10:01pm: Kelly is leaving Columbus for a historic coordinator sum. As the team told candidates it was prepared to make a “serious” cash infusion with help from its new ownership pieces, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports Kelly will become the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator — on a salary of $6MM per year. This price triples what Kelly was earning at Ohio State, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler adds.
An AAV higher than $5MM has not previously been mentioned for coordinators, as the Buccaneers were prepared to venture toward the $4.5MM-per-year number to retain Liam Coen. Kelly has been out of the NFL for the past eight seasons; his return will bring a stunning salary.
4:36pm: The Raiders are continuing to add to new head coach Pete Carroll‘s staff, hiring longtime college and NFL coach Chip Kelly to be their next offensive coordinator, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Kelly recently won a national championship as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator after a six-year stint as UCLA’s head coach. His last NFL job was as head coach for the 49ers in 2016, though he lasted just one season after a 2-14 finish. Before that, he spent three years as the Eagles’ head coach.
Carroll seems to be prioritizing experience for his new staff. He already retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and is now adding the 61-year-old Kelly, who is entering his 35th season as a coach between the NFL and college levels. Kelly also was closely tied to the Raiders last year, when he interviewed twice to be Antonio Pierce‘s OC. Luke Getsy wound up with the job Kliff Kingsbury declined, but a Tom Brady-led housecleaning brought Kelly back into the Vegas mix.
The two veteran coaches have spent time as rivals, both in the Pac-12 and the NFC West. Kelly’s time at Oregon overlapped with Carroll’s tenure as USC’s head coach, and the two also coached against each other in 2016 when Carroll was the Seahawks’ head coach. The 49ers lost both games to the Seahawks in 2016, but Kelly’s Oregon squad upset Carroll’s No. 5 USC in 2009.
Kelly will have his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. The Raiders finished 27th in points and 29th in yards last season, due in no small part to an unstable quarterback situation and the midseason departure of Davante Adams. 2024 first-round pick Brock Bowers quickly established himself as one of the league’s best tight ends, but the rest of the Raiders offense lacks high-end talent.
Kelly’s first order of business will be finding a new quarterback. Gardner Minshew is still under contract for the 2025 season, but will be coming off a season-ending broken collarbone suffered in October. Even when healthy, though, Minshew struggled, making it clear that he is not the future of the franchise. With the second-most cap space in the NFL as well as the sixth overall pick in April’s draft, Las Vegas has the resources to substantially improve their quarterback situation this offseason.
Prior to this Kelly hire, it was looking like a Carroll-Darrell Bevell reunion was close. The Raiders had interviewed Carroll’s former Seahawks OC, and after an initial offering suggesting the veteran assistant was the lead candidate to end up as Las Vegas’ play-caller, a Saturday report did not disrupt that. Despite Kelly only being linked to the Jaguars and Texans in this year’s cycle, he will have a big opportunity to help Carroll’s Raiders stabilization effort take shape. Bevell remains on the Dolphins’ staff as quarterbacks coach.
Although Kelly flamed out in Philadelphia after an eventful 2015 in which Jeffrey Lurie gave him personnel power by demoting GM Howie Roseman, he posted two winning seasons with the team prior to that seminal setback. The Eagles won the NFC East in 2013, and they went 10-6 in 2014, doing so despite a season-ending Nick Foles injury. Kelly went 6-9 before being fired after Week 16 during the 2015 season. His immediate 49ers hire continued the NFC West franchise’s mid-2010s descent, and Kelly ended up at UCLA two years later.
OC interest formed for Kelly last year, but he opted to leave a head coaching post — as the NIL and transfer portal components have wreaked havoc on the college game — for a coordinator gig in Columbus. That turned out to pay dividends, as Ohio State stormed back from a Michigan loss to close the regular season en route to a national title.
Kelly’s move to the NFL from the Buckeyes will also stir speculation about the Raiders’ draft plans. Kelly may want to target some of his former players, especially on the offensive side of the ball. That list could include projected first-rounders offensive tackle Josh Simmons and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, as well as quarterback Will Howard and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins on Day 2. Kelly will have significantly more information and familiarity – along with a proven track record of success – with those players than any other NFL team.
With Kelly hired, the Raiders can now fill out the rest of their offensive staff. He may want to bring some assistants with him from Ohio State, though some of the current coaches in Las Vegas could be retained as well.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Nate Scheelhaase Favorite For Jaguars’ OC Job; Jon Robinson, Ian Cunningham Top GM Candidates?
The Jaguars are still in need of both an offensive coordinator and a general manager, and the favorites for those positions could be coming into focus. Multiple sources tell Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 that Rams pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase – who interviewed for the OC post last week – is now the leading candidate for the the job, while Albert Breer of SI.com hears former Titans GM Jon Robinson and current Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham are being consistently connected to Jacksonville’s GM gig.
The Jags recently hired former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their head coach, and Coen confirmed he will call the club’s offensive plays. That could stand to limit his pool of OC candidates, though several of his recent interviewees (including Scheelhaase) also drew interest elsewhere.
Scheelhaase, 34, began his coaching career at Illinois, his alma mater, in 2015. He joined Iowa State in 2018 as the school’s running backs coach and eventually moved his way up to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2023. Rams head coach Sean McVay plucked him out of the collegiate ranks last year, and Los Angeles finished in the top-10 in terms of passing yards per game in 2024. Working under McVay has boosted the stock of many coaches during his tenure with the Rams, and Scheelhaase is apparently no exception.
Although he would not have the opportunity to call plays, the Jaguars’ OC position would give Scheelhaase the chance to further build his resume by helping franchise passer Trevor Lawrence take the long-awaited next step in his development. Plus, the team is not devoid of skill-position talent, with Lawrence and promising young players like WR Brian Thomas Jr. and RB Tank Bigsby under club control for multiple seasons.
The unusual route that led to Coen’s hiring also gave him leverage that a first-time HC rarely enjoys and afforded him the opportunity to select the Jags’ next GM. The only candidate who had been connected to the job prior to now is Tampa Bay’s assistant general manager, Mike Greenberg. Recent reports noted Coen was “pushing hard” to poach Greenberg from the Bucs, but as of the time of this writing, no interview has been scheduled (and those earlier reports suggested Greenberg may not want the job anyway).
Robinson and Cunningham, however, are certainly qualified candidates. Robinson took over the Titans’ front office in 2016, and during his five-plus years at the helm – he was surprisingly ousted in the middle of the 2022 campaign despite having earned a lengthy extension just a few months prior – Tennessee advanced to the playoffs four times. Those postseason berths came in spite of the fact that the team’s rosters were not generally viewed as elite, so while some may say coaching was largely responsible for the Titans’ success, Robinson can point to his scouting and roster construction abilities as a testament to his worthiness as a GM.
This year’s cycle is the first time Robinson’s name has substantively appeared in PFR pages since his Tennessee firing, but he did interview for the Jets’ GM post back in December. According to Breer, the 48-year-old’s experience and his time in the AFC South could be key selling points for the Jags.
Cunningham, coincidentally, was one of the candidates the Titans interviewed to replace Robinson several years ago, and he took two interviews with Tennessee this year as the club found itself with yet another GM vacancy. The current Bears exec is no stranger to the GM carousel and is seen as a rising star in the personnel world, thanks in large part to his own scouting acumen. He reportedly turned down the Cardinals’ general manager position in 2023, and after losing out to Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job last year, Chicago awarded him an extension.
Still only 39, Cunningham may again opt to remain in his current position since he did not have the opportunity to hire the Jags’ head coach and since Coen has unique power for a first-time skipper. But if he believes in Jacksonville’s core talent, he could finally find himself atop a team’s front office.
Chiefs RG Trey Smith In Line For Market-Topping Deal; Bears Could Have Interest
Per ESPN’s Matt Bowen, multiple teams believe Chiefs right guard Trey Smith is the best player eligible for free agency in March (subscription required). That adds even more credence to the November reports suggesting Smith could become the league’s highest-paid interior blocker if he were to hit the open market.
In the estimation of SI.com’s Albert Breer, it will be difficult for Kansas City to prevent Smith from testing the FA waters. After all, fellow O-linemen Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Jawaan Taylor are already attached to high-end contracts, and sources tell Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune the Chiefs are unlikely to move on from Thuney. In addition, CB Trent McDuffie and edge defender George Karlaftis are extension-eligible for the first time, and the league’s current preeminent franchise is already projected to be close to the 2025 salary cap. Since Smith’s franchise tag number would check in at roughly $25MM for the upcoming season with a corresponding cap hit, that is likely not a feasible option (the transition tag would not be much cheaper).
Even though Breer says it would not be surprising to see the club part ways with Taylor, only a trade would lead to any 2025 cap savings (and given Taylor’s $19.5MM base pay in each of the next two seasons and his generally underwhelming performance as a member of the Chiefs, it is difficult to envision much of a trade market forming). That said, Smith is one of GM Brett Veach’s most notable draft triumphs, as the former sixth-rounder has become one of the game’s best all-around guards with a 75.1% run-block win rate in 2024 (h/t Bowen) and a 95.6% pass-block win rate since entering the league in 2021 (h/t ESPN’s Dan Graziano (subscription required)).
So, in light of KC’s struggles at the tackle spots, and since Thuney is under contract for just one more year, Veach may try to find a way to keep Smith on the roster. Indeed, Graziano believes the GM will do just that, and he predicts the Chiefs will authorize a five-year, $105MM accord ($65MM guaranteed) for the Tennessee product. The $21MM average annual value on such a deal would match Eagles LG Landon Dickerson’s at the top of the guard market, while the guaranteed money would represent a new high-water mark for guards.
If the Chiefs are unable to come to terms with Smith during their exclusive negotiating window, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (in the same Bowen piece linked above) names the Bears as a team to watch. Chicago GM Ryan Poles was on Veach’s KC staff when Smith was drafted, and one of Poles’ top priorities this offseason will be addressing the interior of his O-line.
Biggs adds that it would be unsurprising to see the Bears becoming a serious suitor for Smith should the Chiefs decline to pay up for him. And, as one GM told Biggs, “[Smith] just might get to free agency. The $20 million guard thing really scares some teams. Teams have seen how the top guard have been paid, and some of them, they don’t want to go there.”
Biggs does say a tag-and-trade involving Smith is a possible outcome. The Chiefs are plenty familiar with that process, having tagged CB L’Jarius Sneed last March before trading him to the Titans a few weeks later.
Raiders Rumors: Telesco, Davis, Brady, Pierce, Carroll, Belichick, Leonard
After a playoff win drought of more than 20 years, Raiders owner Mark Davis was hoping that adding Tom Brady to the ownership group would result in a transformative offseason.
Indeed, Brady was a key voice in the Raiders’ decisions to fire head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, as well as the team’s subsequent search processes to fill both positions, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. Las Vegas ultimately hired Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as general manager, but Brady will continue to play a role in football operations.
[RELATED: Raiders To Hire Chip Kelly As OC]
Davis praised Pierce’s locker room leadership, but finishing in last place in the AFC West for the first time since 2018 was too much for the 46-year-old coach to overcome. “We just felt it was time for a change,” said Davis (via Reed).
Davis was satisfied with Telesco’s 2024 draft class, which featured star tight end Brock Bowers in the first round and starting offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze on Day 2. However, Davis hinted that he was disappointed with Telesco’s free agency signings in the offseason, which included a massive four-year, $110MM contract for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
Wilkins played in just five games with two sacks before suffering a Jones fracture in his foot that would require season-ending surgery. The Raiders’ other major signing, quarterback Gardner Minshew, similarly failed to live up to his two-year, $25MM deal. He posted a passer rating of 81.0 before a broken collarbone ended his season. Pierce had benched Minshew on multiple occasions prior to that injury, effectively ensuring the veteran QB would not be back in 2025.
The list goes on: Alexander Mattison (one year, $2MM) averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, while veteran offensive linemen Cody Whitehair (one year, $2.5MM) and Andrus Peat (one year, $2MM) combined for just four starts. Wide receiver signings Michael Gallup (one year, $1.75MM) and Jalen Guyton (one year, $1.29MM) were not on the team’s 53-man roster by the time the regular season started.
Telesco choosing Bowers, who went on to break Mike Ditka‘s 63-year-old record for rookie tight end yardage, only to be fired after one season does seem a bit hasty. At the time of the ouster, it was reported Brady and Davis decided to start fresh to align the team’s next HC and GM. Telesco has been fired twice in 13 months, after seeing a 63-21 Raiders demolition over the Chargers end his stay in Los Angeles. Telesco and Pierce butted heads on the quarterback issue, which effectively went unaddressed — as far as the big picture is concerned — much to the coach’s chagrin.
As Davis did in December, Carroll confirmed Brady will have a significant role in helping the Raiders identify a quarterback. Viewed by most as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is now operating in a historically unusual dual role — lead FOX announcer and Raiders part-owner/personnel exec. Brady, 47, is not leaving FOX after this season; the 23-year veteran QB will try to balance these roles moving forward.
“We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us,” Carroll said, via Reed and The Athletic colleague Vic Tafur. “And we’re going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can. Because nobody has the insights that he has.”
Davis had eyed Brady to fill a football ops role after Jon Gruden “had his head chopped off,” referring to the latter’s forced resignation in light of the problematic emails that surfaced in 2021 as part of the NFL’s Dan Snyder investigation. Gruden remains embroiled in a lawsuit against the NFL, while Brady and ex-college teammate and Buccaneers coworker Spytek will work together to help rebuild the Raiders.
The Raiders were briefly connected to Bill Belichick to team with Brady, but those rumors did not get far off the ground. Belichick signed his North Carolina contract, and while the $10MM buyout is not believed to have proved to be much of an issue for NFL teams, six jobs are now gone. One going to Carroll, who is seven months older than Belichick, may not be sitting too well with an eight-time Super Bowl winner who passed on a second NFL carousel ride to preemptively enter the college ranks. Talk in NFL circles pointed to Belichick not being pleased about the Raiders hiring Carroll, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes.
While the Raiders moving the bar for oldest head coach ever hired (by seven years) could reopen the door for Belichick, his passing on an aggressive NFL push now will still make matters difficult if he decides to do so in 2026. Belichick would turn 74 before Week 1 of the ’26 season. Carroll is in place as a short-term Raiders fix; it will be interesting to see how Belichick fares in a similar role in Chapel Hill.
Carroll already retained Patrick Graham as DC, and he will keep Rob Leonard in place as D-line coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Raiders interviewed Leonard for the DC post, and they are adding an additional title — that of run-game coordinator — to his duties for the 2025 season. Leonard has previously coached with the Giants, Dolphins and Ravens.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post
Ex-Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb Joins Alabama
Ryan Grubb has had a steadily rising coaching career, with much of it coming close at the side of current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. Ready to take the next step in his career, he parted ways with DeBoer last year and earned his first offensive coordinator job for the Seahawks.
After only one season in the NFL, though, Grubb will reportedly regroup and return to DeBoer’s side. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed today that Grubb has been hired as Alabama’s new offensive coordinator. Grubb had initially made this move last year, committing to follow DeBoer to Tuscaloosa, but the Seattle offer lured the veteran college coach to the pro game. The move did not work out.
Grubb joined the Seahawks under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. Both rookies to their new NFL positions, and with Macdonald’s coaching background being on defense, Grubb was immediately handed play-calling duties. Grubb was also handed an extremely consistent personnel group that returned all starters at the skill positions.
While production improved overall, seeing the offense rack up more yardage in both the passing- and running-game and more touchdowns overall, the team also took a major step back in ball protection. Quarterback Geno Smith jumped from nine interceptions in 2023 to 15 this year. Additionally, a team that fumbled only eight times last year doubled that total in 2024. While RB2 and WR2 from 2023, Zach Charbonnet and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, both took big steps forward in 2024, the position leaders from 2023, Kenneth Walker and D.K. Metcalf, each took steps back.
In short, Grubb’s influence on the Seahawks offense was unremarkable, and with the team’s defense taking major strides under Macdonald, they were expecting the offense to do the same. Grubb was fired from his first NFL position in early-January.
In Alabama, DeBoer had to figure out what to do without Grubb at his side as his play-caller for the first time since 2020. DeBoer opted to give his former Washington tight ends coach Nick Sheridan the job. Sheridan was DeBoer’s tight ends coach at Indiana when DeBoer was OC there in 2019 and took over the OC job for the Hoosiers for two years when DeBoer left for Fresno State before rejoining him in Seattle two years later. This year, the Crimson Tide had a 22nd-ranked scoring offense and a 42nd-ranked total offense, both far under the standard Bama fans are used to. With Grubb returning to the fold, it’s assumed that Sheridan will take on a lesser role in the offense, though he may retain a co-offensive coordinator title.
After first joining DeBoer’s offensive staff at Sioux Falls from 2007-09, rejoining him at Eastern Michigan from 2014-16, coaching with him at Fresno State from 2017-18 and again from 2020-21, and finally, rising with him at Washington, Grubb has spent about 12 years working together with DeBoer. While Grubb may take a chance at spreading his wings out from under the shadow of DeBoer again in the future, it makes sense to see him regroup in familiar territory. In the meantime, the Crimson Tide get a huge boost in adding the technician that has been executing DeBoer’s offensive philosophy to great success over several years.
NFC Coaching Notes: Cowboys, Saints, Bucs, Hall, Panthers, 49ers, Cards, Bears
The Cowboys are looking to the college level to fill their running backs coaching position; both candidates have histories in Dallas. The team turned to one of its former running backs — Tashard Choice — as a recent interviewee, All DLLS’ Clarence Hill notes. Choice is the Texas Longhorns’ RBs coach, having held that job for the past three seasons. A Cowboys running back from 2008-11, Choice wrapped his playing career after the 2013 season. He spent the 2016 campaign as a Cowboys intern. The team is also interviewing Oregon RBs coach Ra’Shaad Samples for the job, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris. Staples is a Dallas native who coached in the area while at SMU from 2019-21; his interview went well, per Hill. The one-year Ducks assistant is best known in NFL circles for being the Rams’ RBs coach in 2022; he left for an Arizona State assistant job before that season ended.
Here is the latest from the NFC side of the coaching carousel:
- The Buccaneers are backing up the report they were ready to block Liam Coen from poaching assistants. After blocking O-line coach Kevin Carberry from meeting with the Jaguars, the Bucs are preventing assistant O-line coach Brian Picucci from doing the same, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. This one is a bit more interesting, as Picucci followed Coen from Kentucky to Tampa Bay. NFL rules allow teams to block contracted assistants from moves if they do not involve a promotion to head coach or coordinator. Coen left the Bucs after avoiding contact with high-ranking staffers, and GM Jason Licht is not believed to be too happy with the exit.
- Another Bucs staffer who will remain in place: Larry Foote. The linebackers coach interviewed for the Lions’ DC job, being the team’s only outside candidate before a Kelvin Sheppard promotion, but will not leave for a job anywhere else. Foote told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud he is staying. The former linebacker has enjoyed a long assistant tenure with the Bucs; this will be his seventh season with the team.
- DeAngelo Hall‘s stint on the Panthers‘ staff is over, per the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye. The team had hired the former Pro Bowl cornerback as assistant DBs coach during Frank Reich‘s months-long HC stint. Hall, however, could land on his feet soon. The 49ers are interviewing him for their DBs coach position, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. Hall and Kyle Shanahan overlapped for four seasons in Washington during the early 2010s.
- Moving back to the Cowboys, their Klayton Adams OC hire did not surprise the Cardinals. But the NFC West team was monitoring a potential relocation to New Orleans as well. The Cards expected their previous O-line coach to join Brian Schottenheimer or follow Kellen Moore to the Saints, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Moore has not taken the New Orleans job yet, but he is the favorite. Both Moore and Adams are Boise State alums, though their Idaho stays did not overlap.
- Elsewhere on Arizona’s staff, the team has identified new line coaches. Justin Frye is coming aboard as O-line coach, and Winston DeLattiboudere is heading to the desert as D-line coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and 247 Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Ryan Burns report. DeLattiboudere comes over from the University of Minnesota and is rising fast; we have a Gen Z coach here, as the two-year Golden Gophers D-line coach is 27. He spent the 2022 season with the Packers as a Bill Walsh diversity coaching fellow. Frye has considerably more experience and is coming off three seasons as Ohio State’s O-line coach. The Bears interviewed Frye for their O-line job. The ex-Chip Kelly assistant is also not following his two-time boss (also at UCLA) to Las Vegas, being set to camp elsewhere in the desert.
- The Bears are still working on filling out Ben Johnson‘s staff. They interviewed Florida assistant Gerald Chatman for the D-line coach position, Zenitz adds. A Bengals defensive assistant from 2019-20, Chatman spent the 2024 season at Florida.
Commanders Block Jets From David Blough Interview; New York Adds Scott Turner, Eric Washington To Staff
Former coordinators and those on the coordinator interview circuit will line Aaron Glenn‘s first Jets coaching staff. The team has now added two ex-coordinators to Glenn’s staff, with three other additions having received interest on the coordinator level.
Scott Turner is joining the Jets as their pass-game coordinator, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Turner closed the season as the Raiders’ interim OC and had previously called plays for the Panthers and Commanders. Glenn is also bringing 2024 Bears DC Eric Washington on as his defensive line coach, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones adds. The Bears moved on from Washington last month.
The Jets are also following through with the rumored Glenn-Chris Harris partnership, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter noting the veteran assistant is heading to New York as Gang Green’s defensive pass-game coordinator and DBs coach. Harris had spent the past two seasons with the Titans. Charles London is also moving from Seahawks QBs coach to the same position with the Jets, Pelissero adds. London worked with Harris on the 2023 Titans staff. A recent report indicated the Titans and Harris were expected to separate.
London is heading to New York after the Jets did not receive permission to meet with David Blough. They had reached out to the Commanders about interviewing their assistant QBs coach, but Pelissero indicates the NFC East club blocked the meeting. Clubs are allowed to block contracted assistants, so long as the interview does not pertain to move up to a coordinator or HC post. Blough, who only ended his playing career after the 2023 season, overlapped with Glenn and new Lions OC Tanner Engstrand in Detroit. The Bears and Jaguars also expressed interest in meeting with him, but the Commanders are prepared to keep him for the 2025 season.
Staying on the subject of blocked interviews, the Jets made such a move as well. They are keeping wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, SNY’s Connor Hughes adds, pointing out the team blocked other clubs from meetings. A former NFL wideout, Jefferson has enjoyed two tours of duty with the Jets (under Adam Gase from 2019-20 and again last season). He also was a Glenn divisional opponent from 1996-99, as the two would match up as members of the Jets and Patriots. Twice a Super Bowl starter, Jefferson has been a wideouts coach since 2007.
Glenn and Turner have not overlapped, but the latter will be a veteran voice in Engstrand’s first OC season. Turner had come up about possibly joining Bill Belichick‘s North Carolina staff but later emerged on Gang Green’s radar. The second-generation NFL coach will stay in the league as part of the Jets’ staff. Turner served as interim Panthers OC in 2019 and then spent three seasons as Washington’s OC. Ron Rivera fired Turner in 2023, leading the latter to the Raiders as pass-game coordinator. Antonio Pierce bumped him to OC after firing Luke Getsy midseason. Turner has yet to oversee a top-16 offense, but he has 13 years’ experience in the pros.
Washington will return to the AFC East, after his Bears stopover; he previously spent four seasons as Sean McDermott’s D-line coach in Buffalo. Washington did not shift to the play-caller in Chicago until after Matt Eberflus‘ Black Friday firing. The Bears did rank 13th in scoring defense this past season, and Washington also helmed the Panthers’ defense under Rivera from 2018-19. Washington and new Jets DC Steve Wilks were longtime staffers under Rivera with Carolina.
A running backs coach from 2014-20, London transitioned to QBs with the Falcons and has since overseen the position with the Titans and Seahawks. London interviewed with the Commanders to replace Turner in 2023, also meeting with the Titans that year, and met about the Browns’ vacancy last month. He spoke with the Rams about their OC job in 2022. Harris worked with Turner under Rivera for three seasons in Washington but moved to Tennessee in 2023. He has come up for a few DC openings, including the Jets’ this year.
Closing out this sizable Jets staff update, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets they are adding Aaron Curry as their linebackers coach. A former top-five pick, Curry did not pan out as a player. But he has been rising up the assistant ranks in recent years. After a Seahawks stint, the ex-Seattle draftee spent the past two seasons as the Steelers’ inside linebackers coach.
Jaguars Meet With Ron Rivera, Hire Tem Lukabu As LBs Coach
Former Commanders and Panthers head coach Ron Rivera met with the Jaguars over the weekend regarding a role on Liam Coen‘s new coaching staff, per Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley.
Rivera has been eyeing a return to the NFL this offseason. He was fired as the Commanders’ head coach after the 2023 season and spent the last year away from football. Over the last two months, he has interviewed with the Bears, the Jets, and the Raiders regarding their head-coaching vacancies, though he was not considered a finalist for any of the three jobs.
The Jaguars also hired former Panthers outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Lukabu will be the linebackers coach in Jacksonville under new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, who was hired on Friday.
Campanile’s hire was a crucial decision given Coen’s history as an offensive coach. Campanile has been in the NFL for just five years with no play-calling experience, though he was co-defensive coordinator at Boston College in 2018.
Bringing in a longtime defensive coach like Rivera could help Campanile transition into his new role. Both spent time as linebackers coaches before earning their first jobs as defensive coordinators at 42 years of age.
Rivera’s 13 years as a head coach could also provide Coen, a first-time head coach, with more guidance on leading an entire football team. The 63-year-old Rivera’s 28 seasons of coaching experience would balance out the relative youth of Coen’s initial staff in Jacksonville.
Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham Amenable To Denver Return; Team Unlikely To Retain QB Zach Wilson, RB Javonte Williams
Less than a year ago, the Broncos were said to be leaning toward opening the 2024 season with Jarrett Stidham – who was entering the second year of a two-year, $10MM deal – as their starting quarterback. The subsequent acquisition of Zach Wilson via trade may not have changed that plan, but the selection of Bo Nix in the first round of the 2024 draft certainly did.
Nix, of course, beat out both Stidham and Wilson for the QB1 job, and he piloted Denver to a 10-7 record and a postseason appearance. After his impressive rookie showing, the Broncos are no longer in need of a starting signal-caller, though the club will need to address the other QB spots on the depth chart since Stidham and Wilson are both out of contract.
Stidham, 28, is amenable to a Denver return, as Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette writes. While the free agent quarterback market will feature some high-profile names (Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, etc.), those players come with their share of question marks, and this year’s QB draft class is considered a weak one. As such, Stidham – who still sees himself as a starter-caliber player – could theoretically get a look elsewhere to compete for a QB1 role.
If such an opportunity does not materialize, however, the Broncos may be his best landing spot given his familiarity with the offense and relationship with Nix (who says the Patriots draftee has been a key part of his development). Unsurprisingly, Tomasson believes Wilson — who was not active for any games in 2024 — is unlikely to be retained.
The same goes for running back Javonte Williams. Although the free agent-to-be recently expressed his desire to remain with the Broncos, Tomasson says the 2021 second-rounder will probably not get his wish.
Williams’ performance as a rookie seemed to put him on track to operate as the lead running back for the Broncos over the long term, as his 2021 timeshare with Melvin Gordon appeared to be a temporary arrangement. Unfortunately, the ACL and LCL tears Williams suffered in 2022, which limited him to four games that season, altered his career trajectory.
While the North Carolina alum tallied a career-high 217 carries in 2023, he posted just 3.6 yards per carry, and his efficiency remained a problem in 2024 (3.7 YPC). He also shared the load with 2023 UDFA Jaleel McLaughlin and 2024 fifth-rounder Audric Estime, both of whom remain attached to rookie deals. Williams did offer much more production in the passing game than his younger counterparts (52 catches for 346 yards), but McLaughlin and Estime outperformed him in the running game in terms of per-carry average.
Per Tomasson, the Broncos will seek out a true RB1 in free agency or the draft.
Packers Rumors: Alexander, Walker, Wyatt, McManus, Nixon
At his season-ending press conference last month, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst left the door open for CB Jaire Alexander to return to the team in 2025.
“[W]e’re at the beginning stages of just kind of gathering information as a whole before we start looking at next year and how we’re going to lay this thing out,” Gutekunst said of Alexander’s status. “But we could (pay him). I mean, obviously, when he’s healthy and he’s ready to play, he’s a pretty good player” (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic (subscription required)).
Clearly, that is far from a commitment to bringing Alexander back in 2025, and Schneidman believes the two-time Pro Bowler has already played his last snap for Green Bay. Alexander is technically under club control through 2026, but his $16.15MM salary and ~$25MM cap number for 2025 could prove unpalatable for Gutekunst & Co., who could create $6.84MM of cap space by cutting or trading the Louisville product before June 1 (a post-June 1 maneuver would clear over $17MM of room this year).
As Gutekunst noted, Alexander has plenty of value when healthy. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in recent history. The market-topping four-year, $84MM contract Gutekunst authorized for Alexander in May 2022 led to promising early returns, as Alexander played 16 games that season, intercepted a career-high five passes, and yielded a career-best 63.7 QB rating as part of a Pro Bowl effort. But Alexander played in just seven games in both of the last two seasons, with his 2024 campaign cut short by a PCL tear.
After the December 2023 coin-toss fiasco led to a one-game suspension and trade/release rumors last offseason, the Packers elected to keep their talented but injury-prone defender in the fold. This year, however, he may have a new employer.
As Schneidman notes, Gutekunst sounded much more positive when discussing the Green Bay futures of 2022 first-rounders Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. The team must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year options on both players by May 1, an option that would keep them under club control through 2026.
“We’re super fired (up) about both those guys’ seasons this year,” Gutekunst said. “Quay continued to make a leap and another guy who had struggled through injuries at the end of the year, but he was really impactful for us this year. Continues to be a great leader for us. Certainly think we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple years. He’s that kind of guy. And D-Wy was probably our most consistent pass rusher from the inside this year. Both of them dealt with some injuries and was really proud of how they attacked those and played through some things this year, but I think both those guys had their best years as pros so far.”
At the start of the 2024 season, it sounded as if Walker would not have his option picked up. And in terms of the advanced metrics, his performance last year was fairly underwhelming, as his 57.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus positioned him as the 63rd-best linebacker out of 84 qualified players (which is roughly in line with his first two pro seasons). Given that he does not play a premium position, and given that his fifth-year option is worth a fully-guaranteed $16.06MM, it would not surprise if the option were declined. On the other hand, Gutekunst’s comments made it seem as if he values Walker more highly than the analytics do.
Wyatt’s fifth-year option would check in just north of $13MM, but after totaling 10.5 sacks over the 2023-23 seasons, he has established himself as a viable pass-rushing presence from the interior of the defensive line, even if his run defense could still use some improvement. Of course, getting after the quarterback is the name of the game in today’s NFL, and having an interior defender who can consistently put pressure on opposing passers is a luxury.
Gutekunst also made it plain that he would like to re-sign kicker Brandon McManus (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). McManus, who recently faced sexual assault allegations stemming from his time as a member of the Jaguars, signed with the Packers in October and resolved the civil suit filed by his accusers (it is unclear if the suit was dismissed or if the parties reached a settlement). On the field, the 33-year-old specialist was terrific for Green Bay, nailing 20 of 21 field goal attempts and all 30 PATs last season.
Thanks in part to Alexander’s injury-related absences, Keisean Nixon has seen plenty of action at cornerback over the past two seasons. Although he has not necessarily thrived in that role, he wants to focus on his defense as opposed to his kick return duties moving forward.
Nixon, who will turn 28 in June, earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 and 2023 for his efforts as a return man, but he ran back just 18 kickoffs in 2024, compared to 35 in 2022 and 30 in 2023. The recent rule changes relating to kickoffs played a major role in that development.
“I’m kind of over it,” Nixon said of his third phase work (as relayed by Schneidman in a separate subscribers-only piece). “I don’t really want to do it no more. There’s going to be talks with the coaching staff and stuff like that, but I think it’s over with for me.”
Nixon is under contract through 2026 and is due just $1.17MM in base pay this year.