Coach Updates: Spags, Quinn, LeBeau, Tucker
The Giants will interview Ravens assistant (and former employee) Steve Spagnuolo for their defensive coordinator position this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Facebook link). Spagnuolo, 55, was New York’s DC from 2007-08. Per Schefter, the club also spoke with its own defensive backs coach, David Merritt, about the job. Here’s more news on the coaching front…
- After parting ways with John Fox earlier today, the Broncos want to interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, tweets Schefter. Quinn is viewed as the favorite for the Jets head coaching position, and has also been linked to the vacancies in Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco.
- We heard earlier today that the Jets wanted to bring in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles for a second interview, and now Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets that the meeting will take place on Wednesday, the same day Bowles will speak with the Falcons for a second time. The Atlanta interview will happen first, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Cowboys offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bill Callahan is a popular man, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). He’s drawing interest elsewhere, which could lead to a promotion of Scott Linehan. Bills head coach Rex Ryan is among those with interest, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- LSU has been in contact with Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker about their opening at the same position, according to Ross Dellenger and Scott Rabalais of The Advocate. Tucker, who was rumored to be on the hot seat in Chicago, remains under contract with the team.
- While ex-Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has discussed joining the Cardinals coaching staff (Twitter link via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), it will not be as DC, tweets Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910, who adds that LeBeau could be brought aboard in something of an advising capacity.
- Meanwhile, the Steelers have not met with any outside candidates to replace LeBeau, meaning it’s increasingly likely that linebackers coach Keith Butler will be promoted to DC, writes Scott Brown of ESPN.com. Butler has been in his current role since 2003.
- The Giants met with Washington secondary coach Raheem Morris on Friday about their open DC position, but will go in another direction, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (Twitter link). Per Russini, Morris will now interview for Washington’s defensive coordinator job.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Sunday Roundup: Austin, Ravens, Steelers
Let’s take a look at some links from around the league as Day 2 of the Divisional Round gets underway:
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is also on the Bears‘ radar.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com provides an offseason outlook for the Bears.
- Manish Metha of the New York Daily News tweets that the Jets, despite their heavy interest in Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, still want to interview Kubiak for their head coaching vacancy.
- Rapoport tweets that Dick LeBeau‘s departure took the Steelers by surprise, and he adds (via Twitter) that LeBeau likely wanted to leave Pittsburgh with Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor, with whom he had established a close relationship.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, reiterating what he passed along yesterday, tweets that Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler, whom the Titans attempted to hire last season, is the most likely candidate to be elevated to defensive coordinator.
- In a series of Baltimore items, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes that Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee is expected to cash in on the free agent market and Steve Smith has no plans to retire.
- Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer describes how the departure of Kyle Shanahan might impact the Browns‘ quarterback situation.
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes that, with the Bills‘ hiring of Rex Ryan and the emergence of Dan Quinn as the frontrunner for the Jets head coaching vacancy, Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich may stay put in San Diego.
- Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News tweets that, had the 49ers hired Ryan, Vic Fangio was likely to stay as the team’s defensive coordinator. However, now that Ryan has been hired by the Bills, Inman believes Fangio will be promoted to head coach. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, though, tweets that San Francisco will conduct a second interview with Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Dick LeBeau Resigns As Steelers DC
7:27pm: The Steelers have officially announced LeBeau’s resignation in a press release.
“We want to thank Dick for his many years of service with the team and all that he has done for this organization,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in a statement. “His coaching helped lead us to many successful seasons and championships. We are very appreciative of his efforts, and we wish him well.”
4:04pm: Longtime Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will not return to the team in 2015, announcing his decision in the Urbana Daily Citizen in Ohio, according to Steve Stout.
The 77-year old coach has decided to resign, but says he is not retiring. “I’m resigning this position, not retiring,” LeBeau said. “I had a great run in Pittsburgh. I’m grateful for all the things that have happened to me and thankful for all the support I had in Pittsburgh.”
Lebeau spent the last 11 seasons with the Steelers, winning two Super Bowls and establishing himself as one of the most respected defensive coordinators ever. He played defensive back for the Lions, drafted in 1959, and his 62 interceptions rank him seventh all-time in NFL history.
As a coach, he is credited with inventing and perfecting the zone blitz, and although his head coaching career was short lived and unsuccessful, he has experienced great success as a coordinator with the Eagles, Packers, Bengals, and Steelers. LeBeau was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
The Steelers could promote linebackers coach Keith Butler to replace LeBeau, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The team has pegged him as a defensive coordinator in waiting for the past few years.
Workout Notes: Saturday
We’ll keep track of today’s workout information right here, as well as a couple of notes from the past couple of days. All of the information below is via the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter…
- The Chiefs worked out wide receivers John Chiles and Cordell Roberson, cornerback Aaron Hester and defensive lineman Shawn Lemon.
- The Chiefs also brought in defensive back Jalil Carter and wide receivers LaVon Brazill, Duron Carter and Joe Morgan. Brazill, a former sixth-round pick by the Colts, showed some flashes playing with Andrew Luck early in his career. Morgan was released by the Saints earlier this season, while Carter appears to have numerous suitors (with the Vikings seen as the favorite to sign him).
- The Seahawks also brought in Lemon for a workout, and he joined quarterback Dominique Davis and cornerback Keon Lyn at the tryout. Wilson notes that defensive back Delvin Breaux was also brought in “for a visit.”
- The Packers worked out CFL defensive back Jalil Carter. The former Akron standout briefly spend time with the Rams and in the AFL.
- The Giants brought in five players for workouts: linebackers Terrance Bullitt and Phillip Hunt, safety Mistral Raymond, fullback Collin Mooney and tight end Michael Flacco.
- The Steelers worked out a trio of offensive weapons: quarterback Aaron Smetanka, running back David Fluellen and wideout L’Damian Washington.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including a new deal for a would-be exclusive right free agent, a few reserve/futures signings, and a practice squad change….
- Washington has signed fullback Jordan Campbell to a reserve/futures contract, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Campbell spent some time on the Chiefs’ practice squad earlier in the season and worked out for Washington last month.
Earlier updates:
- The Bengals have re-signed tight end Kevin Brock to a new contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brock, who joined the team in September after injuries to Tyler Eifert and Alex Smith, had been on track to become an exclusive rights free agent.
- Since being eliminated from the postseason, the Steelers have been adding to their offseason roster, inking seven players to reserve/futures contracts on Monday and signing a couple more yesterday. Pittsburgh continued to bring players aboard today, per PR man Burt Lauten, who tweets that the team has signed linebacker Terence Garvin, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, defensive end Matt Conrath, safety Alden Darby, tight end Michael Egnew, and linebacker Roosevelt Nix.
- The 49ers are re-signing linebacker Shayne Skov, who finished the season on the team’s practice squad, to a reserve/futures deal, a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The team has now locked up everyone who finished the season on the taxi squad.
- The Lions signed defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo to a futures contract today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. When it appeared last week that Detroit might be without Ndamukong Suh for Sunday’s playoff game, the team brought Cudjo in for a workout.
- The Seahawks made a small change to their taxi squad today, re-signing defensive tackle Jimmy Staten and releasing linebacker Mike Zimmer, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). As Condotta points out in a second tweet, Seattle had signed Zimmer and cut Staten just yesterday, so the club is frequently shuffling the two players on and off the unit at this point.
AFC Notes: Jets, Hali, Allen, Chiefs
The Jets are bringing back Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan for a second interview, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who notes (via Twitter) that Maccagnan is the team’s first GM candidate to get a second interview. That second interview will take place on Friday, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, adding that the Jets are impressed with Maccagnan. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News throws some cold water on Maccagnan’s candidacy though, tweeting that the overwhelming feeling he gets from front office executives around the league is that the Texans exec isn’t ready to be an NFL GM. More out of the AFC..
- Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star has a radical plan for the Chiefs‘ offseason. Step one: cutting Tamba Hali. Hali is a model teammate and employee and still productive, but he had just six sacks in 2014, his lowest total since 2008. The Chiefs, he argues, would be better off with the $9MM in cap space they’d get by cutting Hali.
- Cornerback Cortez Allen inked a $26MM contract extension with the Steelers at the start of the 2014 season, then had a disappointing year in which he was demoted multiple times. As Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review details, Allen is “highly confident” that he can fix his issues and bounce back in 2015.
- Free agent linebacker Erin Henderson is working out for the Chiefs, tweets Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. Henderson played well for the Vikings in 2013, but was released by the team and didn’t find a new team in 2014 due to off-field concerns.
- The Browns are looking for their sixth offensive coordinator in six seasons and the 13th in 17 seasons. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal looks at the potential candidates for the job.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Thursday
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day, starting with a pair of signings left over from last night:
- Veteran linebacker Ricky Sapp has signed with Washington, according to a Twitter announcement from the team, which also confirmed the previously-reported signing of Austin Spitler. Sapp, who inked a future/reserves contract, was released from the Texans’ injured reserve list in November.
- The Steelers have signed safety Jordan Dangerfield and wide receiver L’Damian Washington to futures deals, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Dangerfield spent some time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad during the 2014 campaign.
Earlier updates:
- Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Giants, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Stanzi, cut by the Jaguars in August, worked out for the Giants in September and finished the season on the Texans’ practice squad.
- Besides signing kicker Zach Hocker, the Dolphins also added wide receiver Michael Preston on a reserve/futures contract, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Preston, who was waived by the Titans at the end of the preseason, worked out for a handful of teams during the season, including Miami in September.
Steelers Extend OC Todd Haley
The Steelers have signed offensive coordinator Todd Haley to a two-year contract extension that keep him under team control through the 2016 season, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bouchette writes that the deal was completed “quietly,” so it’s not clear if an agreement was reached this week, or while the Steelers’ Super Bowl hopes were still alive.
Haley absorbed some criticism – notably from rapper Snoop Dogg – early in the season when the Steelers got off to an up-and-down start, but his offense recovered nicely, ultimately finishing second in the league with 411.1 yards per game. The unit, which put up 94 total points in a pair of back-to-back midseason contests against the Colts and Ravens, also ranked second in DVOA, per Football Outsiders.
With Haley locked up, the Steelers will work toward securing another key piece of their offense beyond the 2015 season, with the team expected to try to negotiate an extension with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this offseason. Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review took a shot this week at estimating what a new contract for Big Ben would look like, and predicted an agreement in the range of five years and $100MM.
North Notes: AP, Jennings, Steelers, Shanahan
If Adrian Peterson feels as if he needs a fresh start away from the Vikings next season, head coach Mike Zimmer would respect that decision, he said today in an appearance on Pro Football Talk Live.
“I would respect Adrian’s decision,” Zimmer said. “I’ll always be honest with him and up front but I’m gonna try to explain to him the reasons why I would like to him to be here. But it has to be a two way street and he has to get his life taken care of — but we’ll sit down and talk, but I’m a pretty good recruiter, too.”
Of course, Peterson remains under contract in Minnesota, so it’s not as if he’ll simply have the opportunity to sign elsewhere right away when he’s reinstated from his suspension. But it’s unlikely that the Vikings will want to keep the star running back at his current 2015 cap number ($15.4MM), so Peterson will have leverage to reach the open market if he declines to take a pay cut.
Here are some more Wednesday links from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was arrested today in Georgia on charges of speeding, DUI, and reckless driving, according to a report by Jeff Dickerson and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Jennings could face disciplinary measures from the league or from the Bears, who released a statement indicating they’re in information-gathering mode.
- Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review examines what a new contract for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might look like, concluding that something in the range of five years and $100MM would make sense.
- Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor is open to playing one more year in Pittsburgh if the team wants to bring him back, and hopes to remain with the organization after ending his playing career, as Kaboly details. “I can be in the office. I can be at the bottom and work my way up. I can be an assistant,” Taylor said. “I don’t mind working my way from the bottom up.”
- If Kyle Shanahan decides to leave his offensive coordinator position with the Browns this offseason, he prefers to try to establish his own identity as a coach rather than necessarily teaming up again with his father, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com.
- The Lions announced 12 reserve/futures signings yesterday, but rugby star Jarryd Hayne wasn’t among them. The team still intends to finalize a contract with Hayne once a work visa issue is cleared up, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
AFC Notes: Chargers, Roethlisberger, Ravens
The notion of the Rams moving west to Los Angeles gained some steam with this week’s announcement that Rams owner Stan Kroenke intends to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood. However, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) says he was told Monday that Chargers owner Dean Spanos will attempt to block the Rams if they try to move to L.A., and believes he has the nine votes necessary to stop a move. We’re a long way from arriving at that point, but I’d be surprised if Kroenke attempted to move forward with a move if he didn’t believe he had the votes from ownership to approve it.
- As they look to make additions to their offseason roster, the Chargers worked out two CFL players, offensive lineman Ben Heenan and defensive back Delvin Breaux, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link via ESPN’s Eric Williams). Heenan auditioned for the Lions on Saturday, while Breaux has now tried out for five clubs since December.
- Asked about his contract status as he prepares to enter a contract year, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said today that he’d like to get an extension done sooner rather than later, but he’ll leave that up to his agent and the Rooney family (Twitter links via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
- With New England and Baltimore prepared to square off in Saturday’s divisional playoff, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com revisits the Ravens‘ offseason decision to pursue and sign Steve Smith rather than fellow free agent receiver Julian Edelman.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Yates looks back on an offseason decision of his own, exploring the Bills‘ move to trade their 2015 first-rounder to move up and snag wideout Sammy Watkins. Recent reports have indicated former head coach Doug Marrone wasn’t too happy about that deal, and Yates concludes that Marrone was right to be upset.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.