Angel Matute

While Arthur Smith is heading to the college ranks (as Ohio State’s OC) after Mike Tomlin‘s resignation, longtime Steelers DC Teryl Austin landed another NFL gig. Austin is taking over as a senior assistant with the Cardinals, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This is a return Arizona trip for Austin, who was on Ken Whisenhunt‘s staff with the Cardinals previously. The three-time NFL DC served as Cardinals DBs coach from 2007-10, being part of the franchise’s Super Bowl XLIII team. Now 61, Austin — who interviewed for the Commanders’ DC job — will join Mike LaFleur‘s staff to provide experience under 32-year-old DC Nick Rallis.

Here is the latest from around the NFC West:

• Shortly before Week 18, a report indicated Jonathan Gannon was likelier to return for a fourth season than be fired. But the Cardinals axed their HC after a 3-14 season. Considering the step back from an 8-9 2024, it didn’t seem off base to fire Gannon. But those in the organization were surprised Michael Bidwill cut the cord, per ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, who adds others around the league were caught off-guard by that ouster. Gannon landed HC and DC interviews following his firing and ended up as the Packers’ defensive boss. Arizona retained Rallis, though multiple candidates dropped out of their hiring process, under new HC Mike LaFleur.
• The Cardinals’ James Conner pay cut comes out to a one-year, $3MM deal that KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes contains $2.1MM guaranteed. Conner signed a two-year, $19MM extension in 2024 but missed most of last season due to injury. The $2.1MM guarantee number does not exactly lock in the 10th-year veteran for 2026, especially with the Cards changing staffs, but the longtime Arizona starter will have a shot.
• The Seahawks lost several Super Bowl starters but retained two by re-signing Rashid Shaheed and Josh Jobe. Shaheed’s three-year, $51MM contract includes $34.7MM guaranteed; of the latter total, $23MM is guaranteed at signing (per OverTheCap). None of that guarantee covers 2027, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano tweets. Shaheed’s $11.74MM 2027 base salary is guaranteed for injury; it shifts to a full guarantee five days after Super Bowl LXI. That gives Seattle a potential early out, as this contract is structured like Sam Darnold‘s and Cooper Kupp‘s. As for Jobe, his three-year, $24MM pact, $9.25MM is fully guaranteed. Wilson adds $14.25MM is guaranteed in total, with $5MM of his $6.49MM 2027 base salary also becoming guaranteed five days after Super Bowl LXI.
• Jaylen Watson joins ex-Chiefs teammate Trent McDuffie with the Rams, who gave the multiyear Kansas City CB2 a three-year, $51MM contract. Of Watson’s $34MM guaranteed, $26.5MM is locked in at signing (per OverTheCap). The Rams are giving Watson an $11MM guarantee on his 2027 base salary ($13.99MM), according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The remaining $2.99MM shifts to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2027 league year. Elsewhere in the L.A. secondary, Kamren Curl‘s three-year, $36MM deal includes $18.75MM guaranteed at signing (per OverTheCap). Of Curl’s $11.6MM 2027 base salary, Wilson notes $7MM is fully guaranteed. The rest shifts from an injury guarantee on Day 3 of the ’27 league year. Curl will be due a $3.43MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2028 league year, Wilson adds.
• Shifting back to the Cardinals, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes their Kendrick Bourne contract includes $6.5MM fully guaranteed. Initially reported as an $11.47MM deal, Bourne’s base value is $10MM (via OverTheCap). As for D-tackle Roy Lopez‘s Arizona return (for two years and $10.5MM), Wilson adds the veteran received $1MM of his $3.47MM 2027 base salary guaranteed for injury. That shifts to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
• The 49ers identified their replacement for tight ends coach Brian Fleury, who left to take the Seahawks’ OC job. Cameron Clemmons will slide from assistant O-line coach to that spot, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco notes. Previously the Raiders’ assistant O-line coach, Clemmons has been on the 49ers’ staff since 2024. San Francisco is also adding Kent State O-line coach Angel Matute to their staff, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets.