Latest On Josh McDaniels’ Decision, Future
Josh McDaniels will be staying in New England on an unusual contract, with Albert Breer of SI.com hearing the Patriots‘ OC is expected to sign a four- or five-year extension. Coordinators’ deals typically do not run this long, but with the Patriots convincing their longtime play-caller to make this kind of a decision, it makes sense they’d want to keep McDaniels around long-term. Breer notes McDaniels’ current contract is believed to expire after the 2018 season, so the sides figure to hammer out an agreement soon.
Here’s the latest on the McDaniels saga:
- Nick Caserio‘s presence was a key factor in McDaniels’ decision to spurn the Colts, Breer reports. The Patriots executive’s choice to stay in Foxborough last year likely kept McDaniels from moving to the Bay Area. The tandem would likely be running the 49ers had Caserio become their GM. The two played college football together in Ohio in the 1990s and will continue to be Bill Belichick‘s right-hand men.
- As for Belichick, Breer notes he’s not operating like a coach who is planning an exit strategy. “He’s certainly not acting like he’s leaving anytime soon,” a source informed Breer. The 65-year-old coach will be entering his 19th season with the Patriots in 2018. While McDaniels may be the heir apparent, Belichick staying on for multiple years would likely drain the remainder of Tom Brady‘s historically long prime and make it more difficult for the prospective McDaniels teams to build on the Belichick squads’ legacies.
- It appears McDaniels did call the three non-Patriots assistants who were set to be on his first Colts staff. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets McDaniels phoned Matt Eberflus, Mike Phair and Dave DeGuglielmo to alert them of this seminal about-face. The three have signed deals with the Colts, leaving Chuck Pagano‘s actual successor with an interesting predicament. Chris Ballard said he wanted Eberflus to run his defense regardless of McDaniels’ arrival, however.
- As for why McDaniels initially became enamored with the Colts, their second-year GM served as the chief reason he was once all set to move to Indianapolis, Breer notes. McDaniels holds Ballard in high regard, and although Andrew Luck was a prime selling point, the Colts’ top decision-maker was the primary reason behind the would-be McDaniels New England exodus.
- Despite the Patriots’ offensive success under McDaniels, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com writes NFL teams were slow to offer him a second chance after how badly his Broncos tenure went. Robinson noted some around the league questioned whether the 42-year-old assistant had really matured much since his failed Denver stint. The Giants appear to have felt he didn’t. McDaniels became a hot commodity in recent years but now has effectively set a potential bridge to an HC job outside of Massachusetts ablaze. Although, Cesario landing a GM job could lead to an attempt to sell his owner on McDaniels sometime down the line.
- Not only do the Colts not have any legal recourse they can take after being burned here, Mike Wells and Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com write they don’t look to have grounds for a grievance with the league. McDaniels never signed Colts contract or stopped being the Patriots’ OC.
Latest On Colts, Josh McDaniels
On Wednesday morning, GM Chris Ballard faced the media in the wake of Josh McDaniels‘ shocking decision to back out on becoming the team’s next head coach. Here’s a look at the highlights plus other news on McDaniels’ flip-flop:
- McDaniels’ agent, Bob LaMonte, told him that he’s making perhaps the biggest professional mistake of his career by backing out of this Colts job at this point, according to sources who spoke with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). On Wednesday afternoon, LaMonte terminated his relationship with McDaniels, a source tells Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). LaMonte is forfeiting a potentially large commission down the road should McDaniels become a head coach again, but he is also protecting future business by distancing himself from the Patriots OC.
- Colts were going to pay McDaniels “fabulously,” a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter), so money was not the issue in Indianapolis. Pelissero hears that the coach also wasn’t warded off by Andrew Luck’s injured shoulder, owner Jim Irsay, or Ballard. At the end of the day, the Patriots just convinced him to stay. There’s no new contract in place for McDaniels yet, but Pelissero expects that to happen soon.
- Ballard says two doctors who looked at Luck after the season have determined that he does not need surgery (Twitter link via Pelissero). Luck’s arm strength is good, the GM says, but he is now working on motion and arm speed. He has yet to pick up a football, but the team will not rush him or skip any steps.
- The GM confirmed that none of the coaches from the initial wave of interviews will be in the mix, meaning that Kris Richard and Matt Rhule will not be considered (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- There were other candidates the Colts wanted to interview, Ballard said, but the playoffs got in the way (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com). The Colts are expected to request an interview with Eagles OC Frank Reich and he fits the bill as a coach who was tied up during the playoffs. Of course, the same could be said of McDaniels and that did not stop Indy from interviewing him.
- The Colts will honor the contract of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and others who have already signed their deals. That’s not an issue for Ballard who explained that he knew Eberflus well through Rod Marinelli. The former Dallas assistant was already a guy he wanted to run his defense.
- The Colts got an uneasy feeling a week ago that something could be stalling with McDaniels, despite moving forward with his contract (Twitter link via Jay Glazer of FOX Sports).
- McDaniels arrived at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday with the intention of cleaning out his office, but Bill Belichick‘s willingness to take his mentorship to a higher level played a big part in McDaniels reversing course, sources tell ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss. Belichick told McDaniels that he would spend more time with him on the inner workings of the team, including roster construction and salary-cap management, which was viewed as “extremely valuable” to McDaniels. That could be part of a succession plan for Belichick in the future, but no assurances have been made to McDaniels.
Frank Gore Intends To Play In 2018
Colts running back Frank Gore reiterated on Wednesday that he expects to return in 2018 for his 14th NFL season and that quarterback and offensive line will factor into his decision, ESPN’s Mike Wells writes. 
“Quarterback, O-line, have to be my type of style of team,” he said. “Nasty, physical, punch you in the mouth. I don’t want to finish like this. I know I can still play. I want to help a team.”
Gore, an impending free agent, would be 35 years old at the start of the 2018 campaign and hasn’t averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry since 2014, his final season in San Francisco. Still, if a team needs an experienced back to groom a a first- or second-year ball carrier or a physical, goal-line back, it’s hard to bet against the veteran.
Gore has cracked 1,000 yards nine times in his career and enters Week 17 just 139 yards away from his 10th such campaign. If he were to reach the mark, Gore would join Emmitt Smith, Walter Peyton, Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis as players to achieve the feat 10 times.
Though he is among the league’s elder statesmen, Gore is sure to impress some general manager with his passion for the game. That’s what happened with Colts first-year GM Chris Ballard, who planned on cutting the back before the start of the season, MMQB’s Peter King writes.
“Frank picks up the phone in the middle of a party he was attending, and I could feel his passion and love for football,” Ballard told King. “He went on for 10 minutes about how much he wanted to win. So the next day I went to the office and watched all of his carries from 2016 and came to the conclusion that there was absolutely no way I was letting him out of the building.”
Gore is determined to go out on a high note and there’s no reason to think he won’t have the opportunity in 2018.
AFC South Notes: Texans, QBs, Colts, Alie-Cox
While the quarterback dominoes could fall before the Texans‘ No. 25 selection window opens, GM Rick Smith does not feel obligated to take a quarterback in Round 1. Of course, it’s not like the veteran decision-maker would say his team has to have a quarterback by a certain point, it is notable Smith said he would be fine with Tom Savage as a Week 1 starter.
“I think he’s proven that he can play at a high level in the offense,” Smith said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. “He’s been injured, so he hasn’t had an extended amount of time to do that, but I am comfortable with that.”
Smith confirmed Houston plans to add a third quarterback going into training camp but didn’t say said passer has to be added through the draft. Although, the 12th-year GM did call this maligned crop of quarterbacks a “good class.” Smith echoed what Bill O’Brien said earlier this offseason, noting the difficulties modern rookies face when taking the reins in Year 1.
“It’s rare that you can get a guy that can come in and play at a high level at the position early,” Smith said, via Barshop. “But it’s certainly possible.”
The Texans brought in Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, the latter of whom O’Brien is quite fond of, for visits earlier this week. Both could well be off the board by the time the Texans pick, which could place the team — in the event it doesn’t trade up — with Savage as its Week 1 starter. Potential Day 2 prospect Brad Kaaya also visited this week. The Texans had mild interest in Jay Cutler, but O’Brien prefers Savage to him.
Here’s more from the AFC South.
- Colts GM Chris Ballard is borrowing a page from “The Cubs Way,” a book about how Theo Epstein reshaped baseball in Chicago. One key similarity between the two decision-makers is their emphasis on young talent. “It takes time to build a team,” Ballard said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells). “… Do we have work in front of us? Yes, we do. But it takes time. And the biggest thing that I want to make sure that we’re emphasizing is that competition and they have to earn it. It doesn’t matter where you come from and how we build it or where, from first-round pick to undrafted free agent to street free agent, guy that was cut at the 53-[man roster], future signing.”
- On a conference call with reporters, new Colts addition Mo Alie-Cox said that the Buccaneers, Chargers, and Seahawks were among the teams that also made offers (Twitter links via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star). The former VCU basketball player added that he picked the Colts in part because coach Chuck Pagano reminded him of (former VCU coach) Shaka Smart. Some teams thought Alie-Cox could play defensive end, but he’ll be a tight end with the Colts.
- Texans GM Rick Smith said he has not talked to Vince Wilfork since last season, but his “expectation is that Vince is not playing anymore,” Barshop tweets. Wilfork retired after 13 seasons in the league after the Texans’ loss to the Patriots in January.
- Both Harry Douglas and Da’Norris Searcy accepted paycuts from the Titans this week.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
Front Office Rumors: Bills, 49ers, Colts
Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com brought us news on the Redskins’ GM search. Further down in his column, he presented more front office news from around the NFL. Here’s a look at the highlights:
- New Bills coach Sean McDermott could convince ownership to import front office guys with whom he has a relationship. JLC floats the name of Panthers director of player personnel Don Gregory and notes that there are “already rumblings that the marriage of McDermott and Bills GM Doug Whaley” will not last.
- The 49ers are also looking to add to the front office. This makes sense given that new GM John Lynch is a front office neophyte.
- New Colts GM Chris Ballard may want to shake up the scouting core, but league sources tell JLC that he may have to wait a year since the evaluators that are already there have more time to go on their contracts. Still, Ballard badly wants to poach Seahawks executive Ed Dodds. If Indy can land him, he’ll probably get a promotion over his current title. Jets director of college scouting Rex Hogan is also a Ballard target, but JLC hears that he still has a good amount of time left on his contract and might be harder to pry away.
- Bears exec Morocco Brown, who has history with Ballard, could be a possible candidate for the Colts and 49ers. JLC notes that Brown had a solid relationship with new SF coach Kyle Shanahan in D.C.
GM/Staff Notes: 49ers, Colts, Saints, Broncos
The 49ers’ shocking general manager choice, John Lynch, will face a “steep” learning curve as a front office neophyte, ex-Lions GM Matt Millen told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. As was the case with Millen, whom Detroit hired in 2001, Lynch is coming from the broadcasting booth to take the helm of a franchise. It didn’t go well for Millen, under whom Detroit went 31-84 before it fired him in 2008. “You need to be schooled,” said Millen. “You need to be mentored. You need to have somebody you can go to. That’s not easy.” Lynch could have a less difficult time breaking into his new job than Millen, notes Branch, who points out that soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is likely to have 53-man roster control. Assistant GM Tom Gamble will also be around to help Lynch make the transition.
More on the NFL’s front offices and coaching staffs:
- Newly minted Colts GM Chris Ballard received a five-year contract, according to Mike Chappell of FOX59. Colts vice president of football operations Jimmy Raye III was among the candidates Ballard beat out for the role, and owner Jim Irsay revealed Raye nearly got the job, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Irsay assured Raye, who will remain in the Colts’ Ballard-led front office, that someone else will give him a shot as a GM if the Colts orchestrate a turnaround (all Twitter links here).
- While Ballard reportedly isn’t committed to going forward with Chuck Pagano beyond the 2017 season, he spoke glowingly of the five-year head coaching veteran Monday. “There were no other options. Chuck Pagano is a great coach,” said Ballard (Twitter link via Holder). Upon Ballard’s hiring, Pagano stated Sunday that he’s “extremely excited” to work with the rookie GM (via the Colts’ Twitter account).
- The Saints have hired Mike Nolan to coach their linebackers, his previous employer, SiriusXM NFL Radio, announced (on Twitter). Nolan coached the Chargers’ linebackers in 2015 and has been a defensive coordinator with seven teams, though he’s best known for an 18-37 run as San Francisco’s head coach from 2005-08.
- Broncos head coach Vance Joseph has added “assistant head coach” to running backs coach Eric Studesville‘s title, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Studesville drew interest from the Jets earlier this month in their search for an offensive coordinator, but he elected to stay in Denver, where he has coached RBs since 2010.
Extra Points: Ballard, Patterson, Gronk
As Jim Irsay said upon firing Ryan Grigson, Chuck Pagano will return to coach the Colts in 2017. New GM Chris Ballard will stick to that plan, but he’s not committed to the coach longer than that, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Ballard intends to keep Pagano in 2017 but is planning to re-evaluate the position before the ’18 season.
The new executive’s hire may only intensify the hot seat for Pagano, who expressed his support (Twitter link) for the 47-year-old Ballard upon his hire. Irsay appears set to oversee an arranged marriage between his top two decision-makers after letting both Grigson and Pagano start together in 2012. Pagano led the Colts to three playoff berths, one of which involving a historic comeback win over the Chiefs in Ballard’s first year in Kansas City, before the team stumbled to back-to-back 8-8 seasons. We heard over the weekend Ballard could have Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub as a possible replacement come 2018.
Here’s more from around the league on Monday.
- Ballard’s knowledge of the draft represents a good fit for a Colts team that’s struggled identifying amateur talent since its strong haul of 2012, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. In addition to the talents Ballard played a part in the Bears procuring during his time in Chicago, the Chiefs dispatched their then-director of football operations to investigate then-embattled prospect Marcus Peters, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com notes. Teicher pegged Ballard, whom he called the No. 3 man in Kansas City’s power structure behind John Dorsey and Andy Reid, as a potential Dorsey successor.
- Cordarrelle Patterson observed Ty Montgomery‘s transition to running back and wants to try it himself. “I would love to play running back,” Patterson said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, per Chad Graff of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I think any receiver in my position would love to play running back. People always say, ‘He’s just a running back when he gets the ball in his hands.'” A Patterson position change would make more sense due to the tantalizing ability he’s shown with the ball in his hands but an inability to stick in Minnesota’s receiver rotation. Although, Patterson’s lanky 6-foot-2 frame might make him less-suited for inside contact than Montgomery. The wideout is set to be a UFA after the Vikings didn’t pick up his fifth-year option last May.
- The Patriots advancing to Super Bowl LI without Rob Gronkowski prompts Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News to argue the league’s most aggressive traders should make another. New England faltered without Gronkowski in the 2012 and ’13 AFC championship games, losing one-sided matchups, but orchestrated two routs during this year’s run without him. He’s missed extensive time with injuries during his otherwise stratospheric career, and Mehta points to the Patriots’ league-high 61 trades during Bill Belichick‘s 17-year tenure as evidence Gronk isn’t untouchable. Gronk will be 28 next year, but the three-time All-Pro tight end is on an affordable deal given his stature. He’s due to take up just $7MM of the Pats’ cap next season on a contract that runs through 2019.
Colts Hire Chris Ballard As GM
The Colts moved quickly to land their man, hiring Chris Ballard as their new general manager, the team announced. Previously the Chiefs’ director of football operations, Ballard was the only candidate to interview with the Colts twice out of the six-man search.
Ballard met with the Colts a second time on Sunday and will succeed Ryan Grigson, beating out Packers executive Eliot Wolf, Vikings assistant GM George Paton, Seahawks co-player personnel directors Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer and internal candidate Jimmy Raye III, who served as the Colts’ interim GM during this process.
The newly hired executive is planning a 2017 season with Chuck Pagano, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, so there will be no late coaching change after Jim Irsay orchestrated a belated GM switch.
Viewed as Irsay’s top choice from the start of this process, Ballard opted to go through with the interview. He did not interview for the 49ers’ GM job, which remains unfilled, since the Chiefs blocked him from doing so. Teams can utilize this tactic during the season, but with Kansas City having been eliminated in the divisional round, Ballard was free to interview with Indianapolis. However, Ballard was viewed as the “first choice, second choice and third choice” in San Francisco.
The Chiefs’ decision may be a seminal move depending on what happens with the Colts and 49ers in the next several years. Although, the Colts’ job was viewed an attraction, more so than the 49ers’ position, with Andrew Luck‘s presence playing a key role.
Prior to becoming John Dorsey‘s right-hand man in Kansas City, Ballard spent 12 seasons with the Bears, working in either a scouting or scouting directorial capacity. The Chiefs’ 43 regular-season wins since 2013 came on the heels of a 2-14 2012 season under the franchise’s previous regime and represent the fourth-most in the league during that span.
His potential top choice for head coach could be Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, although Irsay committed to Pagano coaching the team in 2017. Pagano sat in on the candidate interviews, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported, so a Ballard/Pagano partnership looks like the Colts’ arrangement this coming season. Ballard will be tasked with elevating the franchise back to the playoffs after it finished 2016 with the same 8-8 record 2015 brought, with ’16 featuring nearly a full season’s worth of Luck’s services.
Chris Ballard Books Second Colts Interview
The buzz surrounding Chris Ballard as Ryan Grigson‘s potential successor looks legitimate. The Chiefs’ director of football operations became the first candidate to secure a second interview with the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This could be a quick process, per Schefter, who reports (on Twitter) the Chiefs are bracing to lose Ballard to the Colts. The second summit is set for Sunday.
The four-year Chiefs executive was part of a six-person interview contingent that met with Colts brass from Wednesday-Friday in Mobile, Ala. As Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets, Ballard did not disappoint in that interview, and it appears as if he will, in fact, be offered the position. Per Breer, Ballard was the Colts’ top choice all along, although that of course conflicts with earlier reports tabbing interim GM Jimmy Raye III as the favorite for the job.
But Ballard and Packers exec Eliot Wolf emerged as the early favorites once the club began interviewing outside candidates, and rumblings of the Colts being “definitely intrigued by” John Dorsey‘s top lieutenant — and Ballard’s preferring Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub as his head coach — emerged yesterday. Ballard, Wolf and George Paton — whose interview reportedly went well — came away with positive reviews from the Colts’ meeting process thus far.
Despite the fact that Ballard would like to bring in Toub as his head coach, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that Ballard’s having to work with Chuck Pagano — who will reportedly return for the 2017 campaign — will not be a deal-breaker. Instead, if the team is looking for a new head coach next offseason, the Colts could simply pursue Toub at that time (Twitter links).
After spending 12 seasons with the Bears in a scouting or scouting directorial capacity, Ballard has helped oversee a Chiefs resurgence in the mid-2010s. Only the Patriots, Seahawks and Broncos have more regular-season wins than the Chiefs’ 43 since 2013. Kansas City could be set to lose Ballard but will be retaining Dorsey for at least one more season after a report emerged Dorsey is in fact under contract through 2017.
The Chiefs blocked Ballard from interviewing with the 49ers but could not do so when the Colts’ GM job opened because league rules only enable this practice during the team’s season.
Colts Considering Ballard/Toub Partnership?
While the Colts aren’t expected to rush in their pursuit to fill their GM position, positive reviews continue to surround one candidate. The Colts are “definitely intrigued by” Chiefs director of football operations Chris Ballard, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. And that could be an interesting development because of Ballard’s ties to a recent head coaching candidate.
Ballard’s preferred choice as HC would be Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, per La Canfora. That is a logical pairing, but the Colts are not currently in the market for a head coach. Jim Irsay reaffirmed his commitment to Chuck Pagano and is prepared to bring him back for a sixth season. Pagano’s seat, though, would be arguably the hottest in the NFL going into 2017 after consecutive 8-8 seasons helped end the Pagano/Ryan Grigson partnership.
Ballard and Packers player operations director Eliot Wolf are considered the favorites for the Indianapolis GM position, a status interim GM Jimmy Raye III occupied last weekend before the official interviews commenced. The Colts met with all six of the candidates between Wednesday and Friday.
Irsay’s been connected to multiple head coaches this offseason, and while the owner said his conversations with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden were merely about the stete of his team, Sean Payton trade rumors also surfaced recently. The Colts said the call came from a Payton associate rather than being an Irsay-initiated process. Hiring a GM who has a coach preference not currently employed by the franchise would add to the uncertainty surrounding Pagano. Recently, much of Pagano’s staff received word they are going to remain in their positions for at least one more year.
The 54-year-old Toub interviewed for the Chargers’ and Broncos’ HC positions, being one of just three coaches Denver considered for its since-filled vacancy. Ballard and Toub have worked in Kansas City since John Dorsey‘s hire in 2013.