Jim Harbaugh - Pro Football Rumors

NFC West Notes: RGIII, Harbaugh, Smith, Sam

December 3rd, 2014 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

As the Rams get set to face Washington, St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher says that he would make 2012’s blockbuster draft trade with the Redskins all over again, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

“If you take into consideration I have three defensive starters that are playing at a real high level – Alec Ogletree is playing as good as any linebacker behind the ball the last few weeks, Janoris [Jenkins] is an outstanding corner who has two interceptions returned for touchdowns, and [defensive tackle Michael] Brockers. And then we were able to pick up [left tackle Greg Robinson], who is our future at left tackle, and we have Stedman Bailey, who in our last game had five catches for 100 yards, and Zac [Stacy] is an outstanding young back. So, I think we’ve made the most of it,” Fisher said on conference call. “We’re building our team to compete in the division and I feel like we’re making strides. That’s one of the questions we wanted to have this year.”

Washington, meanwhile, might feel differently about the haul it gave up to land Robert Griffin III. More from the NFC West..

There’s a chance that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh ends up at Michigan, but right now his preference is to be in the NFL, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Harbaugh wants to focus only on football, Cole says, and not have to worry about things like boosters and showing his face at events.
When 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith signed a two-year extension in 2013, he was adamant that he would retire before becoming a part-time player. 18 months later, he’s showing no signs of slowing down, but he was noncommittal when asked if he’d return for his 15th NFL season. “I haven’t given it any thought,” he said, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “It will be something to think about after the season.”
Despite the way things might have looked in a recent TMZ video, former Rams draft pick Michael Sam says that he doesn’t believe that he’s being blackballed from the league, as he explained in a pair of tweets.

NFC Notes: Briggs, Panthers, Peterson

December 3rd, 2014 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears placed veteran linebacker Lance Briggs last week, and while Briggs intends to continue his career next season, he sounds resigned to the fact that it may not happen in Chicago. The former third-round pick, who has been with the club since 2003, may become the latest longtime Bear to find work elsewhere, as he acknowledged on his Comcast SportsNet show yesterday.

“I’ve been through some nasty contract disputes,” Briggs said, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “I got a chance to see a lot of guys come and go. And I got a chance to see how things were handled with players before me. So for me, it just laid the foundation for what’s to come. For me, I prepared myself for the days that are coming. So I don’t hold bitterness. There’s no bitterness. When I think of the whole situation, I think of all the great years and I’m thankful for everything that Chicago has meant to me.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

The Panthers‘ willingness to part with veteran players whose mental lapses cost the team is sending a strong message to the rest of the roster, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. After releasing players like Charles Godfrey and Jason Avant earlier this season, Carolina cut cornerback Antoine Cason and linebacker Jason Williams this week after Cason gave up an easy touchdown catch late in the first half and Williams missed an assignment on a blocked punt that resulted in a TD for the Vikings.
Arbitrator Harold Henderson encouraged the NFL and NFLPA to try to reach a settlement on Adrian Peterson‘s case, but so far no offers have been exchanged between the two sides, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com.
As our Offseason in Review post on the Giants shows, New York was extremely active in free agency in 2014, but the spending spree hasn’t paid off at all for the club this season, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
The fact that Jim Harbaugh has a year remaining on his contract with the 49ers wouldn’t be an impediment if he wanted to pursue a college job, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Still, if Harbaugh is coaching a team besides San Francisco in 2015, it’s likely to be an NFL franchise.

New York Notes: Decker, Coughlin, Rolle

December 2nd, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

While Eric Decker‘s wife says the Jets‘ losing ways have left her husband feeling “depressed,” Decker himself admits that he’s disappointed by the team’s 2-10 record, but doesn’t regret his choice to leave the Broncos in free agency, as Jane McManus of ESPN.com details.

“I don’t second-guess my choice at all,” Decker said. “The New York Jets wanted me to come here and Denver didn’t. So I was excited about coming here and I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

Here’s more on the NFL’s two New York teams, as the Jets and Giants stagger toward the 2014 finish line:

The Giants‘ loss in Jacksonville on Sunday has accelerated speculation that Tom Coughlin‘s time with the team is nearing an end, and the head coach is willing to blame himself for the team’s failings. “I accept the full responsibility and whatever price has to be paid for that responsibility then it starts right here with me,” Coughlin said, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
George Willis of the New York Post disagrees with Tony Dungy‘s suggestion that the Giants will be starting a “long-term rebuilding process” this offseason. In Willis’ view, GM Jerry Reese needs to spend on defense and perhaps to shore up the offensive line, but the club has plenty of offensive playmaking talent.
Giants safety Antrel Rolle doesn’t know whether or not he’ll return to the team next year, but said today on WFAN in New York that he has “a lot left in the tank” (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
The Jets‘ brain trust wants to further evaluate Geno Smith down the stretch, but they won’t learn much if the offense’s game plan continues to marginalize the QB as much as it did last night, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Meanwhile, Steve Serby of New York Post suggests that the Jets‘ decision to treat Smith with kid gloves is doing the quarterback – and the team – no favors.
In a separate article for the New York Post, Serby makes the case for pursuing 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh to replace Rex Ryan. Mike Vaccaro of the Post provides the counterpoint, explaining why it would be ill-advised for the Jets to gamble on Harbaugh.
The Jets should use the last four games of the season to take a look at some younger players – rather than veterans – all over the field, not just at quarterback, writes Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday.

NFC West Notes: Harbaugh, Cards, Carter

December 2nd, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

It’s still early on the west coast, but we’ve already got our first batch of links from out of one of the league’s most competitive divisions to get Tuesday started. Here’s the latest out of the NFC West:

A Monday report indicated that the price tag in a trade for 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh could be somewhere in the ballpark of what the Buccaneers paid the Raiders for Jon Gruden 12 years ago. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out that the Browns nearly acquired Harbaugh for two third-round picks earlier this year in a deal that was “far closer to happening that anyone will admit on the record.” In Florio’s view, that sort of haul is more likely than a Gruden-esque package in any Harbaugh deal, particularly since the head coach won’t want his new team giving up a ton of draft picks before he even arrives.
The Cardinals addressed their lack of veteran running back depth last week by bringing in Michael Bush, then saw their starting back – Andre Ellington – leave Sunday’s game with a hip pointer. Nonethless, Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears from a source that Arizona has “no interest” in recently-reinstated free agent Ray Rice.
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Duron Carter, the son of former Vikings wideout Cris Carter, has drawn interest from about 15 NFL teams, and the Seahawks, 49ers, and Colts are all “very interested,” says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. With the CFL season now over, Carter can begin visiting with NFL teams, though he can’t sign anywhere until February. According to La Canfora, the 23-year-old may take a little time off to allow his body to heal, then pursue individual visits after that.

NFL Execs: Price For Harbaugh Could Be Steep

December 1st, 2014 at 9:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The rumors surrounding the potential offseason separation between Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers are growing more persistent as the regular season reaches its conclusion, and are only exacerbated by losses like the one suffered by San Francisco on Thanksgiving night. At this point, it seems inevitable that the two sides will part ways, and recent reports have suggested that both the Raiders and the Jets would be interested in bringing Harbaugh aboard. If the fourth-year head coach is traded, however, the draft pick cost for the acquiring team will be high, three NFL general managers tell Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Per the executives, a team trading for Harbaugh would likely need to surrender two second-round and two third-round picks (link). As Freeman notes, some clubs could determine that securing a top-flight coach such as Harbaugh is as important as selecting a franchise quarterback. Thus, when compared with the draft pick haul Washington sent to the Rams in order to select Robert Griffin III (three first-round picks and a second-round pick), the suggested price tag for Harbaugh pales in comparison.

However, the GMs who spoke to Freeman allowed that the precedent for such a deal is the trade that sent Jon Gruden from the Raiders to the Buccaneers in 2002. In that transaction, Tampa Bay shipped two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and $8MM to Oakland. Per the executives, the cost for Harbaugh could be close to that (link). Bill Barnwell of Grantland has done work in this area in recent years, suggesting in 2012 that Harbaugh (and other elite head coaches) are severely underpaid. Additionally, as rumors of a Harbaugh-to-Cleveland trade swirled earlier this year, Barnwell argued that the Harbaugh would have been worth both of the Browns’ two 2014 first-round picks, in addition to a $10MM annual salary.

Interestingly, Harbaugh spoke today to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group about his Raiders roots (he was Oakland’s quarterbacks coach from 2002-03), and while he unsurprisingly declined to speak about the possibility of taking over as the Raiders’ head coach, he did wax nostalgic about his time with the Black and Gray, and specifically noted his fondness for the late Al Davis. Former Raiders coach John Madden told Inman that Davis had high hopes for Harbaugh down the road. “Somewhere in Al’s mind, he had it that someday Jim would be the Raiders head coach,” said Madden. “I don’t know if Jim ever had that in his mind.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Newton, Washington, Maclin

December 1st, 2014 at 6:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Cam Newton remains the team’s quarterback of the future despite having his worst season statistically, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. “You go back and look at some of the teams that have struggled in the past that had great years [before],” Rivera said on Monday when defending Newton’s performance. “One that pops to mind right away was what happened at Atlanta last year. “A couple of years ago they go to the NFC Championship Game and the next thing you know they’re struggling because they had a lot of things happen.” Despite his struggles, our own Luke Adams recently wrote that it’s probably a matter of when – not if – Newton signs a new long-term deal with the Panthers. More from the NFC..

Washington will work out cornerback Keith Lewis on Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Lewis auditioned for the Raiders last week.
The NFLPA says Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin, who broke things off with agent Ben Dogra when he left CAA, is staying with the agency, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). The pending free agent will now be repped by John Caplin and Tom Condon.
49ers coach Jim Harbaugh could be out of a job after this season, but he’s not sweating it. “I don’t worry about my future. I haven’t participated in that speculation. I have a recessive gene in worrying about my future,” the coach told reporters, including Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Twitter). Predictably, he also dodged a question asking whether he wanted to return to SF in 2015, as Matt Maiocco tweets.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin, rumored to be on the hot seat, refuses to pass the buck. “I accept the full responsibility,and whatever price has to be paid for that responsibility, it starts right here with me,” the coach said, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

NFC Notes: Harbaugh, Coughlin, Lions

December 1st, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple reports have popped up suggesting the 49ers will attempt to trade head coach Jim Harbaugh this offseason, but Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post is skeptical of such sumors. In Gabriel’s view, there’d be little incentive for a team to give up a draft pick of any value for a head coach with one year left on his contract who may not even want to come to the team in question. While I’m not as entirely dismissive of the idea as Gabriel is, I think a trade could only happen if Harbaugh was allowed to negotiate with his suitor before the deal was consummated, perhaps working out an extension as part of the deal.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

It’s nearly impossible to find someone in the Giants organization who hopes that the Tom Coughlin era is over, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. However, as Vacchiano concedes in the next breath, with the team sitting at 3-9 and coming off an embarrassing loss against the lowly Jaguars, co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch may have no choice but to part ways with the longtime head coach.
Who could coach the Giants next, if this is Coughlin’s last season? Gary Myers of the New York Daily News examines some possible candidates.
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has received his share of criticism over the years in Detroit, but Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes the GM deserves praise for putting together a roster that has Detroit in the thick of the playoff race this season, pointing to the Lions’ 2013 draft class as a feather in Mayhew’s cap.
The new contract extension Patrick Peterson signed this summer has the Cardinals cornerback under increased scrutiny this season, and too often he’s not playing up to that deal, says Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. Fitzgerald also identifies Washington wideout Pierre Garcon as a player whose performance as of late has been hurting his value.

Extra Points: Payton, Ryan, Harbaugh, Panthers

November 30th, 2014 at 10:52pm CST by Rob DiRe

Saints‘ head coach Sean Payton disputed reports that the team was considering signing Ray Rice, reports Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (via Twitter). “I think I would know if I were interested in signing any player,” said Payton.

While Payton was dismissing rumors, he also shot down any idea that there was a rift between himself and Saints‘ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, reports Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan may be on his way out as coach of the team, but he will likely have his pick of jobs if he decides to leave coaching in 2015, writes Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated. “He pretty much has everything TV networks would look for. He has personality, he’s not shy about his opinions, and he’s a colorful character,” said ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, the executive in charge of hiring ESPN’s NFL studio talent. “I think he would be successful whether it is studio or doing games. When I close my eyes and listen to him I hear a little bit of John Madden in him. There is going to be a lot of interest in Rex if that is what he wants to do.”
49ers‘ head coach Jim Harbaugh may also be looking for a new job in 2015, but the general thought is that he would like to continue coaching, either in the NFL or in a high-level college job. One NFL team that could consider him a savior would be the crosstown rival Raiders, writes Marcus Thompson II of InsideBayArea.com.
Coming off a disappointing 31-13 loss to the Vikings, the Panthers are sitting at 3-8-1 and only a game and a half out of first place in the depressing NFC South. Still, the team should be looking toward the future, not toward the playoffs, writes Joseph Person of Charlotte Observer. The team is weak in key spots, including the secondary and offensive line, with few bright spots elsewhere in the lineup. The roster needs to be fixed before this team can make a true playoff run.

Sunday Roundup: Brees, Bucs, Revis

November 30th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Rory Parks

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that he expects the Saints to draft a quarterback in the early rounds of the 2015 draft as they begin to prepare for life after Drew Brees. On top of Brees’ struggles this season, Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the Saints have watched the 35-year-old’s arm strength wane and therefore must be “prepared for the end.” Former agent Joel Corry, perhaps wondering if New Orleans would go so far as to release Brees after this season, tweets that the All-Pro carries a $26.4MM cap number for 2015 and the Saints have a league-high $161MM in 2015 cap commitments.

However, Rapoport notes (via Twitter) that releasing Brees after 2014 would create $15MM of dead money, a figure that becomes much more palatable if he were to be released following the 2015 season. As such, Rapoport believes it would be better for the Saints to simply draft Brees’ heir apparent and allow him to learn from Brees for at least one season.

Others, though, are more skeptical of Brees’ demise and of the Saints’ ability to draft a suitable replacement in short order. In a pair of tweets, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that the Saints may well draft a quarterback this season, but the team does not feel as though Brees is in a steep decline, that a rookie would have to wait at least two years to be ready to lead the New Orleans offense, and that Brees has never relied on a big arm to be successful, so reports of diminished arm strength are not especially relevant. Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah, meanwhile, tweets that the Saints will be hard-pressed to find their future quarterback in this year’s draft.

Now for a few more links from around the league:

Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune says it is not too soon to accept that the Buccaneers made a mistake with their offseason signings of Anthony Collins and Michael Johnson, whose futures in Tampa Bay are now very much in doubt. Although the Bucs have a little more flexibility with Collins than with Johnson, who would be owed a $4MM roster bonus on March 1 in addition to a $5MM base salary in 2015 (of which $3MM is guaranteed), Tampa Bay could realistically cut both players outright. Regardless of what the Bucs do, they will likely seek upgrades at offensive tackle and defensive end via the draft rather than dive once more into the free agency pool.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald believes the Patriots should retain star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who has been a central figure of the team’s successful 2014 campaign, at all costs.
Tony Boselli, the former Jaguars great who was drafted by current Giants head coach Tom Coughlin when Coughlin was with Jacksonville, says that the Jaguars’ firing of Coughlin was a “huge mistake,” writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. Boselli believes the Giants would be similarly misguided if they were to fire Coughlin without allowing him to coach through the end of his contract, which expires after the 2015 season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Washington has not spoken with Robert Griffin III regarding his fifth-year option. Although a decision does not have to be made on that option until May, it does not appear as though the team will exercise it at this point.
Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that 49ers DB Perrish Cox, who is in a contract year, has signed with agent David Mulugheta.
Though we heard earlier today from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Jets and Raiders were interested in pursuing 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh via trade after the season, Schefter does note that some in the organization believe the team could still work out an extension with Harbaugh.
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Rams have improved under Jeff Fisher and appear to be on the cusp of being a competitive club, but the histories of Fisher and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer suggest that St. Louis, which has primarily utilized a conservative ball control offense, will not take the next step unless it somehow lands an elite quarterback.

Raiders, Jets To Pursue Jim Harbaugh?

November 30th, 2014 at 11:10am CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders have long been viewed as a likely landing sport for current 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, assuming Harbaugh and San Francisco part ways as expected after the 2014 season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, citing an NFL source, lent some credence to that theory this morning, tweeting that the Raiders are the favorites to trade for Harbaugh.

In that same tweet, however, Schefter notes that the Jets are expected to keep a “close eye” on the Harbaugh situation. Although that report seems to be more speculation than anything else at this point, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that it is the first tacit acknowledgement that the Jets are prepared to fire Rex Ryan.

Interestingly enough, Schefter’s tweet comes on the heels of Cimini’s full-length piece published this morning that details the increasingly bizarre quarterback controversy in New York. Cimini writes that Ryan has insisted that his arm was not twisted by GM John Idzik to revert to Geno Smith as the team’s starting quarterback for tomorrow night’s game against Miami, but “not everyone is buying what he’s selling,” and “[t]here remains a level of skepticism within the organization as to whether Ryan actually made the decision.” That is especially true since Idzik’s job would probably only be saved with a strong showing from Smith, his hand-picked quarterback, over the last few games of the season.

Of course, there was little chance that Ryan would retain his job after 2014 even before this latest controversy, and Cimini’s article simply adds fuel to the fire. But Schefter’s report, even if it just means that the Jets are prepared to exercise due diligence on all head coaching candidates after the season, is interesting in that it represents not only the first time the Jets have outwardly expressed their desire to move on from Ryan, but the first time they have been connected with Harbaugh.

However, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes that one sticking point in any possible trade is “Harbaugh’s unwillingness to go to a team that has to give up a draft pick in order to acquire his services.” As Maiocco tweets, “Why would [Harbaugh] let a team weaken itself and help [the] 49ers by giving up draft pick(s)?” He certainly has a point, and in acknowledging Harbaugh’s say in the matter, Maiocco has added a wrinkle to what promises to be one of the more intriguing storylines this offseason.