NFC Staff Updates: Lions, Rams, Commanders, Seahawks, Cardinals, Eagles
Lions team president Rod Wood is set to retire sometime before the 2026 season, and Detroit is currently in the process of finding his replacement.
The team has only interviewed internal candidates so far. A search firm is working to identify external candidates who will begin interviewing in April, Wood said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). The panel will include Wood, owner Sheila Hamp, and a number of other top executives including former Lions linebacker Chris Spielman. Head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes will also have the opportunity to offer their input.
“In terms of what I’m looking for, I’m looking for the best person to lead the Lions,” Wood continued. “Ideally somebody who’s got the right kind of executive presence and leadership skills, some COO or CEO experience running a big organization. It doesn’t necessarily have to be somebody with football experience but that would be an advantage if it works out.
A number of other NFC teams have also made staffing moves in recent weeks:
- The Rams added former Browns general manager Phil Savage as a consultant in their personnel department, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Savage most recently worked for the Jets, starting in 2019 as a senior personnel advisor. He finished the 2024 season as the interim general manager after Joe Douglas was fired and served as a consultant to the new regime last year.
- The Commanders hired John Glenn as a special teams assistant, per a team announcement. He will work alongside special teams coordinator Larry Izzo and his assistant, Brian Schneider, who is going through cancer treatment, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
- Former University of Washington offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty has been hired by the Seahawks as an offensive assistant, a NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will become the latest Huskies coach to move to the local NFL team, a pipeline that included his predecessor, Ryan Grubb.
- The Cardinals reunited with Nick Hart as a scouting assistant, according to Inside the League’s Neil Stratton. He previous worked in Arizona as a Nunn-Wooten scouting fellow.
- Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni indicated (via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP) that former offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland would not return to Philadelphia this year, though he did not rule out the possibility. It was revealed early this offseason Stoutland would not only be off Philly’s staff, after an acclaimed stint as O-line coach, but would not head to another team in 2026. It remains to be seen whether the widely praised staffer will return to the league.
Matt Capurro To Depart Seahawks, Rejoin Raiders
Pete Carroll‘s first Raiders staff is taking shape. To no surprise, a familiar face will be joining him in Vegas for 2025.
[RELATED: Carroll, GM John Spytek To Share Authority With Raiders]
VP of coaching operations Matt Capurro is departing the Seahawks to join Carroll and the Raiders, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. He has a history with Caroll dating back to their time spent together at USC and, later, Seattle. His Seahawks tenure reached its 15th season in 2024, so his absence will be notable.
Capurro’s tenure in the NFL also includes time with Al Davis and the Raiders. He was in Oakland from 2003-08, so he will be no stranger to Carroll or the organization. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Capurro takes on in Vegas, but for the past three years in Seattle he oversaw a number of day-to-day operations as a key figure on the team’s coaching staff. It would come as no surprise if he found himself in a similar capacity with the Raiders.
Carroll took a three-year deal to return to an NFL sideline; the team has an option for a fourth season. The strength of the AFC West has tempered expectations for the Raiders regarding their 2025 outlook, but a notable quarterback addition this offseason could of course change things. Patrick Graham will remain in place for a fourth season as defensive coordinator, while former Carroll colleague Darrell Bevell is the favorite to land the Raiders’ OC gig. Tom Cable could be in line for a Carroll reunion (and third stint with the organization), so plenty of familiar faces could be in place once next season begins.
In other Vegas coaching news, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports John Glenn is being hired as linebackers coach. Glenn served in that capacity for six years under Carroll with the Seahawks before working as an assistant special teams coach with the Commanders in 2024. He will now head to Vegas as Carroll continues to assemble his initial Raiders staff with coaches he has a history with.
NFC Coaching Updates: Falcons, Vikings, Garcia, Glenn
As the offseason chugs along, teams continue to reconstruct their coaching staffs. The Falcons made a number of moves just before the weekend, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. The staff continues to take shape under new head coach Raheem Morris.
On offense, two announcements were made on assistants looking to hold over from Arthur Smith‘s staff last year. Rothstein reports that assistant offensive line coach Shawn Flaherty and offensive assistant Patrick Kramer, who each came to Atlanta last offseason, will be retained in their previous positions.
A new hire was announced, as well, with the team naming Jacquies Smith as their new outside linebackers coach. Formerly a seven-year NFL defensive end, the former undrafted player out of Missouri will now accept his first NFL coaching position. After disappearing from the NFL-world for a spell and making an appearance in the XFL, Smith worked with draft-eligible players in pre-draft training. He most recently spent the 2023 season as an assistant edge coach for the Texas Longhorns.
In the front office, the team announced the hires of John Griffin as director of player performance and Rob Dadona as manager of coaching operations. Griffin follows Morris after spending the past three years with the Rams. Dadona replaces Brian Griffin, who departed to serve as Chief of Staff at the University of Maryland. Dadona spent the past five seasons with the Jets, serving as assistant to the head coach for the last three.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC, starting with a couple out of Minneapolis:
- The Vikings announced two staff additions this weekend, naming assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and assistant to the head coach Henry Schneider IV. Sarrett replaces Justin Rascati, who departed for Los Angeles to serve as the Chargers pass-game coordinator. The two essentially swapped places, as Sarrett spent the past three years in the assistant offensive line coaching role with the Chargers. Schneider spent the last five years with the Raiders, most recently as the manager of coaching operations.
- The Cowboys added a hot, young name out of Washington to their defensive staff this weekend. Cristian Garcia, who spent part of last year as the Commanders interim defensive backs coach, will head to Dallas as a defensive quality control coach, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Garcia was a name that former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera turned to for leadership after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Now he’ll join the NFC East rival.
- Washington added their own coaching assistant last week. According to ESPN’s John Keim, John Glenn will join the staff as the Commanders’ new assistant special teams coach. Glenn replaces Ben Jacobs, who had served in the same role since following Rivera from Carolina in 2020 but was not retained by the new staff. Glenn changes roles a bit after spending the past six seasons as the Seahawks linebackers coach.