AFC Notes: Raiders, Mathis, Gordon, Jets
As speculation swirls around the idea of Jon Gruden reuniting with the Raiders, the Monday Night Football analyst did his best to quell that talk in an appearance on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike today, as Dan Hanzus of NFL.com writes. Meanwhile, it’s not a certainty that GM Reggie McKenzie will be the person to make the next coaching hire. McKenzie himself acknowledges that he’s on the hot seat. “I work every day like my job is on the line. That’s just the way I am. No one has to tell me my job is on the line. No one,” McKenzie said, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Here’s more out of the AFC..
- Mike Wells and Field Yates of ESPN.com provide a breakdown of the one-year extension Robert Mathis signed with the Colts. The 2016 year includes a $1.5MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year, a $3.5MM base salary, and escalators worth up to $1MM depending on how many sacks he totals in ’16. Interestingly, Mathis’ 2015 roster bonus, worth $3MM, has been changed to $3MM in per-game roster bonuses. Because the veteran pass rusher won’t play in 2014, that should remove that bonus money from the Colts’ 2015 cap for the time being.
- Browns wideout Josh Gordon, who has six games remaining on his suspension, spoke to Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN The Magazine about his suspension, and denied that he has a drug problem. “Definitely not,” Gordon said. “I wouldn’t know what I was addicted to because I don’t do anything.” According to Gordon, who believes he was already in stage two of the drug program when he entered the league, he has taken roughly 180 drug tests since being drafted in 2012.
- With the Jets still seeking consistent play from their cornerbacks this season, head coach Rex Ryan acknowledged today that the club had interest in signing Brandon Flowers this past offseason before he landed in San Diego (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
- While many of the notable free agents signed by the Jaguars in the spring haven’t impressed much during their first season with the team, Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union points out that Jacksonville can easily move on from just about all of those players without having to carry much dead money next year or beyond.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Freeman’s Latest: Pats, Suh, Raiders, Goodell
While Tom Brady has been taking his share of criticism for the Patriots‘ shaky start to the 2014 season, one NFC scout tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that he believes head coach and de facto GM Bill Belichick should shoulder a good portion of the blame.
“The larger problem isn’t Brady. The problem is what’s around Brady,” the scout said. “Belichick has done a horrible job of putting talent around him. [Rob Gronkowski], to me, isn’t half the player he was. Their best player right now is Julian Edelman.”
As the scout points out, the Broncos have taken the opposite approach with Peyton Manning, surrounding him with an “armada” of weapons, while Brady once again works with an underwhelming group of receivers in New England. Freeman touches on several other topics of note within his latest column, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….
- After speaking to sources with the Giants and Jets, Freeman suggests both teams have only “marginal” interest in Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. A report on Sunday indicated that the standout defender would be interested in playing in New York when his contract is up in Detroit, but Freeman’s sources think Suh‘s agent Jimmy Sexton may simply be trying to scare the Lions.
- While Freeman can say “with certainty” that the Raiders have interest in Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh as head coaching candidates, Gruden isn’t interested (at least for now) and Oakland likely wouldn’t be able to afford the sort of salary Harbaugh would command.
- According to Freeman, the outlook for Roger Goodell remains “solid,” with owners around the league still supporting the embattled commissioner. However, much of that support hinges on what Robert Mueller‘s investigation uncovers about the Ray Rice situation.
West Notes: Raiders, Gruden, Harbaugh, Cards
After today’s press conference announcing Tony Sparano as the Raiders‘ new interim coach, owner Mark Davis stuck around for an informal Q&A with reporters, including Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News. When asked if GM Reggie McKenzie will hire the next coach, Davis responded, “Well, we’ll see. We might’ve already hired him.” Meanwhile, Davis dodged questions about McKenzie’s own job security. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..
- Davis has tried to lure Jon Gruden back to the Raiders in the past, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The owner has previously offered significant money and power within the organization but it wasn’t enough to reel him in.
- Amidst speculation that some 49ers players don’t want to play for coach Jim Harbaugh, offensive lineman Jonathan Martin offered up his support, writes Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. “He’s the best coach I’ve ever been around,” said Martin, who also played for Harbaugh at Stanford. “Even though he might be cheesy at times with slogans and sayings, his enthusiasm rubs off on players and his record speaks for itself.”
- After being released from the Cardinals‘ practice squad, running back Chris Rainey signed with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Last week, the Seahawks bumped wide receiver Phil Bates‘ practice squad salary from $6,300 to $7,300 per week, according to Brian McIntyre (on Twitter).
Raiders GM, Owner On Dennis Allen, Future
The Raiders’ top executives spoke with reporters today following the firing of head coach Dennis Allen, and general manager Reggie McKenzie and owner Mark Davis each offered insight on the move and the future in Oakland:
- The decision to fire Allen was McKenzie’s; the GM took his plans to Davis, who approved the dismissal, according to NFL Network’s Around the League (Twitter link).
- Despite speculation that he too could lose his job, McKenzie claims he “will hire the next coach,” per ATL (on Twitter).
- While Davis says he’s never considered firing McKenzie (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle), Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News notes (via Twitter) that Davis made it apparent that the rest of the season will determine the GM’s fate.
- The Raiders have reportedly shown interest in bringing back former head coach Jon Gruden, and Davis says he “may reach out to…Gruden and [Gruden] may reach out to [Davis],” according to Tafur (Twitter link). Davis also implied the permanent coach could already be on Oakland’s staff.
- A close friend of Gruden tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that “one of these days, [Gruden is] going to accept these offers he gets every year. Maybe it’s this one.”
- Interim head coach Tony Sparano almost left the team after his contract expired last season, but McKenzie essentially told him that he was next-in-line in the event of Allen being fired, tweets Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks the fact that Sparano will be judged on 12 games will help guard against any “artificial improvement in performance” that often leads to teams retaining interim coaches, and then regretting the decision.
- Stanford head coach David Shaw denied any interest in the Raiders position, writes Jon Wilner of InsideBayArea.com. “Everyone knows I’m dedicated (to Stanford), that I love it here,” Shaw told Wilner. “It’s great. It’s flattery, and I tell players that’s sign that we’re doing something right here, when they get attention and I get attention. But our work here is unfinished, and I love being here.”
Raiders Name Tony Sparano Interim Coach
1:32pm: The Raiders have made the decision official, announcing in a press release that Sparano is the team’s new interim head coach
12:58pm: After firing head coach Dennis Allen last night, the Raiders have decided on his interim replacement, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the club will announce Tony Sparano as the new head coach later this afternoon. Sparano had previously been acting as Oakland’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach.
For Sparano, who will turn 53 next week, this will be his second chance at an NFL head coaching job. The new Raiders interim coach previously led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth in 2008, his first year with the club. However, consecutive losing seasons followed, culminating with his firing in 2011 when Miami got off to a 4-9 start. Overall, Sparano led the Dolphins to a 29-32 record, with no postseason victories.
Scott Bair and Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com had previously reported (via Twitter) that the Raiders were deciding between Sparano and senior offensive assistant Al Saunders. Owner Mark Davis was said to prefer Saunders, but appears to have left the decision up to general manager Reggie McKenzie. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was viewed as the other internal candidate, and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle says Olson made a push for the job (Twitter link).
While Sparano takes over for now, the team will likely reevaluate the position after the season. Unless Sparano leads a massive turnaround during the last 12 games, I’d expect the Raiders to consider higher-profile candidates, such as former head coach Jon Gruden. Landing Gruden may be a long shot, but Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that the current ESPN analyst is a big fan of rookie signal-caller Derek Carr.
Raiders Notes: McKenzie, Sparano, Gruden
Dennis Allen became the first NFL head coach of the 2014 season to be fired last night, after his Raiders lost all four of their games in September. Since then, rumors have been swirling about the team’s short-term solution at head coach, potential longer-term targets, and whether general manager Reggie McKenzie‘s job is safe. Here’s the latest out of Oakland:
- After initially reporting (via Twitter) that Tony Sparano would not be taking over as the Raiders’ head coach, Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com clarified (via Twitter) that McKenzie was being indecisive and then Sparano is still being considered. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Sparano still looks like the most likely replacement for Allen, but offensive coordinator Greg Olson has made it known that he wants the job.
- While McKenzie apologists may argue that he inherited an aging, overpriced roster, and has spent the last couple years getting out from under poor cap decisions, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports doesn’t believe the Raiders GM has shown any indications that he deserves to remain a part of the team’s rebuilding process. In Marvez’s view, McKenzie should be the next to go.
- Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group points out that GMs are rarely fired in the middle of a season, but thinks that owner Mark Davis will take a long look at replacing McKenzie in the offseason. If he decides to make a change, Davis figures to “put everything he has into a basket” for Jon Gruden before exploring other candidates, according to Kawakami, who adds that the former Raiders coach has long been Davis’ top choice to take over the club’s football operations.
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) acknowledges that Gruden could potentially be in play for the Raiders in January, but thinks it’d be an easier sell if the Raiders were headed to Los Angeles with a new stadium lined up.
- Williamson also notes (via Twitter) that the Raiders previously made a run at Mike Holmgren, speculating that perhaps he could be part of the team’s front office picture in 2015.