Coaching Rumors: Lynn, 49ers, McDaniels
The latest news on the league’s coaching vacancies:
- For a complete rundown of every interview scheduled for the teams in search of a new coach, check out PFR’s 2017 NFL Head Coaching Tracker.
- Anthony Lynn‘s interview with the 49ers will take place today (Wednesday), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will interview with the Rams, Jaguars, and 49ers all on the same day, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe writes. McDaniels will huddle up with all three teams on Saturday in separate rooms at a hotel near Gilette Stadium. Those three teams will be permitted to interview McDaniels again in the week after the AFC title game, if the Pats make it to the Super Bowl.
- The Chargers won’t force assistants on a new head coach, but they value their offensive staff, Rapoport tweets. There’s a good chance offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and his fellow offensive coaches stay put.
- The Broncos are expected to talk to Lynn at some point and will interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as soon as the rules allow, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets.
- Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin is scheduled to meet with the Rams on Thursday and the Bills on Saturday, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
- Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub will interview with the Broncos on Friday and then he has the Chargers on Sunday, Rapoport tweets.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/3/17
Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Cap Capi
- WR Marvin Hall
- WR Chris Hubert
- G Kaleb Johnson
- OL Daniel Munyer
- RB Elijhaa Penny
- CB Ronald Zamort
Carolina Panthers
- FB Darrel Young
Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs
- OT Isaiah Battle
Minnesota Vikings
- OT Reid Fragel
- P Taylor Symmank
San Diego Chargers
- OL Brett Boyko
- CB Randall Evans
- CB Mike Lee
- LB Chris McCain
- S Adrian McDonald
- TE Jake McGee
Tennessee Titans
- OLB Reshard Cliett
- TE Tim Semisch
Latest On Chargers’ Head Coaching Search
The Chargers’ list of candidates to take over for fired head coach Mike McCoy continues to grow. Former Falcons head coach and current Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith is likely to interview with the Chargers, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Meanwhile, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub will meet with the Bolts this week, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, and FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager adds that San Diego has asked Carolina’s permission to interview defensive coordinator Sean McDermott (all Twitter links)
The Chargers now have five potential successors to McCoy – and no offensive coordinators – on their radar, as PFR’s head coaching search tracker shows, though Smith is the only one with previous experience.
The 57-year-old was at the helm with the Falcons from 2008-14 in a stint that began swimmingly but ended poorly. Atlanta started Smith’s tenure with five straight above-.500 seasons, four of which resulted in double-digit-win campaigns and playoff berths, and then went a combined 10-22 during his final two years on the job. All told, the Falcons posted a 66-46 regular-season record and a disappointing 1-4 playoff mark under Smith. Of the other five teams in need of head coaches, only the Jaguars have shown interest in Smith to this point.
Toub, who’s on a bye with the AFC West champion Chiefs, will also meet with the Broncos this week, relays Biggs. McDermott has a Wednesday interview set up with the Bills.
Coaching Rumors: Rams, Chargers, Patricia
We have six head coaching vacancies and it’s not easy to keep track of every candidate and development in each search. That’s why Pro Football Rumors rolled out the 2017 NFL Head Coaching Tracker this week. Bookmark the page and keep up with every bit of news out of Los Angeles, Buffalo, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, and Jacksonville.
Here’s the latest coaching news from around the league:
- The Rams‘ interview with Panthers assistant head coach Steve Wilks will take place today (Tuesday), a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks the Rams’ first coach interview of this cycle.
- The Chargers have requested to interview Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Broncos, he adds, are expected to do the same. Special teams coordinators are not often considered for head coaching jobs, but we have seen a few serve as interim head coaches. In the past, Toub has been an advocate for special teams coaches to get a chance at running the show.
- Matt Patricia‘s interviews with the Rams and Chargers will go down this weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Patricia, the defensive coordinator for the Patriots, must get his interviews out of the way before the Pats’ first playoff game.
2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker
Several NFL teams are currently hunting for a new head coach, and amidst reports about interview requests and potential candidates, it’s easy to lose track of the latest updates in the shuffle. So we’ll use this space – which will be updated until every team has hired a new head coach – to keep track of the most recent news and rumors. It can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features.”
Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here’s the current breakdown:
Updated 2-7-17 (10:22am CT)
Buffalo Bills
- Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Hired
- Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed
- Frank Reich, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Was expected to interview; no request submitted
- Kris Richard, defensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interview requested; hired first by Broncos
- Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator/interim head coach (Bills): Interviewed
Denver Broncos
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed 1/7; prefers Denver’s job to others
- Dave Toub, special teams coach (Chiefs): Interviewed
- Anthony Lynn, interim coach (Bills): Could be interviewed; no meeting requested as of 1/5
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Doug Marrone, interim head coach (Jaguars): Hired
- Tom Coughlin, former head coach (Giants): Interviewed
- Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed
- Chip Kelly, former head coach (49ers): Interviewed
- Mike Smith, defensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interviewed
- Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator/interim head coach (Bills): Expected to interview; hired first by Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
- Sean McVay, offensive coordinator (Redskins): Hired
- Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed
- John Fassel, interim head coach (Rams): Interviewed
- Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Sean Payton, head coach (Saints): Rams have interest in trading for him
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Interview now unlikely
- Steve Wilks, assistant coach/secondary coach, (Panthers): Interviewed
- Mike Vrabel, linebackers coach (Texans): Permission granted for interview
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Was to be interviewed 1/13; hired by Broncos
- Anthony Lynn, interim head coach (Bills): Will receive second interview
- Doug Marrone, interim head coach (Jaguars): Interviewed
San Diego Chargers
- Anthony Lynn, interim head coach (Bills): Hired
- Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed
- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed
- Mike Smith, defensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed; signed extension to stay as Bucs’ DC
- Dave Toub, special teams coach (Chiefs): Interviewed
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Was to be interviewed; hired by Broncos
- Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Was set for second interview, hired as Bills’ HC
San Francisco 49ers
- Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator (Falcons): Hired
- Tom Cable, offensive line coach (Seahawks): Interviewed; withdrew from search
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Was to be interviewed; hired by Broncos
- Anthony Lynn, interim head coach (Bills): Interviewed
- Doug Marrone, interim coach (Jaguars): Team has interest
- Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator (Patriots): Interviewed; withhdrew from search
- Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Hired as Bills’ HC
- Sean McVay, offensive coordinator (Redskins): Interviewed
Chargers Ask To Interview Pats’ Matt Patricia
The Chargers have requested permission to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Patricia is the first known target of the Bolts in their coaching search. 
Patricia has also been linked to the Rams’ head coaching vacancy and he’s a popular name this offseason, even if he’s not as hyped up as colleague Josh McDaniels. The Chargers just fired an offensive-minded head coach in Mike McCoy, so Patricia could offer a change in philosophy. The Pats finished the regular season with the fewest points allowed of any team in the league. Meanwhile, the Bolts allowed 423 points, the fourth-highest in the NFL.
The Chargers are one of six teams now in search of a new head coach.
2017 NFL Draft Order
The Browns almost blew it yesterday. In the regular season finale, the Browns took the Steelers to overtime before ultimately losing 27-24. Had they won, the Browns would have been picking at No. 2 instead of the top position. Meanwhile, the Jaguars nearly slipped to No. 5, but they held their ground in the draft order when they lost 24-20 to the Colts. Phew.
The playoffs will help determine the bottom 12 picks, but the draft order has now been set for most of the NFL. Here is the list, with ties being broken by strength of schedule:
1. Browns (1-15)
2. 49ers (2-14)
3. Bears (3-13)
4. Jaguars (3-13)
5. Titans (via the 4-12 Rams)
6. Jets (5-11)
7. Chargers (5-11)
8. Panthers (6-10)
9. Bengals (6-9-1)
10. Bills (7-9)
11. Saints (7-9)
12. Browns (via the 7-9 Eagles)
13. Cardinals (7-8-1)
T-14. Eagles (via the 8-8 Minnesota Vikings)
T-14. Colts (8-8) (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens (8-8)
17. Redskins (8-7-1)
18. Titans (9-7)
19. Buccaneers (9-7)
20. Broncos (9-7)
Chargers Fire Mike McCoy
As expected, the Chargers have announced the dismissal of head coach Mike McCoy, whose job status was in serious jeopardy earlier Sunday. Chargers president of football operations John Spanos issued in a statement in the wake of McCoy’s firing.
“Mike McCoy is a man of high character, and we thank him for his dedication to the Chargers,” said Spanos. “The decision to dismiss Mike was made in the best interests of our franchise. Our team’s disappointing performance has not matched this team’s potential and has fallen short of the demanding standards that we seek to impose throughout our organization. Our comprehensive search for a new head coach begins immediately.”
The Chargers lost the final game of the McCoy era, 37-27, to the AFC West rival Chiefs in Week 17. That ensured San Diego a 5-11 finish – only a slight improvement over its 4-12 showing in 2015 – and gave McCoy a 27-37 record in four seasons as the club’s head coach.
Before the Chargers’ downward spiral over the past couple years, the McCoy-led team racked up a pair of nine-win seasons and made a playoff trip in 2013. Part of the problem this season was the fact that the Chargers lost 21 players to injured reserve, but that wasn’t enough to save McCoy’s position with the franchise. It certainly didn’t help that the Chargers suffered an ignominious loss in Week 16 to the Browns, who finished the year 1-15.
With Los Angeles relocation likely for the Chargers, they’re reportedly willing to expend resources in their search for a head coach. The Bolts will have plenty of competition from around the league – they’re now the fifth team with a vacancy, and a sixth could join the fray if the 49ers dismiss Chip Kelly.
Latest On Chargers, Mike McCoy
The Chargers may not have made an official decision on the fate of head coach Mike McCoy, but it would be an “upset” if McCoy is retained for 2017, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that general manager Tom Telesco will keep his job, but team ownership will meet Monday to determine if McCoy will stick around. Meanwhile, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) that while Telesco has recommended that McCoy be retained, San Diego is prepared to make a change.
[RELATED: Antonio Gates Leaning Towards Return]
This isn’t the first time that disparate reports have surfaced regarding McCoy’s status, which could indicate that the Chargers are truly wrestling with a decision on their head coach. Just last week, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com indicated that because the Chargers are likely to relocate to Los Angeles — and thus, compete with the Rams in a major media market — the club would like to begin its head coaching search as soon as possible.
McCoy has led the Chargers to a 5-10 record this season, and last week lost to the previously winless Browns. During his San Diego run, McCoy has posted a career mark of 27-36, and recently confirmed that the club has not offered him an extension (he’s currently signed only through 2016).
Chargers' IR Total Hits 20
- It appears the Chargers are going to finish with an even 20 players on IR this season after the team placed cornerback Craig Mager on the season-ending list, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). Inside linebacker Carlos Fields received a promotion from the practice squad as a result.