Extra Points: Titans, Schwartz, Kearse, Harrison
A look around the NFL as divisional weekend wraps up. . .
- The Titans’ owners chose Jon Robinson as the team’s general manager and promoted Mike Mularkey from interim head coach to the full-time role largely because neither came at a high price, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. Further, the decision by Titans ownership to skip a recent league meeting in Houston, home of managing partner Amy Adams Strunk, and announce the Mularkey news during a playoff game aren’t sitting well with the NFL, per La Canfora – who notes that the Titans could change hands by 2017.
- The Jaguars have interviewed Jim Schwartz for their vacant defensive coordinator position, Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez reports (on Twitter). Though the Jags (and others) are courting Schwartz, the 49-year-old is being selective about his future and could take a second straight season away from the sideline, La Canfora reports. Schwartz last served as Buffalo’s D-coordinator in 2014, helping the unit to a fourth overall ranking.
- Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse just finished a career season, catching 49 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns. The four-year veteran, a pending free agent, doesn’t want to parlay his successful 2015-16 showing into a job elsewhere; he’d rather stay where he is. ”I mean I grew up in the state of Washington. I would love to be here,” the soon-to-be 26-year-old said Sunday, per The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta (Twitter link). Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap expects Kearse’s next deal to sit in the $3.5MM-per-year range (Twitter link).
- Like Kearse, Steelers great James Harrison also faces an uncertain future. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker is unsure whether he’ll return next season, which would be his age-38 campaign. “I’ve been doing this for 13, 14 years now, so it’s not something I can easily give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to right now,” he said Sunday, according to Ralph N. Paul of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Harrison is due a $1.25MM base salary in 2016.
Falcons, Personnel Director Lionel Vital Part Ways
7:42pm: The Falcons offered Vital a different position, but he declined it, deciding instead to move on, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I just felt, we felt that it would just be fairer for the new guy, who is going to be doing that duty, to deal with fresh people,” Vital said, per Ledbetter. “I don’t want to be staring at him and I don’t want him staring at me. I think it works out for both parties. The Falcons have been good to me. That’s how I want to leave it.”
6:07pm: The Falcons and director of player personnel Lionel Vital have parted ways, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Atlanta is only a year removed from increasing the workload of Vital, whom the team awarded additional pro scouting responsibilities and a role in college scouting last January. However, after a third straight non-playoff season, the Falcons and Vital are going in separate directions.
[RELATED: Falcons To Retain GM Thomas Dimitroff]
Vital, who has racked up 25 years of experience working for various organizations, has strong ties to newly hired Titans general manager Jon Robinson, reports ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky (Twitter link). That could make the 52-year-old a fit to join Robinson in Tennessee.
Coaching Rumors: Chiefs, Eagles, Colts, Rams
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters, including Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links), that offensive coordinator Doug Pederson‘s replacement is already on Kansas City’s coaching staff, and also stated that he doesn’t expect Pederson to take any Chiefs assistants with him to Philadelphia.
A report earlier today indicated that Pederson would like to add Chiefs spread game analyst Brad Childress to his staff in some capacity, but Reid’s statements make it seem like that isn’t likely. This is just my speculation, but given Reid’s comments, I’d guess that Childress would be the leading to candidate to succeed Pederson as Kansas City OC.
Here’s more from the coaching circuit:
- Former Jets/Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is a likely candidate for the Colts‘ vacant quarterbacks coach job, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Schottenheimer, who boasts nine years of NFL coordinating experience, spent this past season as Georgia’s OC.
- It doesn’t sound like Mike Mularkey will retain Titans offensive coordinator Jason Michael, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports that Michael is in line to join the Rams‘ coaching staff. Per Kuharsky, Michael would serve as either tight ends coach or passing game coordinator.
- Longtime secondary coach — and former UNLV defensive coordinator — Tim Hauck will head to the Eagles to work as assistant defensive backs coach, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Sunday Roundup: Manziel, Forsett, Jags
As the Panthers have their way with the Seahawks in the early going of this afternoon’s Divisional Round matchup, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- We heard just a few days ago that new Browns head coach Hue Jackson was prepared to move on from Johnny Manziel, and the comments he made during a Bleacher Report interview this morning reaffirmed that sentiment. Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jackson told Bleacher Report that if Manziel was, in fact, in Las Vegas during the season finale, that would indicate to him that Manziel is not starter material. Jackson then went on to say, “I do believe that this team does need a quarterback.”
- Although it’s certainly not a lock, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes the Ravens will bring back Justin Forsett next season. The team would gain only $900K of salary cap space by cutting Forsett, and although the other backs on the team’s depth chart have shown some promise, they have significant flaws and are largely unproven.
- Packers WR Randall Cobb suffered a bruised lung in last night’s heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Jason Wilde of ESPN.com tweets that the team does not yet have an update on Cobb.
- Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley has finally begun his search for a new defensive coordinator in earnest, bringing in Marquand Manuel and Lou Anarumo for interviews last week. Per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, Bradley hopes to have the search wrapped up by January 25, and Manuel and/or Anarumo could join the Jacksonville coaching staff even if they don’t land the coordinator position. O’Halloran adds that current defensive line coach Todd Wash could still be promoted to DC.
- In a separate piece, O’Halloran looks at the issues facing the Jaguars‘ new DC, whoever it may be, including what to do with Jonathan Cyprien and whether the team should pursue an elite corner like Prince Amukamara or Greg Toler in free agency or if it can afford to look for a second-tier option.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com offers his breakdown of the Titans‘ cap situation and free agency outlook.
- Mark Maske of the Washington Post observes that the teams looking for a new head coach this offseason were thinking offensively. Of the seven new hires, five were offensive coordinators, and the other two (Mike Mularkey and Chip Kelly) are of course offensive-minded.
Coaching Updates: 49ers, Eagles, April
As has been widely speculated, it appears as though a number of Chip Kelly‘s assistant coaches from Philadelphia are expected to join Kelly’s 49ers staff. Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com tweets that former Eagles WR coach Bob Bicknell will become the new WR coach in San Francisco, while Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms (via Twitter) that DL coach Jerry Azzinaro and QB coach Ryan Day are also expected to follow Kelly to the Bay Area. As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com observes (via Twitter), former 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula was interested in hiring Bicknell as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator last season, but Bicknell’s preference at that time was to stay in Philadelphia.
Now let’s dive into some more coaching updates:
- Expanding upon McLane’s tweet that PFR passed along along last night, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that, with the Chiefs now eliminated from the playoffs, Kansas City OC Doug Pederson is expected to be announced as the Eagles‘ new head coach within the next week.
- As for Pederson’s new coaching staff, McLane tweets that the Eagles could keep RB coach Duce Staley, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, assuming Pederson is amenable to retaining them.
- The Titans are prepared to hire Bobby April as their special teams coach, according to Marvez (via Twitter). April, who served in the same capacity with the Jets last season, was fired after Gang Green’s disappointing special teams performance in 2015. However, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com tweets, April has coached a number of strong special teams units in his remarkably long career. April has worked as a special teams coach/coordinator since 1991, when he first entered the NFL as a tight ends and special teams coach for the Falcons. Since that time, he has been employed by the Steelers, Saints, Rams, Bills, Eagles, Raiders, and Jets.
Titans Leaning Toward Mike Mularkey?
Despite going 2-7 in his most recent head-coaching audition, Mike Mularkey appears to be the clear favorite to become the Titans’ next full-time head coach, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
The PFT reporter hears it would be a “massive upset” if the Titans don’t retain Mularkey, who replaced Ken Whisenhunt after seven games last season. This goes along with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting earlier today the Tennessee job is Mularkey’s “to lose.”
Owner Amy Adams Strunk developed a strong relationship with Mularkey, per Florio, last season and prefers the 54-year-old coach keep the job. Recent GM candidates Chris Ballard and Chris Polian did not share Strunk’s views on Mularkey’s potential, so they were not hired, Florio reports.
New GM Jon Robinson reportedly did agree to consider keeping Mularkey, who Florio notes will be offered a short-term deal with a salary on the low end of the head-coaching earnings scale.
Rapoport points out the Titans could make this official today. The team’s also interviewed Doug Marrone and
Teryl Austin and is set to meet with Titans DC Ray Horton today.
Mularkey carries an 18-39 coaching record and would be a rare third-try head coach without a playoff berth on his resume. His best season came with the Bills, when they went 9-7 in 2004. Mularkey’s Buffalo tenure lasted just two years, and his Jaguars stint, in 2012, produced a 2-14 mark.
Mularkey joined the Titans as their tight ends coach in 2014 before being elevated to assistant head coach prior to the 2015 season’s outset.
The Titans have gone 5-27 the past two seasons.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Front Office Notes: Jets, Giants, Titans, Lions
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan filled his season-ending press conference with “generalities and overall nothingness,” writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Still, the executive did elaborate on several topics, including free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
“We’d like very much to get him back… We’ll see how this thing works out.”
“Bryce [Petty] has made a lot of progress. We’re kind of excited to have another offseason with him… With Geno [Smith], he’s under contract. We like the progress he’s made.”
Maccagnan also noted that “it’s not impossible” to keep all of their top defensive linemen, including Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison and Leonard Williams.
Let’s check out some more notes from the league’s front offices…
- Giants general manager Jerry Reese understands that it’s his job to improve the roster, and he said he puts it on himself if the team doesn’t perform well. “At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility,” he said (via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News). “If somebody doesn’t get it right, if somebody doesn’t pan out, it’s the GM’s responsibility.”
- While candidates have been interviewing for the Titans head coach vacancy, ownership has made it clear that they have no desire to sell the team, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- The Lions have fired senior personnel executive Scott McEwen, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The former Director of College Scouting was the longest tenured scout in the organization.
- According to Schefter (on Twitter), the Lions have hired Kyle O’Brien as their Director of Player Personnel.
Coaching Notes: Buccaneers, Titans, Coughlin
Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers will hire Jon Hoke as their defensive backs coach. The 58-year-old has spent much of his career in the NCAA, where he was the defensive backs coach for Missouri, Florida, and South Carolina (among many others). Hoke also had a seven-year stint as the Texans DB coach, and he also spent five seasons with the Bears.
Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the league…
- Dirk Koetter is overjoyed to be the Buccaneers new head coach, writes Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com. The 56-year-old has been coaching in the NFL since 2007, and he’s thrilled to finally get an opportunity to lead the entire operation. “First, you know, it’s emotional, a day like this. It’s one of the happiest days of my life but also one of the most humbling,” Koetter said. “It’s been a long time, a long time in the making. There’s 32 of these jobs in the world. I know I can do the job, even though I’m whimpering around a little bit up here today. I’m a little tougher than I’ve been coming across so far. I’m ready for it. Nothing that is said here today is going to affect us one bit in wins and losses. That all comes later. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
- Defensive coordinator Ray Horton is meeting with the Titans today, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that it will the organization’s last scheduled interview for their head coaching vacancy. The reporter notes that the position could be filled today, and he believes the job is “Mike Mularkey‘s to lose.” If the interim head coach does get the full-time position, Rapoport expects it to be on a short-term contract.
- Giants co-owner John Mara admitted that he didn’t want to see former head coach Tom Coughlin take the same gig with the Eagles. “I’m not going to lie, it would’ve bothered me a lot,” Mara said (via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News). “It would’ve been like watching Bill Parcells walk out onto the field with a (Dallas) star on his shirt. That was tough to see at the time. That would’ve bothered me. I want him to be happy, but I certainly didn’t want to see him happy in green.”
Coach Rumors: Browns, Pep, Ravens, Bucs
New Browns head coach Hue Jackson confirmed earlier today that he’ll be retaining special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, but there have been announcements yet on Cleveland’s other coordinators. While Ray Horton and Leslie Frazier are among the names that have been linked to the Browns’ defensive coordinator job, one possible candidate worth keeping an eye on is former Dolphins DC Kevin Coyle, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).
Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reported on Wednesday that Coyle was expected to replace Vance Joseph as the Bengals‘ defensive backs coach, but there are hints he may join Jackson in Cleveland instead. Marvez tweets today that Cincinnati is interviewing 49ers defensive backs coach Tim Lewis for the same position, and Albert Breer of NFL Network tweets that the Bengals are looking at Michigan secondary coach Greg Jackson for that job, so it certainly doesn’t seem like there’s a deal in place between the Bengals and Coyle.
As we keep an eye on that situation, let’s check in on some other coaching updates from around the NFL….
- On the other side of the ball for the Browns, a former Colts offensive coordinator may be a candidate for the job in Cleveland. As first reported by Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (Twitter link), Pep Hamilton met today with Hue Jackson.
- Last week, a report suggested that the Buccaneers had turned down a Chargers interview request for defensive line coach Joe Cullen. However, after hiring Mike Smith as their new defensive coordinator, the Bucs are willing to let Cullen go. Cullen will join the Ravens as their defensive line coach, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
- To replace Cullen, the Buccaneers are hiring Jay Hayes from the Bengals, per Marvez (all Twitter links). Tampa Bay is also hiring Titans special teams coach Nate Kaczor and former Dolphins linebackers coach Mark Duffner for those same positions.
- Since the Titans are the last team without a head coach, they should take their time to make a decision, perhaps interviewing potential candidates from eliminated playoff teams after this weekend’s games, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
- Former Giants wide receivers coach Sean Ryan will head to Houston to become the Texans‘ WRs coach, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Titans To Interview Ray Horton For HC Job
3:54pm: The Titans have confirmed that their interviews with Austin and Mularkey have been completed. Horton will be the fourth candidate to formally speak to the team about the job.
4:11pm: Mike Mularkey isn’t the only in-house candidate for the Titans’ permanent head coaching job. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Tennessee defensive coordinator Ray Horton is scheduled to interview for the club’s head coaching vacancy on Saturday.
[RELATED: Titans hire Jon Robinson as general manager]
Horton is expected to become either the third or fourth candidate to formally interview for the Titans’ job. The club confirmed that it met with Jaguars assistant head coach Doug Marrone on Thursday to discuss the head coaching job, and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was scheduled to meet with the team today. Mularkey, who is considered the front-runner, was also expected to sit down for an interview at some point this week.
In addition to those candidates, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been mentioned as a possible target for new Titans GM Jon Robinson. However, he and other coaches on active playoff teams aren’t eligible to interview this week.
Horton, who served as the defensive coordinator in Arizona and Cleveland prior to joining the Titans, has reportedly received interest from the Browns for their defensive coordinator job under new head coach Hue Jackson.
While the Titans will have the first overall pick this year after finishing with a league-worst 2-14 record, Horton’s defense shouldn’t bear the brunt of the blame for the team’s poor showing. The Titans’ average of 342.2 yards per game placed them 12th in the NFL, while their 229.9 passing yards allowed per game placed seventh in the league.