Extra Points: Shanahan, Trestman, Ryan
Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will consider leaving the Browns, even for a lateral move, because of friction within the organization, writes Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. Shanahan is aiming to become a head coach somewhere (perhaps in Buffalo) but he’d also like to reunite with his father, Mike Shanahan. The 49ers, Raiders, and Bills are have interest in hiring Mike as a head coach with Kyle as the offensive coordinator. More from around the NFL..
- Washington interviewed Rod Graves on Monday for their GM position, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). By interviewing Graves, Washington has satisfied the Rooney Rule, so that is not a roadblock in their talks with Scot McCloughan.
- Former Bears head coach Marc Trestman will interview for the Jaguars‘ offensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Trestman has already interviewed with the Buccaneers.
- Rex Ryan will be meeting with CBS executives tomorrow to discuss a possible TV role if he doesn’t land a head coaching job, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- The Eagles have requested permission to interview recently promoted Packers exec Eliot Wolf for their personnel opening, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Wolf was recently promoted by Green Bay, ostensibly to keep him in-house as the heir apparent to their own GM job.
- The Eagles requested GM interviews with Chris Grier (Dolphins), Chris Polian (Jaguars), and Brian Gaine (Texans), sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Texans might have interest in former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, according to Dan Pompei of Sports On Earth (on Twitter).
- Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson is scheduled to interview with the Jaguars for their offensive coordinator position on Thursday, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Gaine and Lake Dawson, the Titans‘ vice president of player personnel, completed their interviews with the Bears for their GM opening, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
- Saints GM Mickey Loomis says that the team will take linebacker Junior Galette‘s arrest “very seriously,” as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. “If at some point we deem it necessary for the club to take some action, we’ll do that,” Loomis said.
- Loomis feels that the Saints are in better shape financially, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune (on Twitter). “I would say we’re in a better situation than we were a year ago — on pure salary cap.” He also scoffed at a recent report indicating that he will move into a new role with the team (link).
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Rams have signed to two players to reserve/futures deal, adding tight end Brad Smelley and punter Michael Palardy, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- The Giants have added a veteran to their offseason roster by singing linebacker Victor Butler to a reserve/futures deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Butler, 27, played for the Cowboys from 2009-12, but has bounced around in recent years, spending time with the Saints, Cardinals, and Colts in the past two seasons.
Earlier updates:
- In addition to formally announcing the signing of DeMarcus Van Dyke (noted below), the Vikings also tweeted out word of their signings of defensive end Leon Mackey and defensive tackle Chigbo Anunoby.
- The Jaguars announced three signings today, two of which had been previously reported. The new one is kicker Derek Dimke, who inked a reserve/futures contract with the team, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter).
- Washington also confirmed a handful of signings that had already been reported, and added one more to the list. According to the club (via Twitter), former Abilene Christian wideout Braylon Bell has signed a futures deal.
- Tight end Dorin Dickerson has signed a reserve/futures contract with the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. The team removed Dickerson from their IR list back in August with a settlement, but worked him out again in November.
- The Vikings have signed cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke to a one-year futures contract, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Van Dyke was placed on injured reserve by the Chiefs at the end of the 2014 preseason, and was later released with an injury settlement.
- The Buccaneers have added three players to their list of reserve/futures signings for 2015, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link). The most notable player in the trio is safety M.D. Jennings, who spent his first three seasons with the Packers before being signed and cut by the Bears in 2014. Tampa Bay also signed tight end Taylor Sloat and punter Chase Tenpenny, whose agreement was previously reported.
- Having previously signed nine of their 10 practice squad players to reserve/futures contracts for the 2015 season, the Eagles made it a clean sweep today, announcing that linebacker Brandon Hepburn had inked a deal of his own (Twitter link).
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Falcons, Saints
The Buccaneers had been hoping to interview Titans tight ends coach Mike Mularkey for their open offensive coordinator job, but that won’t happen, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport tweets that Tampa Bay has been denied permission to speak to Mularkey.
NFL teams aren’t allowed to block assistant coaches from interviewing for – or accepting – a job as a head coach, but that rule doesn’t apply to other jobs, including coordinator positions. In this case, the Buccaneers’ job would qualify as a promotion for Mularkey, but the Titans are within their rights to deny the Bucs the opportunity to talk to him.
Here’s more from around the NFC South:
- The Falcons will interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for their head coaching opening today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, by way of his colleague Vaughn McClure (Twitter link).
- Rex Ryan has also scheduled his interview with the Falcons — it’ll happen on Tuesday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While Ryan could be a good fit in Atlanta, some observers believe the ex-Jets coach is talking to NFL teams in order to squeeze more money out of ESPN, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
- Examining the reserve/futures contracts signed by the Saints, Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune points out that kicker Dustin Hopkins inked the longest deal, a three-year pact that keeps him under team control through 2017.
- Saints defensive backs Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Corey White had somewhat frustrating 2014 seasons in New Orleans, and aren’t quite sure what the team has in store for them in 2015, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
New Year’s Roundup: Jets, Coaches, Colston
The Jets are moving very quickly in their search for a new GM, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. The team interviewed Browns personnel executive Bill Kuharich in New Jersey this morning and is currently interviewing Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner. Citing a league source, Costello also tweets that New York plans to interview Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan and Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller on Sunday or Monday. Costello reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets would like to hire a GM before making a decision on a new head coach, but they of course must stay active in the head coaching market lest they lose a top candidate to another club. According to another tweet from Costello, one of the most significant questions the Jets are asking GM candidates is what coaches they would like to work with.
As much of the country fixates on the Sugar Bowl, let’s take a look at a few other notes from around the league:
- John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes a couple of early patterns in the Bears‘ search for a new head coach and GM, pointing out that the early coaching candidates “have a preponderance of winning in their immediate pasts” and that the team is not concerned whether their new coach has more of an offensive or defensive pedigree.
- Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times examines the most important early decisions the Bears‘ new GM must make, which include determinations on the respective futures of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and how to handle the looming free agency of Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte, both of whom are entering the final year of their current contracts.
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Washington, seeking to fill its newly-vacant defensive coordinator position, is setting up interviews with 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, 49ers DB coach Ed Donatell, and Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry.
- Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com looks at some of the Eagles‘ potential cap casualties, including James Casey, Trent Cole, and Cary Williams.
- With a new mega-deal in his near future, Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant is focused on Sunday’s playoff game against the Lions, not his next contract, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Byrant said, “I’m just going to keep working. I can’t worry about the contract.”
- Saints wide receiver Marques Colston knows his future in New Orleans is up in the air, and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that, although Colston would like to stay with the only team he has ever known, he may be released or asked to take a pay cut with two years remaining on his current contract. If asked to take a reduction in pay, Colston said his relationship with Drew Brees and Sean Payton would play a role in his decision.
- Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to request an interview with Titans tight ends coach Mike Mularkey for their vacant offensive coordinator position.
Extra Points: Allen, Wayne, Eagles, Bears
Washington GM Bruce Allen held his year-end press conference today and was put in a position where he more or less had to defend his job, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. At the presser, Allen defended the signing of free agent defensive end Jason Hatcher and putting the franchise tag on linebacker Brian Orakpo. Orakpo was given the franchise tag despite a serious injury history and Hatcher was given a lucrative deal despite mild production prior to his walk year. Here’s more from around the league in our New Year’s Eve edition of Extra Points..
- If pressed for a decision, Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne says he’d come back for 2015, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells writes. “If I had to answer that question today, I’d say I’ll be back… as long as the Colts would have me,” he said on his weekly radio show on WNDE-1260 AM in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
- The Eagles released Tom Gamble, their vice president of player personnel, earlier today. The move adds weight to speculation that coach Chip Kelly and general manager Howie Roseman have not seen eye to eye over the last year, ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan writes.
- The Bears have requested to interview five GM candidates, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter): Chris Ballard (Chiefs), Lake Dawson (Titans), Eric DeCosta (Ravens), Brian Gaine (Texans), and Ryan Pace (Saints).
- Colts backup Matt Hasselbeck isn’t under contract for 2015, but he’s also not thinking about retirement, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Neither he nor the Colts have discussed a return just yet, but he sounds very open to the idea.
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The Buccaneers like Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but they could have competition for his services, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. A source says that Koetter is held in high regard by two other head coaching candidates: Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and San Francisco defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looked ahead at what’s in store for the Titans this offseason.
- Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson declined a plea bargain on an October arrest, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Johnson becomes a free agent in early March and has said that he will seek a multi-year deal.
Coach Notes: Jets, Ryan, McDaniels, 49ers
Not long after he was fired by the Jets, Rex Ryan jumped on a plane to Florida to watch his son’s Clemson Tigers play in the Russell Athletic Bowl, as Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post writes. When asked what it was like to speak with his players for the final time, Ryan said, “It was rough, man. But hey, that’s the way it is.’’ With a vacancy in New York and others elsewhere, here’s a look at the latest coaching rumors..
- Charley Casserly, who is now consulting the Jets, inquired about UCLA head coach Jim Mora‘s buyout clause and contract language last week, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter).
- Former Jets coach Rex Ryan has interviews scheduled with the Falcons and 49ers for their openings, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will interview with the Falcons and 49ers this week, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- The 49ers will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn tonight, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- There may not be a head coaching candidate more sought after this offseason than Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter), every team with a head coaching vacancy has contacted the Cards about interviewing Bowles. That includes the Raiders and Bears, which hadn’t been previously reported. Since Arizona plays in the Wild Card round, Bowles won’t be able to interview with any teams until next week.
- The Bears are the third team to request permission to speak to Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Falcons and 49ers had previously asked to interview Gase, who can talk to clubs during Denver’s bye week.
- The Titans‘ and Jaguars‘ coaching staffs will participate in the Senior Bowl game, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The 2-14 Buccaneers passed on the opportunity, and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) is curious about the team’s motives, considering the benefits of participating in the game. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that he heard last week from one Jaguars official that the Bucs may pass on the Senior Bowl because they’d be busy looking for an offensive coordinator — of course, as of today, the Jags are in the same boat.
Latest On Jets, Bears GM Searches
Of the five teams hunting for new head coaches, two have an even more daunting task ahead of them, as the Bears and Jets are also on the lookout for new general managers to head their football operations departments. The Jets have tasked two consultants, Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, with identifying potential candidates, while the Bears hired former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi as an advisor for their search.
Heading into today, we’d heard Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner and Vikings assistant GM George Paton linked to the Jets’ opening, while things had been relatively quiet on the Bears’ front so far. More rumors and rumblings on both positions are starting to surface though, so let’s round up the latest updates:
- The Jets intend to interview their current senior director of football administration Rod Graves for their GM opening, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Mehta, confirming the report, tweets that it’s a “courtesy” on the Jets’ part.
- Costello adds (via Twitter) that the Jets have also asked the Browns permission to interview personnel executive Bill Kuharich.
Earlier updates:
- The Jets are interested in interviewing Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan for their GM vacancy, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. A source confirms to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) that the Jets have indeed asked Houston for permission to speak to Maccagnan.
- Mehta also reports (via Twitter) that the Jets have requested permission to interview Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller. Mueller has previously worked for the Jaguars and Saints as well.
- The Jets are expected to make a strong push for Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) points out, DeCosta is contractually designated as Baltimore’s GM-in-waiting behind Ozzie Newsome — he’s a strong GM candidate for rival clubs, but is in a good situation with the Ravens and is “highly valued” by the organization. For now, the Jets have asked for permission to interview him, tweets Mehta.
- Four interview targets have emerged for the Bears‘ general manager opening, according to Rapoport, who lists the following candidate (via Twitter): Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross, Titans VP of player personnel Lake Dawson, and Ravens director of pro personnel Vince Newsome.
AFC South Notes: Posluszny, Jags, Titans
Linebacker Paul Posluszny is currently on the Jaguars‘ books for a team-high $9.5MM cap hit for 2015, but would “absolutely” be open to reducing that number in exchange for an extra year added to his contract, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). Posluszny, whose 2014 season ended prematurely due to a torn pectoral muscle, is currently under team control for two more years. More from the AFC South..
- Michael Griffin told reporters, including Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (via Twitter), that if the Titans came to him and said they wanted him back for less money, it would come down to a family decision and what is best for them.
- Titans offensive tackle Michael Roos says the odds are over 50% that he will retire this offseason, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean (via Twitter).
- Wyatt (Twitter link) says the Titans will do their due diligence on guys like Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, but can’t see them taking either with the No.2 pick. Ultimately, he envisions Zach Mettenberger as the leading candidate to start in 2015 with added quarterback competition (link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Titans Sign Eight To Futures Contracts
The Titans have officially re-signed eight players from off of their practice squad to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced today in a pair of tweets. Here are the players that reached agreements with Tennessee following the team’s regular-season finale on Sunday:
- Ri’Shard Anderson, CB
- Nate Askew, LB
- Justin McCray, OL
- Will Poehls, T
- Lache Seastrunk, RB
- Yawin Smallwood, LB
- Chaz Sutton, LB
- Alex Tanney, QB
Of Tennessee’s 10 practice squad players, defensive lineman Chigbo Anunoby and wide receiver Derek Moye are the two names not on this list, so they presumably remain unsigned for now.
South Notes: Falcons, Bucs, Marks, Pickett
Discussing his team’s decision to part ways with head coach Mike Smith today, Falcons owner Arthur Blank told reporters – including Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) – that he’s seeking a clear leader who has a vision for success, player development skills, and represents the club’s culture values. According to Blank, it’s less important whether Atlanta’s next head coach is offensive- or defensive-minded, and more about finding someone who is adaptable and has a vision, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Blank added that the team’s entire football operations will be under scrutiny, and that the head coaching search begins today, with interviews starting as soon as possible (Twitter links).
Let’s round up a few more notes from out of the league’s two South divisions….
- Armed with the top two picks in the draft, the Buccaneers and Titans will both have a strong front office presence at this week’s Rose Bowl, per Peter Schrager of FOX Sports and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter links). Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston – the consensus top two quarterbacks expected to be available in 2015’s draft – will square off in the game.
- With the Buccaneers considered likely to select a quarterback using the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, current signal-caller Josh McCown is realistic about his future – or possibly lack thereof – with the team, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com.
- Jaguars defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks enjoyed the best season of his career in 2014, establishing a career-high with 8.5 sacks. However, his year ended on a sour note — according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter), Marks suffered a torn ACL yesterday in Houston. The injury raises questions about Marks’ potential availability for training camp and the start of the 2015 season, and could impact the Jags’ offseason plans.
- Veteran nose tackle Ryan Pickett isn’t sure whether or not he’ll retire, but he enjoyed his time with the Texans this season, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. “If I did come back, I’d want to play here,” Pickett said. “I feel like this team is headed somewhere and I’d like to be a part of that.”