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Terry Richardson

AFC South Notes: Colts, Chudzinski, Jaguars

January 27th, 2015 at 6:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance added a pair of big names as endorsers this week, hiring NBA star Kevin Durant and Texans star J.J. Watt, as Darren Rovell of ESPN.com writes. Watt, who had 20.5 sacks and five touchdowns this season, is known for his humanitarian endeavors and the endorsement deal will have a tie-in with his personal charity. More from the AFC South..

  • The new deal that Rob Chudzinski signed to remain with the Colts is only for one year, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Still, Chudzinski, who was named associate head coach, is the probable heir apparent to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton if Hamilton leaves next year, says Rapoport.
  • Devin McCourty is the sort of impact free agent who would be an ideal fit for the Jaguars, but Jacksonville may not get a chance to make a play for the Pats safety, who is a franchise tag candidate, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Earlier this afternoon, I took a look at McCourty and other AFC East players who could be tagged this offseason.
  • After interviewing him earlier today, the Jaguars have hired Kelly Skipper as their new running backs coach, parting ways with Terry Richardson, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.

Coach Notes: Broncos, Phillips, Schwartz, Jets

January 27th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

As our offensive/defensive coordinator search tracker shows, hirings of OCs and DCs have slowed down a little in the last few days — the teams that headed into this past weekend with job openings on either side of the ball have yet to name their new coordinators, and in some cases those clubs may wait until after the Super Bowl to announce any official decisions.

Still, that doesn’t mean there’s no forward movement on any coordinator searches. An update out of Denver headlines our latest round-up of coaching-related items, so let’s dive right in….

  • Former head coach Wade Phillips is in Denver today to interview for the Broncos‘ defensive coordinator position, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who notes that Phillips coached the team way back when John Elway and Gary Kubiak were players.
  • While Phillips is a viable candidate for the DC job in Denver, the Broncos‘ top choice still appears to be Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports tweets that one potential scenario would see Phillips getting the job for 2015, then transitioning to a senior assistant role in 2016 when Joseph is freed from his contract in Cincinnati.
  • Former Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz confirmed that he’s being selective about the next job he takes, as Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun writes. “I saw the opening up in Buffalo as a good opportunity, so I took it,” Schwartz said. “But no, right now, I can’t see myself doing anything else. Coaching is something I love, something I have a passion about. Another opportunity will present itself. I’m not too concerned.” Schwartz reportedly had two years remaining on his contract in Buffalo when the team let him go, which is perhaps contributing to his patient approach to finding another job.
  • Titans assistant receivers coach Kevin Patullo will be the new quarterbacks coach for the Jets, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Patullo previously worked with new Jets OC Chan Gailey in Buffalo.
  • Former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is currently considering multiple options, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The 49ers reportedly have an offer out to Fewell, and the Bengals could be in the mix as well, though Raanan writes that Washington may have the edge.
  • The Jaguars have fired running backs coach Terry Richardson and are interviewing former Raiders running backs coach Kelly Skipper for the newly-opened job, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Skipper worked with new Jags OC Greg Olson in Oakland.
  • Speaking of the Jaguars, their current defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker is drawing interest from other teams, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • Earlier today, we learned that Rob Chudzinski, an offensive coordinator target for both the Rams and 49ers, would stick with the Colts and receive a new title.