Week In Review News & Rumors

Headlines:

• The Titans hired interim head coach Mike Mularkey on a full-time basis, inking him to a three-year contract.
• The Jaguars extended head coach Gus Bradley, locking him up through 2017.
• Running back Marshawn Lynch could be leaning towards retirement, per Seahawks GM John Schneider.
• Browns receiver Josh Gordon officially filed for reinstatement.

Offensive Coordinators:

• 49ers – Curtis Modkins (hired), Geep Chryst (fired)
• Chiefs – Brad Childress and Matt Nagy (promoted)
• Eagles – Frank Reich (hired)
• Lions – Jim Bob Cooter (retained)

Defensive Coordinators:

• 49ers – Eric Mangini (fired)
• Browns – Ray Horton (hired)
• Eagles – Jim Schwartz (hired)
• Jaguars – Todd Wash (promoted)
• Titans – Terry Robiskie (hired)

Signed:

• 49ers – Eric Rogers, WR (link)

Injuries:

• Broncos – Omar Bolden, DB (placed on IR)
• Patriots – Jerod Mayo, LB (placed on IR)

Los Angeles:

• The Rams officially moved to Los Angeles, and the Chargers are expected to follow suit. The Raiders, meanwhile, are said to be open to moving to other cities, including San Diego.

Head Coaching News:

• 49ers – Chip Kelly (hired)
• Browns – Hue Jackson (hired)
• Buccaneers – Dirk Koetter (hired)
• Eagles – Doug Pederson (hired)
• Giants – Ben McAdoo (hired)
• Lions – Jim Caldwell (retained)
• Titans – Mike Mularkey (hired)

Front Office:

• Titans – Jon Robinson, GM (link)

Extended:

• Broncos – Derek Wolfe, DE (through 2019)
• Patriots – Keshawn Martin, WR (through 2017)

Suspended:

• Bengals – Vontaze Burfict, LB (three games)

Signed:

• Cardinals – Jason Babin, LB (link)

Retired:

• Reggie Wayne, WR (link)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

For all the latest on coaching news, be sure to follow our 2016 Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Coaching:

• The Dolphins have found a new head coach, hiring former Bears OC Adam Gase and signing him to five-year deal.
• After 12 years, the Giants parted ways with head coach Tom Coughlin.
• In a surprising move, the Buccaneers fired head coach Lovie Smith after two seasons.
• The Browns fired head coach Mike Pettine after two years.
• The 49ers fired Jim Tomsula after one season at the helm.
• Sean Payton will return as the Saints‘ head coach in 2016.
• The Bengals plan to retain head coach Marvin Lewis for a 14th season.
• The Colts extended head coach Chuck Pagano through 2019.
• Not wanting a lame duck coach, the Chargers extended Mike McCoy through 2017.

Front Office:

• The Lions hired former Patriots executive Bob Quinn as their new general manager.
• The Dolphins promoted Chris Grier to GM.
• The Browns promoted executive Sashi Brown to EVP of football operations while hiring MLB’s Paul DePodesta as chief strategy officer.
• The Titans parted ways with GM Ruston Webster.
• The Browns fired general manager Ray Farmer.
• The Colts extended general manger Ryan Grigson through 2019.
• The Falcons will retain general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

Extended:

• Chiefs – Demetrius Harris, TE (through 2018)

Signed:

• Washington – Cary Williams (link)

Other:

• Calvin Johnson considering retirement (link)
• Rams, Chargers, Raiders apply for LA relocation (link)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• After slightly less than three seasons, the Eagles parted ways with head coach Chip Kelly.
• The Dolphins fired general manager Dennis Hickey.
• After tearing his Achilles during a lost season, Steve Smith will return to the Ravens in 2016.

Coach/GM Rumors:

• Expected to part ways:
  • 49ers/Jim Tomsula (link)
  • Browns/Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine (link)
  • Colts/Chuck Pagano (link)
  • Giants/Tom Coughlin (link)
• Expected to be retained:
  • Bills/Rex Ryan and Doug Whaley (link)
  • Chargers/Mike McCoy (link)
  • Jaguars/Gus Bradley (link)

Draft Declarations:

• California – Jared Goff, QB (link)
• Memphis – Paxton Lynch, QB (link)
• Ohio State – Joey Bosa, DE, Ezekiel Elliott, RB, and Cardale Jones, QB (link)
• Penn State – Christian Hackenberg, QB (link)

Signed:

• Colts – Josh Freeman, QB and Ryan Lindley, QB (link)

Waived:

• Panthers – Wes Horton, DE (link)
• Steelers – Jacoby Jones, WR (link)

Suspended:

• Raiders – Marcel Reece, FB (four games)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• An Al Jazeera documentary has accused Peyton Manning, Julius Peppers, and other NFL players of obtaining HGH from an Indianapolis clinic. Manning has strongly denied the claims.
• Future Hall of Fame safety Charles Woodson announced that he will retire at the end of the season.
• Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was handed a one-game suspension following his actions during last week’s game against the Panthers (the ban was subsequently upheld).
• The Cardinals‘ defense was dealt a devastating blow, losing DPOY candidate Tyrann Mathieu to a torn ACL.

Signed/Re-Signed: 

• Giants – Brandon Meriweather, S (link)
• Patriots – Steven Jackson, RB (link)

Waived:

• Patriots – Leonard Hankerson, WR (link)

Injuries:

• 49ers – Alex Boone, G (IR)
• Browns – Andrew Hawkins, WR (IR)
• Buccaneers – Akeem Spence, DT (IR)
• Chargers – Melvin Gordon, RB (IR)
• Cowboys – Tony Romo, QB (IR)
• Texans – T.J. Yates, QB (IR)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• The Packers and defensive end Mike Daniels agreed to a four-year, $42MM extension.
• Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a fractured thumb and is out indefinitely; he won’t need surgery, and the best-case scenario has Dalton returning for the playoffs.
• Despite previously expressing his plans to retire after the season, Ravens receiver Steve Smith is now expected to return in 2016.

Extended:

• Chiefs – Jah Reid, T (through 2018)

Waivers:

• Dolphins – claimed DE Damontre Moore from the Giants (link)
• Patriots – claimed Leonard Hankerson, WR from the Falcons and LaAdrian Waddle, T from the Lions (link)

Waived:

• Colts – Todd Herremans, G (link)

Signed:

• Giants – Barry Cofield, DT (link)
• Panthers – Robert McClain, CB (link)
• Ravens – Ryan Mallett, QB (link)
• Saints – Kendall Hunter, RB (link)
• Seahawks – Bryce Brown, RB (link) and Christine Michael, RB (link)

Injuries:

• Bears – Antrel Rolle, S (link)
• Bills – Stephon Gilmore, CB (IR)
• Browns – Joe Haden, CB (IR) and Brian Hartline, WR (IR)
• Lions – Brandon Pettigrew, TE (IR)
• Patriots – LeGarrette Blount, RB (IR) and Dominique Easley, DT (IR)
• Raiders – Austin Howard, T (IR)
• Seahawks – Thomas Rawls, RB (IR)
• Titans – Derrick Morgan, LB (IR)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• The Raiders extended receiver Michael Crabtree, signing the veteran pass-catcher to a four-year deal worth $35MM (~$19MM in guarantees).
• The Browns and breakout star tight end Gary Barnidge agreed to a three-year, $12.3MM extension, with $5.5MM guaranteed.
• Less than one season into a three-year deal, cornerback Cary Williams was waived by the Seahawks.
• The Rams fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, promoting tight ends coach Rob Boras to fill his position.

Extended:

• Cardinals – Justin Bethel, CB (through 2018)
• Raiders – Jamize Olawale, RB/FB (through 2018)

Signed:

• Chargers – Vincent Brown, WR (link)
• Washington – Pierre Thomas, RB (link)

Waived:

• Eagles – Miles Austin, WR (link)
• Giants – Damontre Moore, DE (link)

Injuries:

• 49ers – Carlos Hyde, RB (IR)
• Bears – Martellus Bennett, TE (IR) and Marquess Wilson, WR (IR)
• Browns – Joel Bitonio, G (IR)
• Chargers – CB Brandon Flowers, CB and Corey Liuget, DE (IR)
• Falcons – Matt Bryant, K (IR)
• Rams – T.J. McDonald, S and Robert Quinn, DE (IR)
• Ravens – Eugene Monroe, T (IR)
• Saints – Mark Ingram, RB (IR)
• Washington – Stephen Paea, DE (IR)

Suspended:

• Ravens – Nick Boyle, TE (four games)

Retired:

• Jonathan Vilma, LB (link)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• Having already fired their head coach and defensive coordinator earlier in the year, the Dolphins continued to clean house, firing offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, promoting quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor to take his place.
• The 49ers made a change in their front office, reassigning team president Paraag Marathe; however, he’ll continue to lead the club’s salary cap.
• The NFL made two rules changes this week, shortening the legal tampering period to two days, and allowing the trading of compensatory draft picks beginning in 2017.

Extended:

• Cardinals – Justin Bethel, CB (through 2018)
• Chargers – Tom Telesco, GM (through 2019)

Signed:

• Browns – Terrelle Pryor, QB (link)
• Panthers – Cortland Finnegan, CB (link)

Waived:

• Dolphins – C.J. Mosley, DT (link)

Injuries:

• Browns – Josh McCown, QB (IR)
• Cardinals – Chris Johnson, RB (IR-DTR)
• Colts – Ahmad Bradshaw, RB (IR)
• Falcons – Leonard Hankerson, WR (IR)
• Giants – Geoff Schwartz, G (IR)
• Jaguars – Toby Gerhart, RB (IR)
• Seahawks – Jimmy Graham, TE (IR) and Paul Richardson, WR (IR)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey was shot in the head in South Florida. We hope for a speedy recovery.
• Star defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson talks about his future with the Jets.
• Lawrence Timmons has a big cap hit coming for the Steelers, but the linebacker is hoping to get an extension done.
• The Lions have hired Ernie Accorsi to assist them in their search for a new general manager.
• Rory Parks updated us on the latest news concerning the split in the Eagles front office between Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman.

Activations:

• The Seahawks have activated cornerback Jeremy Lane, who last saw the field while picking off a Tom Brady pass in the Super Bowl and was injured on the play.
• The Bengals activated rookie offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi from their non-football injury list.
• The Panthers activated pass rusher Charles Johnson from IR-DTR this week.

QBs:

• Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will miss at least an additional two weeks with a torn plantar fascia. Brock Osweiler, who the team apparently attempted to trade in 2014, will continue to start for the Broncos.
• The Browns just named Johnny Manziel the starter going forward, but the team will return to Josh McCown in light of a video of Manziel partying surfaces. Manziel allegedly lied to the team about the timeline regarding the video. The team has not considered cutting the former first-round pick.

Signed:

• Bills – Marcus Thigpen, WR (link)
• Broncos – Christian Ponder, QB (link)
• Cardinals – Red Bryant, DL (link)
• Eagles – Jaylen Watkins, WR (link)
• Falcons – Shayne Graham, K (link)
• Rams – Zach Hocker, K (link)

Waivers:

• Colts – claimed RB Dan Herron from the Bills (link)
• Dolphins – claimed LB Quinton Coples from the Jets (link)
• 49ers – claimed LB Ray-Ray Armstrong from the Raiders (link)
• Ravens – claimed QB Jimmy Clausen from the Bears (link)

Waived:

• Bears – Jimmy Clausen, QB (link)
• Bills – Dan Herron, RB (link)
• Falcons – Joplo Bartu, LB (link)
• Jets – Quinton Coples, S (link)
• Seahawks – Bryce Brown, RB (link)

Injuries:

• Bengals – Darqueze Dennard, CB (IR)
• Bills – Kyle Williams, DT (IR)
• Cardinals – LaMarr Woodley, LB (IR)
• Cowboys – Tony Romo, QB (out for season)
• Eagles – Nolan Carroll, CB (IR)
• 49ers – Glenn Dorsey, DL (IR)
• Patriots – Aaron Dobson, WR (IR)
• Ravens – Justin Forsett, RB (IR) and Joe Flacco (out for season)
• Saints – Keenan Lewis, CB (IR)
• Washington – Chris Culliver, CB (IR)

Suspended:

• Panthers – Wes Horton, DE (four games) and Frank Alexander (one year)

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

• Raiders edge rusher Aldon Smith was suspended for one year due to his DUI arrest earlier this year.
• The Saints fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, promoting Dennis Allen to take his place.
• The Lions took the first step in restructuring their front office, hiring CEO of Ford Estates Rod Wood as president.
• The NFL is expected to allow compensatory draft picks to be traded.

QBs:

• Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has a torn plantar fascia, meaning Brock Osweiler will start for the foreseeable future.
• The Rams have benched Nick Foles, turning instead to backup Case Keenum.
• With an eye towards the future, the Browns will start Johnny Manziel for the remainder of the season.

Signed:

• Cowboys – Robert Turbin, RB (link)
• Giants – Hakeem Nicks, WR (link)

Waivers:

• Texans – claimed QB Brandon Weeden from the Cowboys (link)

Waived:

• Buccaneers – D.J. Swearinger, S (link)
• Cowboys – Christine Michael, RB (link)

Injuries:

• 49ers – Colin Kaepernick, QB (IR)
• Giants – Victor Cruz, WR (IR)
• Jaguars – Sen’Derrick Marks, DT (IR)
• Jets – Zac Stacy, RB (IR)
• Patriots – Julian Edelman, WR (6-8 weeks)
• Ravens – Justin Forsett, RB (fractured arm), Breshad Perriman, WR (link), and Jeremy Zuttah, C (IR)
• Titans – Justin Hunter, WR (IR) and Jason McCourty, CB (IR)

Suspended:

• Buccaneers – Kwon Alexander, LB (facing four-game ban)
• Washington – Junior Galette, LB (two games)