Philip Rivers Withdraws From Bills’ HC Search; Team To Interview Davis Webb
Philip Rivers did well in his recent head coaching interview with the Bills. It will not result in him being hired, however. 
The longtime NFL quarterback has withdrawn from consideration in Buffalo’s search, as first reported by Dianna Russini of The Athletic. As recently as yesterday, the Bills were reported to be giving “serious consideration” to a Rivers hire despite his lack of coaching experience. Instead, both parties will move in a different direction.
Once the regular season ended, Rivers confirmed his three-game cameo with the Colts late in the year represented his final action as a player. The potential for head coaching interest was immediately raised, although Buffalo is the only team which has interviewed him so far. Provided that remains the case, Rivers will likely return to coaching his eldest son’s high school team for the 2026 season.
The 44-year-old has coached at the high school level for four years. He has never held a position on any NCAA or NFL staff, something which would have made a head coaching hire a rather noteworthy one. Rivers’ football IQ and leadership qualities played a key role in his success as a player, and they could easily translate into a coaching career. Interest in his case during future hiring cycles will be something to watch for.
The Bills, meanwhile, will proceed with their search for Sean McDermott‘s replacement. A number of outside candidates have spoken with the team so far, while offensive coordinator Joe Brady looms as an option to be promoted to head coach. Buffalo was linked yesterday to interest in Davis Webb, who is currently in place with the Broncos but spent part of his playing career as a teammate of Josh Allen with the Bills.
Webb immediately turned his attention to coaching once his playing career ended following the 2022 season. He was a member of Sean Payton‘s initial Broncos staff in 2023, serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach. In 2025, the 31-year-old had pass-game coordinator added to his title. With the Broncos’ season having ended yesterday, Webb and his colleagues are free to speak with interested teams as the HC carousel continues to spin. Per Russini, Webb will indeed meet with the Bills this morning.
In the wake of today’s updates, here is where the Bills now stand:
- Lou Anarumo, defensive coordinator (Colts): Interviewed 1/22
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/21
- Brian Daboll, former head coach (Giants): Interviewed 1/22; prefers Buffalo gig
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Rumored candidate
- Anthony Lynn, run-game coordinator (Commanders): Interviewed 1/24
- Mike McDaniel, former head coach (Dolphins): To interview 1/23; withdrew from search
- Philip Rivers, former NFL quarterback: Interviewed 1/23; withdrew from search
- Grant Udinski, offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed 1/25
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/24
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): To interview 1/26
Jim Schwartz ‘Gaining Momentum’ For Browns’ HC Job
By completing an in-person interview with Nate Scheelhaase on Monday, the Browns have satisfied their Rooney Rule requirements and are now free to hire their next head coach.
Their decision, however, is not expected to come until at least Tuesday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. And despite Scheelhaase’s star seemingly rising in recent days, incumbent defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is “gaining momentum” to get the job, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Several coaches have withdrawn from consideration for the Browns’ head coaching job in the last week, including Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski on Monday morning. That effectively narrowed the list down to three finalists who have all interviewed with the team twice: Scheelhaase, Schwartz, and outgoing Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
If the Browns want to follow other teams’ recent trend of hiring young Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay assistants as head coaches, Scheelhaase is their man. He may, however, be wary of a job that multiple respected coaches passed on. Grant Udinski joined Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter in bowing out of this HC search.
Between a meddlesome owner, a roster lacking many pieces on the offensive side of the ball, and what seems to be a cumbersome hiring process (as described by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on the Rich Eisen Show), Scheelhaase may follow other young coaches’ recent trend of waiting to land a preferred head coaching job, rather than the first one they are offered. He may even have a chance at a better opportunity this year after interviewing with the Bills on Monday as well.
Cold feet from Scheelhaase could be one reason that Schwartz’s name is making a late surge. But the longtime defensive coach was an obvious candidate for a promotion from the moment Kevin Stefanski was fired. Schwartz’s defenses have been the team’s stronger side of the ball for all three of his seasons as the team’s DC.
The Browns made no secret of their desire to keep him in Cleveland, and bumping him into the top job is the only way to guarantee that. The team would prefer to retain Schwartz as their defensive coordinator if they go in another direction for their head coach, but he could bristle at being passed over for a relatively inexperienced candidate. Scheelhaase has just two years of NFL experience with only one year as a coordinator at the college level; Schwartz has been coaching football as long as the young Rams coach has been alive.
Rooney: Door Open For Aaron Rodgers Steelers Return
The Steelers have hired an offense-oriented head coach for the first time in 60 years. The coach they hired happens to have considerable experience coaching Pittsburgh’s 2025 starting quarterback. After some rumors indicating the Steelers would be interested in extending their Aaron Rodgers partnership to a second season emerged, Art Rooney II confirmed them.
Rooney said upon hiring Mike McCarthy the Steelers are interested in a second Rodgers season. While indicating Rodgers’ status did not affect the team’s McCarthy decision, the longtime owner noted the door is open for Rodgers to stay in Pittsburgh and play a 22nd NFL season.
“We don’t know what Aaron’s plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the decision,” Rooney said of the McCarthy hire, via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. “We’ll see where Aaron is, and we’ve left the door open, but obviously we all have to sit down and see if that makes sense. So that’ll happen sometime in the next month or so. But the decision was made based on Mike being the coach we want, and it really had very little to do with whether Aaron is going to be back or not.”
Rooney had said several days ago Mike Tomlin‘s departure would likely affect Rodgers’ Steelers future, but upon McCarthy being hired to coach in his native Pittsburgh, a reported pointed to Rodgers not slamming the door on playing for the veteran HC once again. Rodgers, of course, was the Packers’ starter for 11 seasons with McCarthy at the helm. Overall, the Super Bowl-winning HC coached the future Hall of Fame QB from 2006 until his firing during the 2018 season. Rodgers won two of his four MVP awards under McCarthy, who was Green Bay’s play-caller for almost all of that stretch.
Although Rodgers did not exactly flash prime form this past season, the Steelers could use him as a bridge quarterback. Rodgers, 42, ranked 23rd in QBR — one spot behind where Russell Wilson ranked in 2024. Though, teams had Rodgers slotted higher in the free agency queue than Wilson last year. The Steelers, though, would have preferred Matthew Stafford or a Justin Fields re-signing to Rodgers. The Vikings appealed to Rodgers more than the Steelers, but when Minnesota did not express sufficient interest, it became Pittsburgh or retirement for the recent Jets starter.
While Rodgers said the 2025 season most likely would be his last, a report in late December pegged him as not being committed to retiring. It would be quite Rodgers-like for this decision to drag on; after all, he did not finally commit to the Steelers until June 2025.
Pittsburgh’s latest playoff one-and-done leaves the team with the No. 21 overall pick. That might be enough to land the top non-Fernando Mendoza QB option in this year’s class, but the talent pool looks much thinner than it was projected to at last season’s outset. It is possible non-Raiders teams will need to consider eyeing their rookie options in 2027 rather than 2026, though some younger QBs — Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa among them — are in play to relocate.
For now, though, the Steelers have let it be known they are interested in pairing Rodgers with McCarthy again after seven seasons apart. The team did not set a deadline on Rodgers last year, but with other veteran options likely set to come up as starters in 2026, it will likely need to hear from the all-time great sooner this offseason.
Chargers Confirm Mike McDaniel OC Hire
Mike McDaniel will not take on a new head coaching position in 2026. After exploring options on that front over the past few days, the ex-Dolphins HC will indeed focus on his offensive coordinator agreement with the Chargers. 
The Bolts announced on Monday that McDaniel has officially joined the team. An agreement was reached last week which set him up to take on OC duties in Los Angeles. At the time, though, McDaniel was still a candidate for the head coaching gigs in Vegas and Baltimore. The Raiders have yet to make a hire, but one candidate has officially been removed from consideration.
The Bills are also among the four teams which still have a head coaching vacancy at this point. Buffalo was slated to interview McDaniel, but he withdrew from consideration on Saturday. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, McDaniel was hesitant about meeting with the Bills shortly after working out an arrangement with the Chargers.
As of this weekend, McDaniel was still expected to ultimately take the job with Los Angeles (h/t Dianna Russini of The Athletic). No deal was formally in place at the time, but that has now changed. The Chargers have their Greg Roman replacement in hand. Roman was fired immediately after Los Angeles lost in the wild-card round for the second straight year.
That decision came as little surprise given the Chargers’ struggles on offense during the playoffs under Roman. Nevertheless, it ensured head coach Jim Harbaugh would have someone else operating as his OC for the first time at the NFL level. McDaniel, 42, will certainly represent a notable change on the sidelines for Los Angeles as the team seeks improvement in efficiency.
At times during his Miami tenure, McDaniel guided a unit which thrived in a number of areas. The Dolphins posted a top-six finish in total offense in 2022 and ’23, the years in which Miami reached the postseason. Things did not go according to plan afterwards, with the team regressing in a number of categories. McDaniel is nevertheless regarded as one of the league’s top offensive minds.
That reputation was largely generated during a lengthy period which saw McDaniel work alongside Kyle Shanahan on multiple staffs. From 2017-21, he operated as a key figure in San Francisco. McDaniel was the 49ers’ run-game coordinator for four years before a single campaign in an OC role. That one did not include play-calling duties, but with the Chargers McDaniel will handle those responsibilities.
Several candidates interviewed with the Bolts for their offensive coordinator position, including three other former head coaches. In the end, though, the expected outcome has emerged with McDaniel heading to Los Angeles. His future head coaching stock will no doubt be tied in large part to his ability to maximize the potential of quarterback Justin Herbert and Co. moving forward.
Commanders To Hire Daronte Jones As Defensive Coordinator
The Commanders have found their new defensive coordinator. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Commanders are finalizing a deal to hire Daronte Jones as their new DC.
We learned just yesterday that Jones was set to interview for the job, marking his fifth DC interview during this year’s hiring cycle. Jones first emerged as a coordinator candidate during the 2024 offseason when he interviewed for the Giants DC job. His candidacy took another bump last year, as he interviewed for the Bears, Jaguars, and Saints gigs.
That interest seemed to culminate this offseason, as Jones was viewed as a DC in waiting. He was a candidate for the Cowboys, Packers, Giants, and Jets jobs before he ultimately landed the gig on Dan Quinn‘s Washington staff. He was also a candidate to take over as the Vikings DC if Brian Flores ended up leaving for a head coaching job. This will represent a bit of a homecoming for the coach, who grew up just outside of Washington and played college football at Morgan State in Baltimore.
Jones had a long stint coaching college football before taking his first NFL gig with the Dolphins in 2016. Since then, he’s quickly climbed the ranks, serving as a cornerbacks/DBs coach with the Bengals and later the Vikings. He’s actually completing his second stint in Minnesota, as Jones briefly left the organization to serve as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021. After returning as the Vikings defensive backs coach in 2022, he earned a promotion to defensive pass game coordinator in 2023.
The Commanders’ need for a new DC wasn’t unexpected. Joe Whitt was stripped of play-calling duties midway through the 2025 season, and he was ultimately dismissed earlier this month. Quinn had a long list of candidates, including Flores before the Vikings DC ended up re-upping with Minnesota, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Instead, the Commanders ended up pivoting and snagging someone from Flores’ staff.
In Washington, Jones will be tasked with turning around a defense that took significant steps back in 2025. While the Commanders were a respectable 12th in sacks, they finished 27th in points, 31st in takeaways and dead last in yards. Quinn took play-calling duties from Whitt after Week 10, though there’s a chance the head coach passes those responsibilities to his new DC. While Jones doesn’t have extensive experience, he did call defensive plays during his lone season at LSU.
While more changes are surely coming to Washington’s coaching staff, Jones will represent the most significant addition this offseason. With David Blough taking over for Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator, the Commanders will enter the 2026 campaign with first-time coordinators on both sides of the ball.
John Harbaugh Retains Two Giants Coaches, Hires Two From Ravens Staff
John Harbaugh is about to complete his first week as the Giants’ new head coach, and as promised, he is making some changes in New York.
Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen and tight ends coach Tim Kelly are the only two members of Brian Daboll‘s staff that will retain their jobs under Harbaugh, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Bullen was hired before the 2024 season and served as the team’s interim defensive coordinator for the last four games of the 2025 season. His position group has arguably been the best part of the Giants’ defense over the last two years.
Brian Burns, Azeez Ojulari, and Kayvon Thibodeaux combined for 20 sacks and 32 tackles for loss in 2024; Burns put up 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss on his own this past season. Bullen also put together a decent defensive showing to end the season. His debut was a rough 33-15 loss to the Patriots, but after a Week 14 bye, the Giants allowed only 72 points and forced eight turnovers in their last four games.
Kelly also arrived in New York in 2024. He has not gotten much out of the Giants’ tight ends, though both Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger both took a step forward this past season. Kelly’s pre-Giants coaching career is not especially encouraging, either. Harbaugh may have preferred to hire George Godsey, his former tight ends coach in Baltimore, but Godsey already took a job as Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator.
Harbaugh will be bringing other members of his previous staff to New York. The Ravens initially blocked a lateral move for special teams coordinator Chris Horton, but reversed course after hiring Jesse Minter. They are also letting running backs coach Willie Taggart follow Harbaugh, per Ian O’Connor of The Athletic.
Taggart’s role with the Giants is not yet known. He interviewed for the offensive coordinator job, but that is still expected to go to Harbaugh’s most recent OC in Baltimore, Todd Monken. Monken is still a candidate for the Browns’ head coaching job, but if he does not get it, he will immediately join Harbaugh’s staff in New York, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.
Monken completing the expected Maryland-to-New York trek would only leave Taggart available for a lateral move, which the Ravens would have to permit. Given that Taggart’s hiring was reported before the Giants made their OC hire – and after Minter was hired – Baltimore seems to have allowed him to leave.
The same appears to be true of defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, who is also among Harbaugh’s initial hires, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. He spent the last two years in Baltimore and played a key role in developing Travis Jones, though he could not get enough out of the rest of the unit in 2025 after Nnamdi Madubuike‘s season-ending injury. News of Johnson’s move to New York also came after the Ravens officially brought Minter aboard, indicating that he wanted to go in a different direction at the position.
Harbaugh could also be considering a much bigger reunion with a former Ravens coach: Rex Ryan.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” Harbaugh said on WFAN after being asked about hiring his former defensive coordinator (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “A guy like Rex, he’s around the game, he knows the game. He’s going to have to get updated a little bit with some of the scheme stuff, but I’ll tell you, no one calls a better game than Rex Ryan.”
Bringing the former Jets and Bills head coach back to the NFL would be a major swing on Harbaugh’s part, especially if he hired him as the Giants’ defensive coordinator. That job would come with play-calling duties, a tall task after a decade away from coaching.
Still, Ryan has interviewed for jobs in each of the last three hiring cycles. He was a finalist for the Broncos’ DC gig in 2023, interviewed for the same job with the Cowboys in 2024, and managed to insert himself in the Jets’ head coach search last offseason. He no doubt would jump at the opportunity to return to the league, especially under a former longtime colleague like Harbaugh.
Chargers Interview Adam Fuller, Steve Clinkscale For DC Job
The Chargers were busy today interviewing defensive coordinator candidates. The team announced that they completed interviews with two internal candidates: Adam Fuller and Steve Clinkscale.
Fuller is a new addition to the growing list of options. The long-time college coach had stints as head coach (at Assumption) and defensive coordinator (at Wagner, Chattanooga, Marshall, Memphis, and Florida State) before finally taking his first NFL job on Jim Harbaugh‘s Chargers staff ahead of the 2025 campaign.
As the team’s new safeties coach, Fuller was tasked with guiding a unit led by All-Pro Derwin James, who once again graded out as a top-10 safety on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings in 2025. Fuller mixed and matched with the other safety spot, turning to the likes of Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens, and Alohi Gilman. Each of those four players ended up getting into more than 250 defensive snaps this past season.
Clinkscale was mentioned as a major candidate for the Chargers defensive coordinator job once former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter started generating interest for head coaching gigs. He’s got plenty of familiarity with Harbaugh; he worked as Michigan’s DBs coach in 2021 before being the Wolverines’ co-DC alongside Minter from 2022-23. Minter was the one to earn the DC opportunity in Los Angeles, but Clinkscale still came along with Harbaugh in 2024. He’s worked as the team’s defensive backs coach for the past two seasons.
While Harbaugh seems intent to promote from within (he also interviewed OLBs coach Dylan Roney for the job), he’s also eyed some outside names for the position. Ravens DC Zach Orr, Rams pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant, and former Titans DC Dennard Wilson have also interview for the gig.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/26/26
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Denver Broncos
- LB Levelle Bailey, TE Caleb Lohner, DT Jordan Miller, RB Cody Schrader, G Calvin Throckmorton, RB Deuce Vaughn
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
- OT A.J. Arcuri, WR Tru Edwards, DB Tanner Ingle, DB Cam Lampkin, OT Dylan McMahon, LB Eli Neal, DT Bill Norton, WR Brennan Presley, TE Mark Redman, WR Tyler Scott
Texans Interested In Retaining OL Ed Ingram
The Texans are expected to make offensive line a priority this offseason, and their efforts could start with re-signing one of their own. GM Nick Caserio told reporters (including Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston) that he expects to have talks with impending free agent lineman Ed Ingram.
A former second-round pick by the Vikings, Ingram was dealt to the Texans for a sixth-round pick last offseason. After serving as a rotational lineman during his final season in Minnesota, he returned to a full-time starter role during the 2025 campaign. He graded out as a middling lineman throughout his tenure with the Vikings, but Ingram finished this season 12th among 80 qualifying guards on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings.
Considering his lack of track record, Ingram may be behind the likes of guards Isaac Seumalo, David Edwards, Alijah Vera-Tucker in the free agent hierarchy. Still, considering the need for capable linemen, Ingram should expect a significant contract this offseason.
While the Texans may be preparing a run to retain Ingram, they could also look outside the organization for OL help. Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports writes that the team is expected to make a run at center Cade Mays. The former sixth-round pick has spent the majority of his career with the Panthers, starting 27 of his 52 appearances. PFF ranked him 24th among 37 qualifiers for his performance in 2025.
While the Texans offensive line struggled earlier in the 2025 campaign, they found their footing during the final chunk of the regular season. After taking 90 sacks through his first two NFL seasons, quarterback C.J. Stroud finished this past season with only 23 sacks in 14 games.
Kyle Pitts: It’d Be “Dope” To Play Under Kevin Stefanski
Kyle Pitts has an opportunity to parlay his career year into a lucrative contract, opening the door for him to play elsewhere in 2026. However, the impending free agent tight end is intrigued by the opportunity to continue his Falcons career playing under new leadership.
While speaking with Jordan Schultz and Draymond Green on the Why is Draymond Green Talking About Football? podcast, Pitts said it’d be “dope” to play for new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“That’d be dope in general as a room and just for morale as an offensive piece, [with] the tight end being one of the focal points in it,” Pitts said (via Schultz on X).
The tight end clarified that he had a significant role under Arthur Smith and Raheem Morris, but he expected an “enhanced role” if he sticks in Atlanta for the long haul. Pitts even said he’s talked with David Njoku about Stefanski’s willingness to showcase tight ends.
Inconsistent QB play prevented Njoku from reaching the top-tier of NFL tight ends, but the long-time Brown still had at least 60 touches per year between 2022 and 2024. Stefanski also got an unexpected performance from TE Harold Fannin in 2025, with the rookie finishing with 79 touches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns.
Pitts has struggled to live up to his fourth-overall-pick billing. While he topped 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie, he was limited to only 1,625 combined receiving yards over the following three years. The impending free agent showed signs of life in 2025, finishing with a career-high 88 catches for 928 yards and five scores. That performance should set him up for a payday, as he’s expected to lead a TE free agent class that also includes Travis Kelce, Dallas Goedert, Isaiah Likely, and Njoku.
There were rumblings that the Falcons could look to retain Pitts via the franchise tag. However, with the Falcons employing new leadership, it’s uncertain if the organization still has the former first-round pick in their plans.