2014 December - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Notes: Coughlin, Manning, Kiwanuka

December 28th, 2014 at 10:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

Head coach Tom Coughlin may believe he has the team trending in the right direction, but Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com believes the best thing for the Giants this offseason would be to be honest with themselves.

He writes that Coughlin’s 49-47 record over the last six seasons leaves much to be desired, and that the team has regressed that past two years. He also thinks that defending defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s job is unrealistic, as Fewell’s unit has been disappointing.

He does not believe the team needs to fire Coughlin, but wants them to take a good look on what they have actually accomplished, as opposed to where they think the team is trending.

Here are some other notes from around Big Blue:

Gary Myers agrees with Graziano that the team needs to move on from Fewell, according to his article for the New York Daily News. He writes that the defense needs a new voice, but believes Coughlin deserves another year.
Players will be available to the media on Monday, reports Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Coaches, front office executives, and decision makers will likely brief fans on the state of play sometime on Tuesday,
The schedule for coach Coughlin to speak gives a hint that he will be returning in 2015, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Schwartz believes if he was going to be fired, the team wouldn’t have announced when he would be available at all, and the organization would not wait until Tuesday to deliver that news.
If quarterback Eli Manning has any input, he would encourage the team to keep Coughlin anyway, according to Schwartz (via Twitter). “I think coach Coughlin is an excellent coach,” said Manning. “And he deserves to be the coach and we’ve got to play better for him.”
Graziano adds that Manning will lower his cap hit because the Giants will most likely extend him at some point (via Twitter). He did say he would be willing to play out the final year of his deal, according to Raanan, but after a successful season, the team would be smart to negotiate a longer extension.
One Giant who will not be returning is Mathias Kiwanuka, according to Raanan (via Twitter). Raanan cites his cap number and high salary as reasons the team will move on from him.

Eagles Links: McCoy, Sanchez, Roseman

December 28th, 2014 at 10:13pm CST by Rob DiRe

After beating the Giants in Week 17, a number of writers for the Philadelphia Inquirer came out to eulogize a promising season that ended in disappointment.

One of the biggest questions the Eagles have heading into the offseason is the contract of Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy. Zach Berman caught some of what McCoy said about his future with that team in a series of tweets.

“I’m an Eagle, I love it here. My six years here have been excellent. I’ve been very, very, very productive here,” said McCoy. “We’ll see what happens. It’s a business. Anything can happen; I know that. But I’m sure we can work something out.”

“It depends how they want to do it. …I love this team, and I’ll do whatever it takes. …We’ve got some time.”

While he has made it clear that he would be willing to restructure his deal, Jeff McClane writes that he would be surprised if McCoy took a pay cut to remain with the team (via Twitter).

McCoy may be the most talented player on the offense, but Chip Kelly’s offense needs a quarterback to make it go. Mark Sanchez has likely played his final game as the team’s starting quarterback, and his time as an Eagle in general may be up, writes Mike Sielski.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie was unwilling to commit to the team’s other quarterback, Nick Foles, according to McClane (via Twitter). He said the team would know more by March about the situation developing at the position.
The Eagles are coming off two good seasons, one that ended in a playoff appearance and one that fell just short of the mark. Bob Ford believes the team needs to make the next step, which won’t be easy. “The hardest part is to go from good to great,” Lurie said. “We’re at the good, but we don’t want that. We want to be great. I just look at what we could have accomplished this year. It’s exciting. We’re not sitting here 2-14 or 4-12 or whatever. . . . I think we’re pretty close. We know exactly what we need to upgrade. We’ve got a great group of young players, a lot of up-and-coming stars in this league. It’s all in front of us.”
One big decision for Lurie that could be the difference between taking the team from good to great is the choice to keep or move on from general manager Howie Roseman, writes McClane. As of now, Lurie says that Roseman will be back with the team. Roseman’s first-round pick in 2014 was unable to see much playing time, and reports have it that the hierarchy is unclear between himself and Kelly.
A weakness of the 2014 Eagles was the secondary, and that will be a priority this offseason, according to Marc Narducci. He writes about how they fared without Bradley Fletcher, and with inconsistent play even in the Week 17 win, there will surely be changes in time for 2015.

Bears Notes: Trestman, Cutler, Shanahan

December 28th, 2014 at 9:40pm CST by Rob DiRe

Fans and pundits have believed that the Bears’ coaching staff could be fired as soon as Monday, but general manager Phil Emery says that the coaches will hold their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.

“Obviously, it’s at the end of the season,” Emery said. “So on Monday, we’ll have a team meeting. Our coaches will hold that meeting. After that, they’ll start evaluating players. We’ve already done that from a personnel perspective, and we’ll move forward.”

Still, major changes are in order for the Bears this offseason, from either a coaching standpoint, a personnel standpoint, or more likely both:

While head coach Marc Trestman and his coaching staff are unlikely to return, a big question is whether Emery will lose his job as well, according to David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. Haugh also questions whether the team will begin to look into moving on from Jay Cutler as well. Cutler will be playing for his fifth offensive coordinator since 2009, should Trestman’s staff lose their jobs as expected.
Despite the end of the Trestman-era, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that the organization needs to stop consulting their quarterback when making decisions on coaching. Biggs points out that Cutler has been the common denominator in the team’s perennial underachieving.
Cutler did give a vote of confidence to former coach Mike Shanahan, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cutler played under Shanahan with the Broncos during his first few years in the NFL, where he experienced some of his best play at quarterback. “[Shanahan is] a heck of a coach. He deserves to be a coach somewhere. He’s out of the game so I’m sure he is looking to coach somewhere,” said Cutler. “My three years with him were very, very enjoyable. He does a great job of leading teams, on and off the field, and offensively he knows how to get it done.”

AFC East Notes: Wallace, Caserio, Bills

December 28th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

Dolphins‘ receiver Mike Wallace was benched during today’s game against the Jets for what was apparently an attitude problem, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). Breer highlights this as a situation to watch going forward into the offseason.

Wallace is signed through 2017, with cap numbers of $12.1MM, $13.7MM, and $13.7MM the next three seasons. The team would only save $2.5MM by cutting him this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:

The Patriots extended the contract of director of player personnel Nick Caserio earlier today, and one reason for this could be the opinion of head coach Bill Belichick, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “He contributes in a lot of different ways, and I’m glad I have him. I need him,” Belichick said. “He probably does more than any other person in his position in the league in terms of his amount of responsibility and the number of different things at the coaching and scouting level. He’s really a valuable guy that has great working knowledge of really everything that we do on the scouting end and the coaching end.”
Bills‘ CEO Russ Brandon and head coach Doug Marrone both confirmed that they do not have any scheduled meetings with new owners Terry and Kim Pegula, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “I’m sure at some point we’ll get into some more in-depth meetings,” Brandon said. “There’s nothing scheduled at this point. I talk to Terry all the time, and I have nothing on the books right now for any meetings.” Marrone confirmed that he had not been contacted regarding a meeting.
Marrone has three days after the end of the season to opt out of his contract with the Bills due to a change in ownership, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio does not believe Marrone will exercise this clause in his contract.
Bills‘ running back Fred Jackson earned an incentive of $150,000 in the team’s Week 17 victory over the Patriots, reports Rodak (via Twitter).

Draft Order Set For Non-Playoff Teams

December 28th, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 2015 NFL Draft is looking clearer now, after the Ravens clinched the final playoff seed in the AFC. That means the 20 teams to miss the playoffs have their orders set.

The Chiefs will pick right after the Chargers based on divisional tiebreakers.

The first 20 picks are as follows, based on overall record and strength of schedule, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.

Buccaneers
Titans
Jaguars
Raiders
Washington
Jets
Bears
Falcons
Giants
Rams
Vikings
Browns
Saints
Dolphins
49ers
Texans
Chargers
Chiefs
Browns (from Bills, via trade)
Eagles

Jim Harbaugh, 49ers Agree To Split

December 28th, 2014 at 7:07pm CST by Rob DiRe

49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh have agreed to mutually part ways, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). Harbaugh has coached his last game for the team, and is now free to pursue other employment.

Harbaugh was clear in his post-game press conference that he would not be returning in 2015, but allowed room for the team to release their statement before making any announcement himself, according to Dylan DeSimone of CSNAuthentic.com (via Twitter).

49ers’ CEO Jed York made a statement regarding the situation, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). “Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions.” York is now looking towards his next coach, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). “We are now squarely focused on finding next head coach of 49ers … confident in Trent’s ability to lead that process.”

The 49ers are no longer responsible for paying the remainder of his contract, according to Garafolo (via Twitter). Of course, the team is also no longer entitled to compensation should Harbaugh take another NFL job.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report remarks that the only way the 49ers would let him out of his contract is if he was going to Michigan for sure (via Twitter). He believes the team would not have agreed to this if there was a chance he would go to Oakland or another NFL team.

In response to questions about the Michigan job, Harbaugh announced that there will be an announcement made regarding his future, according to Dan Murphy of ESPN (via Twitter). Regarding whether he would miss the NFL if he left, Harbaugh was non-committal according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive Media Group (via Twitter). Harbaugh simply replied, “Is the NFL going somewhere?”

Jets Notes: Idzik, Wolf, Casserly, Wilkerson

December 28th, 2014 at 6:16pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets have an 8 A.M. meeting scheduled for tomorrow, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter). Any changes the team plans on making should be announced by that time.

Here is a look at some of those potential changes and the fallout that will come from them:

While John Idzik seems like a very good bet to be fired now that the Jets’ season is over, he has left his successor in a position to succeed, writes Seth Walder of the New York Daily News. The next general manager will take over a team that will be flushed with cap space, and the job could actually be an attractive situation for a potential candidate.
Former Packers’ general manager Ron Wolf will be joining Charlie Casserly on the Jets’ staff as a consultant, confirms Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Wolf and Casserly will assist Woody Johnson in the search for the next general manager and head coach.
Casserly could be interested in Vikings’ George Paton as a candidate for the general manager job, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
One of the first orders of business for the Jets’ next general manager will be to begin negotiations with Muhammad Wilkerson on a long-term contract, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora says it would be unlikely that he plays out his fifth-year option.

Jay Gruden To Remain With Washington

December 28th, 2014 at 5:50pm CST by Rob DiRe

Washington is expected to stay true and keep head coach Jay Gruden going into 2015, reports Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 D.C. (via Twitter).

Despite a lack of success in his first season, as well as constant quarreling with starting quarterback Robert Griffin III, Russini writes that nothing has changed since an earlier report that the team was leaning toward keeping Gruden.

Griffin is also slated to return as the team’s quarterback. Both his future with the tem and his coach’s were in doubt at times during the last month of the season.

The victory against the Eagles in Week 16 likely put both parties in better standing with owner Dan Snyder, and although Washington was thoroughly beaten by the Cowboys today, it likely wasn’t enough of a disappointment to make the owner change his mind

PFR Originals: 12/21/14 – 12/28/14

December 28th, 2014 at 4:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Luke Adams examined the contract situations of some of the more notable Pro Bowlers. In doing so, he noted the abundance of Pro Bowl cornerbacks who have recently signed contract extensions — in fact, all eight Pro Bowl CBs have inked multi-year deals within the past year.
In the wake of the deluge of Jim Harbaugh news, Ben Levine wondered what the 49ers could get in return if they traded Harbaugh’s rights. About 45% of you believed San Francisco wouldn’t receive any compensation because Harbaugh will be released from his contract (which appears to be the case if he heads to Michigan). Thanks for voting!
The Trade Rumors app is now available, bringing you content from PFR, MLBTR, and Hoops Rumors. Download it today on iTunes or Android!

Justin Smith Expected To Retire

December 28th, 2014 at 4:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After wrapping up his fourteenth NFL season later today, 49ers defensive end Justin Smith is expected to retire, reports Alex Flanagan of NBC (Twitter link). Smith, 35, has spent the past seven years in San Francisco after playing the first half of his career with the Bengals.

A first-round pick out of Missouri in 2001, Smith was a fixture on a mid-2000s Cincinnati team that made the playoffs just once during his tenure. In 2008, he joined the 49ers on a six-year, $45MM contract, and became a stalwart of SF’s defensive line, playing at both tackle and end in the Niners’ 3-4 scheme. An extremely durable player, Smith has missed just three games during his career. All told, he’s started 216 games, racking up 87 sacks, 613 tackle, and 16 forced fumbles.

Even in his final season, Smith grades out well according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, rating as the ninth-best 3-4 defensive end among 46 qualifiers (subscription required). Per PFF, he was dominant from 2009-11, when he graded as the No. 1 overall 3-4 DE each season.

Losing Smith will be just blow to the 49ers defense during the offseason. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio are expected to depart, fellow defensive lineman Ray McDonald was released following sexual assault allegations, and most of the club’s reliable cornerbacks are unrestricted free agents.