HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFC Notes: 49ers, Bears, Giants, Eagles

December 28th, 2014 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Once Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers inevitably part ways at some point this week, the club will need to begin its search to find his replacement as head coach. Appearing on FOX Sports, Jay Glazer (Twitter link via his colleague, Mike Garafolo) listed several candidates that San Francisco will likely interview: Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, Jim Tomsula, Teryl Austin, Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, and interestingly, UCLA head coach Jim Mora. Mora, who’s held head coaching positions with both the Falcons and Seahawks, was also mentioned as an NCAA coach likely to jump to the NFL by Albert Breer of NFL.com on Daniel Jeremiah’s Move the Sticks podcast two weeks ago. Here’s more from the NFC…

  • Bears assistant coaches believe they will believe they will be fired after today’s game, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes that “wholesale changes” could be coming to Chicago. In the same vein, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune examined what the future holds for the Bears, who are expected to fire head coach Marc Trestman and possibly GM Phil Emery.
  • Tom Coughlin hasn’t been made aware of his status for 2015, but the expectation is that he will return to coach the Giants next year, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
  • Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been unequivocal in explaining that he won’t give New York a deal when it a comes to negotiations, and today he offered an even stronger, and quotable, declaration of his feelings. “Do you give discounts?” he asked Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link). “Do you get discounts when you go to Macy’s?”
  • Eagles FB/TE James Casey is due $4MM next season, and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter) doubts that he’ll return to Philly next season. Per Berman, Casey signed on with the Eagles in the hopes of getting extensive time on offense, but he’s become more of a special teams player.
  • 49ers linebacker Dan Skuta is a free agent at season’s end, and Cam Inman of the Mercury News believes (Twitter link) that he’ll follow current San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to his next stop.

Week In Review: 12/21/14 – 12/28/14

December 28th, 2014 at 3:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

Extended:

Restructured:

Signed:

Released:

Placed On Injured Reserve:

Early Draft Entrants:

  • Todd Gurley, RB – Georgia (link)
  • Duke Johnson, RB – Miami (link)
  • Jaelen Strong, WR – Arizona State (link)
  • Maxx Williams, TE – Minnesota (link)

NFC South Notes: Mike Smith, Saints, Panthers

December 28th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons have hired the Los Angeles-based search firm Korn Ferry to assist them in finding head coaching candidates, in the event that current HC Mike Smith is fired, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link). The Jets used the same firm two years ago when they were looking for a new general manager. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that Atlanta needs to win today and in the playoffs for Smith to keep his job, as owner Arthur Blank has been disappointed with the club’s lack of success. Here’s more from the NFC South:

  • If the University of Michigan’s pursuit of Jim Harbaugh is any indication, the school aims high when searching for head coaching hires. In fact, UM pursued Saints head coach Sean Payton for its vacancy in 2011, but nothing ever materialized, tweets Rapoport.
  • Ryan Pace, the Saints’ director of player personnel, will be on many teams’ GM short lists, according to Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link), who says losing Pace would be a blow to New Orleans’ front office. In fact, Pace was offered an interview for the Dolphins’ GM position last year, but the Saints declined permission, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (Twitter links). At the time, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the club denied Pace the opportunity because the club was still in the playoffs, but said he expected Pace to be hired away at some point. Rapoport identified Pace as a candidate for the Jets’ GM post earlier today.
  • Even if the Panthers lose to the Falcons today and miss the playoffs, the team is in a better place now than they were when the 2013 season ended, writes Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. After last year, Carolina had to deal with the loss of key players such as Jordan Gross, Captain Munnerlyn, and Mike Mitchell, as well as maneuver around salary cap trouble. Now, per Sorensen, the club has acquired a stable of young players, and GM Dave Gettleman can use the free agent period to supplement his roster.

Raiders Notes: McKenzie, Sparano, Davis

December 28th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With reports that Jim Harbaugh is close to accepting the head coaching position at the University of Michigan, the Raiders look like they will miss out on their top candidate. Let’s look at what Oakland might choose to do as it shifts it focus from Harbaugh…

  • Owner Mark Davis tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that GM Reggie McKenzie will assist in head coaching interviews, which will begin on Monday. This seems to be a clear indication that McKenzie’s job is safe, something that FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo agrees with (on Twitter).
  • Another reason that McKenzie could be in the clear: he has two years remaining on his original five-year contract, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Oakland would be forced to pay the remainder of his salary in the event it fired him.
  • Financial obligation isn’t the only thing working in McKenzie’s favor, tweets Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Per Corry, McKenzie expertly maneuvered the Raiders’ deconstruction, leaving the Raiders with the second-most 2015 cap space, and hit on his 2014 draft picks, though he could afford to find better values in free agency.
  • On the coaching front, interim HC Tony Sparano wants to return, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter), and Garfolo tweets the “drumbeat…is strong” for Sparano within the Raiders organization.
  • Sparano will be granted the opportunity to interview for the full-time job, per Rapoport (Twitter link).

Jim Harbaugh Rumors: Sunday

December 28th, 2014 at 12:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

There’s been no shortage of news regarding 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh — most recently, Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports reported that Harbaugh’s family is on its way to Ann Arbor, and that Harbaugh has accepted the Michigan job. But until the news is officially announced, we’ll keep track of the latest developments below:

  • People at Michigan believe that Harbaugh will be its head coach, and Harbaugh has reportedly reached to out to several assistant coaches to determine their interest in joining him at UM (Twitter links via SportsCenter).
  • The 49ers and Harbaugh will definitely part ways, and that may happen as soon as tomorrow, according to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer (Twitter links). But nothing is definite between Harbaugh and Michigan, and although university officials are hopeful a deal will be struck, Raiders management still wants a shot at Harbaugh. Indeed, Adam Schefter of ESPN says (via Twitter) Oakland will make a “concerted effort” to convince Harbaugh to lead its club.
  • Michigan’s university plane is waiting in California for Harbaugh, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), who notes that if Harbaugh gets on said plane, it will be a clear indication he’s accepted the UM position.
  • The university sounds confident that it will reign in Harbaugh, as it is telling incoming recruits that it will have a new head coach by the middle of this week, tweets Schefter.
  • In the event that Harbaugh does land in Ann Arbor, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders how long he’ll stay, given that each of his professional coaching stints have been short-lived. After spending two years with the Raiders, three with the University of San Diego, and four with Stanford, Harbaugh is wrapping up his fourth season with San Francisco.
  • 49ers assistant coaches are still in limbo, as they haven’t been made aware of any decision by Harbaugh, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link).
  • In the unlikely event that Harbaugh declines Michigan’s offer, Rapoport says (Twitter link) to keep an eye on the Bears as a potential destination. However, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that Chicago doesn’t make sense for Harbaugh, as the club has never paid a coach the salary that Harbaugh is looking for.

Jim Harbaugh Expected To Take Michigan Job

December 28th, 2014 at 12:04pm CST by Rob DiRe

12:04pm: A source tells Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that Harbaugh’s family is flying into Ann Arbor on Monday, yet another indication that he’ll be taking the Michigan coaching job.

SUNDAY, 8:31am: A slew of others have reported that Harbaugh is likely to take the Michigan gig, including Dave Feldman of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link), who says Harbaugh will be announced on Tuesday, and Feldman’s collegaue Matt Maiocco, who reports (Twitter link) that the 49ers have agreed to let Harbaugh of out his contract. Meanwhile, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweets that no deal has officially been signed, news which Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms (multiple Twitter links), noting that while Michigan’s plan is rein in Harbaugh and introduce him Tuesday, Harbaugh hasn’t informed the Raiders that he won’t accept their head coaching job, and hasn’t told close friends that he’s going to Ann Arbor.

SATURDAY: Our own Dallas Robinson wrote last night that there would be a resolution between Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers on the future of the two parties within 72 hours, and rumors of those decisions are already coming to the forefront. Two members of the 49ers staff and a third NFL source have said that they expect Harbaugh to accept the $48MM offer to become the next head coach at the University of Michigan, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.

“That’s what everybody on staff believes is going to happen this week,” one of the sources said. “Jim has figured out that his style is best-suited for the college game. His shtick works better with young guys who are gone after three or four years.”

Cole also writes that Harbaugh will be bringing along several 49ers assistant coaches to Michigan, including Reggie Davis and John Morton.

Harbaugh had been pushing the 49ers toward paying closer in the range of $10MM per year for top level head coaches, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio surmises that if NFL teams are unwilling to increase head coach salaries as revenues increase, then Harbaugh would be best off heading to Michigan for a reported $8MM annual salary.

Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News has examined reports that Harbaugh and Michigan representatives were planning to meet. He cited a report by CBS5 Arizona’s Joe Pequeno that Michigan could announce their hire as early as Tuesday. It was known that Harbaugh was considering that Michigan offer, but there was also evidence that he would have preferred to stay in the NFL, presumably taking over with the Raiders or Dolphins.

Should Harbaugh return to coach his alma mater, that decision would likely be made very soon, as they would not be comfortable waiting as other great candidates found college jobs as the offseason progresses.

While a coach of his stature could have fetched a pretty nice trade haul at one point, Harbaugh’s value and the team’s leverage have deteriorated as it has become clear he would not return to the team in 2015. A PFR Poll posted by Ben Levine on Christmas asked what was the possible compensation the 49ers could receive, however nearly 45% of voters believed the team would release him from his contract without receiving anything in return.

If he leaves for Michigan, that is exactly what the 49ers will get back for him.

AFC East Notes: Rex, Dolphins, Patriots

December 28th, 2014 at 11:45am CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve already passed along the news of front office executive Nick Caserio’s extension with the Patriots and a batch of Jets notes, but there’s more news from the AFC East…

  • As we’ve heard, the Jets are expected to fire GM John Idzik this week, but Rex Ryan might still have a chance to save his job. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Jets are open to letting the club’s next general manager decide Ryan’s fate. Ryan hasn’t been told that he’s fired, but he’s already cleared out his office. And per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), New York contacted Ryan’s agent to determine the interest of a separate client in the Jets job, so it would be a surprise to see Ryan return.
  • Sources tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle’s performance will be assessed after season, leading to speculation that he could be let go. Head coach Joe Philbin declined to give Coyle a vote of confidence last week after it was announced that Philbin would return to Miami in 2015. Under Coyle’s leadership, the Fins finished 10th in defensive DVOA, but 19th in weighted DVOA, meaning the unit got weaker as the year progressed. In a separate piece, Salguero speculates that Ryan could be a fit as the club’s new DC.
  • As Joel Corry of CBS Sports points out (on Twitter), Patriots quarterback Tom Brady‘s base salaries for 2015-17, which total $24MM, are now guaranteed for injury and skill because he’s on New England’s roster for Week 17.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe lauds the work done by Bill Belichick, noting that Patriots head man has excelled both in his coaching responsibilities and his front office role. While allowing that this year’s draft class hasn’t produced much so far, Volin writes that nearly every free agent signing or trade orchestrated by Belichick has worked out this season.
  • Deep into his Sunday notes piece, Volin rounds up the various performance escalators that are on the line for several key Patriots today.
  • After speaking with agent Brian Ayrault, Florio reports (via Twitter) that Ayrault won’t be taking a job with the Bills. Florio had speculated as much earlier in the day.

Patriots Extend Nick Caserio

December 28th, 2014 at 10:53am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots have extended the contract of director of player personnel Nick Caserio through the 2020 season, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal is thought to be the longest for a front office executive in the NFL. Per Schefter, the pact was finalized weeks ago, but this is the first public report of the extension.

The contract has implications throughout the league, as Caserio was thought to be one of, if not the top, prospective general manager candidates on the market. He was offered the Dolphins GM post last season, but declined, paving the way for Miami to hire Dennis Hickey. He’s been linked to the Jets during this season, and just this morning, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com speculated that Caserio could be a fit with the Texans.

Caserio, 39, has been with New England since 2001, acting first as a coaching assistant, then area scout, and even served as the team’s receivers coach during the 2007 season. The John Carroll grad has been in his current position since 2008. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Caserio is a “respected, no-frills negotiator,” and though Bill Belichick and Floyd Reese have dealt with contracts since Scott Pioli left after the 2008 season, Caserio has been handed more responsibility as of late.

While Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Herald wonders (via Twitter) if Caserio”s extension includes a promotion to general manager, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe says (Twitter link) that the deal is largely symbolic, an indication on the part of Caserio that he’s committed to the Patriots. Additionally, Tom Curran of CSNNE.com speculates (on Twitter) that the contract could be an indicator of the end of Belichick’s tenure; in other words Belichick is ensuring his top personnel man will be in New England as long as he is.

Jets Notes: Idzik, Ryan, GM Candidates

December 28th, 2014 at 10:09am CST by Dallas Robinson

The 3-12 Jets will take on the Dolphins later today, and it’s probably the last contest general manager John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan will enjoy under the employ of Gang Green. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), owner Woody Johnson is expected to “hit the reset button,” and start the search for the duo’s replacements tomorrow. Ryan could be fired tonight, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who says Ryan is so sure he’s being axed that he’s been joking about it with colleagues. Here’s more from New York.

  • While Idzik was regarded as more of a financial whiz when he was hired, the Jets are expected to find a more personnel-driven general manager this time around, says Rapoport (link via his NFL.com colleague Connor Orr). Before Idzik was selected, New York sought football men like Dave Caldwell (who took the Jaguars job instead), but most were leery of the Jets’ difficult cap situation. The problem during this hiring cycle, says Rapoport, might NY’s lack of a quarterback — one GM candidate has reportedly “expressed some nervousness” about Geno Smith and the lack of talent at the position.
  • Rapoport also tosses out (via Twitter) some names to look for when the Jets do begin their GM search. George Paton (Vikings), Ryan Pace (Saints), Trent Kirchner (Seahawks), Will McClay (Cowboys) are all candidates to be interviewed by New York, although Brian Costello notes (Twitter link) that the Jets were interested in Paton during their last GM hiring, but Paton turned them down.
  • Mehta adds (via Twitter) yet another potential general manger candidate: Chris Ballard of the Chiefs. However, insiders feel that Ballard would prefer join the Bears in the event that position is opened.
  • As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes, the new Jets GM will have a top-six draft pick and more than $40MM in cap space to work with, meaning that the job could be viewed as attractive through the right lens. However, the new hire will have a lot of work to do in order to reshape a roster that lacks impact talent, and Cimini provides a to-do list that includes finding a franchise quarterback, making a decision on Percy Harvin, and adding cornerback depth.

La Canfora’s Latest: Texans, Browns, Harbaugh

December 28th, 2014 at 9:23am CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s check out the latest from CBS Sports scribe Jason La Canfora:

  • The Texans are expected to make a change at general manager during the offseason, with current GM Rick Smith shifting into a new role that doesn’t involve football operations. Head coach Bill O’Brien will have significant input on who is hired to fill the position, and sources tell La Canfora that the club already has several candidates in mind. Patriots executive Nick Caserio would likely be O’Brien’s top choice, as the two worked together in New England. Other external options include the Eagles’ Tom Gamble and the Pats’ Jon Robinson, while internal candidates could include scouting director Mike Maccagnan and director of pro personnel Brian Gaine. Texans vice chariman Cal McNair has denied La Canfora’s report, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Meanwhile, changes could also be coming in Buffalo and Tennessee, writes La Canfora. Bills GM Doug Whaley doesn’t have a great relationship with head coach Doug Marrone, and given that the current Buffalo front office was responsible for the selection of E.J. Manuel, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the club completely overhaul its management team. Meanwhile, the Titans could opt to fire general manager Ruston Webster, and replace him with executive Lake Dawson.
  • The Browns are growing increasingly frustrated with both Josh Gordon and Johnny Manziel, sources tell La Canfora. Gordon, who was suspended for today’s game after missing a walkthrough on Saturday, will file a grievance against the team in order to maintain his free agent status after 2015. But Cleveland officials say Gordon “has to go,” although La Canfora says it’s unclear whether owner Jimmy Haslam is willing to trade the talented wideout. For his part, Manziel was also absent yesterday, and team security was forced to go to his house to retrieve him. The rookie quarterback reportedly threw a team party Friday night (which led to several Browns being late on Saturday), the latest questionable decision by a player who recently vowed to take the game more seriously.
  • Five clubs — the Raiders, Jets, 49ers, Falcons, and Bears — are expected to make coaching changes in the coming days. The Raiders still have their eye on Jim Harbaugh, but if he takes the Michigan job as expected, the club could bring in Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. And while the 49ers are expected to look at some of the younger offensive coaches during their search, the Jets, Falcons, and Bears are looking to hire an established head coach, per La Canfora. Rex Ryan is an option in Atlanta, though if the Falcons lose today and miss the playoffs, general manger Thomas Dimitroff could be axed there. In Chicago, the club could look to reunite Mike Shanahan with Jay Cutler.
  • The Raiders will indeed attempt to make their pitch to Harbaugh, and would even engage in trade talks with the 49ers if possible. La Canfora notes (via Twitter) that NFL executives won’t believe Harbaugh has a deal with Michigan until it’s officially signed.
  • Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is a name to watch regarding head-coaching vacancies. La Canfora says sources have compared Autin’s rise to that of Mike Tomlin, who went from an unknown position coach to leading the Steelers in rapid time. Austin is expected to garner several interviews, including one with the Falcons.
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