HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Jets Targeting Mike Maccagnan, Dan Quinn

January 9th, 2015 at 10:58pm CST by Luke Adams

10:58pm: The Jets aren’t expected to make any hires this weekend, tweets Mehta.

7:31pm: Now that the Bears have hired Ryan Pace as their general manager, the Jets are the league’s lone team searching for both a GM and a head coach, but it appears the club has its sights set on a pair of top targets. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan has emerged as the favorite for the Jets’ GM vacancy, while Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is the frontrunner for the head coaching position.

While former Bills head coach Doug Marrone was initially viewed as the top candidate to replace Rex Ryan in New York, Marrone isn’t one of the team’s preferred options at this point, a source tells Costello. Instead, Quinn, Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable are the most serious contenders, having had the best interviews of New York’s candidates so far.

Quinn was busy during Seattle’s bye week, speaking to the Falcons, Bills, Bears, and 49ers as well, so the Jets will have competition for the coveted defensive coordinator. However, the team’s interest in Quinn is mutual, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that the Seahawks DC has told friends that New York is his top choice.

As for Maccagnan, both Costello and Mehta indicate that the GM hopeful is meeting with Jets owner Woody Johnson and the club’s front office brass for dinner tonight. Maccagnan is the only candidate to receive a second interview with the Jets to date, and Mehta writes that Johnson, team president Neil Glat, and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf have made the Texans executive their top target.

If Maccagnan is tabbed as John Idzik‘s successor, the Jets may bring aboard a veteran contract negotiator and cap expert to complement his skill set. According to Mehta, if Quinn were to land a head coaching job, he would like his new team to add former Buccaneers GM (and current ESPN analyst) Mark Domenik to the front office — the Jets have reached out to Domenik about a possible role, per Mehta.

Although a front office hiring or two could happen soon, the Jets won’t get the chance to speak to Quinn again until the Seahawks are eliminated from the postseason or win the NFC title game. Assuming Seattle defeats the Panthers this weekend, as is expected, that means the Jets would have to wait until at least January 18 to talk to or hire the Seahawks coordinator.

Vikings Frontrunners For Duron Carter

January 9th, 2015 at 10:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NFL wideout Cris Carter spent more than a decade of his Hall of Fame career in Minnesota, and there’s a chance his son could wear a Vikings jersey this year as well. After working out for the Vikes today, CFL receiver Duron Carter told reporters, including Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, that he’d love to land in Minnesota.

“I like Minnesota, I like the facilities, I like the coaches and everything,” Carter said. “It seems like things are looking up. I would say Minnesota is probably my frontrunner right now…. The Vikings are No. 1, but I might as well go around and see what everybody is talking about. I can’t sign anyway.”

Because he was on a CFL contract this year, Carter can’t officially sign an NFL contract until February 10, which is why he’s in no hurry to make any decisions. The 23-year-old, who put up 1,030 yards and seven TDs on 75 catches in 2014 for the Montreal Alouettes, has also visited the Buccaneers, Colts, and Chiefs so far, and intends to make his way to Cleveland, Carolina, San Francisco, and Washington as well. Per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, Carter cited the Colts as another top contender for his services, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that the Panthers could be a strong sleeper for the young wideout.

Former NFL receiver Chad Johnson, who played with Carter in Montreal this past season, told Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) earlier this week that his CFL teammate is “easily a number one NFL receiver right now.” That may be setting the bar a little high, but Goessling hears that Carter could get a signing bonus in the $100K range, which would be a significant sum for an undrafted free agent.

Draft Notes: Hunter, Darby, Hackett, Harper

January 9th, 2015 at 9:24pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last month suggested that LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter was leaning toward playing college ball for one more season, but Hunter announced today that he’ll turn pro after all.

“After fully considering all aspects related to mine and my family’s future, I have decided to declare for the NFL draft,” Hunter wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Coming to LSU was the best decision of my life so far. It has been an incredible experience and I thank you all for the opportunity and the great support.”

Hunter appears likely to come off the board on the second day of the draft this spring. He doesn’t currently place among Mel Kiper’s top 10 defensive end prospects, but Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has him ninth at the position, while CBSSports.com ranks him fifth among DEs.

Here are a few more updates on NCAA underclassmen who will be entering the 2015 draft:

  • According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), cornerback Ronald Darby is leaving Florida State a year early and declaring for the 2015 draft. CBSSports.com projects Darby as a fourth-rounder, and he falls outside of Kiper’s top 10 cornerbacks, but Miller is bullish on the FSU product, giving him a second-round grade and tweeting that he has “big room to rise,” given his speed and instincts.
  • TCU junior safety Chris Hackett will forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2015 draft, tweets Travis L. Brown of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Hackett doesn’t project as a top pick, but Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net wrote earlier in the season that scouts were “raving” about the safety’s play.
  • Cal wideout Chris Harper announced this week that he’ll forgo his final college season and enter the draft, according to a press release from the school. Harper racked up 159 receptions, 1,969 receiving yards, and 14 touchdown grabs during his three years with the team.

Coach Updates: Bears, Raiders, 49ers, Rams

January 9th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier tonight, we learned that Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has emerged as the possible frontrunner for the Jets‘ head coaching position, with mutual interest between the two sides. Let’s round up a few more Friday coaching updates from around the NFL….

  • The Bears have requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for their head coaching job, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. We should expect Chicago’s coaching search to ramp up now that the team has hired Ryan Pace as its general manager.
  • The Raiders would like to hire an established, veteran coach for their head coaching opening, but the structure of the front office is making some candidates wary about the job, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole specifically mentions Mike Shanahan as an ideal target for Oakland, given his experience and track record.
  • Speaking to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com, Raiders owner Mark Davis said a candidate with previous head coaching candidate would be “preferable,” but didn’t rule out the possibility of hiring someone who hasn’t even had a coordinator job — that seems unlikely, since all of the team’s reported candidates so far have been either coordinators or head coaches. In any case, Davis added that there’s no set deadline for his club to make a hire.
  • Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the contracts for all the Raiders‘ assistants except Tony Sparano are set to expire next Tuesday night.
  • Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link) confirms that Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles had his interview with the 49ers in Santa Clara today. Maiocco calls it the Niners’ last “known” interview, which suggests there’s nothing currently on tap with rumored candidates Jim Mora, Jim Tomsula, and Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco also reportedly had interest in Gary Kubiak, whose Ravens are still alive in the playoffs.
  • Speaking of the 49ers, they’ve granted the division-rival Rams permission to speak to offensive coordinator Greg Roman about the same job in St. Louis, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The Rams also want to speak to Kyle Shanahan, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Minor Moves: Friday

January 9th, 2015 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including a new deal for a would-be exclusive right free agent, a few reserve/futures signings, and a practice squad change….

  • Washington has signed fullback Jordan Campbell to a reserve/futures contract, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Campbell spent some time on the Chiefs’ practice squad earlier in the season and worked out for Washington last month.

Earlier updates:

  • The Bengals have re-signed tight end Kevin Brock to a new contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brock, who joined the team in September after injuries to Tyler Eifert and Alex Smith, had been on track to become an exclusive rights free agent.
  • Since being eliminated from the postseason, the Steelers have been adding to their offseason roster, inking seven players to reserve/futures contracts on Monday and signing a couple more yesterday. Pittsburgh continued to bring players aboard today, per PR man Burt Lauten, who tweets that the team has signed linebacker Terence Garvin, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, defensive end Matt Conrath, safety Alden Darby, tight end Michael Egnew, and linebacker Roosevelt Nix.
  • The 49ers are re-signing linebacker Shayne Skov, who finished the season on the team’s practice squad, to a reserve/futures deal, a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The team has now locked up everyone who finished the season on the taxi squad.
  • The Lions signed defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo to a futures contract today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. When it appeared last week that Detroit might be without Ndamukong Suh for Sunday’s playoff game, the team brought Cudjo in for a workout.
  • The Seahawks made a small change to their taxi squad today, re-signing defensive tackle Jimmy Staten and releasing linebacker Mike Zimmer, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). As Condotta points out in a second tweet, Seattle had signed Zimmer and cut Staten just yesterday, so the club is frequently shuffling the two players on and off the unit at this point.

St. Louis Unveils Plan For New Stadium

January 9th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Luke Adams

This week opened with news that Rams owner Stan Kroenke intends to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, and before the week was out, the city of St. Louis announced today that it has plans of its own for a new stadium. As Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com details, St. Louis’ plan calls for the construction of a 64,000-seat, open-air stadium on the north St. Louis riverfront, about a half-mile from the Gateway Arch.

The proposed stadium, announced today by Governor Jay Nixon‘s team of former Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock and local attorney Bob Blitz, would be constructed by 2020 and would cost between $860MM and 985MM. Of that total, a little less than half ($400-450MM) would come from private financing – the NFL and team ownership – while the remaining $460-535MM would be provided by public sources, according to the proposal. The state and city already pay annual fees toward the debt on the Edward Jones Dome, so while those figures may look daunting, Peacock suggests the burden on Missouri taxpayers wouldn’t necessarily increase.

“The new stadium will impose no new tax burden on taxpayers in the local region and the state of Missouri,” Peacock said. “We are confident that the money is available in such a way that it will not add an incremental burden on our community and if anything the net result we’d incur on this investment is positive for the community.”

While the St. Louis team sounded optimistic about its plan, it’s worth noting that the Rams weren’t involved in the announcement. As Wagoner writes, the team issued a statement today saying it had seen the plans and will review them. So far, Kroenke hasn’t shown much willingness to engage with St. Louis leaders about how to keep the Rams in town. The team’s lease at the Edward Jones Dome can be changed to a year-to-year arrangement this offseason, and if the NFL gets on board with his Los Angeles plan, St. Louis’ proposal may not be enough to keep the franchise.

If the Rams do relocate, it’s possible that the St. Louis stadium plan could move forward at some point for another NFL franchise, particularly since the project’s leaders hope to land an MLS team for the new stadium as well. But considering what a long and complicated process relocation and/or expansion can be, keeping the Rams remains the city’s top priority for now. Once Kroenke and the Rams review the new proposal, we should get a clearer picture of what the owner’s intentions are.

Chargers Sign Austin Pettis To Reserve/Futures

January 9th, 2015 at 3:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a second-half of the season that featured plenty of workouts, a veteran receiver has finally found a home. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the Chargers have signed Austin Pettis. Michael Gehlken clarifies on Twitter that the deal is a futures-reserve contract.

The former third-rounder had the best season of his career in 2013, catching 38 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns. In spite of the production, Pettis still reworked his contract with the Rams in September, practically cutting his salary in half. The fourth-year player made five appearances this season, catching 12 passes for 118 yards and a score.

He was released by St.Louis in late October, and he proceeded to work out for a variety of teams, including workouts with the Seahawks, 49ers and Panthers. He auditioned for San Diego in late December.

NFC Notes: Mangini, McCloughan, 49ers

January 9th, 2015 at 3:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Washington has solidified their front office over the past couple of days, and now the organization is focusing on it’s coaching staff. Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 D. C. tweets that Washington will interview current 49ers assistant coach Eric Mangini for their defensive coordinator opening.

The 43-year-old has spent the past two seasons as San Francisco’s tight ends coach, which followed his tenure as head coach of the Jets and Browns. Mangini’s last coordinator job was with the Patriots, where he served as the defensive coordinator in 2005.

Let’s take a look at some more whispers from around the NFC…

  • Scot McCloughan was introduced as Washington’s general manager today, and the former 49ers GM stated that his current roster is better than the roster he inherited in San Francisco. “Coming in here, this roster, from what I know about right now, is much more improved than the 49ers,” McCloughan said (via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group).
  • Mike Shanahan interviewed to become the next 49ers head coach, and Eric Branch of SFGate.com wonders if the 62-year-old would be comfortable having significantly less power than he has in the past.
  • According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter), Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has accepted that some of his coaches will likely be receiving offers for better gigs this offseason.

AFC Links: McCourty, Chargers, Titans

January 9th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Ravens wideout Steve Smith will be facing off against the Patriots this weekend, and the veteran acknowledged that he was pursued by New England during the offseason.

“Yeah, I talked to [Bill Belichick] and it was a great opportunity as well,” Smith told Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. “Anytime you have an opportunity to go to some teams, it’s always good. When your phone stops ringing, you need to start thinking about if I’m in the right profession.”

Let’s see what else is going on around the AFC…

NFC North Links: Suh, Briggs, Pace

January 9th, 2015 at 2:01pm CST by Ben Levine

There seemed to be a belief that Ndamukong Suh‘s tenure with the Lions was over. General manager Martin Mayhew hushed those rumors, saying the team would do whatever it could to keep the defensive tackle in Detroit.

“We’re going to leave every option open,” Mayhew said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “We’re not going to get into the plusses and minuses of anything in terms of working this out. I think it’s important for you guys to know that we want him back and we are willing to franchise him, transition him, whatever, but not get into the details of each tactic.”

Meanwhile, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press opines that the Lions shouldn’t throw all of their money at Suh, suggesting the team would be better off spreading the money around.

Let’s check out more notes from the NFC North…

  • Suh and Bears linebacker Lance Briggs headline Field Yates’ list of big-name free agents who could change teams this offseason (Insider-only link via ESPN.com).
  • It was a bit of a surprise when the Bears hired Ryan Pace as their next general manager. Many believed Chris Ballard was the favorite for the position, but Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times says the executive’s familiarity with the franchise may have actually hurt his chances.
  • Pace wouldn’t discuss the value of his contract with the Bears, but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the pact is for five years.
  • Following the hiring of Pace, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the Bears will interview former Bills head coach Doug Marrone for the same position. The two previously worked together in New Orleans, and Florio says members of the Saints organization believe Marrone will be considered.
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