2015 January - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Notes: Williams, Calhoun, Peat, Winston

January 2nd, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

In something of a surprise decision, Texas A&M running back Trey Williams announced (via Twitter) earlier this week that he intends to forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL draft.

“Special thanks to my Texas A&M family and coaching staff,” Williams wrote. “I’ve prayed about it and decided to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL.”

The junior running back was only a part-time player in the Aggies’ offense in 2014, carrying the ball just 81 times for 560 yards (6.9 yards per carry). While his explosiveness could intrigue NFL teams, Williams is not as highly regarded a prospect as a number of other underclassmen running backs who have already declared for the draft.

Let’s round up a few more draft-related notes to start off the first Friday of 2015….

As recently as two weeks ago, Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams was believed to be returning for his senior season, so observers were surprised by a report that he was expected to enter the draft, writes Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. Pauline hears that the second-round grade Williams received from the draft’s advisory committee was a determining factor in his decision.
Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun also received a second-round grade recently from the advisory committee, rather than the first-round grade he was anticipating, according to Pauline. As such, Calhoun has yet to decide whether or not he’ll enter the draft.
Sources tell Pauline that the family of Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin has been telling people he’ll remain with the Spartans for another year.
Last month, a report indicated that Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat, a probable first-round pick, was on the fence about his plan for next year. Per Pauline, “all [is] quiet” on that front at the moment, with no word of any agent meetings for Peat.
Tight end Jesse James is reportedly telling people he intends to return to Penn State, but sources that have spoken to Pauline expect he’ll ultimately decide to enter the 2015 draft.
According to Pauline, one league insider compared Jameis Winston to Johnny Manziel, speculating that – assuming Winston declares for the 2015 draft – he’ll be the player that general managers are hoping is off the board by the time their teams pick. Reading between the lines on Pauline’s comment, perhaps that means those GMs are worried their owners will push for Winston even if the front office has another player graded higher.

Poll: Where Will Adam Gase Land?

January 1st, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier tonight that the Bills requested an interview with Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase for their surprisingly vacant head coach position. Gase, who also has interviews scheduled with the 49ers, Falcons, and Bears, is quickly establishing himself as perhaps the most sought-after head coaching candidate in the NFL, and the interest in his services is understandable. In each of his two seasons as Denver’s offensive coordinator, Gase has guided the Broncos’ prolific offense to top-three finishes in Pro Football Outsider’s Defense-adjusted Value Over Average metric, and top-four finishes in total points scored (the Broncos were the top-ranked team in both categories in 2013).

Of course, having Peyton Manning and a wide array of elite playmakers at one’s disposal will bolster the resume of any offensive coordinator, but that has not slowed the heavy pursuit of Gase. Given the amount of interest in the 36-year-old, it appears as though head coach John Fox will be replacing his top offensive assistant for the second time in two years, having lost Mike McCoy to division rival San Diego in 2013.

Each member of Gase’s ever-growing list of suitors would present a unique challenge for him, although the San Francisco and Atlanta positions would at least offer the comfort of having a settled quarterback situation, unlike the uncertainty that Buffalo and Chicago face under center. However, no team with a head coaching vacancy offers a quarterback with Manning’s pedigree or the complement of weapons that Denver has boasted over the past several seasons, which will allow Gase the opportunity to prove that he is the offensive architect that much of the league apparently believes him to be. Indeed, Gase was rumored to be the top candidate for the Browns‘ head coaching job last year, before Cleveland ultimately hired Mike Pettine. At the time, however, the Broncos were in the middle of Super Bowl preparations, which allowed Gase to artfully sidestep an undesirable landing spot in Cleveland.

This year, though, figures to see Gase at the helm of his own club, so without knowing which team or teams will ultimately offer him a head coaching position, let’s take a guess at where he might find himself in 2015:

New Year’s Roundup: Jets, Coaches, Colston

January 1st, 2015 at 8:55pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are moving very quickly in their search for a new GM, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. The team interviewed Browns personnel executive Bill Kuharich in New Jersey this morning and is currently interviewing Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner. Citing a league source, Costello also tweets that New York plans to interview Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan and Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller on Sunday or Monday. Costello reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets would like to hire a GM before making a decision on a new head coach, but they of course must stay active in the head coaching market lest they lose a top candidate to another club. According to another tweet from Costello, one of the most significant questions the Jets are asking GM candidates is what coaches they would like to work with.

As much of the country fixates on the Sugar Bowl, let’s take a look at a few other notes from around the league:

John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes a couple of early patterns in the Bears‘ search for a new head coach and GM, pointing out that the early coaching candidates “have a preponderance of winning in their immediate pasts” and that the team is not concerned whether their new coach has more of an offensive or defensive pedigree.
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times examines the most important early decisions the Bears‘ new GM must make, which include determinations on the respective futures of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and how to handle the looming free agency of Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte, both of whom are entering the final year of their current contracts.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Washington, seeking to fill its newly-vacant defensive coordinator position, is setting up interviews with 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, 49ers DB coach Ed Donatell, and Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry.
Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com looks at some of the Eagles‘ potential cap casualties, including James Casey, Trent Cole, and Cary Williams.
With a new mega-deal in his near future, Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant is focused on Sunday’s playoff game against the Lions, not his next contract, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Byrant said, “I’m just going to keep working. I can’t worry about the contract.”
Saints wide receiver Marques Colston knows his future in New Orleans is up in the air, and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that, although Colston would like to stay with the only team he has ever known, he may be released or asked to take a pay cut with two years remaining on his current contract. If asked to take a reduction in pay, Colston said his relationship with Drew Brees and Sean Payton would play a role in his decision.
Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to request an interview with Titans tight ends coach Mike Mularkey for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

Coach Notes: Bills, Gase, 49ers, Tomsula

January 1st, 2015 at 7:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears‘ coaching position is not among the most attractive open positions in the NFL this offseason, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Chicago job ranks well behind the 49ers and Falcons, and just barely ahead of the Jets and Raiders, according to a poll of 16 NFL executives and coaches, which was conducted before Doug Marrone opted out of his contract with the Bills. Speaking of those Bills, we have an update on their coaching search to kick off our latest round of coaching-related notes, so let’s dive in….

The Bills have become the latest team to request an interview with Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Gase, who already has interviews scheduled with the 49ers, Falcons, and Bears, becomes the first candidate solidly linked to Buffalo, though Frank Reich, Jim Schwartz, and Bill Cowher have been cited as potential targets as well.
Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula hasn’t yet officially met with the 49ers to discuss the team’s head coaching position, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who tweets that the Niners brass is conducting a round of meetings on the road.
As the 49ers search for their next head coach, the team will likely prioritize candidates that fit in with GM Trent Baalke‘s vision for a power running game and a dominating defense, writes Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. That means that defensive-minded coaches may have an advantage during the interview process.
The Eagles‘ dismissal of Tom Gamble shows that Chip Kelly doesn’t have complete authority in Philadelphia, writes Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who wonders how the decision will affect the head coach’s future with the franchise.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

2012 Draftees Now Eligible For Extensions

January 1st, 2015 at 6:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and the rest of the NFL players drafted in 2012 are now eligible for contract extensions, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote earlier this afternoon. Draftees with four-year rookie contracts become eligible for a second deal at the end of their third season in the league, as they prepare to enter the final year of their rookie pact.

While Luck, 2012’s first overall pick, and Wilson, a third-rounder, are among the most notable names now eligible to sign extensions with their current clubs, there aren’t a ton of big-name 2012 draftees that teams will have to lock up. Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson, Matt Kalil, Justin Blackmon, and Morris Claiborne were selected with consecutive picks after Luck in that year, and all five players are coming off disappointing or lost 2014 seasons.

As Florio notes, there are still several players besides the top two quarterbacks worth keeping an eye on, including Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery, Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones, and Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David.

However, we may not see quite the flurry of extensions for star players that we did a year ago with 2011 draftees. Patrick Peterson, Tyron Smith, J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Richard Sherman, Colin Kaepernick, Andy Dalton, and Jason Kelce were among the noteworthy players from 2011’s draft class to ink new contracts since last February.

AFC Notes: Jets, Ballard, Marrone, Ravens

January 1st, 2015 at 5:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Refuting an earlier report, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that while the Jets did speak with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, New York is isn’t interested in Roseman himself. Rather, Gang Green was seeking Roseman’s assessment of Rick Mueller, Philadelphia’s director of pro personnel and a candidate for the Jets’ GM opening. Mueller, 47, has also worked with the Jaguars and Saints, in addition to spending a good deal of time in the UFL. Here’s more from the AFC.

The Bears have received permission to interview Chiefs personnel director Chris Ballard, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Ballard, who worked with Chicago until joining Kansas City in 2012, will meet with Bears ownership either Friday or Saturday.
Doug Marrone spoke with Jets owner Woody Johnson by phone today, tweets Peter King of Sports Illustrated, who adds that a formal interview should take place soon. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirms this (Twitter link), saying that although New York plans to interview Marrone this week, nothing has been scheduled yet.
The Ravens will have the option to carry over about $5.785MM in salary cap space into 2015, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes. $2MM of that total comes from Haloti Ngata‘s forfeited base salary resulting from his four-game suspension.

Bill Polian To Remain At ESPN

January 1st, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

4:53pm: A source tells Florio that the deal between Polian and the Bills broke down primarily because of money — namely, Polian wanting more of it. Florio also speculates that Polian used Buffalo’s interest in him as leverage to garner a better contract with ESPN. Additionally, Polian had wanted Marrone to remain as head coach, so Marrone’s opt-out probably lessened Polian’s interest in the job.

1:29pm: Former NFL executive Bill Polian has informed Bills owner Terry Pegula that he will continue to work as an analyst for ESPN rather than accept a position with Buffalo, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Facebook link via Adam Schefter). Bills ownership never made a formal offer to Polian, who worked with the club from 1984-93, but the two sides did have talks, both about an advisory role and a top front office job, before Polian decided to stick with his broadcasting position.

Reports yesterday indicated that Buffalo had hired Polian to serve as its team president, but Polian refuted those claims. Per Tim Graham of the Buffalo News, Polian was inclined to take the Bills position before speaking with ex-Buffalo coach Doug Marrone, who condemned the organization (Twitter links). As the two have a long relationship, Polian acted on Marrone’s advice, and declined Pegula’s offer.

Polian, 72, has worked as the general manager of three teams: the Bills, the Panthers, and most recently, the Colts, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2007. Indianapolis fired him as GM after the 2011 season. According to Mortensen, Polian has received interest from other clubs, as well, but ultimately decided to stay with ESPN rather than return to a personnel role. A highly-decorated GM, Polian is a six-time recipient of the NFL’s Executive of the Year award.

Though current Bills general manager Doug Whaley is expected to keep his job, reports that Buffalo wanted to bring in Polian to lead its front office isn’t good news for Whaley, who had a hand in drafting E.J. Manuel and had already traded the Bills’ 2015 first-round-pick. Additionally, Buffalo CEO Russ Brandon is reportedly drawing interest from Oakland, which is interested in hiring Brandon as its team president, meaning that the organization’s entire structure could be in flux. Graham had reported that Brandon was likely to remain with the Bills, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out (via Twitter), it’s now clear that Buffalo was negotiating with Polian without Brandon’s knowledge or consent, which could indicate his role in the club’s hierarchy has been reduced.

Polian’s decision could also affect the Bills’ head coaching search — Polian was reportedly high on Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and was thought to be interested in bringing in the play-caller as Buffalo’s head coach. Reich will interview with the club next week, but it’s fair to wonder if he’s still among the favorites for the job without Polian in the front office.

Eric DeCosta To Remain With Ravens

January 1st, 2015 at 4:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite receiving interest from numerous clubs with general manager vacancies, Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta will remain in Baltimore, reports Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link). DeCosta, 44, had been linked to GM openings in Chicago and New York, but instead he’ll opt to remain in his current role as Ozzie Newsome’s right-hand man.

DeCosta, who is contractually designated as the Ravens’ “GM-in-waiting,” has worked in Baltimore since 1996, rising through various scouting and personnel positions before being named assistant GM in 2012. As such, he’s had a hand in the drafting of stars like Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, DeCosta receives heavy interest in league circles every hiring season, but always opts to stay in Baltimore. It’s just my speculation, but DeCosta could look at the flameouts of former Ravens personnel men Phil Savage and George Kokinis (both in Cleveland), and decide to remain with Baltimore, viewed as one of the most stable organizations in the NFL. Indeed, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that because DeCosta is usually wooed by dysfunctional clubs, it makes more sense for him to stay with the Ravens.

Both the Bears and the Jets will look elsewhere for their new general manager, but it was New York that seemed most interested in DeCosta. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News says that DeCosta would have been a “home-run hire” for Gang Green, adding that it’s fair to say that the NY GM job would have been his if he wanted it (Twitter links).

NFC Notes: Fitzgerald, Austin, Koetter, Fangio

January 1st, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite general manager Steve Keim’s confirmation that the Cardinals won’t release Larry Fitzgerald during the offseason, the veteran receiver still doesn’t expect to return to Arizona next season, a source told Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Fitzgerald, who is set to count $23.6MM against the Cards’ 2015 cap, is said to be unhappy with his role in Arizona’s offense, per Garafolo. He’s due an $8MM roster bonus in March, meaning a final decision will have to made on his future before then. Here’s more from the NFC.

Confirming earlier reports, Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin told reporters both the Falcons and the 49ers have requested permission to interview him (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). In Austin’s first season as Detroit’s DC, the club finished second it total defense and third in defensive DVOA. Lions head coach Jim Caldwell thinks Austin’s performance has warranted a promotion. “I think he’s deserving of it, and I think he’s going to get one,” said Caldwell, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I think if, once they get an opportunity to see him and listen to him and watch what he’s been able to do, I think it’ll happen for him and I think it’ll be absolutely outstanding.”
Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter will interview with the Buccaneers about the same position in Tampa Bay, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. It’s unclear if Koetter, 55, is still under contract with Atlanta, but the club is probably allowing him to seek other employment following head coach Mike Smith’s firing. Per Marvez, Koetter could also act as an OC under Jim Tomsula or Dan Quinn if either of the two secures a head coaching job.
If 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio becomes a head coach, he’s expected to make Niners secondary coach Ed Donatell his DC, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Donatell was granted permission to talk with Washington about their coordinator vacancy, while Fangio, who’s a contender for the 49ers HC job, wasn’t (yet).

Latest On Eagles, Kelly, Roseman

January 1st, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In a seemingly innocuous move, the Eagles parted ways with vice president of player personnel Tom Gamble yesterday; though a “parting of ways” is often a soft way to cloak an outright firing, the decision still seemed fairly minor. However, Gamble’s ouster could be a sign of greater turmoil within the Eagles organization, and an indication of strife between head coach Chip Kelly, general manager Howie Roseman, and owner Jeffrey Lurie. As Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com writes, Gamble was a close friend of Kelly’s, so if there is a rift between Kelly and Roseman, Gamble’s firing shows that Lurie could side with the GM rather than the coach.

Even more pressing is the news that Roseman has had talks about becoming the Jets’ general manager, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Kelly controls the roster in Philadelphia, so it’s plausible that the 39-year-old Roseman is simply interested in a promotion to a role that allows him final say over a 53-man roster. But as Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes, it’s also possible that Roseman went to Lurie with a “him-or-me” demand, using any overtures from the Jets as leverage, and had Gamble fired.

Dating back to the Andy Reid-era, the Eagles have run their organization as something of an oligarchy, presenting team decisions as calls made by a small group of people rather than a single executive, writes Sheridan. In prior years, it was a combination of Reid, Roseman, Joe Banner, and Tom Heckert who shared power in Philadelphia — Roseman, of course, is the last man standing among that group. And now that a second power struggle seems to be occurring, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wonders (via Twitter) if a Jim Harbaugh/Trent Baalke scenario could happen in Philadelphia. The San Francisco duo couldn’t overcome personal struggles despite a largely successful run together in the Bay Area, and it’s fair to wonder if a similar plot could play out with the Eagles.