2015 December - Pro Football Rumors

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Holmgren, Freeney

December 29th, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

For the second consecutive year, veteran NFL coach Mike Holmgren has expressed interest in the 49ers‘ head coaching job, a source tells Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Holmgren said back in July that when he reached out to the Niners last winter, the team conveyed to him that it wanted someone younger. For Holmgren to get an opportunity in San Francisco, the club would have to change that stance, and would also have to part ways with current coach Jim Tomsula.

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFC West…

Nose tackle Ian Williams likely ranks as the 49ers‘ top priority in free agency, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. When asked if he wants to re-sign with the 49ers, Williams said, “I would love to. This is where I’ve been. This is where I know guys on the team. This is where I’m comfortable at. I’d love to be back.”
Veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney has been a terrific addition to the Cardinals‘ defense, but he said on Monday that he has “no clue” whether he’ll continue playing in 2016, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Freeney intends to re-evaluate his future a month after his season ends.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll suggested on Monday that running back Marshawn Lynch could be cleared to return to practice by Wednesday, which might put him in position to return to the field for Week 17 and the postseason (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC East Notes: Bradford, Coughlin, Romo

December 29th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur anticipates that quarterback Sam Bradford will re-sign with the team this offseason, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. Bradford, of course, is eligible for free agency, but the Eagles will have the franchise tag at their disposal if they want – or need – to use it, and the former first overall pick could agree to a new deal with or without being franchised.

“I expect him to [re-sign],” Shurmur said. “He’s all along expressed to us that he enjoys what we’re doing. He likes our offense, he likes the culture here. And so it’s no surprise that that was revealed publicly. But, yeah, I hope he’s here for sure.”

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

The Giants will have a tough decision to make if they want to move on from coach Tom Coughlin. However, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com wonders if Coughlin could make things easier on the organization by simply walking away himself.
If the Giants make a coaching change, they should go after current Saints coach Sean Payton, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News opines. Furthermore, Myers feels that if Coughlin goes, GM Jerry Reese should also be shown the door based on his disappointing results in recent drafts (with Odell Beckham Jr., of course, standing as an exception).
After fracturing his collarbone twice this season, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is considering having a plate inserted in an attempt to prevent further injuries, as Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Davison also passes along Romo’s comments on his future and on the possibility of the Cowboys drafting a quarterback.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Latest On Los Angeles Relocation

December 29th, 2015 at 2:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Oakland has until Wednesday to present the NFL with a financing plan to give the Raiders a new stadium, but city officials say that no plan is forthcoming, Rachel Swan of The San Francisco Chronicle writes. Instead, Oakland will send a letter to league officials simply updating them on the city’s efforts to persuade the Raiders to stay in town. The NFL has been looking to pressure Oakland (as well as St. Louis and San Diego) into coughing up tax dollars to finance new stadiums, but right now it looks like Oakland is not willing to play ball.

Here’s more on the Raiders, Chargers, Rams, and Los Angeles:

A decision on Los Angeles will happen within the month of January, an NFL source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter). A path to the 24 votes needed to relocate a team, he adds, will happen one way or another.
The St. Louis Stadium Task Force announced that it has submitted its official proposal to the NFL today, a day ahead of the deadline to file, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The proposal calls for the Rams to contribute “no less than $250MM to the project, with the NFL investing $300MM.” Meanwhile, the plan calls for the city and state to invest $400MM through “traditional public funding sources.” The local stadium authority would work with the Rams to design a stadium that would include PSLs. The proposal calls for the Rams to hold a 30-year lease to go along with an “enforceable non-relocation agreement.” The plan also calls for the Rams to “accommodate a MLS tenant under a market rate lease term.” The total cost of the project? – a cool $1.1 billion.

Jags Owner: Gus Bradley To Return For 2016

December 29th, 2015 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Head coach Gus Bradley will continue coaching the Jaguars in 2016, team owner Shad Khan confirmed today in a statement. The announcement confirms what was already suspected, since a report back in October indicated that Bradley would be safe through 2016.

Here’s a portion of Khan’s statement, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:

“I spoke to Gus Bradley today to confirm to him that he will continue as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. It’s evident to see how far we’ve come in many aspects of our game, and Gus deserves a lot of credit for that progress. It’s also evident the considerable work that remains to be done to be where we expect to be at this time next season, which is well above where we stand today. And Gus understands that. [General manager] Dave Caldwell and I also spoke today and we are both confident that Gus will make 2016 the best year of his career.”

There have been encouraging signs for the Jaguars this year, as the team was in contention for a division title in the weak AFC South up until a week or two ago. The development of Blake Bortles, in particular, has been a bright spot in Jacksonville this season, with the second-year QB throwing for 35 touchdowns after tossing just 11 in his rookie campaign.

Still, the Jags are headed for yet another losing season under Bradley, and even if the club prevails in its regular-season finale, it won’t have won more than six games in any of Bradley’s three seasons. Overall, he’s just 12-35 during his stint with Jacksonville. If the team doesn’t continue to show tangible progress in 2016, perhaps contending for a playoff spot or at least finishing with a .500 record, it’s hard to imagine Bradley continuing to coach the Jags in 2017.

Bills GM Doug Whaley On Rex Ryan, Offseason

December 29th, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

In an interview with WGR 550, Bills GM Doug Whaley touched on a wide range of topics, including his offseason plans and his relationship with coach Rex Ryan. Here’s a look at some of the highlights, courtesy of The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne.

On his relationship with team ownership and Ryan:

Ownership is great. My relationship with Rex Ryan is something I cherish. I wake up every day happy to come into work with him. With my future, it’s one of those things where the ownership doesn’t have to tell me anything. I’ve always attacked my job as, ‘Let me do my job, not to lose it. But to keep it and keep getting better.’ So until the ownership tells me my keys don’t work, I’m here for the long haul and I’m here to get this team where we need to go.

On whether the Bills could draft a QB:

I look at it this way, I have to give credit to our scouting staff because the philosophy into this draft is we’ll draft the best player available. That’s why we think we were so successful. We didn’t see a perceived need or push somebody up and draft on need. Going into this draft, there is no position you can’t argue that we should or shouldn’t draft. So it opens up the board for us and let’s us scout with what we call ‘clear eyes’ instead of ‘needy eyes.’ And that helps us be a lot more successful. So to answer your question, there is nothing that would preclude us from taking any position on the board. That could be quarterback, that could be tight end, wide receiver, all across the board we could use an [influx] of young, talented depth.

On what this QB draft class looks like:

Right now, with the seniors, it’s not particularly top heavy but it is particularly deep. I think there’s a lot of quarterbacks you can get rounds two through six that have a chance to grow and progress into a solid No. 2 and possibly a No. 1 with time and seasoning.

On the areas he’ll be targeting this offseason:

With the injuries in the secondary, especially at the safety position, I’m not going to give you a total blueprint because I know people listen and it’d put us at a competitive disadvantage. But we have to get some depth in the secondary. We have to get some depth at the linebacker position. And some of the injuries like Powell, Ty Powell was out, that hurt us. A little more depth at the outside position with Jarius Wynn coming back.

And I just think an impact player on defense, like we brought in impact players on offense last year. So I think that’s what we’re going to look for, is just the best players available that’ll help us get to where we need to go on the defensive side of the ball.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Bengals QB A.J. McCarron

December 29th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron suffered a wrist sprain on the final play of Monday night’s loss against the Broncos and the injury is significant, according to a source who spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The injury is on the left wrist and McCarron, a right-handed QB, is intent on playing in Week 17 if possible. However, the Bengals won’t know his status for sure until later in the week. The good news here is that an MRI has shown that there is no fracture (link).

Losing McCarron for the regular season finale against the Ravens would only be half bad. If the AFC North champs are forced to go into the playoffs without the services of the Alabama QB, they’ll have to turn to Keith Wenning, the former Ball State quarterback who was selected by in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. Wenning, of course, was lined up as the Bengals’ third-string QB before a thumb injury sidelined starter Andy Dalton.

In order for the Bengals to get a first round bye, they’ll need to beat the Ravens in Week 17 and get a Broncos loss as they face the Chargers.

Jerry Jones Won’t Overhaul Cowboys

December 29th, 2015 at 1:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Things did not go according to plan for the Cowboys in 2015, but owner Jerry Jones is not about to start from scratch. In a radio interview on Tuesday, Jones explained that he isn’t looking to overhaul the roster this offseason.

“Change just for change’s sake? You’re not going to have that because I too believe that we’re closer than this record indicates,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, according to Drew Davison of the Star Telegram.

However, Jones went on to indicate that there would be natural roster turnover and implied that there could be a few changes to the coaching staff. However, he certainly didn’t sound like he was going to make any significant changes on the coaching front. So, the Cowboys don’t sound intent on breaking the five-year, $30MM extension given to Jason Garrett after last season, nor will they break off the multi-year extensions handed to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.

It’s been a trying season for Dallas thanks in no small part to the absence of Tony Romo. Without the quarterback in the lineup, the Cowboys went 1-10 on the year and they’re eagerly awaiting his return in 2016. There’s some news on that front as well, as a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that Romo will have scans done on his collarbone next week as the team explores the option of surgery. For his part, Jones said in his radio hit that Romo will not have a plate inserted unless the healing process slows, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Jones added that the way Romo has healed so far likely means the QB will not have surgery (link).

Titans GM Ruston Webster On Expiring Contract

December 29th, 2015 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

The contract between the Titans and GM Ruston Webster expires after the 2015 season, multiple sources tell Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. That means that the Titans won’t have to fire Webster if they choose to move on from him – they can simply let his contract lapse without owing him any additional salary.

CEO/team president Steve Underwood gave Webster a vote of confidence last month, but that might not mean much this offseason. In four seasons with Webster as general manager, the Titans are 18-45, tied with the Raiders for the second worst mark in the league over that stretch. A report earlier this month indicated that Webster is “far from safe” in Tennessee.

Webster has served as the Titans’ GM since 2012 and has been with the organization since 2010. Since that time, the team has canned two coaches and has failed to make the playoffs. Some of that, of course, is not entirely Webster’s fault. For instance, the two coaches that were sacked – Mike Munchak and Ken Whisenhunt – were forced on Webster by ownership. That proved to be problematic as Webster drafted players for a 4-3 defense only to see the team’s coaching staff switch to a 3-4 scheme.

On the other hand, Webster’s track record in free agency has left much to be desired and his draft history has been spotty too. Even though Webster tapped Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick last May, he also drafted underachieving players like Jake Locker, Justin Hunter, and Bishop Sankey.

Browns Meet With Ex-Packers GM Ron Wolf

December 29th, 2015 at 11:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns met with former Packers GM Ron Wolf, as Jason Wilde of ESPN.com writes. Wolf claimed that he was not offered any type of formal consulting role with the team, but Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland (Twitter link) hears otherwise.

Cleveland enters Week 17 with a 3-12 record and it’s fair to say that the jobs of coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer could be in jeopardy. If Farmer is removed as GM, one likely candidate would be Ron Wolf’s son, Eliot Wolf who serves as the Packers’ director of player personnel. However, the elder Wolf said Monday that he will not be involved in any way if the Browns decide to replace Farmer and want to pursue Eliot.

“No, no. That’s already come up,” Wolf said, according to Wilde. “I told [owner Jimmy Haslam] that that is an entirely different situation. He’d have to do that himself. I would not be a part of it.”

Wolf, 76, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer in the newly created contributor category. Wolf, who took over the Packers in November 1991, is the man responsible for hiring coach Mike Holmgren and acquiring Brett Favre and Reggie White. In 2004, Wolf served as a consultant for the Browns and encouraged them to hire Holmgren as team president.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/15

December 29th, 2015 at 11:42am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves:

The Patriots announced that they have released running back Joey Iosefa. Iosefa lasted only two weeks on the club’s active roster. He saw 14 carries against the Titans in Week 15 and ran for only 51 yards. His spot has ostensibly been usurped by the recently-added Steven Jackson.
The Giants announced that they have placed 2014 fifth-rounder Devon Kennard on injured reserve. Kennard, who also missed four games last season, has 58 tackles to his credit for Big Blue.
The Steelers placed fullback Roosevelt Nix on injured reserve, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Steelers also announced that they have promoted linebacker L.J. Fort to the active roster.
The Bills placed Marcus Easley on IR, as Wilson tweets. Back in March of 2015, the special teamer inked a four-year pact worth $7MM with the Bills. A sizable chunk of that money – $2.2MM – was guaranteed.
Texans cornerback Charles James will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending foot injury, Wilson tweets.
The Chargers announced that they have claimed tight end Asante Cleveland off waivers from the Patriots.