2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Vontaze Burfict To Meet With Roger Goodell

January 12th, 2016 at 3:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is scheduled to have a sit-down in the coming days with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, a source close to Burfict tells Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Burfict hopes that his meeting will lead to his three-game suspension being reduced.

On Monday night, the NFL suspended Burfict for the first three games of this upcoming season for “repeated violations of safety-related playing rules.” Burfict’s latest and worst offense, of course, came late in Saturday’s AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers when he leveled Antonio Brown. The Steelers wide receiver was coming across the middle of the field when Burfict drilled Brown in the head, leaving him with a nasty concussion. The latest word on Brown is that he will probably not be able to play this weekend against the Broncos. Pittsburgh will have running back DeAngelo Williams back in the lineup against Denver, but they will be playing at a serious disadvantage if Brown is sidelined.

Burfict was previously been fined for safety-related violations four times in 2015, including a $50K fine for unnecessarily contacting an opponent who was out of the play in Cincinnati’s Week 17 game against the Ravens. That play, which can be viewed here, saw tight end Maxx Williams run a route in the end zone and get leveled by Burfict, even though the ball was nowhere near him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Tillman, Titans, Hasselbeck

January 12th, 2016 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Panthers cornerback Charles Tillman will have ACL surgery on Wednesday, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Tillman is, of course, sidelined for the playoffs and, at this time, he has not decided about his football future. Tillman, who turns 35 in February, had a nice bounce-back season in Carolina this year after playing in just 10 total games for the Bears in 2013 and 2014.

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s South divisions….

Multiple Titans GM candidates, if they were hired, would choose against retaining Mike Mularkey as head coach, a source with knowledge of the team’s interview process told Jason Wolf of The Tennessean.
Matt Hasselbeck will wait a few weeks before making a final decision on whether or not to retire, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Hasselbeck’s contract with the Colts is set to expire, so he’ll have to sign a new deal with Indianapolis or another team if he intends to continue his playing career.
On the heels of a five-turnover performance by Brian Hoyer in the game that eliminated the Texans from the postseason, GM Rick Smith and head coach Bill O’Brien recognize that finding a “big-time quarterback like many of the other playoff teams” is the top priority for the franchise, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has exerted greater control of the New Orleans Pelicans recently, but that’s only temporary, with Tom Benson‘s NBA team expected to bring in Joe Dumars to run the front office. Check out our sister site, Hoops Rumors, for the latest on Loomis’ involvement with the Pelicans.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Bills Sign Jarrett Boykin, Greg Little

January 12th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 12: In addition to confirming the signing of Boykin, the Bills also announced today that they’ve signed former second-round pick Greg Little to a reserve/futures contract. Both wideouts worked out for Buffalo in December.

Little racked up 61 catches in his rookie season, but has seen his production decline sharply since then. He caught six balls with the Bengals in 2014 and didn’t record a single reception in 2015, having been cut by Cincinnati in October.

JANUARY 6: The Bills have signed wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, according to agent Blake Baratz (Twitter link). Because Buffalo’s season is over, the deal will be a reserve/futures contract, which goes into effect once the new league year begins.

Boykin, 26, had a productive run during the 2013 season when Green Bay’s receiving depth was hit hard by injuries. Subbing in for Randall Cobb and other sidelined players, Boykin accumulated 49 receptions for 681 yards and three touchdowns. However, he returned to a very part-time role in 2014, catching just three balls on the year.

The Panthers picked up Boykin as an unrestricted free agent last March, but opted not to carry the young wideout on its regular-season roster, cutting him in September. Since then, Boykin has gone an AFC East tour of sorts, working out for the Patriots, Jets, and Bills at various times this season.

Given the upside he showed in 2013, Boykin figures to get the opportunity to earn a spot on the Bills’ regular-season roster next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Backing Off Hue Jackson Pursuit?

January 12th, 2016 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Last week, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was viewed as the potential frontrunner for the 49ers’ head coaching job. But with Jackson also drawing legit interest from the Browns and Giants, it sounds like the Niners are backing off their pursuit of the Cincinnati assistant, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Kawakami says the team could double back to Jackson, but for now he appears more likely to land in Cleveland or New York.

Michael Silver of NFL Media, who reported earlier today that the Browns are Jackson’s most aggressive suitor, tweets that no teams are out of the running for him yet. Silver suggested a few hours ago that the Niners remained “very interested.”

With Jackson’s Bengals out of the playoffs, the offensive coordinator is free to pursue head coaching opportunities and speak to any team. Now that Adam Gase has joined the Dolphins, Jackson has become perhaps the hottest name on the market — Cleveland is reportedly making a “big push” to land him, though he may speak to the Giants before making a decision. A report this morning indicated that Jackson and the Giants will meet by Thursday morning at the latest.

The 49ers have interviewed five candidates for their head coaching opening so far — Anthony Lynn (Bills), Chip Kelly (ex-Eagles), Dirk Koetter (49ers), John DeFilippo (Browns), and Jackson have all met with the team, though DeFilippo is believed to be targeted as a potential offensive coordinator rather than a head coach.

San Francisco is conducting its sixth head coaching interview today, and it’s perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch, as former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is meeting with the 49ers. Per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the interview will take place in the New York area, and will be conducted by GM Trent Baalke — CEO Jed York is in Houston at the NFL’s owners meetings to discuss the Los Angeles situation.

As Barrows observes, DeFilippo worked on the Giants’ coaching staff in 2005 and 2006 when Coughlin was the head coach, so the Niners could be contemplating a scenario where they hire Coughlin as their new head coach and DeFilippo as the OC and heir apparent. DeFilippo is meeting today with the Rams about their offensive coordinator job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals Put Alex Okafor On NFI, Sign Babin

January 12th, 2016 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals have made multiple changes to their 53-man roster in advance of their divisional round game against the Packers, the team announced today in a press release. Arizona has placed outside linebacker Alex Okafor on the non-football injury list due to a toe issue, and placed defensive tackle Cory Redding on IR with an ankle injury.

To replace Okafor and Redding on the roster, the Cards have promoted inside linebacker Gabe Martin from their practice squad, and signed veteran outside linebacker Jason Babin, who recently worked out for the club.

Okafor, who turns 25 next month, didn’t have the same impact in 2015 that he did in 2014, when he recorded a career-high eight sacks. However, the Texas product was still a key contributor on the Cardinals’ defense, starting 13 games and playing more defensive snaps than any other Arizona edge defender, so his absence will be felt. Since he landed on the NFI list rather than on IR, it appears his injury was sustained away from the team.

Redding was a part-time player for the Cardinals who didn’t play a huge role for the team this season, but did make a handful of big plays, recovering a pair of fumbles – including one for a touchdown – and grabbing an interception.

As for Babin, the 35-year-old has played for eight teams since being selected in the first round of the 2004 draft. The two-time Pro Bowler made 16 appearances (four starts) with the Jets in 2014, compiling 25 tackles and two sacks. New York released him in September and Babin caught on with the Ravens following a season-ending injury to Terrell Suggs. However, he was inactive for his first two games with Baltimore, and barely saw the field in his next two games, committing multiple penalties when he did play. He was cut by the Ravens in October.

East Notes: Mincey, Morris, Wake, Jets

January 12th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

After recording six sacks in his first season with the Cowboys in 2014, defensive end Jeremy Mincey failed to get to the quarterback in 2015, finishing the year without a sack. Still, Mincey was solid against the run, and thinks there’s “probably a 50-50 chance” that he’ll re-sign with Dallas as a free agent (link via Dallas Morning News).

During an appearance on KDFW-TV Channel 4 in Dallas, Mincey was also asked about Greg Hardy‘s impact on the Cowboys, and whether it would be difficult for the team to bring Hardy back and have a cohesive locker room.

“Yeah, it will be,” Mincey said. “I think it will be good for the younger guys, which I don’t know how they feel about him personally, I mean I haven’t spoken to them or asked. It would be me or him, you see what I’m saying? It would be either-or. It’s hard to have two type of line mentality guys in one room, so it’s tough to figure out who the younger guys are going to follow. Of course they’re going to look up to a guy who’s a prolific player. But I just understand the game, and I know what it takes to win.”

Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:

With rookie running back Matt Jones cutting into Alfred Morris‘ workload this season, it’s not clear if Morris is a part of Washington‘s long-term plans. According to John Keim of ESPN.com though, the free-agent-to-be hopes not to go anywhere. “When I first came into the league, no matter what team I went to, I just wanted to do my whole career with the same team,” Morris said. “That’s still my goal. I would love to return, but a lot goes into that. I haven’t thought about that. You all keep bringing it up, but we’ll see what happens.”
The Dolphins will face a very difficult decision on defensive end Cameron Wake this offseason, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Wake, who is on the books for $9.8MM in 2016, is confident he can return “better than ever” from a torn Achilles, but the club will likely have to make a call on the 34-year-old’s $8.4MM salary before he’s back to full health.
The Jets hosted a pair of players for workouts, taking a look at offensive lineman Lamar Holmes and CFL defensive lineman Freddie Bishop, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Holmes, a former third-round pick, started 19 games at tackle for the Falcons in 2013 and 2014, while Bishop has played for the Calgary Stampeders since ’13.

49ers To Interview Tom Coughlin

January 12th, 2016 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 11:23am: The 49ers will meet with Coughlin today, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 2:36pm: After resigning last week from his job in New York, Tom Coughlin is meeting today with one of the team’s division rivals in Philadelphia, and it appears the Eagles won’t be the only team to interview the former Giants head coach. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), the 49ers have been granted permission to speak to Coughlin about their head coaching vacancy.

Having stepped down from his head coaching position with the Giants last week, Coughlin was offered the opportunity to remain with the organization in a new role, but suggested at the time that he wasn’t closing the door on continuing to coach. At age 69, if Coughlin is going to get a new head coaching job, it probably makes sense for him to explore new opportunities sooner rather than later, so he didn’t waste much time in lining up interviews with potential suitors.

Coughlin, who previously served as head coach of the Jaguars, led the Giants to a 102-90 record during his 12 seasons with the team. He also added eight victories in 11 postseason contests, with all of those wins coming in two seasons – 2007 and 2011 – during which the Giants won the Super Bowl.

In recent years, however, Coughlin’s Giants struggled, having failed to earn a postseason berth since that 2011 Super Bowl season. After going 9-7 in 2012, New York has had three straight losing years, finishing 6-10 in a weak NFC East in 2015 and sealing Coughlin’s fate — the Giants were expected to make a change if the veteran head coach hadn’t resigned.

The 49ers have interviewed five candidates for their head coaching opening so far — Anthony Lynn (Bills), Chip Kelly (ex-Eagles), Dirk Koetter (49ers), John DeFilippo (Browns), and Hue Jackson (Bengals) have all met with the team, though DeFilippo is believed to be targeted as a potential offensive coordinator rather than a head coach.

Of those candidates, Jackson is viewed as the front-runner, but he is also being pursued by the Browns and Giants, so it appears the Niners are trying to come up with a strong Plan B. Reports have suggested that San Francisco could also double back to candidates that interviewed for the team’s HC position a year ago. Teryl Austin, Doug Marrone, Josh McDaniels, and Mike Shanahan all fall into that category.

Coughlin’s interview with the Niners hasn’t been formally scheduled yet, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who tweets that it could happen in Houston this week, with team owners there for Los Angeles meetings. Those relocation discussions could have an impact on a few teams’ coaching searches, with owners focusing their attention for a couple days on the respective futures of the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns To Make “Big Push” For Hue Jackson

January 12th, 2016 at 10:54am CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 10:54am: With the 49ers still considering him and the Giants intending to interview him later this week, the Browns continue to pursue Jackson most aggressively, tweets Michael Silver of NFL Media. It wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland makes a formal offer today to Jackson, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

It’s worth noting that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam isn’t at the NFL’s owners meetings in Houston, with his wife Dee in attendance instead, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). That means the Browns won’t necessarily have to put their search for a new head coach on hold during those L.A. meetings.

MONDAY, 5:02pm: The Browns are set to make a big push to hire Hue Jackson, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cleveland will look to close things out quickly with Jackson and hire him before he can get scooped up by another NFL team. If the Browns were to hire Jackson, they would be able to give him significant personnel control, Rapoport tweets. That’s something the other interested clubs might not be able to offer.

Jackson has drawn strong interest from both the 49ers and Browns, interviewing with both organizations on Sunday in Cincinnati. Both meetings reportedly went well, but neither team has made an offer yet. On Monday morning, the Giants formally submitted a request to interview Jackson, so they appear intent on getting into the mix for the Bengals’ offensive coordinator.

Sandwiched around his one-year stint with the Raiders, an 8-8 season in 2011, Jackson’s been an OC for four teams — the Bengals, Raiders, Falcons and Washington — since 2003. Interestingly, Jackson’s only had one of those tenures extend beyond one season. That would be his current position in Cincinnati, where he’s served as the OC since 2014.

As PFR’s 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, the Browns have cast a wide net so far in their search. So far, the team has interviewed Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. Adam Gase was also interviewed before he hooked on with the Dolphins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL’s L.A. Meetings In Houston Underway

January 12th, 2016 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s team owners are meeting in Houston this week to try to reach a consensus on the Los Angeles relocation situation, and those meetings are now underway, having begun around 9:00am CT this morning.

Currently, two proposals are on the table: Stan Kroenke‘s plan, which would see the Rams move to an Inglewood stadium, and a Chargers/Raiders plan led by Bob Iger and Dean Spanos, which would result in those two clubs sharing a stadium in Carson. Kroenke and Iger are expected to make presentations today, with the six-owner Los Angeles committee eventually making their own presentation, and a recommendation, tweets Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com.

However, as Nick Wagoner and Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com outline, those two plans aren’t the only potential outcomes in play. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has put forth a proposal that would involve the Rams and Chargers sharing a stadium, either in Inglewood or Carson, and there are other scenarios that could be discussed today.

Here’s more on the Los Angeles talks, with some sort of resolution potentially around the corner:

There’s still some hope that a vote on the L.A. situation could happen today, tweets Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. However, there’s no set timetable.
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that the L.A. committee is expected to recommend the Carson site to the rest of the league’s owners for approval, and Acee hears the same thing from a source of his own (Twitter link). Cole cautions though that a recommendation isn’t the same as approval (Twitter link). It’s also not clear if the committee’s recommendation would change if a proposal involving a Rams/Chargers union is officially put on the table.
Kroenke has made it clear that he’s open to a partner in Inglewood, and while Spanos has been averse to that idea so far, a new proposal could be more financially beneficial for the Chargers than the one Kroenke made in 2015, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that, with the idea of a Rams/Chargers partnership reportedly gaining momentum, this week’s meetings could come down to a tug of war over whether those two teams should play in Inglewood or Carson.

Coach Rumors: Hue, Giants, Saban, Campbell

January 12th, 2016 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

Hue Jackson, who has received legit interest from the 49ers and Browns, will fly to New York this week and will meet with the Giants no later than Thursday morning, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Giants, who will talk to Jackson once the owners meetings in Houston conclude, are “serious” about the Bengals offensive coordinator, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

Here are a few more Tuesday morning coaching updates:

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Nick Saban will be any more open to an NFL return after adding another NCAA championship win to his résumé on Monday night. For what it’s worth, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Buccaneers are considering almost every head coaching possibility, including Saban.
Former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is free to seek other job opportunities, and has received inquiries from the Vikings, Cowboys, and Chargers, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. A Monday report indicated that Campbell is likely to move on from the Dolphins.
For now, the Eagles aren’t planning any more head coaching interviews, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who tweets that the club will regroup and assess its options after this week’s owners meetings. La Canfora and ESPN’s Bill Williamson (Twitter link) both identify Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as a strong candidate for the job.
The Colts are interviewing former Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke today, after having spoken to Bills DBs coach Donnie Henderson on Monday, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). While Henderson may not end up in Indianapolis, he won’t return to the Bills, a source tells Marvez.