2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/16

January 9th, 2016 at 4:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

The Bills agreed to one-year deals with running back Mike Gillislee, cornerback Mario Butler and punter Colton Schmidt, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. The trio will be restricted free agents after the 2016 season. A 2013 fifth-round pick, Gillislee figures to be an intriguing part of the LeSean McCoy-led Buffalo backfield after he averaged 5.7 yards per carry in five games down the stretch, doing so following two nondescript seasons with the Dolphins.

East Notes: Dolphins, Marrone, Bills, Jets

January 9th, 2016 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some notes from the Eastern divisions as the playoffs begin.

Dan Campbell did not react well when told the Dolphins were hiring Adam Gase, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Although the interim coach who guided the Dolphins to a 5-7 mark, per Salguero (on Twitter), finished second to Gase after a “great” interview (Twitter link), the team will wait a few days before contacting him again after the way the 39-year-old coach took the news. Campbell’s future in the organization will be up to Gase, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
The Dolphins studied Tom Coughlin‘s work from this past season and had a long conversation about the viability of the 69-year-old coach but opted against (Twitter links, per Salguero).
Doug Marrone officially interviewed with the Giants today, Michael Eisen of Giants.com reports. The Jaguars assistant and former Bills coach is the fifth coach Big Blue’s visited with about the possibility of succeeding Tom Coughlin. That list will expand to six soon, with Mike Smith set to interview for the position. Thus far, however, Marrone and Steve Spagnuolo are the only former head coaches the Giants have interviewed, and neither enjoyed notable success. Spagnuolo went 10-38 in St. Louis, and Marrone went 15-17 with the Bills after guiding Syracuse to two winning seasons from 2009-12. The Jags new offensive assistant did help the team score 127 more points than it did in 2014, however.
Bills offensive line assistant coach Kurt Anderson will leave his Buffalo post after agreeing to become the offensive line coach at Arkansas, according to a FootballScoop.com report. A member of the Bills’ staff from 2013-15, Anderson served under both Marrone and Rex Ryan.
According to OverTheCap, the Bills are $373K+ over the projected salary cap. Although the official number for the 2016 cap hasn’t been released, the Bills likely won’t be big spenders during free agency, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News reports. Skurski notes it’s a matter of if, not when in terms of Mario Williams‘ impending release. He also lists Corey Graham, Kyle Williams and Leodis McKelvin as potential salary cap casualties.
Re-signing Damon Harrison needs to be a priority for the Jets, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. Mehta projects the Jets’ nose tackle’s AAV will be around $4MM-$5MM per year. The New York scribe also advises the Jets to rework D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s contract, which will count $14.1MM against the ’16 cap at present. Considering Ferguson’s declining play, that’s an untenable number for Gang Green. The longtime left tackle has two years remaining on an eight-year, $73.6MM accord, and Mehta estimates the team will attempt to reduce his 2016 number by nearly $8MM.

Bengals’ Vance Joseph To Miami: ‘Done Deal’

January 9th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Gase‘s new staff in Miami is already taking shape, with Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph set to come aboard as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator, Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com tweets.

Marvez notes the second-year Bengals DBs coach will become the Dolphins’ new DC once the Bengals are eliminated from postseason play.

Marvez’s report comes on the heels of NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeting Joseph will have options after the Bengals’ season is over, but the Dolphins would definitely be targeting him. Joseph is in the final year of his contract, although other outlets say he’ll wait to see where Bengals OC Hue Jackson lands before deciding on his own future.

Joseph has extensive seasoning as a secondary coach, presiding over the 49ers and Texans DBs from 2006-10 (in San Francisco) and 2011-13 (in Houston).

The Broncos attempted to interview the 43-year-old Joseph for their defensive coordinator position last season, but the Bengals didn’t permit the meeting, leading Denver to go with Wade Phillips.

Marvez also reports (on Twitter) Joseph’s staff in Miami’s forming swiftly, with Bengals linebackers coach Matt Burke, Bears defensive line coach Clint Hurtt and Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson set to come to Miami in those same positions under Gase and Joseph.

Henderson already interviewed for the Browns’ head-coaching job, so a report linking him to another position coach job may be premature. He’s been the Cowboys’ secondary coach since 2012.

Burke finished his seventh season as a linebackers coach. He taught the Lions’ backers for five seasons before coming to Cincinnati.

Hurtt doesn’t have as much NFL experience, with 2015 representing his first season as a position coach. He was the Bears’ assistant defensive line coach in 2014.

Although Reggie Nelson‘s eight interceptions finished the 2015 season tied for the league lead, the Bengals enter their wild-card game with the 20th-ranked pass defense.

The Dolphins fired their defensive coordinator, Kevin Coyle, in October.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.

Fallout From Dolphins’ Adam Gase Hiring

January 9th, 2016 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The lead conductor of the Dolphins’ coaching search, Mike Tannenbaum, initially preferred Doug Marrone before the franchise decided to offer its head-coaching job to Adam Gase, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.

Marrone interviewed for the position, but the 37-year-old Gase became the “unanimous favorite,” according to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross (via SportsTalk 1040 The Team’s Jenna Laine, on Twitter).

“(Gase) has worked extremely hard his entire career and is very deserving of this opportunity. I wish he could stay with us in Chicago, but everyone has a journey and this is the next part of his,” Jay Cutler told media, including Larry Meyer of ChicagoBears.com. “His work with quarterbacks is well documented and I know firsthand how good he is.“

Here is some more news on Marrone, Gase and more from the Eastern divisions.

New Dolphins GM Chris Grier will have control over whom the team signs, but Gase will be in charge of determining the 53-man roster, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). A fair amount of power will come for the new youngest head coach in the game. Fewer than 10 coaches currently possess that control, according to NFL.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Tannenbaum’s presence still looms, however, so the Fins could have a complex power structure this season.
As expected, Gase will call plays for the Dolphins this season, as he’s done for the Broncos (in 2013-14) and Bears in 2015, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Gase’s offenses ranked first, fourth and 21st over the past three seasons, with the injury-ravaged Bears being the only one of his units to fall out of the top five.
Beasley tweets the Dolphins, per Tannenbaum, considered 25 coaches for the position before settling on seven for interviews.
Peyton Manning also endorsed Gase (per Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk), focusing on the 37-year-old’s attention to detail. “He’s an extremely hard worker, a grinder,” Manning said. “He’s extremely bright on all things football, an excellent communicator and always eager to learn more. He asks a lot of questions and writes everything down. I’ve always been impressed with his work ethic and his eagerness to learn more.” Although he passed over the wunderkind offensive mind in favor of Gary Kubiak last offseason, John Elway also endorsed the Broncos’ former offensive coordinator from 2013-14. Gase, of course, guided Manning to the record-setting 55-touchdown pass campaign two seasons ago after serving as the Broncos’ quarterback coach in 2011, when the team orchestrated a midseason overhaul of its offense for Tim Tebow.
Gase could take Bears quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to Miami with him, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports, or John Fox could promote him to Gase’s old position. The former Titans OC contributed to Gase’s play-calling this season. Both Cutler and John Fox hold Loggains in high regard, Campbell reports. Either way, this season will bring Cutler’s sixth offensive coordinator since he was traded to Chicago.
Loggains would create the least disruption for the Bears, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs tweets. But the Chicago reporter also notes Fox could pursue newly unemployed offensive bosses Ken Whisenhunt or Pat Shurmur (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Giants To Interview Mike Smith

January 9th, 2016 at 1:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to several head-coaching vacancies, Mike Smith can now add the Giants to the list of teams pursuing him.

The Giants are planning to interview the former Falcons coach, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The Falcons’ coach from 2008-14, Smith has also been connected to the Titans and Buccaneers, and previously interviewed with the Dolphins
before they decided on Adam Gase today.

Smith, 56, went 66-46 in his seven seasons in Atlanta and steered the Falcons to four playoff berths. We heard Friday that Smith is expected to receive serious consideration for the Bucs’ job as well.

Visiting with a balanced set of instructors, the Giants have previously interviewed Gase, Teryl Austin, Doug Marrone, and internal candidates Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Chargers, Lynch, Lions

January 9th, 2016 at 12:52pm CST by Ben Levine

When reports came out earlier today regarding Adam Gase being hired as the Dolphins head coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that Bengals defensive back’s coach Vance Joseph was expected to join the staff as Miami’s new defensive coordinator. However, Rapoport later clarified (via Twitter) that Joseph will be a target, but no deal has been finalized. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that Joseph has had zero discussions with the Dolphins regarding the position.

If Joseph does end up joining Gase’s staff, he’s expected to hire several notable names. Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez tweets that Bengals linebackers coach Matt Burke, Bears defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, and Cowboys defensive back’s coach Jerome Henderson would presumably join Joseph’s staff.

Meanwhile, Albert Breer tweets that Hue Jackson is scheduled to have his interviews with the 49ers and Browns tomorrow. If he secures any of those head coaching jobs, Breer believes Joseph will be a target to become defensive coordinator (with Mike Solari an option at offensive coordinator).

Let’s take a look at some more assorted notes from around the league…

The Chargers request to interview Buccaneers defensive line coach Joe Cullen was denied, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafalo.
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times gives a list of reasons why it’d be in the Seahawks best interest to move on from Marshawn Lynch (via Twitter): they’d save $6.5MM against the cap, he’s 30-years-old, and he only appeared in seven games this season.
The Jets, Browns, Texans and Rams are among the teams scouting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz at today’s FCS title game, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
Count Gil Brandt among those who are big fans of new Lions general manager Bob Quinn. “He’s not one of these guys that’s known because he doesn’t seek out jobs,” Brandt told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But he knows the personnel part of it, he knows the cap part of it. He knows how to make people better at the job they do. You’ll like this guy because … he’s a hustler, and he’s very low-key.”

Dolphins Hire Adam Gase As Head Coach

January 9th, 2016 at 11:08am CST by Ben Levine

11:08am: The Dolphins have announced the hiring on Twitter.

10:45am: The Dolphins are set to hire Adam Gase as their next head coach, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Beasley says it’s a “done deal,” with the official announcement expected to come at a 3:00pm press conference. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that it will be a five-year deal.

The Dolphins had previously interviewed Teryl Austin, Mike Shanahan, Mike Smith and Anthony Lynn, but it was clear from the beginning that Gase was the favorite for the position. The 37-year-old spent 2015 as the Bears offensive coordinator, helping lead Jay Cutler to one of the most efficient seasons of the quarterback’s career. Gase had spent the previous six years in Denver, where he eventually served as the team’s offensive coordinator. He has also been on the coaching staff of the 49ers, Lions, and LSU.

Gase is now the youngest head coach in the league, but that didn’t discourage suitors from pursuing the coach. He had also interviewed with the Eagles, Browns and Giants. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that New York had strong interest in Gase, which may have pushed along the deal in Miami. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes that Gase was a “unanimous decision” among the Dolphins staff.

Rapoport believes that Bengals defensive back’s coach Vance Joseph is expected to be the team’s new defensive coordinator, and Salguero adds that Gase’s father-in-law is Joe Vitt, an assistant on the Saints. Salguero is uncertain if former coach Dan Campbell will remain on the staff.

The Bears had anticipated Gase’s departure, according to Rapoport, and the team will now have to seek a new offensive coordinator. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Bears quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains is the “leading candidate” for the gig.

Coaching Notes: Falcons, Patriots, Titans

January 9th, 2016 at 10:12am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted coaching notes from around the NFL…

The Falcons aren’t expected to let Keith Armstrong join the Jets as the organization’s special teams coordinator, writes Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday.com. The coach has a strong relationship with Todd Bowles, but since Armstrong has two years left on his contract, it’s unlikely Atlanta would let him leave for a lateral move.
Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will interview for the Browns head coaching gig today, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that despite the amount of interest, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels isn’t expected to interview for any head coaching jobs this week.
The Titans have requested permission to interview Jaguars assistant Doug Marrone, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team has also asked to interview Vikings assistant general manager George Paton, but that request was denied.
Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is in the running for both the Eagles and Giants head coaching jobs, tweets ESPN’s Bill Williamson. The writer also passes along that Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is the favorite for his team’s head coaching gig.

Dolphins Making Strong Push For Adam Gase

January 9th, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 8:45am: The Dolphins are expected to offer Gase the head coaching job at today’s meeting, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

7:13pm: The Dolphins will interview Gase for the second time on Saturday, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. As Schefter notes, Gase is the only Miami candidate who has been scheduled for a second meeting.

FRIDAY, 5:36pm: There is “growing momentum” in the Dolphins’ building for Gase to become the team’s next head coach, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

THURSDAY, 9:59pm: On the heels of their interview, no immediate deal is expected between the Dolphins and Gase, reports Mark Maske of the Washington Post (Twitter link).

8:17pm: The Dolphins completed their interview with Gase on Thursday, per a team press release.

WEDNESDAY, 7:40pm: The Dolphins will make a “strong, strong” push for Adam Gase, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Miami has been targeting him for some time, he adds, and they will make their best effort to keep him from getting back to the Eagles for a second interview.

So far this offseason, the Dolphins have been casting a wide net in their coaching search, as PFR’s 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows. The Dolphins already have interviews in the books with Teryl Austin, Mike Shanahan, and Mike Smith from earlier in the week. On Wednesday night, the Dolphins also announced that they have completed their interview with Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, who has long been identified as a head coaching candidate for the 2015/16 offseason. Gase is scheduled to meet with Miami brass on Thursday.

After working with Peyton Manning in Denver as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Gase joined John Fox in Chicago in 2015, and contributed to a strong bounce-back season for Jay Cutler. A year after leading the league with 18 interceptions, Cutler threw just 11 in 2015, the lowest full-season mark of his career. The Bears also ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in offensive DVOA under Gase.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Dolphins’ Head Coaching Search

January 8th, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

10:03pm: Gase continues to look like the clear favorite, as he’s already met with both Ryan Tannehill and Ndamukong Suh, according to Jeff Darlington of NFL.com (Twitter link).

9:02pm: The Dolphins were scheduled to meet with Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson on Sunday, but that meeting has been canceled, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

It’s unclear based on the report who exactly canceled the interview: Jackson or the Dolphins. Jackson, who is set to meet with the Browns and 49ers on Sunday, may have requested to terminate the meeting because he prefers other jobs. But it’s more likely that Miami canceled the interview, probably due to their overwhelming interest in Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

The Dolphins are said to be making a “strong push” for Gase, and have scheduled a second interview with him for Saturday. He’s the only candidate to have yet been invited back for a second go-round, indicating a level of seriousness from Miami. Indeed, in the article linked above, Salguero writes that “all signs point” to Gase landing in South Beach, noting that Gase was owner Stephen Ross‘ preferred candidate from the start of the search process.

In related news, if Gase is made the Dolphins’ head coach, Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph will be a strong contender for Miami’s defensive coordinator gig, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Joseph was a candidate for both the Broncos and 49ers DC positions last year, but Cincinnati blocked him from leaving for either opportunity. That won’t happen this year, says Marvez, because Joseph’s contract is expiring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.