2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: January 2025

Jim Caldwell Has Good Chance To Return In 2016

January 3rd, 2016 at 9:21am CST by Rory Parks

League observers believe it is more likely than not that Lions head coach Jim Caldwell will return to the team in 2016, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Although it has sometimes felt like a foregone conclusion that Caldwell would be fired at season’s end, the fact that the team has won five of its last seven games after starting the year 1-7 may be enough to save Caldwell’s job. Plus, as Birkett notes, Caldwell still has the support of his locker room, and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter tweets that team ownership is also in Caldwell’s corner.

That is not to say, of course, that Caldwell’s detractors lack ammunition. Caldwell’s in-game maneuvers have left much to be desired, and the team’s turnaround did not happen until he “gave in” to the front office’s suggestions to fire position coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. Until that time, the Lions looked like one of the league’s most dysfunctional franchises, losing four games by double digits in the first half of the season.

New team president Rod Wood has made it clear that the team’s next GM will be the one to make the final decision on Caldwell’s future with the club, which Schefter reaffirmed today. But as Birkett observes, the timing of the GM hire could work in Caldwell’s favor. Many of the league’s top head coaching candidates currently work for clubs that will not make the playoffs, which means they could be off the board by the time the Lions hire their next GM. Birkett writes that Detroit will begin submitting formal requests for interviews tomorrow, but the team is expected to be very thorough in its search, and it could be a week or more before the Lions name their next top executive. At that point, Caldwell and the continuity that he represents could be more appealing than any of the remaining head coaching options.

Caldwell, who is in the second year of a four-year contract he signed prior to the 2014 season, has guided Detroit to a 17-14 record and a playoff appearance during his tenure with the club.

49ers Expected To Fire Jim Tomsula

January 3rd, 2016 at 8:08am CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers are expected to fire head coach Jim Tomsula, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a league source. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has since tweeted confirmation of Florio’s report, though he adds (via Twitter) that no final decision has been made. Florio adds that the team is expected to retain GM Trent Baalke.

Tomsula, in his first season as San Francisco’s head coach after serving as the club’s defensive line coach from 2007-2014, was not blessed with a smooth transition to the top job. Although he was hand-picked by the organization to replace Jim Harbaugh, it would have been nearly impossible to live up to the standard that Harbaugh established, especially when the 49ers suffered through an unprecedented exodus of talent before the 2015 season even began. The team has stumbled to a 4-11 record, and as Florio writes, the record does not adequately reflect how disastrous this year has been. Nine of the 49ers’ 11 losses have come by double digits, and when combined with the team’s general lackluster effort and sloppy play, it has become increasingly clear that Tomsula is in over his head.

Florio names the recently-fired Chip Kelly as an “intriguing possibility” to replace Tomsula–if the 49ers ultimately choose to keep Colin Kaepernick, that is–and the PFT scribe also notes that Mike Holmgren has repeatedly expressed interest in the job.

Baalke, meanwhile, will return for his sixth season as San Francisco’s GM, and assuming Tomsula does, in fact, get the axe, Baalke will get the chance to hire his third head coach. Florio writes that the strong relationship between Baalke and owner Jed York is expected to save Baalke’s job for at least another year, but Baalke’s long-term future with the club likely hinges on his getting the next hire right. The hiring of Tomsula, whom the 49ers knew better than a team ever knows a head coaching candidate, is an embarrassment for the club and a black mark on Baalke’s otherwise solid track record.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Bears, Vikes, Lions, Draft

January 2nd, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Dolphins’ front office and coaching staff apparently aren’t the only areas they’re going to overhaul during the offseason. The team will also make big changes to its 27th-ranked defense, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Miami ranks 24th in passing yards allowed and 25th in rating against (98.8), so it plans to strengthen its secondary in the coming months. That means adding two new cornerbacks, asking veteran corner Brent Grimes ($9.5MM cap hit in 2016) to restructure his contract, and finding another safety to complement Reshad Jones. Free agent-to-be Eric Weddle, a three-time Pro Bowler with San Diego, would be open to an offer from the Dolphins, Jackson writes. He and Jones would form an excellent tandem, but it will cost the Dolphins (or anyone else) a lot to land Weddle.

Along the front seven, the Dolphins want to keep end Cameron Wake, who tore his Achilles’ tendon in October. Doing so might require the soon-to-be 34-year-old to restructure his deal, as he’s set to count nearly $10MM against the club’s cap next season. The Dolphins hope to continue pairing Olivier Vernon with Wake to generate a pass rush, but Vernon is a free agent and retaining him might be unrealistic.

“I only get one shot [at free agency], so I’m not [doing] a hometown discount,” said Vernon.

Miami also needs to upgrade at linebacker, where Jackson believes the team will look to add one or two new starters. They could either cut Koa Misi or move him back to the middle if they’re unable to find a better outside solution than MLB Kelvin Sheppard.

East Notes: Dolphins, Giants, Eagles, Cowboys

January 2nd, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell, whose short stint is almost sure to end Sunday, spoke about his tenure to Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.

On what he’ll do differently if given another opportunity in the future, Campbell said, “I would do a better job of holding everyone more accountable, from staff to players.”

Going forward, Campbell believes the Dolphins need more leadership from quarterback Ryan Tannehill and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

“Certainly, those are two guys that you’d love to see grow more into that area, and it would help,” he stated.

Campbell also used the word “frustration” to describe the Dolphins’ 5-10 season (and 4-7 mark under his reign). He’ll try to go out with a win Sunday as the Dolphins host AFC East rival New England.

More on the Dolphins and three NFC East teams:

With the Giants’ Tom Coughlin era seemingly on the verge of ending, the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano wrote Friday that the team should pursue the Saints’ Sean Payton and Alabama’s Nick Saban as possible successors. In addition to Payton and Saban, Vacchiano listed more potential candidates Saturday. Featured prominently: New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, current Giants O-coordinator Ben McAdoo – though Vacchiano argues that he’d be tough to sell to their fan base – as well as college head coaches Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) and David Shaw (Stanford). There’s also Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, a pair of Carolina assistants in OC Mike Shula and D-coordinator Sean McDermott, two more O-coordinators (Pittsburgh’s Todd Haley and Cincinnati’s Hue Jackson), and Jacksonville assistant Doug Marrone. Haley, Jackson and Marrone were all mixed bags in their prior head coaching stops, while Spagnuolo and McDaniels flamed out in epic fashion in St. Louis and Denver, respectively.
The Dolphins’ Olivier Vernon, who leads the team in sacks (seven), could be playing his last game with the team Sunday, ESPN’s James Walker writes. Vernon, 25, stands to cash in as a pending free agent. Thus, he might not fit within the Dolphins’ budget. Vernon does want to stay in Miami, though. “I’d like to be here,” Vernon told Walker. “But at the end of the day, business is business. So if this is my last game and I enter free agency, then I’m going to see how that goes.”
As we learned Saturday afternoon, the Eagles interviewed running backs coach Duce Staley for their vacant head coaching job. Whether they’re truly serious about him remains to be seen, but the interview means they’ve already fulfilled the Rooney Rule because Staley is a minority candidate. That means they could hire Chicago offensive coordinator Adam Gase, whom they’re interested in, as early as Monday. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that won’t happen. Gase will bide his time and explore all options, per Florio.
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee will lose out on $2MM extra if he doesn’t play Sunday against Washington, Brandon George of SportsDay writes. Lee, whose status is up in the air because of a hamstring injury, has incentives in his contract that will kick his 2015-16 salary from $3MM to $5MM if he plays 80 percent of snaps on the season. He’s currently at 82.1.

Browns Likely To Fire Mike Pettine, Ray Farmer

January 2nd, 2016 at 8:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

SATURDAY, 8:22pm: The Browns are expected to fire both Pettine and Farmer, perhaps as early as Sunday night, according to Cabot. Haslam has already begun the process of finding replacements and could start scheduling interviews tomorrow night.

SATURDAY, 8:45am: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Pettine explicitly asked Haslam whether he’d be retained for next season. The owner reportedly refused to answer.

“Pettine actually asked him, ‘Have you made a decision about my future?’ And Haslam would not answer, and that essentially ended that meeting,” Rapoport said on NFL Network (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com).

FRIDAY, 8:18pm: Browns staffers came out of a Friday meeting with head coach Mike Pettine with the sense that he’ll be fired in the coming days, sources told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Sources also indicated owner Jimmy Haslam informed Pettine that a decision won’t be made until Monday, one day after the 3-12 Browns end their season against AFC North rival Pittsburgh.

Further, a move in the personnel department Monday could precede a possible Pettine firing. That would put second-year general manager Ray Farmer in jeopardy, as Cabot reports. During their run as GM and coach, Farmer and Pettine have combined to lead the Browns to a 10-21 mark. Haslam preached stability regarding both jobs over the summer, but that was before a disastrous 2015-16 campaign that will likely force him to make major changes.

Regardless of whether Farmer or someone else is the Browns’ GM, there will be obstacles standing in the way of finding a quality Pettine replacement. Cabot points to a lack of past stability with Browns coaches, plenty of other openings around the NFL, and the absence of a franchise quarterback as issues Cleveland will have to overcome. Since Haslam took over the team in 2012, he has already fired two head coaches. Pettine would be the third, and Haslam’s perceived trigger-happy nature in firing coaches might scare off candidates this year.

Latest On Dolphins’ Front Office

January 2nd, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Former general manager Dennis Hickey, whom the Dolphins parted with Saturday, had his role diminished in 2015 to that of a scouting director, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link). With Hickey gone, there are sure to be more changes forthcoming to Miami’s front office, Jeff Darlington of NFL.com reports.

Those changes could involve executive vice president of football administration Dawn Aponte, though she has a fan in owner Stephen Ross. However, her specialties (namely the CBA and salary cap) might soon fall under the purview of executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, who is in position to become the franchise’s football czar. Despite that, Ross won’t let her go easily, Darlington writes.

Regardless of what happens with Aponte, the organization wants its all-time best player, Dan Marino, to take on a larger role. For his part, Marino – currently a special consultant to president and CEO Tom Garfinkel – is reluctant because of the commitment that would come with a higher ranking within the franchise. Nevertheless, the Dolphins do highly value the opinions of both Marino and vice chairman of the board Matt Higgins.

On the subject of the team’s coaching search, Breer tweets that Miami would be willing to let its next coach bring a personnel man with him. That goes hand in hand with Darlington’s notion that Tannenbaum would be open to decreasing some of his own power over the roster if it means hiring the right GM. If the Dolphins stay in house to hire their next GM, it’s likely to be director of college scouting Chris Grier. That would benefit Tannenbaum, who does not diligently scout players. Whether Grier or someone else becomes the GM, the Dolphins are cognizant that they need to put greater emphasis on scouting.

Of course, it remains to be seen whom the Dolphins will choose as their next GM and head coach. Two things are certain: Interim coach Dan Campbell won’t get promoted to the full-time role, per Darlington, and the team will enter its respective searches with Tannenbaum fully in control, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Dolphins, GM Dennis Hickey Part Ways

January 2nd, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

SATURDAY, 7:10pm: The Dolphins and Hickey have parted ways, Salguero reports. Grier is likely to take Hickey’s place.

On Hickey’s departure, Tannenbaum said, “I want to thank Dennis for his work over the last two years. We talked about a number of different possibilities, but at the end we reached this agreement. I have a great deal of respect for what he accomplished here and wish Dennis and his family well.”

Hickey also issued a statement, which in part reads: “Over the past week, I have had a number of conversations with the Dolphins organization about my role in the team. Ultimately the Dolphins and I agreed that it would be best if we parted ways. I will always be proud of our accomplishments in Miami including many key additions to the team through the draft and free agency.”

FRIDAY, 2:19pm: After another disappointing season in Miami, the Dolphins are expected to fire general manager Dennis Hickey on Monday, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Another source tells Florio that although discussions are ongoing regarding Hickey’s fate, nothing has yet been finalized. Meanwhile, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that while no decision has been made, it’s unlikely that Hickey will be retained.

Hickey was named the club’s general manager prior to the 2014 season after Miami conducted a lengthy search. The former Buccaneers executive had a largely successful first year with the Dolphins — he hit on draft picks Ja’Wuan James and Jarvis Landry, and made smart free agent decisions, bringing in Branden Albert and re-signing Brent Grimes.

But Hickey has been largely marginalized since his hiring, as he notably was not able to select his own head coach, having been assigned Joe Philbin. Additionally, the Dolphins hired ex-Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum as something of a football operations czar, further lessening Hickey’s impact. Tannenbaum took the lead on the club’s free agency and draft decisions, leaving it unclear as to exactly what Hickey’s role was.

According to Florio, Tannenbaum won’t name himself as Miami’s new GM (whether or not that has any material impact is unclear, given that Tannenbaum already wields total control of football matters). One key name to watch in the upcoming general manager search, a source tells Florio, is Dolphins director of college scouting Chris Grier, who was a candidate for both the Jets and Eagles GM vacancies last offseason.

Meanwhile, in a letter to season ticket holders (and passed along by Salguero), Dolphins owner Stephen Ross expressed his disappointment with the club’s results this season, and pledged that the team has already identified “several promising candidates” in it search for a head coach (a search, it should be noted, that will be lead by Tannenbaum). Interim head coach Dan Campbell will be granted an interview, per the letter, while any mention of Hickey was notably omitted altogether.

AFC Rumors: Dolphins, Browns

January 2nd, 2016 at 6:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest on a couple of AFC teams that are on the cusp of major overhauls:

Doug Marrone and Jim Schwartz were the head coach and defensive coordinator, respectively, of a 2014 Bills team that finished 9-7. They could reunite soon in the same roles for the AFC East rival Dolphins, multiple sources have told the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero (Twitter link). Marrone, who is currently an assistant in Jacksonville, was the Jets’ offensive line coach in 2002-05. Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum was also with the Jets then, as Salguero notes (on Twitter), so Tannenbaum and Marrone are familiar with one another. Further, the Tannenbaum-led Dolphins reached out to Schwartz earlier this season when the team fired defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle.
In other important Dolphins news, they could soon name director of college scouting Chris Grier their next general manager, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. They’ll first have to fire current GM Dennis Hickey, which appears likely. If the Dolphins do ax Hickey, they’ll be able to quickly promote Grier – a minority candidate – instead of having to follow the Rooney Rule process.
Significant changes to both the Browns’ front office and coaching staff seem imminent, as the team is expected to fire general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine. As a result, names that will be connected to the club in the coming days include Adam Gase, Tom Cable and the aforementioned Doug Marrone as head coaching candidates and Green Bay executive Eliot Wolf as a GM possibility (via ESPNCleveland.com’s Tony Grossi on Twitter). Interestingly, if the Browns hire Gase, their quarterback next season could be Peyton Manning, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Gase and Manning worked closely together in Denver from 2012-14.

Chargers Expected To Retain Mike McCoy

January 2nd, 2016 at 5:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

SATURDAY, 5:55pm: In an unexpected turn of events, it appears the Chargers will retain McCoy, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Chargers’ hierarchy is confident in McCoy, per Gehlken, and president of football operations John Spanos will make a final decision Monday. Spanos, Telesco and McCoy have a good working relationship, Gehlken notes. That should help McCoy’s chances. Moreover, he has the support of franchise quarterback Philip Rivers.

“Mike’s not the problem,” Rivers said Friday. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, if it was another head coach who wasn’t Mike, this team would’ve done that.’ Nah. That’s crazy. That’s a crazy assessment.”

FRIDAY, 8:40pm: Sunday’s game in Denver will be Mike McCoy‘s last as the head coach of the Chargers, multiple sources have told Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

Until now, reports regarding McCoy’s lack of job security have only come in sporadically. In November, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that general manager Tom Telesco would remain with the Chargers and, if changes were going to be made in the offseason, they’d happen on the coaching staff. The first part has proven true, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora revealed earlier this month that Telesco was safe after signing a multiyear extension with the Chargers during the summer. Similar to Acee, La Canfora also noted that McCoy was on the hot seat.

McCoy, who joined the Chargers in 2013 with Telesco, helped the Bolts to consecutive winning campaigns (including a playoff appearance and a victory in ’13) in his first two years, but the team has taken a significant step back this season. The Chargers enter Sunday at 4-11, guaranteeing McCoy a sub-.500 mark (22-25) if his tenure with the club ends.

Christian Hackenberg To Enter 2016 NFL Draft

January 2nd, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

We learned earlier this week that college quarterbacks Jared Goff (California), Paxton Lynch (Memphis) and Cardale Jones (Ohio State) will enter the 2016 NFL Draft. Joining them will be fellow signal caller Christian Hackenberg, who announced Saturday that he’ll forgo his final season at Penn State in favor of the pros (Twitter link via Onward State). Hackenberg is currently rated as the fifth-best QB in this year’s class, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay (link via ESPN’s Jared Shanker).

Hackenberg, who will turn 21 in February, was a highly regarded recruit coming out of high school and ultimately garnered extensive experience at Penn State. The 6-foot-4, 228-pounder started 38 games and attempted nearly 1,300 passes in three seasons as a Nittany Lion, with whom he tossed 48 touchdowns against 30 interceptions. Hackenberg’s accuracy was an issue throughout his time at Penn State, where he never finished a season with better than a 58.9 percent completion rate and concluded 2015 at a personal-worst 53.3. One contributing factor was an offensive line whose struggles aided in opposing defenses sacking Hackenberg 82 times (most in the nation) over the past two years.

Hackenberg’s Penn State career ended in less-than-ideal fashion Saturday in the team’s 24-17 loss to Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl. He left the game early with a sprained right shoulder after completing 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards and an interception, but Penn State head coach James Franklin said afterward that the injury isn’t serious (link via Dan Parr of NFL.com).

In addition to Hackenberg, Penn State will also lose defensive tackle Austin Johnson. The potential first- or second-rounder declared Saturday that he’ll forgo his senior year to turn pro, according to Jordan Rodrigue of the Centre Daily Times.

Load More Posts