The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff last week:
The Falcons are getting a head start on replacing offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who is likely to become the next 49ers head coach. Atlanta is already lining up candidates for OC, and the club has expressed interest in former San Francisco/Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Falcons To Pursue Matt Ryan Extension]
Kelly has met with at least one club since being dismissed by the 49ers, interviewing with the Jaguars about both their head coaching vacancy and their offensive coordinator position. Both of those roles were filled by internal candidates, as Jacksonville promoted Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett to head coach and OC, respectively. Kelly also planned to meet with the Patriots and friend Bill Belichick, and was indeed spotted at Thursday’s practice session, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
Kelly, 53, posted a mixed record during his two head coaching stints, but does seem to want to remain in the NFL as an offensive coordinator. Despite poor results during the past few years, Kelly can still point to 2013 — his first season in the league — as a success after directing the Eagles’ offense to a No. 3 DVOA ranking and coaching quarterback Nick Foles to a 27:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Concerns about the quick pace of Kelly’s offense, and its negative effect on his club’s own defense, could continue to hinder Kelly’s job prospects, however.
While other potential candidates for the Falcons OC job aren’t yet known, internal options could include quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur and offensive assistant Mike McDaniel, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noted earlier this month.
The Redskins are in talks to promote quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh to offensive coordinator, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link), who cautions that no deal is yet official.
[RELATED: 2017 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker]
Cavanaugh, 60, would fill the void left by former OC Sean McVay, who accepted the Rams’ head coaching position earlier this month. Washington hasn’t held a former search for a new play-caller, though incumbent offensive line coach Bill Callahan has been mentioned as a possible candidate. Once the Redskins hired Kevin O’Connell as their new QBs coach, however, Cavanaugh became the instant favorite for the offensive coordinator job.
Cavanaugh does offer NFL coordinator experience, as he’s called plays during two previous stints around the league: the Bears from 1997-98 and the Ravens from 1999-2004. However, Cavanaugh likely won’t direct the offense if he is indeed promoted to OC in Washington, as head coach Jay Gruden is expected to take on play-calling duty, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com recently reported. Still, Cavanaugh’s close relationship with the Redskins’ quarterbacks will come in handy, as both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy have discussed Cavanaugh’s “detailed approach,” per John Keim of ESPN.com.
Washington now appears close to finalizing its coaching staff on both sides of the ball, as the club promoted linebackers coach Greg Manusky to defensive coordinator earlier today.
Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2017, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) reports that New England is open to trading the 25-year-old signal-caller this offseason.
This conflicts with a report back in December, wherein one source close to the Patriots indicated that he would be “stunned” if the Pats were to deal Garoppolo. There will certainly be interest in the Eastern Illinois product, who may well be the best quarterback available this offseason, but New England also values having a succession plan in place for Tom Brady, who has shown no signs of slowing down but who will be 40 years old when the 2017 season opens.
We also heard last month that, if the Patriots did trade Garoppolo, they would ask for at least a first- and fourth-round pick in return (which is what the Vikings gave up to acquire Sam Bradford last year). As Rapoport observes, the asking price for Garoppolo is one obstacle to a potential trade, as is his inexperience. He was expected to play the first four games of the 2016 season as a result of Brady’s suspension, but he played in only two because of a shoulder injury. Those two games did go exceedingly well for Garoppolo, who completed 42 of 59 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots racked up wins over Arizona and Miami, but that small sample size may not be enough for rival teams to part with a first-round selection. Indeed, Rapoport suggests that this year’s Brock Osweiler fiasco may make GMs skittish about investing significant assets into an unproven signal-caller.
Plus, succession plans aside, the Patriots may not be comfortable with Jacoby Brissett serving as their primary backup next season, though they are high on the rookie QB.
Rapoport suggests that this matter may not be resolved quickly. Instead, he expects head coach Bill Belichick to “play poker” with the rest of the league, banking on someone paying up if they are left without a quarterback following free agency or the draft.
It had long been speculated that one or both of Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson would be fired after the 2016 season, and although it took a little longer than expected, Grigson was relieved of his duties yesterday. Pagano, meanwhile, will reportedly keep his job for the 2017 season (though there are rumors that he, too, could be dismissed if he fails to deliver a championship to Indianapolis next year).
As Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports in a series of Twitter links, there was a significant rift between Pagano and Grigson by the time the 2015 season rolled around, and nothing improved in 2016. Holder says that, this past season, Pagano went into his “bunker” and Grigson went into his, and the dysfunction was such that it was surprising that anything got done.
Holder adds (via Twitter) that owner Jim Irsay went to great lengths over the past several weeks to sort out the issues with his club, and he apparently concluded that the best thing for the Colts was to “untie” Grigson and Pagano, who both joined the team in 2012. Holder observes in a full-length piece that Irsay did not mention any of Grigson’s personnel-related shortcomings when he outlined his reasons for making a change. Instead, he said, “I don’t think you guys understand and give Ryan enough credit for what he’s done here. I really don’t.”
Those statements led Holder to believe that it was the flaws in the Grigson-Pagano relationship that ultimately triggered Grigson’s dismissal, and a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter lends a great deal of support to that theory. As Schefter writes, the Colts brought in psychologists to help repair the relationship, and the primary focus was on ways Pagano and Grigson could improve their communication. Schefter added, “one person compared the meetings to a couple going to marriage counseling, hoping they could work out their issues with the help of a third party.”
Obviously, that innovative step did not work, as the differences between Grigson and Pagano proved to be irreconcilable.
We learned earlier today that interim GM Jimmy Raye III is currently viewed as the favorite to replace Grigson on a permanent basis.
The 49ers will bring in current Falcons’ OC Kyle Shanahan for a second interview either tomorrow or Tuesday if Atlanta should lose the NFC Championship Game today, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). If the Falcons should win, Shanahan’s second interview will take place on Friday. The 37-year-0ld is, of course, considered the runaway favorite to land the team’s head coaching job, and the second interview appears to be more of a formality than anything else.
In the meantime, San Francisco is continuing to plug away with its GM search, but Michael Silver of NFL.com tweets that long-time NFL coach Mike Shanahan (Kyle Shanahan’s father) will not be joining the team in a formal role. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough are currently viewed as the leading candidates for the 49ers’ GM position, though Kyle Shanahan has no obvious connection with either man. Per Silver (Twitter link), if team CEO Jed York does not sense a fit between Shanahan and Paton or McDonough, he may reopen the GM search.
Silver adds (Twitter links) that York has not decided whether Shanahan or the new GM will have formal control of the 53-man roster, and that York does not view roster control as a “major issue.” He is putting a larger emphasis on creating a strong partnership between coach and GM.
Silver views Paton as the top choice at the moment, with McDonough running second (Twitter link). Had Mike Shanahan returned to the team as a head coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that McDonough would have been his choice.
The Redskins will promote outside linebackers coach Greg Manusky to defensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
Washington fired former DC Joe Barry earlier this month, and the club compiled an extensive list of candidates to replace him, including Gus Bradley, Rob Ryan, and John Pagano (the Redskins were denied permission to interview Romeo Crennel and Paul Guenther). PFR’s coordinator tracker provides the full complement of candidates.
Manusky, though, reportedly had the backing of Redskins players, and his familiarity with the organization may have helped him land the position.
He also brings a great deal of experience to the table, having served as defensive coordinator for three different teams, but that experience is largely a mixed bag. The 50-year-old Manusky got his feet wet as a linebackers coach for the Redskins in 2001, and he worked as the linebackers coach for the Chargers from 2002-06 before being hired as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator in 2007. The 49ers’ defense proved to be one of the best in the league in 2009, but it took a step back in 2010, and Manusky was allowed to seek another position following the hiring of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Manusky returned to the Chargers as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2011, but he was fired after his unit finished as the league’s 22nd-ranked defense. Manusky was subsequently hired as the Colts’ defensive coordinator in 2012, and he spent four years in that role. The Colts made the playoffs in three of those four seasons, but Manusky’s defense finished in the top-10 in points allowed only once during his tenure. He was fired following the 2015 campaign, and he soon caught on as the Redskins’ outside linebackers coach.
Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets that 49ers’ linebackers coach Jason Tarver, who was another candidate for the Redskins’ DC opening, could replace Manusky as the team’s OLB coach. Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that the team will keep Kirk Olivadotti as its ILB coach and would like to promote Aubrey Pleasant to DBs coach.
As Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets, it is fair to wonder whether the Redskins would have fired Barry at all if they had known they would have ended up with Manusky and his spotty DC resume as his replacement as opposed to their big name targets like Bradley and Wade Phillips.
The Falcons and quarterback Matt Ryan are expected to explore an extension in the offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Ryan is already under contract through the 2018 season, but Atlanta wants to be proactive when it comes to their star signal-caller, who may earn his first MVP award this year.
Ryan signed a five-year, $103.75MM deal at the end of the 2012 campaign, which culminated in a heartbreaking loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The following three seasons saw the Falcons fail to qualify for the playoffs, and Ryan himself played well enough, but he was certainly not in the MVP conversation.
But Ryan and the offense exploded in 2016, Kyle Shanahan‘s second year as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator. Ryan threw for nearly 5,000 yards and put up 38 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions, good for a league-leading 117.1 quarterback rating. More importantly, he led the club to an NFC South title, a first-round bye, and the chance to play for the team’s first Super Bowl championship.
Plus, a new contract would not adversely impact the team’s finances. Ryan’s 2017 cap number under his current deal would be $23.75MM, and an extension would likely reduce that figure. As Rapoport observes, the club is already paying the Boston College product over $20MM a year, so an extension would be “more of a continuation than a dramatic adjustment.”
Ryan and agent Tom Condon will likely attempt to eclipse Andrew Luck‘s new deal, which features an average annual value of $24.59MM. Since signing his own contract after the 2012 season, Ryan has slid down the ranks and is now the 11th-highest paid quarterback in the game. That is likely to change over the next few months.
Since entering the league as the third overall pick of the 2008 draft, Ryan has been a steadying influence under center for Atlanta, but one of the biggest knocks against him coming into this year is that he had won only one playoff game. But on the heels of a breakout season, Ryan has the Falcons trending upwards once again, and he will be handsomely rewarded.
Jimmy Raye III, who is acting as the Colts’ interim GM in the wake of Ryan Grigson‘s dismissal, is the favorite to become the team’s full-time GM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds that, if head coach Chuck Pagano has a vote in the matter–and it’s not clear that he does, given his apparently tenuous grasp on his own position–Raye would get that vote.
We learned last night that the Colts’ GM job is viewed as one of the premier posts in the NFL, and that it would attract the eye of multiple rival executives. And that makes sense, given that Indianapolis has a star quarterback already signed to a long-term deal, an owner who, for all his eccentricities, does exhibit patience with his hires, and the potential opportunity to hire a new head coach at the end of the 2017 season. But despite the attractiveness of the position, the Colts may already have their man in Raye, who interviewed for the 49ers’ GM job but did not make the list of finalists.
Raye, who participated in all of two games in his NFL playing career (as a wide receiver for the Rams in 1991), certainly paid his dues over the following two-plus decades. He served as the Chiefs’ offensive quality control coach in 1995 before working in the Chargers’ organization from 1996-2012, first as a scout, then as director of college scouting, then as director of player personnel. He joined the Colts in 2013 as the club’s vice president of football operations, and he served in that capacity until yesterday, when he became the interim GM.
Raye is the son of Jimmy Raye II, who worked as a coach and offensive coordinator for a number of teams from 1977-2013.
Now that the Colts have fired general manager Ryan Grigson, the Indianapolis vacancy figures to attract the eye of multiple rival executives, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, who adds that the Colts job is viewed as one of the premier posts in the NFL.
[RELATED: 2017 GM Search Tracker]
The Indianapolis gig does offer a number of factors that would be incredibly attractive to GM contenders, and chief among them is the presence of Andrew Luck, a franchise quarterback who is already signed to a long-term contract. Additionally, owner Jim Irsay has shown patience with his prior hires, meaning that any potential new executive could expect a long leash. The Colts’ next general manager might also have the chance to hire his own coach if the club struggles again under Chuck Pagano in 2017.
One barrier for prospective candidates could be the specter of former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who is said to have a standing offer to assume a role within the Indianapolis front office. While Irsay said today that Manning is not in consideration for the club’s GM job, it would be fair for interviewees to worry about Manning being hired at a later point. As Pelissero notes, however, the Colts could put such a matter to rest by giving the new general manager full control over the roster.
At present, the only known candidate for the vacancy is Colts vice president of football operation Jimmy Raye III, who is also acting as interim GM for the time being. Pelissero speculates that many of the contenders for the 49ers opening — including the Packers’ Brian Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf, the Vikings’ George Paton, and the Patriots’ Nick Caserio — could be involved in Indianapolis’ search, while Atlanta assistant GM Scott Pioli could also be in play.