2017 January - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Chargers’, Raiders’ Relocation

January 11th, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chargers had been facing a Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to join the Rams in Los Angeles by next season, but the NFL pushed that date back Wednesday, per the Associated Press. The Bolts now have until Jan. 17 to choose their fate, and the league is still holding out hope that they’ll remain in San Diego, a source told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. However, the league won’t prevent owner Dean Spanos from relocating the team if he’s unable to find a stadium solution in San Diego, another source informed Acee.

“No one is going to tell Dean he can’t go,” said the source. “They’re going to tell him he shouldn’t go.”

Spanos doesn’t seem eager to leave San Diego, but he also hasn’t made enough progress toward a new facility that would replace the 50-year-old Qualcomm Stadium. As of last week, the Chargers were of the belief that a $100MM to $175MM gap existed between the funds the city, county, league and team were willing to put forth and what a new stadium would actually cost. That remains the case, per Acee, who now lists the figure at exactly $175MM.

The Chargers would welcome more financial aid from the league, but its owners – especially the Rams’ Stan Kroenke – haven’t shown any urgency to make that happen, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). With that in mind, the Chargers are operating as if they’re about to relocate, Acee reports. The franchise has already drafted a press release and planned a news conference, though Acee adds that it did the same a year ago before delaying its LA decision.

The league’s stadium and finance committees met Wednesday to discuss the futures of the Chargers and Raiders, but the latter club was the primary focus.

“There was little to no discussion on the topic of the Chargers,” league executive Eric Grubman revealed.

The Raiders have until Feb. 15 to file for relocation to Las Vegas, where businessman Sheldon Adelson could contribute $650MM to a $1.9 billion stadium. The two sides continue making progress after some previous hiccups in negotiations, tweets Cole, but the Raiders aren’t going to be content to let their Vegas dreams slip away if Adelson backs out.

“The Raiders are looking at the potential of doing [it] without Mr. Adelson if it comes down to that,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who’s also chairman of the league’s stadium committee.

There’s no word on exactly how the Raiders would raise $650MM in Adelson’s absence. The team is set to put forth $500MM toward the cause, while Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Legislature previously signed off on contributing a record $750MM in public funds.

Panthers To Name Steve Wilks D-Coordinator

January 11th, 2017 at 6:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With Sean McDermott having departed Carolina to become Buffalo’s head coach on Wednesday, the Panthers are now without a defensive coordinator. That won’t the case for long, per the Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person, who reports that assistant head coach/secondary coach Steve Wilks could take over for McDermott as early as Thursday.

Wilks is also in the running for the Rams’ head coaching job, but he’s clearly a long shot for that position. Thus, it appears he’ll accept a promotion in Carolina, which would keep him and head coach Ron Rivera together for at least another year.

Before joining Rivera’s staff with the Panthers in 2012, Wilks worked with him in Chicago and San Diego. The two had a years-long understanding that Wilks would become the Panthers’ defensive coordinator in the event of a McDermott departure, sources told Person, and Rivera is now set to make good on that promise.

Handing the 47-year-old Wilks the defensive reins means the Panthers will essentially keep McDermott’s system in place, notes Person. The club’s defense had its fair share of success in six years under McDermott, and while the unit finished just 21st in yardage and 26th in scoring in 2016, it did post an impressive 10th-place DVOA ranking.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/17

January 11th, 2017 at 5:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Wednesday’s minor moves:

Reserve/Futures Contracts

New York Giants

CB Donte Deayon
G Jon Halapio
RB Jacob Huesman
CB Michael Hunter
DE Stansly Maponga
DB Ryan Murphy
WR Kevin Norwood
WR Darius Powe
QB Keith Wenning
DE Jordan Williams

New York Jets

WR Deshon Foxx
FB Julian Howsare
WR Myles White

Philadelphia Eagles

OL Josh LeRibeus
WR Dom Williams

Practice Squad

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed: RB Gus Johnson
Practice squad/injured: RB Dreamius Smith

Coaching Notes: Redskins, Rams, Ravens

January 11th, 2017 at 4:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Redskins announced that they interviewed Gus Bradley for the defensive coordinator position on Wednesday. The former Jaguars head coach is reportedly Washington’s prime target to take over for the fired Joe Barry. Bradley was a successful D-coordinator in Seattle from 2009-12, during which time he became familiar with then-Seahawks executive and now-Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan.

As is the case with their defensive staff, changes might be on the horizon for the Redskins’ offensive coaches. With coordinator Sean McVay emerging as a serious candidate to grab the reins as Los Angeles’ head coach, the Redskins could turn to ex-Chargers HC Mike McCoy as his replacement, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. McCoy is also a candidate in Denver (where he served as an O-coordinator from 2010-12) and Buffalo, both of which named head coaches Wednesday.

More of the latest coaching-related info:

A potential head coaching interview between Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and the Rams is “in limbo,” per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. With the Falcons preparing for a Saturday playoff game against the Seahawks, Shanahan might not have time to meet with the Rams this week, La Canfora adds (Twitter link).
Former Buffalo offensive coordinator Greg Roman will sign on with the Ravens‘ coaching staff, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. The Ravens are sticking with Marty Mornhinweg as OC, so Roman will be there in some kind of assistant role. Cabot notes that the Browns were eying him for an assistant gig.
The Jets will hire Dennard Wilson to succeed the fired Joe Danna as their defensive backs coach, according to Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. Wilson had been with the Rams since 2012, when they hired him as their defensive quality control coach. He became the team’s defensive backs coach in 2015.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Bills To Hire Sean McDermott As Head Coach

January 11th, 2017 at 2:33pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. The Bills are hiring Sean McDermott as their next head coach, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) hears that McDermott will receive a five-year deal.

Initially, interim head coach Anthony Lynn appeared to be a shoo-in for the job, but amidst Lynn’s own reported trepidation about the partnership, the Bills conducted a thorough coaching search. Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin and Seahawks DC Kris Richard interviewed for the job while new Broncos head coach Vance Joseph and Eagles OC Frank Reich were named as candidates.

McDermott, meanwhile, was also a candidate for the Niners and the Chargers were looking to bring him in for a second interview. The Bills are crushing hard on the defensive guru they did not want to risk losing him to another team.

Meanwhile, McDermott has a solid relationship with former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy and Carucci hears hears that he would hire him as his offensive coordinator. McDermott’s likely DC in Buffalo will be Carolina linebackers coach Al Holcomb, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Broncos Hire Vance Joseph

January 11th, 2017 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos’ coaching search is over. The Broncos have agreed to a four-year deal with Vance Joseph, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). General manager John Elway has since confirmed the news via Twitter.

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For the last week or so, Joseph has been identified as the frontrunner for the Denver vacancy. From the start, GM John Elway indicated that the team had about “three or four” candidates in mind and Joseph was reportedly in the driver’s seat before he ever interviewed.

Joseph interviewed for Denver’s vacant head coaching position prior to the 2015 season when he was the Bengals’ defensive backs coach. When the Broncos hired Gary Kubiak, the club pushed to hire Joseph as their defensive coordinator, but Cincinnati blocked the move. After that, Joseph moved on to Miami and helped improve the team’s defense from a No. 25 DVOA rank in 2015 to No. 17 this year.

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub also interviewed for the job. Anthony Lynn was “expected” to interview with Denver, but he never got the chance.

Next up for Denver is rounding out the staff. The Broncos have two offensive coordinator interviews set up for Thursday: Mike McCoy and Bill Musgrave, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Denver defensive backs coach Joe Woods will likely be elevated to DC, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Meanwhile, in Miami, linebackers coach Matt Burke is likely going to be promoted to DC.

Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter) first reported the Broncos’ offer to Joseph. Additional details provided by Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

If Hired By Rams, McVay Wants Phillips As DC

January 11th, 2017 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Things are heating up between the Rams and Sean McVay, so much so that the youngster is already thinking about his potential staff. If hired by L.A., McVay’s top option for defensive coordinator is Wade Phillips, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Phillips has served as the Broncos’ DC for the last two years. Although he has been largely successful in Denver, the team is apparently allowing his contract to lapse. As shown in our Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker, Phillips was contacted about the Browns’ vacancy before the job was given to Gregg Williams and other teams have also been linked to him. No matter what, Wade won’t be out of work for long.

The Rams did alright in terms of defensive DVOA last year, finishing 15th in the NFL. The Rams also have some tremendous players on that side of the ball, including linemen Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn.

Rams Hold Second Interview With Sean McVay

January 11th, 2017 at 11:07am CST by Zachary Links

At the age of 30, Sean McVay could be on the verge of becoming the youngest coach in the modern era of the NFL. The Redskins’ offensive coordinator is having a second meeting with the Rams, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Meanwhile, sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) that he is the “leading” candidate for the job. There have been a number of candidates for the Rams’ vacancy, but McVay is the first to receive a follow-up interview.

As a head coach, McVay could conceivably be younger than a few of the players on his roster. That doesn’t seem to bother the Rams and it hasn’t precluded the 49ers from considering him for their job either. McVay is widely credited for developing Kirk Cousins into a solid quarterback and that’s the type of acumen L.A. is looking for as they groom No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. Despite his youth, we ID’d McVay as a top ten coaching candidate for the Rams back in December.

So far, there have been 13 candidates identified in the Rams’ search, though only a dozen remain after Doug Marrone was given the job in Jacksonville.

Panthers Eyeing Steve Wilks As DC

January 11th, 2017 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

It’s looking more and more likely that Sean McDermott will wind up elsewhere. Building off of momentum from the previous coaching cycle, McDermott now finds himself in the mix for three jobs and the Bills could finalize a deal with him today. If McDermott goes, the Panthers will likely ask secondary coach Steve Wilks to serve as their defensive coordinator, ESPN.com’s David Newton tweets.

It’s not guaranteed that Wilks will be available, however. He has already has interviewed for the Rams’ head coaching position and he has been asked to interview for the Redskins’ DC job. With that said, it would be surprising if the Rams hired the defensive backs coach for their top job and the Panthers aren’t likely to let Wilks skip town for someone else’s DC vacancy.

Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says he wants to keep as much of his coaching staff in place as possible.

Ravens Hope Steve Smith Will Keep Playing

January 11th, 2017 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

On New Year’s Day, Steve Smith announced that he is walking away from football. Days later, the Ravens aren’t so sure that they can’t get him to change his mind.

“I haven’t given up hope that Steve Smith is going to come walking in here in September,” owner Steve Bisciotti said. “We’ll see about that character. I wouldn’t count him out.”

Smith, meanwhile, shrugged off Bisciotti’s comments.

“Man, I’m retired,” Smith told Fox Sports 1. “I sent that paperwork to Roger Goodell January 2.”

At 37, Smith was the NFL’s oldest receiver, but he was still quite productive. He hauled in 70 catches (third on the team), 799 yards receiving (second), and five touchdown catches (first). By the same token, Smith has been thinking about retirement for at least the last year and he is looking to spend more time with his family. Bisciotti & Co. will try, but it sounds like Smith will stick to his plan.