2017 January - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Bills’ Head Coaching Search

January 8th, 2017 at 3:34pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bills will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard for their open head coaching position tonight, reports Peter Schrager of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds that Buffalo’s decision-makers are currently on their way to Seattle. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today (Twitter link) that the Bills were likely to meet with Richard as soon as today. As PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Richard is part of a long list of candidates for Buffalo’s top job.

One of those candidates, Anthony Lynn, who has been considered the Bills’ first choice, might not even want the job, as we learned last week. But according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Bills ownership apologized to Lynn for telling him to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Week 17. Lynn likes Taylor, so perhaps the apology was issued as an attempt to smooth over a source of resentment for Lynn and to convince him to stay in Buffalo (although the Bills, of course, do intend to move on from Taylor if they can).

But Schefter reports that whoever the new head coach is, he will have more power within the organization. Although ownership is apparently a fan of general manager Doug Whaley, the fact remains that the Bills’ next head coach will be the third during Whaley’s tenure, and his stint as GM has not been a successful one. So while Whaley will keep his job for at least one more season, he apparently will not have as much autonomy with respect to roster construction as he has enjoyed in the past.

In addition to Lynn, the Bills have already interviewed Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, both of whom are popular head coaching targets this offseason.

5 Key Stories: 1/1/17 – 1/8/17

January 8th, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Two more clubs parted ways with their head coaches, as the Chargers decided to fire Mike McCoy while the 49ers dismissed Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke. San Diego and San Francisco join Buffalo, Denver, Jacksonville, and Los Angeles in the head coaching hunt, and interviews are already taking place, with Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, Anthony Lynn, and Dave Toub among the most popular candidates. Follow all the latest on the hiring cycle with PFR’s 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Indy stays the course. While the six clubs above are overhauling their respective coaching staffs, the Colts opted not to do so, announcing that general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano will both return in 2017. Both men signed extensions to remain in Indianapolis last season, but rumors had surfaced indicating that the Colts could redesign their leadership structure. Instead, the club will opt for continuity and hope to contend next year in the AFC South.

Killer Bees likely staying in Pittsburgh. With Ben Roethlisberger under contract for the foreseeable future, the Steelers are turning their attention to the other two key members of their prolific offense. Pittsburgh is likely to use the franchise tag to retain running back Le’Veon Bell, while the club is also interested in working out an extension with running back Antonio Brown, who is under contract for one more season. A long-term deal with Bell is possible even after the franchise tag is used, of course, but if no contract is agreed to, Bell would earn north of $12MM in 2017.

Seahawks add a legendary returner. With primary returner Tyler Lockett sidelined for the rest of the season, Seattle signed one of the all-time greats to fill in for the time being, agreeing to a deal with free agent Devin Hester. Now 34 years old, Hester was released by the Ravens earlier this year and is probably not the top-notch athlete he once was. But he should still be able to add another dimension to the Seahawks’ return game as they continue their run through the postseason.

QB trade on the horizon? Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron received a few starts at the end of the 2015 campaign after Andy Dalton suffered an injury, and now McCarron sounds open to a trade. Outside of Kirk Cousins, the free agent quarterback market is barren, and McCarron could represent an intriguing option for a QB-needy club. Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, meanwhile, tweeted last week that moving McCarron was part of the Bengals’s offseason “itinerary,” calling it a question of “when” rather than “if” Cincinnati will deal its No. 2 signal-caller.

PFR Originals: 1/1/17 – 1/8/17

January 8th, 2017 at 1:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

The regular season is complete, which means that the start of free agency and the new league year are right around the corner. With that in mind, Zach Links published the second edition of PFR’s 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings, a comprehensive top 10 of players hitting the market next spring (sorted by guaranteed money). Kirk Cousins, Chandler Jones, and Kawann Short top the list.
With six clubs now conducting head coaching interviews, the news regarding those vacancies can be difficult to follow. Keep things organized with PFR’s 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker, which will keep tabs on every opening, potential candidates, and interviews.
As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective roster. Connor Byrne kicked things off last week, taking a look at the Buffalo Bills, Tyrod Taylor, the club’s defensive struggles, and the weak receiving corps.
In the latest entry in PFR’s The Beat series, Zach talked Vikings with Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Topics discussed include Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Terence Newman.

Extra Points: Stafford, Boldin, Tice, McCoy

January 8th, 2017 at 12:41pm CST by Rory Parks

As the Dolphins and Steelers do battle, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:

Lions quarterback Matt Stafford will not need surgery on his injured right middle finger, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Stafford was excellent for much of the season, but he completed just 58.6% of his passes for four touchdowns and five interceptions after the injury, and he could get nothing going in a frustrating season-ending loss to Seattle last night.
Lions WR Anquan Boldin had a nice first season in Detroit, and the 36-year-old wideout, who posted 67 catches for 584 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns, plans to return for his 15th season in the league in 2017, according to Nate Atkins of MLive.com.
The contract for Raiders O-line coach Mike Tice is up, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, but Oakland has prioritized bringing him back. That makes sense, as the team is sending three offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl this year.
Former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy will apparently not be unemployed for long. Rapoport tweets that McCoy is largely considered the top offensive coordinator available and has been mentioned as many teams’ offensive coordinator of choice.
Even if the Dolphins were to pull off the upset in Pittsburgh this afternoon, the team is not counting on Ryan Tannehill to return next week, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Tannehill was, at least, able to practice on Friday.
Ohio State WR Noah Brown will enter the NFL draft, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The 6-2, 218-pound wideout had a breakout year for the Buckeyes, and is currently projected to be selected in the second or third round of the draft.
In a series of articles, OverTheCap.com offers a preview of the strongest and weakest offensive positions in this year’s free agent class, examines which linebackers could become cap casualties, and projects the 2017 compensatory picks.

Browns Hire Gregg Williams As DC

January 8th, 2017 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

SUNDAY, 12:12pm: The Browns have made the hire official, and as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets, Jackson will allow Williams to bring his own assistants. Therefore, there will be changes on the defensive staff, and Ulrich adds (via Twitter) that Jackson is “not done” evaluating the staff as a whole, so other changes could be on the way. Jackson will, however, retain play-calling duties, as Ulrich tweets.

SATURDAY, 08:22pm: Gregg Williams will replace Ray Horton as the Browns’ defensive coordinator, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The team recently extended an offer for the veteran DC to come in, and as a result, “wholesale changes” are coming to the Browns’ defense, per La Canfora.

The 58-year-old DC will transition from a Rams defense he helped elevate into one of the more formidable units in the game over the past three years to one that ranked as the No. 31 DVOA group during a horrendous Browns campaign.

Williams was reportedly open to staying in Los Angeles but understood that was unlikely after Jeff Fisher‘s departure. We heard earlier today Williams could bring some Rams assistants to northeast Ohio with him. He also might be bringing a new defense along. The Rams operated as a 4-3 defense during Williams’ years, and the Browns use a 3-4. Although, Cleveland isn’t exactly at the rebuilding stage where it couldn’t retool.

La Canfora confirms Williams plans to bring three or four coaches to with him to Cleveland, adding that Hue Jackson signed off on this change despite being close to Horton. The reporter adds Horton became unpopular on the personnel side of the organization.

Rebounding after the Bountygate scandal forced him off the sidelines for a year, Williams helped the Rams elevate into an upper-echelon defense this season despite one of the league’s worst offenses. The Browns boasted the league’s No. 27 defense in 2015 and 31st-ranked outfit this season, the latter coming after the organization made a change to go with a grass-roots rebuilding operation. That came after several recent rebuilds failed, but the Browns will have a proven DC around which to construct a stoppage corps in the near future.

This will be Williams’ seventh DC gig, with a three-year HC tenure with the Bills coming in between that lengthy run that dates back to running the Tennessee Oilers’ defense in 1997.

Browns AHC Pep Hamilton Considering Michigan Gig?

January 8th, 2017 at 11:44am CST by Ben Levine

SUNDAY, 11:44am: Rapoport tweets that Harbaugh has been telling recruits for several days that Hamilton will be joining his staff at Michigan, but Browns head coach Hue Jackson stated earlier today that he believes Hamilton is staying in Cleveland (Twitter link via Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald).

SATURDAY, 08:49am: A day after the organization fired defensive coordinator Ray Horton, the Browns may be seeing some additional changes to their coaching staff. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), associate head coach (and de facto quarterbacks coach) Pep Hamilton may also be on his way out. The long-time coach is considering taking a gig on Jim Harbaugh‘s staff at Michigan. Rapoport is clear that Hamilton wouldn’t be fired, as the Browns are more than willing to keep him on in his current role.

Hamilton joined the Browns last offseason following a three-year stint with the Colts. Despite the presence of talented quarterback Andrew Luck, the Colts offense only finished in the top-10 for points once during his tenure in Indy. Hamilton’s offense predictably struggled during his first season in Cleveland, as the team was forced to rely on five different quarterbacks.

Prior to his Colts gig, Hamilton served as Harbaugh’s wide receivers coach while the duo was at Stanford. As Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com writes, the Michigan coaching staff now has an opening after passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch left to become UCLA’s offensive coordinator. This would presumably be the role that Hamilton would fill. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes that Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown recently earned a five-year contract worth $1.4MM annually. Considering the instability of the Browns organization, Hamilton would surely be enticed by the money and job security.

Steelers To Franchise Le’Veon Bell, Want To Extend Antonio Brown

January 8th, 2017 at 11:24am CST by Rory Parks

We heard last month that the Steelers were expected to put the franchise tag on Le’Veon Bell this offseason, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported today that Pittsburgh will indeed franchise their star running back.

The tag will be about $12.3MM for running backs, and after the Steelers use it on Bell, the two sides will have a few months to work out a long-term contract. If they cannot, Bell could play out the 2017 season under the tag and be eligible for free agency again next offseason.

There are complications to a multi-year deal, of course. Bell has a history of off-field trouble, having been been suspended in each of the past two seasons, and he sustained knee injuries in 2014 and 2015. But when he’s on the field, he’s one of the most dynamic playmakers in the game, both as a runner and as a receiver. Despite missing four games this season, Bell ranked first in the NFL in touches per game (28.0) and scrimmage YPG (157.0), and he was second in rushing YPG (105.7). From Weeks 4-16–Bell was suspended for the first three weeks of the season and was rested for the team’s meaningless Week 17 contest–he led the NFL in touches (336) and scrimmage yards (1,884).

It appears that the Steelers are comfortable with Bell’s health and they seem to believe that his off-field issues are behind him, as a long-term deal is considered likely at this point. While Bell is unlikely to reach Adrian Peterson’s record-setting $14MM/year deal, he stands an excellent change of netting an eight-figure annual salary.

Per Rapoport, the Steelers also want to extend wide receiver Antonio Brown, who is under club control for one more season. Brown’s exceedingly club-friendly deal will pay him just $4.7MM next year, quite a bargain for arguably the best receiver in the game. But with substantial raises for Bell and Brown on the horizon, Pittsburgh will need to make some tough decisions elsewhere.

JuJu Smith-Schuster To Enter NFL Draft

January 8th, 2017 at 10:53am CST by Rory Parks

USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the NFL draft, according to Kyle Bonagura of ESPN.com.

Smith-Schuster is going out on top, as he caught seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in last week’s thrilling Rose Bowl, which ended in a 52-49 USC victory. He was a three-year starter for the Trojans, amassing 213 receptions for 3,092 yards and 25 touchdowns.

The 6-2, 220-pound wideout is the fourth-best receiver in this year’s draft class, according to ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. (Insider subscription required), and he is expected to be selected in the second half of the first round.

Smith-Schuster issued a statement on his Twitter account, which included the following:

“This was a very difficult decision to make. I have loved my time at USC and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Playing for USC was truly a dream come true, and I am proud of what we were able to accomplish in three years.”

This year’s Rose Bowl champs have already seen guard Damien Mama declare for the draft, and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson may follow suit.

Coaching/FO Rumors: 1/8/17

January 8th, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Rory Parks

We’ve already heard a few coaching and front office rumors today, including news on an extension for Andy Reid, the future of John Dorsey, and the Bills’ continued search for a new head coach. We will round up a few more rumors on that front right here. Revisit this post for updates throughout the day, and also check out our NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker.

In addition to Anthony Lynn, the Rams are also interviewing Doug Marrone for their vacant head coaching position today, according to Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). Schrager tweets, however, that Marrone is still “very much in contention” for the Jaguars‘ head coaching job.
The 49ers will interview Seahawks co-directors of player personnel Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer for their vacant GM job next Monday, and they will interview Seattle’s assistant head coach Tom Cable for their vacant head coaching job next Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The 49ers are interviewing the Colts‘ vice president of football operations Jimmy Raye III for their GM job today, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets.

John Dorsey Could Succeed Ted Thompson As Packers GM

January 8th, 2017 at 9:13am CST by Rory Parks

We heard earlier today that the Chiefs are expected to pursue an extension for head coach Andy Reid, who is under contract through 2017, at the end of the season. But general manager John Dorsey, who, like Reid, came to Kansas City in 2013, is already in the final year of his deal, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Dorsey could take over the Packers’ GM job next season.

Ted Thompson, the Packers’ current GM, has two years remaining on his contract, but the 63-year-old could step aside to a senior scouting role, which Rapoport reported last week. If that happens, the door could be open for Dorsey to return to Green Bay, where he first found front office success.

Dorsey helped to build the Packers into a consistent contender, first as a college scout from 1991-97 and then as director of college scouting in 1998. After a one-year stint as the Seahawks’ director of player personnel in 1999, Dorsey returned to the Packers, where he served as the team’s director of college scouting from 2000-11 and as the director of football operations in 2012.

Per Rapoport, Dorsey’s success in his various roles with Green Bay made him incredibly well-regarded by the club’s executive committee, including president and CEO Mark Murphy. In addition to Dorsey, Thompson’s list of potential successors includes current director of football operations Eliot Wolf–who was long considered to be the heir apparent to Thompson but who interviewed for the 49ers’ GM job last week–vice president of football administration Russ Ball, director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst and senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith.

It is interesting to note that, whether the Chiefs blocked current director of player personnel Chris Ballard from interviewing for the 49ers’ job or whether he turned down San Francisco’s overtures on his own–there are conflicting reports on that front–the fact remains that Ballard will remain in Kansas City. It could be, as Rapoport suggests (via Twitter), that Ballard plans to be elevated to the Chiefs’ GM job sooner rather than later.