HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Chip Kelly Eyeing Offensive Coordinator Job

January 3rd, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

Chip Kelly is out in San Francisco and he already knows what he wants to do next. The former 49ers head coach says that he would like to be an offensive coordinator, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Glazer did not specify whether Kelly was referring to an NFL or college opportunity, but our educated guess is that Kelly is looking to stay in the professional ranks. Chip Kelly (Vertical)

[RELATED: Trent Baalke Blocked 49ers From Drafting Dak Prescott]

Kelly also says that former GM Trent Baalke was working to get him fired for several weeks. Ultimately, Baalke got his way, but both men were shown out the door together. This isn’t the first time that Baalke has swayed ownership to make a coaching change. Glazer says that Baalke was the reason the 49ers elected not to hire Adam Gase in 2015, and instead went with Jim Tomsula. Apparenty, the Niners were set to announce Gase as their new coach before Baalke went to Jed York and undercut the decision. Gase’s Dolphins are getting ready for Wild Card weekend while the 49ers are blowing things up (again) after a two-win season.

This has been a bad week of PR for Baalke. On Monday, it was reported that Kelly and others in the organization were pushing for the team to draft Dak Prescott but Baalke did not pull the trigger on taking him.

RELATED:

Bills Rumors: Woods, Whaley, Ryan, Watkins

January 3rd, 2017 at 11:09am CST by Zachary Links

While speaking to reporters, Bills wide receiver Robert Woods heavily indicated that he will be testing the open market this spring, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. Woods has been a solid WR2 for Buffalo and he has had some monster games in instances where Sammy Watkins was unable to go or was playing at half strength. Coming off of a career-high 67.1% catch percentage, Woods should draw plenty of attention in March. It also helps that the USC product does not turn 25 until April.

Here’s more out of Buffalo:

  • During Monday’s disastrous press conference, Bills GM Doug Whaley says he is “open to anything” regarding the team’s coaching search, including giving up control of the 53-man roster, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. That contradicts reports from the last week which have indicated that Whaley is not interested in hiring any coach who would want to have authority over roster construction. Whaley also said that he was “not privy to the conversation” in which Rex Ryan‘s fate was decided. If Whaley is to be believed, that means he was not involved in dismissing the last coach, yet he is in charge of hiring the next coach. All in all, the presser from yesterday left many questioning the power structure and chain of command in Buffalo.
  • Watkins will have another foot surgery this week, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News tweets. We don’t have much in the way of details, but there is no indication that the surgery will cost Watkins time in 2017.
  • Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander says his agent has had preliminary discussions with the Bills about a new deal, Sal Capaccio of MSG tweets. Alexander joined Buffalo last year on a one-year deal worth $885K with just $75K guaranteed. Initially viewed as a special teams signing, Alexander had a career year in 2016, totaling 64 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

NFL Draft Rumors: Hooker, Ross, Mahomes

January 3rd, 2017 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest draft news:

  • Ohio State safety Malik Hooker announced that he is leaving school to enter the 2017 draft. Hooker, a redshirt sophomore, had seven interceptions and returned three of those picks for touchdowns. Scouts are high on him, but he has only one year of starting under his belt. Hooker is widely projected to be a first-round pick.
  • Washington wide receiver John Ross III is skipping his senior year and entering the draft, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Despite two knee surgeries which cost him the 2015 season, Ross has maintained his blazing speed and figures to be one of the first receivers to come off the board this spring. This year, he hauled in 81 receptions for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns.
  • Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II is going pro and he has signed with an agent, Alex Marvez of The Sporting News tweets. Mahomes has gaudy numbers, but he comes with a few asterisks. For starters, the Texas Tech offense tends to lend itself to inflated totals. Secondly, Mahomes has been battling shoulder issues for the last year and he recently had wrist surgery. Right now, the consensus seems to be that Mahomes’ draft stock is a tier below fellow QBs like Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer, and Deshaun Watson.
  • The 2017 draft order has been set for about two-thirds of the NFL.

Dolphins To Release DL Mario Williams

January 3rd, 2017 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins will waive defensive lineman Mario Williams this offseason, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. It has been long expected that the Dolphins would drop Williams. Mario Williams

[RELATED: Teams Request Permission To Interview DC Vance Joseph]

If Williams were to remain on the roster on the fifth day of the 2017 league year, he would have $3.5MM of his scheduled $8.485MM base salary guaranteed. The Dolphins have no interest in paying out his salary after a year in which he declined sharply. Williams was relegated to the bench in his first season with Miami and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph even slammed him publicly for a perceived lack of effort. Lately, he has been squeezed out of the gameplan altogether. Williams was a healthy scratch in Week 17 and he’ll likely be squeezed out on Sunday when the Dolphins face the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs.

Of course, this isn’t what the Dolphins had in mind when they signed Super Mario to a two-year, $17MM deal this spring. Williams had only five sacks in 2015, but in the year prior he piled up 14.5 sacks. The Dolphins felt that a change of scenery and a return to a 4-3 system would benefit him, but he instead turned in the worst season of his career. Now on the verge of his 32nd birthday, Williams will be a free agent and will have to take a drastic pay cut if he wants to continue playing.

Ravens To Keep OC Marty Mornhinweg

January 3rd, 2017 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

Contrary to speculation around the league, Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh announced that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will return in 2017. Same goes for defensive coordinator Dean Pees and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. Marty Mornhinweg (vertical)

[RELATED: Ravens Sign Six To Reserve/Futures Contracts]

Baltimore promoted Mornhinweg from quarterbacks coach to OC after firing Marc Trestman in October. Since then, however, the Ravens haven’t seen much in the way of improvement. On the whole, the Ravens finished 17th in total yards gained and 24th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric this season. A new hire would have made six OCs in six years for the Ravens.

While the coordinators will be staying on board, Harbaugh indicated that there could be other changes elsewhere on the staff.

A.J. Hawk To Retire

January 3rd, 2017 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

A.J. Hawk is calling it a career. The linebacker tells Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) that he plans on filing retirement paperwork this offseason. A.J. Hawk (vertical)

[RELATED: Steve Smith Announces Retirement]

Hawk anchored the Packers’ linebacking core for years and barely missed a game from 2006 through 2014. While he never had gaudy sack numbers, he was a tackling machine and an integral part of the Packers’ Super Bowl winning team in the 2010 season. When he lost a step on the other side of 30, he parted ways with the Packers and found his way to the Bengals in 2015. This season, he hooked on with the Falcons, but he wound up playing in just one game.

We here at PFR wish Hawk the best in retirement.

Bengals CB Adam Jones Arrested

January 3rd, 2017 at 8:52am CST by Zachary Links

Bengals cornerback Adam Jones was arrested for three misdemeanors and a felony last night, as Paul Dehner Jr. and Kevin Grasha of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Jones, through his attorney during arraignment, said he “vehemently denies” the accusations brought against him. Adam Jones

[RELATED: Bengals QB A.J. McCarron Wouldn’t Oppose Trade]

It’s alleged that Jones assaulted a man by “pushing and poking” him in the eye. Cops say he refused to stop when ordered to and he refused to enter the cop car as he was kicking and head-butting officers. The misdemeanor charges against him are for his alleged assault, disorderly conduct, and obstructing of official business. The felony charge is for “harassment of a member of the medical staff in the justice center with a bodily substance,” which is for spitting on a nurse at the jail.

Given Jones’ history, these charges could have serious legal ramifications and could lead to a lengthy suspension for the 2017 season. Jones is under contract with the Bengals through 2018 after signing a three-year, $22MM deal in March.

Extra Points: Marshall, Bortles, Payton

January 2nd, 2017 at 9:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL as we wrap up the night…

  • Despite a down season, Jets wideout Brandon Marshall said that he’s still planning on playing for another five years, writes ESPN.com’s Colin Stephenson. In fact, the 33-year-old suggested that he’d be willing to take a pay cut to stay in New York. “Like I said, it’s not about the money anymore; it’s all about winning,’’ he said. “But I know what I’m worth. I think this team knows what I’m worth, as far as the organization. But it’s not about the money. I’m good. I’m good with the money. I just want to win. That’s all I want to do is win. So I don’t care about anything but winning. That’s it.’’ Marshall is due $7.5MM next season, although the money isn’t guaranteed.
  • Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said he will bring in competition for kicker Roberto Aguayo, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes. “We’ve got to have competition at every position,” Koetter said Monday. “Nothing’s given and if they’re not the best player, then I can be pretty certain in saying that they won’t be out there.” The Bucs traded back into the second round in 2016 to select the Florida State product, making him the highest-drafted kicker since Mike Nugent. Many criticized the pick but GM Jason Licht later said he assigned Aguayo a first-round grade. The rookie ultimately connected on 71-percent of his field goals this season, the lowest mark in the league.
  • Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles says he played this season with two shoulder separations and wrist tendonitis (Twitter link via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com). The injuries likely contributed to the 24-year-old’s subpar stats this season. After a breakout campaign in 2015, Bortles threw for 3,905 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions this season.
  • Impending Colts free agent defensive back Darius Butler told Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) he’s ready to transition full time to safety. Butler finished the season with 27 tackles, three interceptions, and one forced fumble.
  • Despite rumors that may say the contrary, Saints head coach Sean Payton said that he plans on coaching the team in 2017, tweets Larry Holder of NOLA.com. Previous reports indicated that the organization would be willing to trade their long-time coach, and the Rams have been noted as a potential destination.
  • Could Cowboys DE Randy Gregory really be back for the playoffs? According to Jon Machota of the Dallas News (via Twitter), the embattled defender will have an appeal hearing in the next week or so to determine whether he’ll be eligible for the postseason. Gregory recently appealed his year-long ban.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Coaching Notes: Joseph, Bills, Rams

January 2nd, 2017 at 8:54pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s been a busy day around the NFL, especially when it comes to coaching rumors. We’re keeping track of all of those interviews, and you can find our tracker here.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at some more coaching whispers from around the NFL…

  • The Rams, Bills, and Chargers are requesting permission to speak with Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). We learned earlier today that the 49ers have also expressed interest in Joseph.
  • If Joseph indeed gets a head coaching gig, linebackers coach Matt Burke is likely to replace him as the Dolphins defensive coordinator, Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com tweets. Burke joined the Dolphins last offseason after having previously served as the linebackers coach with the Bengals and Lions.
  • The Bills are expected to interview Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich for their head coaching opening, sources tell Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). Prior to his time in Philly, Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Chargers.
  • The Bills have done some homework on Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard, Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports tweets. Richard just completed his second season in that role.
  • All Rams assistants have been told they are free to seek other employment, freelance NFL reporter Michael Silver tweets. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise since the next coach in L.A. will probably want to bring in a lot of his own guys. Even if the next head coach wants to keep some of the current assistants, it wouldn’t be fair to hamstring them while the search continues.
  • The Rams, Jaguars, Broncos, and 49ers will all interview Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan between Friday and Saturday, reports Rapoport (via Twitter).
  • The Rams are planning on interviewing Panthers secondary coach and assistant head coach Steve Wilks for their head coaching gig, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). The 47-year-old has been in the NFL since 2008, and he’s also coached for the Bears and Chargers.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/2/17

January 2nd, 2017 at 8:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Read more

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