HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

West Notes: Reid, Broncos, Carroll, Rams

December 31st, 2017 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Eric Reid looks set to become a UFA for the first time. The fifth-year safety’s 49ers contract expires after Week 17, and should the former first-round pick hit the market, he’ll be doing so at age 26 and with five seasons of full-time starter work. However, Reid is aware his protest participation over the past two years could play a role in his market.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘concerned.’ I’d say I understand that that’s a possibility,” Reid said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, when asked about his potential UFA market diminishing because of his participation in the Colin Kaepernick-led protest movement. “And I’m completely fine with that. The things that I’ve done, I stand by. And I’ve done that for my own personal beliefs. Like I said I’m fine with whatever outcome comes because of that.”

Pro Football Focus rates Reid as a middle-of-the-pack safety this season. He’s suffered injuries in back-to-back years as well. But the ex-LSU cog started for an NFC championship game entrant as a rookie, earning Pro Bowl recognition, and has gone on to play both safety spots in San Francisco.

Here’s the latest from the Western divisions as the majority of those coalitions’ teams prepare for their seasons’ final games.

  • Vance Joseph‘s bid at a second Broncos season is suddenly at risk. After ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported the rookie HC was facing longer odds at returning, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the growing sense is Joseph will be canned after today’s finale. Several Broncos players have come out in support of Joseph, and a report earlier this month said Joseph was likely to earn a second season. But eight of Denver’s 10 losses have been by double digits, putting Joseph in line to possibly become the franchise’s first one-and-done coach.
  • Pete Carroll‘s obviously earned protection against being fired, but the eighth-year Seahawks coach doesn’t sound like he’s close to leaving the sideline especially soon. Seemingly in response to a rumor about a possible retirement floated by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the 66-year-old HC said (on Twitter) “I ain’t old enough to think about retiring.”
  • Trumaine Johnson is finishing out his second franchise-tagged season, but he’s unsure the Rams will bring him back. The cornerback said at the beginning of the season it didn’t sound like he was in the team’s long-term plans, but he’s played a big role for a contending team this season. And Johnson, who turns 28 on Monday, pointed out this week he would like to stay in Los Angeles. “I’d love to be around,” Johnson said, via Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News. “But again, I understand the business side of it, so we’ll see. We’ll see in these next couple months.”
  • Sean McVay (via Hammond) isn’t sure Mark Barron will return for the Rams’ playoff opener next weekend. The linebacker’s battling an Achilles’ tendon injury and will be one of many players the Rams will rest today.
  • Jamaal Charles is inactive for the Broncos‘ season finale, and the 10th-year running back will fall just short of a $100K incentive, the Denver Post’s Nicki Jhabvala notes (on Twitter). Charles was to earn that bonus if he reached 500 yards from scrimmage, which was one of many thresholds in his incentive-laden contract. The 31-year-old back looked like a lock to get there at midseason, but he fell out of Denver’s rotation and will end his season with 425 yards. This could be the end for the two-time All-Pro, although he said earlier this season he wanted to play two more seasons.

“Foregone Conclusion” Steelers Tag Bell

December 31st, 2017 at 1:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers and Le’Veon Bell are headed toward another negotiation this offseason, and the sides could be set for another lengthy impasse.

It’s now seen as a “foregone conclusion” the Steelers will apply the franchise tag to Bell, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Bell is finishing out his age-25 season playing on the $12.12MM tag. He’s making by far the most money among backs this season and doesn’t plan to adjust his demands, La Canfora notes.

Bell wanted $16MM per year during the most recent negotiation, and he will be seeking at least that much now after an injury-free regular season. The Steelers offered him a deal that would have paid him $30MM over the contract’s first two years. If he plays on the tag next season, he’ll make $14.54MM. Bell will have cost himself nearly $4MM between 2016-17 in that scenario.

La Canfora reports this impending Bell/Steelers standoff will likely go toward the July 15 deadline again. The running back wants a deal similar to Adrian Peterson‘s 2011 extension. Peterson signed for seven years and $100MM in 2011 on a deal that proved to be a major outlier and one that was signed prior to the running back position’s decrease in value. Devonta Freeman‘s $8.25MM-AAV contract tops the current market.

He’s likely steamrolling toward a second first-team All-Pro appearance. Prior to being held out in Week 17, Bell amassed 1,946 yards from scrimmage — second-most in his career. He carries incredible value to the Steelers’ perennial Super Bowl hopes. But Pittsburgh gave Bell 406 touches this season — by far a career-high. The high-volume back now has one fewer prime season remaining, which could well factor into these talks.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/31/17

December 31st, 2017 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s workout notes from around the league:

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

Antonio Brown Expected To Be Available For Divisional Round

December 31st, 2017 at 11:45am CST by Dallas Robinson

December 31, 11:45am: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that Brown was still limping at the start of this week but has shown progress since, and the Steelers believe he will be ready for the team’s first playoff game two weeks from now. Brown probably could not have returned for the wildcard round if Pittsburgh had not secured a first-round bye, but since it did lock in one of the AFC’s top two seeds, Brown will get an extra week to recover.

December 24, 1:49pm: If the Steelers don’t secure a first-round playoff bye, they’ll probably be without star wideout Antonio Brown for their first postseason game. Brown is considered unlikely to be available for a potential Wild Card round contest as he recovers from a partially torn calf muscle, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.Antonio Brown (vertical)

While Pittsburgh’s chances of advancing would certainly be reduced without Brown, the Steelers are nearly a lock to get a bye in the first round of the postseason. In fact, a Jaguars loss to the 49ers on Sunday and a Steelers victory over the Texans on Monday would give Pittsburgh a bye. Overall, FiveThirtyEight gives Pittsburgh a 89% chance of locking down a bye for Wild Card weekend.

Brown, 29, leads the NFL in both receptions (101) and yards (1,533) and has scored nine touchdowns on the season. Without him on the field for at least the next two weeks, the Steelers will turn to a bevy of other pass-catching options including JuJu Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant, Eli Rogers, and Jesse James.

Coaching Rumors: Joseph, Eagles, Colts

December 31st, 2017 at 11:25am CST by Rory Parks

This offseason’s coaching carousel is expected to be one of the more exciting ones in recent history given all of the jobs that will become available, though that excitement is not limited to the head coaching gigs. It’s been a busy morning already, but let’s take a look at a few more head coach and coordinator rumors:

  • Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is facing increasingly longer odds of being retained for a second season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
  • Former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who is currently serving as a senior personnel executive for the team, has interest in returning to the sidelines as an offensive coordinator. However, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports that the Broncos are looking to keep Kubiak around and expand his role to include more front office responsibility and perhaps some coaching responsibilities as well.
  • The Eagles may lose their defensive coordinator this offseason, and ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports that Philadelphia could also lose several top position coaches (Twitter links). Caplan says Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo and WR coach Mike Groh could be targeted by other clubs, though Philadelphia could still block either man from accepting coordinator jobs elsewhere.
  • Colts GM Chris Ballard has strong ties to several members of the Chiefs‘ coaching staff — special teams coach Dave Toub and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that both men will get consideration for Indianapolis’ head coaching job. La Canfora points out, however, that Colts owner Jim Irsay may prefer to make a “splashier” hire if possible.
  • The Bengals have reached out to external candidates for their (expected) head coaching opening, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). This will be an open search for Cincinnati, which generally prefers to promote from within.
  • Saints head coach Sean Payton said that Darryl Tapp, who played in the league for 11 years (including four games with the Bucs this season), is now serving as a coaching intern for New Orleans. It would appear, then, that Tapp’s playing days are over and he is shifting his sights to the next stage of his career.

Dean Pees Expected To Retire

December 31st, 2017 at 10:45am CST by Rory Parks

Ravens DC Dean Pees is expected to retire after the season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Pees, 68, has not yet told his players of his intentions.

Baltimore has an excellent chance of advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 today, and its defense is a big reason for that. The team ranks ninth in the league in yards allowed per game in 2017, fourth in points allowed per game, and it has generated a league-leading 33 turnovers. Nonetheless, the Ravens have largely feasted on rookie and/or second-string quarterbacks this season, and the team’s defense has struggled against more established signal-callers.

Schefter refers to Pees as one of the league’s top defensive minds whose units frequently feature exotic looks, but that would be news to Ravens fans. Pees’ defenses in Baltimore have been generally marked by conservative play-calling and late-game collapses, with some notable exceptions.

However, he has been a part of two of the league’s more successful franchises over the past 14 years. He broke into the NFL as the Patriots’ LB coach in 2004 before being promoted to New England’s DC in 2006. He left New England for Baltimore in 2010 and served as the Ravens’ LB coach in 2010-11. When Chuck Pagano left his job as Baltimore’s DC to accept a head coaching position with the Colts in 2012, Pees was elevated to defensive coordinator.

The Ravens won the Super Bowl that year, a game that featured a last-minute goal-line stand by their defense. In addition to that championship ring, Pees earned a ring with the Patriots, who won Super Bowl XXXIX when Pees was their LB coach.

The Ravens have typically promoted from within when it comes to their defensive coordinators. Under head coach John Harbaugh, all four defensive coordinators that the team has employed — Rex Ryan, Greg Mattison, Pagano, and Pees — were previously position coaches on the team’s staff. Don Martindale, Baltimore’s current LB coach, would be the top in-house candidate to replace Pees, though the Ravens would surely be interested in reuniting with Pagano, who is expected to be fired by the Colts.

Packers Expected To Part Ways With Dom Capers

December 31st, 2017 at 10:17am CST by Rory Parks

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but the Packers are expected to part ways with longtime defensive coordinator Dom Capers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Capers, 67, has been with the team since 2009, but it appears as if his ninth season will be his last.

Capers’ unit will finish outside the top-15 in league rankings for the sixth time in the past seven years, and the last time it enjoyed a top-10 ranking was in 2010, when the Packers won the Super Bowl. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Capers could step down or retire to avoid the ignominy of a firing.

Silverstein opines that Green Bay has the makings of a solid defense, but that moving on from Capers is essential. He also believes that the team needs to bring in a new coordinator from outside the organization to provide the defense with a completely fresh start. He looks at some of the top names that could be available, including current Bears DC Vic Fangio and current Lions DC Teryl Austin, though it does not appear that there are currently any substantive rumors linking the Packers to the names on Silverstein’s list.

Capers, meanwhile, is probably prepared to call it a career. He broke into the league with the Saints in 1986 and has twice served as a head coach (for the expansion Panthers in 1995 and the expansion Texans in 2002). He has one Super Bowl ring, which, as noted above came as Green Bay’s DC in 2010.

Rapoport’s Latest: Mularkey, Arians, Rodgers

December 31st, 2017 at 9:54am CST by Rory Parks

It’s a busy day in the NFL, as some teams fight for the playoffs while others prepare for the offseason and their next head coach. Let’s take a look at some of the latest reports from NFL.com scribe Ian Rapoport on the eve of Black Monday:

  • Despite the fact that the Titans could clinch a playoff spot today, Rapoport says that head coach Mike Mularkey is in trouble, and if Tennessee loses to Jacksonville this afternoon, Mularkey could be fired. Indeed, he could be canned even if the Titans make the playoffs but lose in the wildcard round. Apparently, ownership is frustrated with the development of Marcus Mariota, and if the Titans dismiss Mularkey, they could go hard after Patriots OC Josh McDaniels.
  • Rapoport tweets that the Cardinals have not given up hope of enticing head coach Bruce Arians to return, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Arians is likely to step away from coaching after Arizona’s season finale today.
  • The Packers recently extended Davante Adams, and Rapoport tweets that the team will make an extension for Aaron Rodgers its top priority this offseason.
  • There are expected to be two head coaching openings in the NFC North, with the Bears and Lions preparing to look for their next sideline general this offseason. Rapoport names Patriots DC Matt Patricia as a top choice for Detroit, while the Bears could look hard at a QB guru for young signal-caller Mitch Trubisky. Rapoport tweets that the Saints‘ Pete Carmichael, the longest-tenured OC in the league, could get a look for the Chicago job.
  • Both Cowboys coordinators (DC Rod Marinelli and OC Scott Linehan) are on the hot seat and will be thoroughly evaluated, per Rapoport (video link).

Texans To Retain Bill O’Brien?

December 31st, 2017 at 9:11am CST by Rory Parks

Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, the Texans are expected to retain head coach Bill O’Brien, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Schefter cautions that there are still issues to be discussed and contractual matters to sort out — O’Brien has just one year left on his original five-year deal, and it is unlikely the team would allow him to coach next season without signing him to a contract extension in the coming months — but O’Brien is likely to be back with the team in 2018.

Bill O'Brien

Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, though, says O’Brien will have a “pivotal” meeting with ownership tomorrow, and that nothing has been decided about his future at this point (Twitter link). Wilson reports that all options, including dismissal, are still on the table.

It has been reported that O’Brien and GM Rick Smith have a seriously strained relationship, that those tensions have reached the breaking point, and that ownership is likely to prioritize Smith over O’Brien. Nonetheless, O’Brien has enjoyed some success in Houston, and seemingly every report concerning his job security with the Texans adds that he would be a top choice for other teams looking for a new head coach this offseason. Indeed, Wilson tweets that O’Brien, should he become a free agent, would become the top option for the Giants, who are also zeroing in on Jim Schwartz.

The Texans could be deciding that, if so many other teams want O’Brien, perhaps they should give him another chance. Indeed, it is difficult to fault him for his club’s struggles this year given injuries to top players like rookie QB Deshaun Watson and superstar J.J. Watt (not to mention the team’s difficulties in finding a capable QB prior to landing Watson).

For what it’s worth (and that could be a great deal), Watson has publicly endorsed O’Brien.

Raiders To Pursue Jon Gruden

December 31st, 2017 at 8:50am CST by Rory Parks

Now that the Buccaneers are expected to retain Dirk Koetter as their head coach in 2018 (though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks that Tampa Bay could easily reverse course in that regard), the Raiders are upping the ante in their pursuit of Jon Gruden. Gruden, of course, previously served as head coach of Tampa Bay and Oakland, though his name has been more heavily connected to the Buccaneers in recent weeks.

Jon Gruden (vertical)

But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Raiders are preparing to pursue Gruden with an offer so strong that it could include an ownership stake in the team. Schefter adds that Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, will be tempted to accept the offer, though he would prefer to wait until the regular season concludes and Oakland formally makes a decision on current head coach Jack Del Rio.

There are complications to a potential reunion. For instance, if Raiders owner Mark Davis does indeed offer Gruden an ownership stake, the contract would need to be approved by all 32 owners and the league finance committee, and such approval could be difficult to attain, as ownership would not want to set a precedent. Furthermore, Del Rio and Gruden are represented by the same agent, Bob LaMonte.

Nonetheless, one has to figure that if the Raiders want Gruden, and Gruden wants them, the two sides will find a way to make it happen. After all, Gruden never wanted to leave the Raiders to begin with, and though Oakland has struggled this season, there are a lot of factors that make its head coaching job an enviable one. Plus, although Gruden has been frequently discussed as a highly-coveted head coaching candidate in past years, this is the first year that he has made calls around the league in an effort to piece together a potential staff.

Interestingly, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) names current CBS analyst (and former Raiders QB) Rich Gannon as someone that Gruden has contacted as a potential quarterbacks coach.

Gruden declined to specifically comment on the Raiders’ position.

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