HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Bears Expected To Retain DC Vic Fangio

January 9th, 2018 at 8:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears are now expected to retain defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to serve under new head coach Matt Nagy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).Vic Fangio (vertical)

Chicago had reportedly to preferred to keep the 59-year-old Fangio (who is 20 years Nagy’s senior) in the fold, but Fangio — who also interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching position earlier this month — drew interest from several clubs around the league. The Bears put on a “full court press” to retain Fangio, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel, hinting that Green Bay’s decision to hire Mike Pettine may have been a result of Fangio’s reported $2MM price tag.

If he does indeed return to the Bears, Fangio will once again lead a defensive unit that ranked just 24th in points allowed but 14th in defensive DVOA, an indication the club was better on a play-by-play basis than overall. Defenders such as defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Kyle Fuller, and safety Adrian Amos posted excellent seasons under Fangio’s leadership, and Chicago could use some its $42MM in cap space and/or the eighth overall selection to bolster the defensive personnel even further.

As PFR’s 2018 NFL Coordinator Tracker indicates, every team that had a defensive coordinator vacancy at the conclusion of the regular season has now either retained its incumbent DC or hired an external candidate.

Chargers Retain DC Gus Bradley

January 9th, 2018 at 8:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers have re-signed defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to a three-year contract, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier tonight (via Twitter) that Los Angeles was expected to be able to retain its defensive play-caller, whose contract expired after the 2017 season.Gus Bradley (vertical)

[RELATED: 2018 Coordinator Tracker]

Bradley is the second defensive coordinator to be hired in the NFL tonight, joining new Packers defensive play-caller Mike Pettine. Both Bradley and Pettine were candidates for the Green Bay coaching position, so Bradley may have decided to re-sign in Los Angeles after being passed over by the Packers.

Bradley inked a one-year deal with the Chargers after spending three-plus seasons as the Jaguars’ head coach. Los Angeles ranked 12th in DVOA under Bradley’s leadership, while the defensive unit featured starring performances from edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and cornerback Casey Hayward.

“We’d like to keep this together if we can,” Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said of Bradley earlier this month. “I know some guys, the contracts are up. We’re working on that right now. We’re trying to keep this staff together, this nucleus together, because I think we got better as a coaching staff as the season went on.”

With Bradley, Pettine, Paul Guenther, Teryl Austin now placed in Los Angeles, Green Bay, Oakland, and Cincinnati, respectively, Vic Fangio is the primary free agent defensive coordinator still on the board. Speculatively, the Bears could now be set to retain Fangio under new head coach Matt Nagy, a solution that Chicago prefers.

Packers To Hire Mike Pettine As DC

January 9th, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers will hire former Browns head coach Mike Pettine as their next defensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).Mike Pettine

Pettine interviewed to replace Dom Capers earlier today, and head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t let the ex-Jets/Bills defensive coordinator leave the building. A long-time Rex Ryan disciple who — like Capers — runs primarily a 3-4 scheme, Pettine will now head to Green Bay after not coaching in the NFL in 2017.

The Packers’ decision to hire Pettine could have effects for not only the rest of the Green Bay defensive staff, but the coordinator market as a while. As PFR’s 2018 Coordinator Tracker shows, the Packers had considered three internal candidates — Winston Moss, Darren Perry, and Joe Whitt — as DC options, and reports have indicated some or all of that trio could now leave Green Bay after being passed over for a promotion.

McCarthy & Co. had expressed interest in external candidates, as well, and were thought to have considered Bears DC Vic Fangio their top target. Fangio, who’s drawn interest from multiple clubs, now remains on the coaching market, as does Chargers DC Gus Bradley, another Green Bay candidate. Speculatively, Fangio’s reported price tag of $2MM+ could have played a factor in the Packers taking a pass.

Pettine, 51, was a star high school coach who rose the coordinator ranks to become head coach of the Browns in 2014. After posting a surprising 7-9 record in his debut campaign, Pettine’s Cleveland squad fell to 3-13 the following season, and Pettine wasn fired. He interviewed for the Redskins’ defensive play-calling job last January but lost out to Greg Manusky.

Now that he’s under contract, Pettine could act quickly to form the remainder of his staff, especially if Moss, Perry, or Whitt leave. Former Browns and 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil should be expected to land a role on Pettine’s new coaching unit, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

Coaching Rumors: Fangio, Rams, Broncos

January 9th, 2018 at 7:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent coach Vic Fangio is an extremely popular man at the moment — as PFR’s 2018 Coordinator Tracker indicates, Fangio is a candidate to return to the Bears or join the division rival Packers, and he could certainly be linked to more jobs as other head coaching vacancies are filled. But hiring Fangio won’t come cheap, as he was reportedly among the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinators last season with a salary in excess of $2MM, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The average DC, per Biggs, earns closer to $1.5MM annually, so any club that wants to add Fangio will likely need to pony up.

Here’s more from the coaching front:

  • The Rams have promoted assistant wide receivers coach Zac Taylor to quarterbacks coach, the club announced today. Taylor will replace Greg Olson, who left Los Angeles to become the Raiders’ next offensive coordinator under new head coach Jon Gruden. Taylor has previous play-calling experience, having served as the OC for both the University of Cincinnati and the Dolphins. But he won’t be leading the offense with the Rams, who also employ head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. Instead, Taylor will help guide former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff as he enters his third NFL campaign.
  • The Broncos have a new special teams coordinator in Tom McMahon, tweets former NFL punter Pat McAfee. McMahon, who’s coached in the NFL for more than a decade, comes to Denver from Indianapolis, where he helped the Colts rank eighth in special teams DVOA. The Broncos, on the other hand, ranked 30th in ST DVOA under former coordinator Brock Olivo.
  • Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin has set up assistant coaching interviews with multiple AFC teams, reports Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (Twitter link). While Arizona defensive coordinator James Bettcher was given a head coaching interview after Bruce Arians retired, Goodwin wasn’t afforded the same opportunity. Goodwin has interviewed for four head coaching positions over the past two seasons.
  • While the final decision to fire former offensive coordinator Mike Shula was ultimately left to Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, Rivera “kept the lines of communication” open with interim general manager Marty Hurney during the process, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

Bengals Interview Jon Kitna

January 9th, 2018 at 6:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals have interviewed former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna for a position on their staff, according to Alex Marvez of the Sporting News.

At present, it’s unclear for which position Kitna interviewed, but Cincinnati does have a vacancy at quarterbacks coach. Bill Lazor formerly held that title, but he’s now the full-time offensive coordinator following the firing of Ken Zampese. Kitna, who spent five seasons with the Bengals during his playing career, doesn’t have any NFL coaching experience, but he has served as a high school head coach since 2012.

Kitna, 45, played under Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis for three years, and was Lewis’ first starting quarterback when the latter took over in Cincinnati in 2003. Lewis recently inked a two-year extension to remain in the Queen City, and hiring Kitna would add another level of familiarity to the Bengals’ staff.

Kitna’s potential addition won’t be the only staff change in Cincinnati, as the club is parting ways with secondary coach Kevin Coyle, per Marvez. Additionally, the Bengals are considering both pro and college coaches as they seek to replace offensive line coach Paul Alexander, and one scenario could involve promoting longtime consultant Jim McNally to OL coach, reports Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Utah assistant head coach/offensive line Jim Harding has also interviewed for the position, tweets Marvez.

Panthers To Interview Norv Turner For OC

January 9th, 2018 at 6:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers will interview longtime NFL coach Norv Turner for their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes Turner is the club’s “top choice.”Norv Turner (Vertical)

Carolina’s interest in Turner comes as no surprise, as Rapoport indicated earlier today that the 65-year-old was Panthers head coach Ron Rivera‘s No. 1 contender for the OC position. Additionally, Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) reported the Panthers would likely hire a “veteran” coach to replace the fired Mike Shula, and Turner would certainly fit that bill.

Turner offers a wealth of experience, as he’s coordinated offenses for six clubs while serving as head coach for three other teams. He also enjoys a working relationship with Rivera — not only did Rivera coach under Turner with the Chargers, but Turner recommended Rivera for the top job in Carolina.

If Turner is hired, he could potentially bring his son Scott along as the Panthers’ next quarterbacks coach to replace Ken Dorsey, per Rapoport (video link). However, Carolina could have competition for Turner, as Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks could hire Turner (or Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo) as his OC if he’s hired as a head coach, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/18

January 9th, 2018 at 6:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • DL Collin Bevins

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Oakland Raiders

  • DB Shaquille Richardson

Philadelphia Eagles

  • C Jon Toth

Washington Redskins

Nick Saban Not Interested In Giants’ Job

January 9th, 2018 at 5:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians caused a stir today by hinting Alabama head coach Nick Saban — fresh off a National Championship — could be interested in the Giants’ head coaching vacancy. However, those rumors can be quickly stamped out, as Saban does not have any interest in coming to New York, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (Twitter link). Nick Saban (Vertical)

“It would not surprise me,” Arians said, when asked by FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd if Saban would take the Giants’ position (Twitter link) . “And there’s a job he covets. It just happens to be open. But he’s got a dynasty right now, another dynamite recruiting class. Why he would do it, I don’t know, but it wouldn’t shock me if he did.”

Saban, of course, has spent time in the NFL both as a head coach and defensive coordinator, and memorably posted a 15-17 record with the Dolphins from 2006-07 before abruptly leaving to head back to the college game. Since then, he’s been remarkably successful, managing five titles with the Crimson Tide while sending a bevy of first-round picks to the pros.

Thus far, the Giants have interviewed six candidates in their bid to replace Ben McAdoo. Here’s where things stand:

Chiefs Promote Eric Bieniemy To OC

January 9th, 2018 at 4:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have promoted running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to offensive coordinator, the club announced today. Bieniemy will replace Matt Nagy, who has moved on to become the new head coach of the Bears. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) was the first to indicate a Bieniemy promotion was likely.Eric Bieniemy/Andy Reid (vertical)

Last year, the Chiefs ranked fifth in total offense under Nagy’s command. Bieniemy will be tasked with keeping the offense flowing, though it remains to be seen who his quarterback will be. The Chiefs could explore trades for Alex Smith, opening the door for young Patrick Mahomes III to take over.

Bieniemy, who enjoyed a nine-year playing career before entering the coaching ranks, has been with Kansas City since 2013. Prior to that, the 45-year-old served as the offensive coordinator at Colorado, so he does offer play-calling experience. Whether or not Bieniemy will actually call plays with the Chiefs — something head coach Andy Reid is known to do — is unknown.

As PFR’s 2018 Coordinator Tracker indicates, the Chiefs never considered any other candidates for their vacant OC job, as Bieniemy was said to have the “inside track” from the outset of the search.

Ravens Promote Don Martindale To DC

January 9th, 2018 at 4:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens announced that they have promoted Don “Wink” Martindale to the role of defensive coordinator. In related moves, the team moved defensive backs coach Mike MacDonald to linebackers coach. Don Martindale (vertical)

Martindale takes over for Dean Pees, who retired at the end of the 2017 season. After six years on staff in Baltimore, he’s getting his chance to run the show in Baltimore. “Wink” previously served as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2010 and helped coach the team’s linebacker group to its full potential.

The 54-year-old (55 in May) has big shoes to fill. In his first year as Baltimore’s DC, Pees helped the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. This past year, Pees’ group allowed the sixth-fewest points in the NFL and generated a league-high 34 takeaways.

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