2018 January - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Would Consider Trading QB Alex Smith This Offseason

January 6th, 2018 at 12:04pm CST by Ben Levine

[UPDATE: Chiefs Expected To Trade Alex Smith]

It sounds like trade rumors will hound quarterback Alex Smith once again. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Chiefs will be open to trading the signal-caller this offseason. The reporter notes that the front office won’t “actively seek out trade partners,” but they’ll listen to any inquiries.

Considering the veteran’s age and the presence of 2017 first-rounder Patrick Mahomes, Smith was mentioned in trade rumors last offseason. At the time, head coach Andy Reid and ownership offered their public support for the aging quarterback, and Smith responded with one of the best seasons of his career. The 33-year-old set several career-highs in 2017, including passing yards (4,042) and touchdowns (26). He also completed 67.5-percent of his passes and threw only five interceptions, leading to some early-season MVP rumblings.

Of course, Smith is set to make $17MM next season, and Mahomes looked solid during his Week 17 start (22-of-35 for 284 yards). As Rapoport mentions, the team could surely receive more than the pair of second-rounders they gave up when they acquired Smith from San Francisco in 2013. Still, the Chiefs earned the four seed in the AFC this season, and the reporter warns that the team could hold on to Smith if they make a run to the Super Bowl. In other words, trade talks surely won’t heat up under Kansas City’s season is officially over.

Rapoport lists a number of teams that could have interest in the veteran quarterback, including the Jets, Broncos, Jaguars, Bills, Browns, and Cardinals. He specifically notes that Arizona had interest in Smith back when he was on the 49ers, and he says the Broncos have already considered a pursuit.

Titans HC Mike Mularkey On The Hot Seat?

January 6th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Ben Levine

Despite leading his team to consecutive nine-win seasons, Titans head coach Mike Mularkey could be on the hot seat. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the coach’s job “is not safe,” and a loss to the Chiefs today could end his tenure in Tennessee. There were reports last week that Mularkey could be fired if the Titans lost their season finale.

Following underwhelming stints in Buffalo and Jacksonville, Mularkey replaced Ken Whisenhunt as the Titans head coach midway through the 2015 season. He went 2-7 during the remainder of that campaign, but he’s led his team to 9-7 records over the past two seasons. The Titans will play Kansas City today in the wild card round, their first playoff appearance since 2008.

However, Rapoport tweets that ownership has spent the past week discussing the coach’s future. Specifically, there has been “frustration with the lack of development for Marcus Mariota.” The former second-overall pick had a breakout campaign in 2016, but he took a step back in 2017, completing 62-percent of his passes for 3,232 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

According to Rapoport, the Titans front office is also preparing to pursue Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The former Broncos head coach has already generated a whole lot of interest, as he’s been connected to the Bears, Giants and Colts.

Reggie McKenzie Declined Opportunity To Interview For Packers GM Gig

January 6th, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Ben Levine

We heard earlier this morning that the Packers request to interview Seahawks general manager John Schneider was denied. Well, it sounds like the Seattle executive wasn’t the only big-name option that Green Bay was targeting. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Packers requested permission to interview Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie for their vacancy. McKenzie declined the request and plans on sticking around as Jon Gruden‘s GM in Oakland. Yesterday, ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter tweeted similar news.

Following an eight-year playing career, McKenzie actually got his first NFL front office gig with the Packers. After starting as a scout, McKenzie eventually worked his way up to the position of director of football operations. He later moved on to Oakland, where he took the general manager job in 2012. Since then, McKenzie has played a role in the team’s underwhelming 36-60 record, including three seasons with four wins or less. However, the Raiders did make the playoffs with a 12-4 record in 2016, earning McKenzie 2016 NFL Executive of the Year honors.

Yesterday, the Raiders signed Gruden to a massive 10-year, $100MM deal to become their next head coach. Subsequent reports indicated that McKenzie could lose some power in the organization, although he’ll retain the role of general manager. The team plans on adding an EVP of Football Operations to oversee personnel, and they’ve also been targeting some young executives from around the league.

The Packers interviewed director of football operations Eliot Wolf earlier this week, and they’ve also spoken to VP of football administration Russ Ball and director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst. Former Bills GM Doug Whaley is expected to be the first external candidate to interview for the gig later today. The Packers were previously rejected from interviewing Vikings executive George Paton. The team has been seeking a new general manager since Ted Thompsonwas removed from the role earlier this week.

Panthers, HC Ron Rivera Agree To Extension

January 6th, 2018 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have been looking for some stability in their organization, and it sounds like they’ve found that with Ron Rivera. The Panthers announced that they’ve signed their head coach to an extension. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report (via Twitter) that the organization was closing in on a two-year extension with their head coach. The new contract would keep Rivera with the team through the 2020 season. Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer reports that the deal is worth $15.5MM.

“I’m very excited about it because I really like where we are as a football team,” Rivera said. “We’ve done some really good things and we have an opportunity to do more. Things are in place and we can continue this success. We’ve had consistency of winning and we’ve gone to the playoffs four out of five years.

“This is a tremendous place with tremendous support from ownership and the people that work in the organization. And I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten from our fans in the Carolinas. That’s a big reason why I want to continue my association with this organization.”

We heard last month that the Panthers were prioritizing signing Rivera to an extension. The 55-year-old joined the organization back in 2011, leading his team to only 13 wins during his first two seasons at the helm. However, since then, the Panthers have gone 51-28, and they made a Super Bowl appearance along the way. If Rivera hadn’t been signed to an extension, Rapoport notes that he would have been one of the most popular names for the various head coaching vacancies, including the Bears. Rivera was Chicago’s defensive coordinator from 2004 through 2006.

Of course, while the Panthers may appreciate the stability on their coaching staff, the front office and ownership are a different story. This extension would be the first major move for COO Tina Becker, who replaced owner Jerry Richardson. The owner is now planning on selling the team amid allegations of workplace misconduct. The team is also rolling with an interim general manager in Marty Hurney, whose contract runs through June. As ProFootballTalk.com tweets, new ownership could realistically clear house, meaning Rivera’s extension doesn’t necessarily mean he’s safe.

Seahawks Deny Packers Permission To Interview John Schneider For GM Job

January 6th, 2018 at 8:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Packers are aiming high in their search for a new general manager. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the organization “submitted paperwork for permission” to interview current Seahawks general manager John Schneider. The request was ultimately denied.

The Packers interviewed director of football operations Eliot Wolf earlier this week, and they’ve also spoken to VP of football administration Russ Ball and director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst. Former Bills GM Doug Whaley is expected to be the first external candidate to interview for the gig later today. The Packers were previously rejected from interviewing Vikings executive George Paton. The team has been seeking a new general manager since Ted Thompson was removed from the role earlier this week.

However, despite the seemingly long list of candidates, you couldn’t blame the Packers organization for targeting Schneider, a Green Bay-native. The executive has been one of the most successful general managers in the NFL since he took over the Seahawks job in 2010. Seattle has compiled a 79-48-1 record over his eight years on the job, including a Super Bowl win and pair of NFC Championships. Working in tandem with head coach Pete Carroll, Schneider has been responsible for the late-round selections of Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, and Kam Chancellor, as well as the signings of undrafted free agents Doug Baldwin and Thomas Rawls.

Rapoport notes that Schneider signed an extension that runs through 2021, and it doesn’t contain an out-clause for Green Bay. As a result, the Packers would only be able to hire the general manager after completing a trade with Seattle. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says that the Packers could push the fact that Schneider isn’t a “high-level employee” considering Carroll’s presence in the front office. However, that would require Green Bay to “certify a dispute” with commissioner Roger Goodell, and it would surely lead to some bad blood between the two organizations.

Bears Interview Josh McDaniels, Pat Shurmur

January 5th, 2018 at 9:52pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Bears have interviewed another pair of potential head coaches in offensive coordinators Josh McDaniels and Pat Shurmur, the team announced today. They are the third and fourth candidates that the Bears have spoken to about their vacant head coach post. They have already interviewed current defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards.

McDaniels and Shurmur are the first offensive-minded coaches that the Bears have talked to in this process. Granted they are also set to interview Eagles quarterback coach John DeFilippo and Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. DeFilippo is scheduled to meet with the Bears tomorrow with Nagy likely having his meeting next week considering the Chiefs play in their Wild Card game tomorrow. Chicago is also prepared to interview Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks some point soon.

With Mitch Trubisky entering his second-year with the team, many would expect that the Bears would have a lot of interest in pairing him with a coach that could help him grow in his sophomore campaign. However, given their current list of interviewees it seems like the team has a many different types of candidates they are interested in.

NFL Reserve/Future Contracts: 1/5/18

January 5th, 2018 at 9:27pm CST by GregGoldstein

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:

New Orleans Saints

WR Paul Turner

Packers Interview Russ Ball, Brian Gutekunst

January 5th, 2018 at 9:05pm CST by GregGoldstein

With Ted Thompson out as general manager in Green Bay, the team has finished interviewing internal candidates regarding the vacant position. After the the Packers spoke with director of football operations Eliot Wolf yesterday, they just finished up talking to VP of football administration Russ Ball and director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst this afternoon, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Breer adds that the Packers will speak with their first external candidate for the position in former Bills GM Doug Whaley tomorrow.

This is the first time that Green Bay is looking for a new leader of the team’s football operations in 13 years. There’s been a recent report that Ball is the favorite to become the next general manager for the Packers. However, there’s been speculation that should the job go to Ball, Wolf and Gutekunst would head to different teams. Although, should one of the two get the job the other would stay in the front office.

While Whaley is the lone person from outside the organization that ownership is scheduled to meet with at the moment, the Packers did get rejected from interviewing Vikings executive George Paton and still have their eye on scheduling a meeting with long time Ravens front office member Eric Decosta. However, Decosta seems like a longshot considering his willingness to stay as the “general manager in waiting” behind Ozzie Newsome.

Kirk Cousins Wants to Wait Until March For Any Deal

January 5th, 2018 at 8:11pm CST by GregGoldstein

Kirk Cousins has already been franchised tagged the past two seasons and appears to want to wait out his next payday too. The 29-year-old quarterback is set to become a free agent in March and recently elaborated on his desire to wait until that time in order to max out his value, reports John Keim of ESPN.com.

“I see us taking our time,” Cousins said. “You can only just go year to year for so long, but that’s why it’s first things first. Let’s get away from the season a little bit and then let’s gather some information as to what the rest of the league is looking like, who’s being hired, who’s being fired. … It’s hard to make decisions now because there are so many dominoes to fall between now and then to influence it.”

Free agency is set to begin on March 14 with Washington having the chance to franchise tag him again for a stunning $34.5MM by the March 6 deadline. That scenario seems highly unlikely given how much that salary would hamstring the rest of the roster. However, the Redskins could decide to apply the $28.8MM transition tag in order to maintain some control over his future. While the team won’t receive any compensation should Cousins agree to another team on a transition tag, it does give Washington the chance to match any offer if he does sign with another team.

It certainly seems based on his comments that Cousins would like to test the free agent waters after being agreeing to play on the franchise tags for the past two years. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t consider re-signing with the Redskins if the price is right.

“It’s been a very positive six years,” he said. “Obviously we don’t have Super Bowl rings to show for it, we don’t have playoff wins. But it’s a privilege to play here. I’ve always felt that, and I’d be foolish to say I don’t want to be here.”

Cousins is not a spring chicken as he’ll turn 30 years old over the summer. He’s in his prime right now and clearly wants to get the most out of his upcoming long-term deal. If he wishes to do that, waiting until other teams have a chance to bid on him seems like the best way to do that.

Latest On Gary Kubiak’s New Role In Denver

January 5th, 2018 at 7:36pm CST by GregGoldstein

Despite speculation that Gary Kubiak could return to the sidelines as an offensive coordinator, the long-time coach is now set to have more power in the Broncos front office, according to Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post. General manager John Elway confirmed on Tuesday that Kubiak will be a bigger part of the team’s decision making this offseason, though he did not give his former Super Bowl winning head coach a formal title yet.

“You know, I keep getting asked that and I’m not sure what the title’s going to be,” Elway said. “I don’t even know what his title is now. I know what he’s going to be doing, so I haven’t worried about the title.”

Apart from the working title, Elway seemed to relay that Kubiak’s role would come more on the football evaluation and scouting side of the front office. He’ll reportedly be a big part in how the team will strategize their draft and free agent processes as well.

“He’s a guy who has a lot of knowledge of football — a very good evaluator, too,” Elway said. “So he’ll help us in that area.”

Kubiak was officially called a senior personnel advisor in 2017. He took the job a full six months after he stepped down as the team’s head coach. Kubiak was obviously a major part of the Broncos Super Bowl run two years ago, and it seemed like team president Joe Ellis was very excited to have him on board as a more formal part of the franchise’s decision making processes.

“I think it’s going to be fun for John and (Kubiak) and for us,” Ellis said of Kubiak’s expanded role. “He’ll add some expertise to the proceedings. I’m excited about it.”