HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Jaguars Sign RB Thomas Rawls

January 9th, 2019 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

Running back Thomas Rawls has signed a futures deal with the Jaguars, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rawls, who previously spent time with the Bengals and Seahawks, could help fortify Jacksonville’s depth. 

Rawls had 830 yards as a Seahawks rookie in 2015 and the league is still waiting on a revival. He averaged just 3.0 yards per carry for Seattle between 2016 and 2017 and was unable to make the Jets’ final cut last offseason. He hooked on with the Bengals soon after, but only dressed for one game and did not register a carry.

Reserve/futures contract deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters. These are low-cost and low-risk deals, so the Jaguars could easily drop Rawls between now and March if they have a change of heart. If he stays on the offseason roster, there’s no assurance that he’ll make the final cut in the fall.

Colts Place S Mike Mitchell On IR

January 9th, 2019 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts will be without safety Mike Mitchell for Saturday’s game against the Chiefs, and the remainder of the playoffs should they win. Mitchell has been placed on injured reserve due to the calf strain he suffered last week. To take his place, the club promoted fellow safety Rolan Milligan to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. 

Mitchell was one of several veteran safeties who had a hard time finding work last offseason. In October, the Colts added him on a low-cost, one-year deal and he proved to be a brilliant signing. Mitchell served as a mentor to the club’s young secondary players and the team busted out of an early season slump as soon as he arrived. The Colts started 1-4 but rallied to win ten of their next 12 games after Mitchell came into the fold.

“He’s just savvy,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said of Mitchell in October. “I mean, just savvy and plays hard. Just seems to be in the right spot at the right time. Is disciplined, you know that’s really what we look for is when a guy can be savvy and instinctive but yet play with discipline. He’s just a real pro and he shows that.”

In his run as a spot starter for the Colts, Mitchell tallied 28 tackles, one interception, one pass defensed, and two forced fumbles.

Jets Not Considering Kris Richard?

January 9th, 2019 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard is not believed to be a serious candidate for the Jets’ head coaching vacancy, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. Richard interviewed with the Jets over the weekend, but it sounds like Gang Green will focus on their other six candidates. 

Richard, as far as we know, is still in play for the Dolphins’ vacancy. And, for what it’s worth, he has the full endorsement of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that clubs have the interest that they have in him,” Jones said. “There are no secrets in the NFL when it comes to people that can help you win football games. And he’s a winner.”

The Jets lost one potential candidate this week when the Cardinals hired former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury to run the team. However, the Jets already knew that Kingsbury was Arizona-bound when they interviewed him on Monday, sources tell Manish Mehta of the Daily News. The meeting, Mehta hears, was more about picking Kingsbury’s brain, but they also made their own pitch to him in case he had second thoughts about the Cardinals.

Mike McCarthy Focused On Jets

January 8th, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t want to be considered, and isn’t pursuing, any other head coaching vacancy other than the Jets job, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Of course, McCarthy’s only other known interview was with the Browns, and he is not one of the two finalists, so his only real hope of being a head coach might be with the Jets anyway. 

[RELATED: PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker]

McCarthy did attract attention from the Cardinals, but Arizona was too far from his family in Wisconsin for his liking. It’s also too late for a change of heart – the Cardinals found their head coach on Tuesday when they agreed to hire Kliff Kingsbury from the college ranks.

The Jets have already interviewed Eric Bieniemy, Adam Gase, Matt Rhule, Kris Richard, Jim Caldwell, and Todd Monken. However, none of those candidates offer the same kind of resume as McCarthy. The Jets and McCarthy could be on course for a deal, though buzz is also building about Rhule’s candidacy.

Buccaneers Officially Hire Bruce Arians

January 8th, 2019 at 8:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers-Bruce Arians noise produced the conclusion many expected. The two-time coach of the year is heading to Tampa Bay, as first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Bucs have since confirmed the hire via press release.

“Bruce Arians is one of the NFL’s most well-respected coaches over the past two decades and we are excited to have him leading our team,” Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “Throughout this process, we focused on finding the right coach with a proven ability to elevate our players and lead our team forward. Bruce has played a large role in the development and career success of some of our league’s best players and we look forward to seeing him continue that work here with our franchise.”

This will be a four-year deal with a team option for a fifth season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. And Arians wants to bring some of his former Cardinals assistants with him. Byron Leftwich, Harold Goodwin and Clyde Christensen — an Arians coworker with the Colts — will be brought on board and Todd Bowles has already agreed to become the team’s defensive coordinator. Bowles was Arians’ DC for two seasons with the Cardinals.

Arians-to-Tampa gained steam over the past few days, and it turns out the former Cardinals coach’s retirement was brief. Arians is now going to rejoin former Cards personnel exec Jason Licht with the Bucs and be in charge of determining what can be coaxed from Jameis Winston, whom he’s known since the passer’s high school days.

The Bucs had initial concerns about the 66-year-old Arians’ health, per Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com (Twitter link). This required a physical. But they are satisfied with the results. That, and language in Arians’ Arizona contract — which contained a 2019 option — represent cleared hurdles now, Darlington notes. Of note: Arians is the oldest HC hire in NFL history, surpassing a 64-year-old Dick Vermeil.

Arians interviewed for the Tampa Bay job on Saturday morning and outflanked everyone else on the meeting list in terms of experience. The 2012 and ’14 coach of the year, the first coming when he was the Colts’ OC who took over for a cancer-stricken Chuck Pagano, Arians has guided three teams to the playoffs — that Colts team and two Cardinals squads. Armed with the NFL’s No. 1 offense, Arizona advanced to the 2015 NFC championship game under Arians. They produced a top-10 attack in 2016 as well. After Arians’ retirement, the Cardinals fell off quickly. They hired Kliff Kingsbury today to replace Steve Wilks, who oversaw the team’s descent from 8-8 to 3-13.

Spending the 2018 season as a CBS analyst, Arians initially said the only job he would come out of retirement to take was the Browns’ position. But Cleveland did not reciprocate the interest. Tampa Bay did and was the only team to interview Arians. The sides were believed to have only begun negotiations Tuesday, and they progressed quickly.

Arians will now be tasked with ending the NFC’s longest playoff drought. The Bucs have not qualified for a bracket since 2007, in Jon Gruden‘s penultimate season, and have fired five coaches since that happened.

Licht announced last week that the candidate who won the race to replace Dirk Koetter was going to work with Winston. Despite the quarterback’s off-field issues and interception troubles, he figures to have his best chance at showing he’s a capable starter under Arians. In Arizona, Arians resurrected Carson Palmer‘s career and pushed him to a near-MVP performance in 2015. Arians received his 2014 coach of the year honor for steering the Cards to 11-5 after losing Palmer and Drew Stanton to injuries.

The Bucs also employ Mike Evans, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin on offense, and the team wants to bring back Adam Humphries to retain one of the franchise’s best-ever skill-position groups — one that is more well-rounded than the David Johnson-less contingent Arians had in his final Arizona season.

Bowles has also received interest from the Redskins, interviewing with Washington on Tuesday, but another job with Arians figures to be enticing.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/8/19

January 8th, 2019 at 8:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • WR Duke Williams

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

  • LB Sam Eguavoen

New England Patriots

  • C Jake Eldrenkamp

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

  • LB Alex Singleton

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • K Matt McCrane

Seattle Seahawks

North Notes: Packers, LaFleur, Ravens, Brown

January 8th, 2019 at 8:09pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s a four-year deal with a fifth-year option for the Packers and Matt LaFleur, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). LaFleur is a fast riser who is becoming a head coach for the very first time, but he appears to have solid job security in Green Bay. The financial terms of the deal are not yet known, but it would not be a surprise if he was on the lower end of the scale given his age and lack of experience at this level.

Here’s more from the North divisions:

  • Ravens wide receiver John Brown says he’d love to return in 2019, but he’s unlikely to accept a one-year deal this offseason (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). Brown, 29 in April, had a bit of a resurgence in Baltimore with 42 catches for 715 yards and five touchdowns in 2018.
  • Ozzie Newsome is transitioning out of his role as the Ravens‘ GM, but he isn’t retiring, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic hears. Newsome will remain under contract with the Ravens for the next couple of years, though his title and duties are not yet known. Per the succession plan, longtime assistant Eric DeCosta will take over as GM from here.
  • The Lions parted ways with VP of football operations Matt Harriss, who was touted as a salary cap expert. To take his place, the Ravens have hired Mike Disner. Disner spent the last six seasons with the Cardinals and was directly involved in their cap planning, so he appears to be a natural replacement.

South Notes: Jaguars, Bevell, Panthers, Texans

January 8th, 2019 at 7:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will interview with Jaguars for their vacant OC job on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bevell did not coach this year but took part in some interviews during the 2018 hiring period, which featured his Seattle ouster. It’s been Bevell’s plan to coach in 2019 and he could realize that goal if he is hired by Jacksonville.

Bevell previously interviewed for the Falcons job, but that position has already been filled by ex-Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter.

Here’s more from the South divisions:

  • Panthers head coach Ron Rivera called plays during the final month of the season and he’ll continue to do so in 2019, a source tells Joseph Person of The Athletic. Speculatively, Person wonders if that will prevent Rivera from luring a seasoned defensive coach such as Steve Wilks, who has obvious ties to the team.
  • Texans defensive star Jadeveon Clowney earned a payment of $1.005MM to resolve a dispute over the position designation for his fifth-year option, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In the event of a franchise tag, the Texans have been planning to designate him as a linebacker, which would pay him roughly $16.3MM in 2019. However, he was pushing to be tagged as a defensive end, which pays at least $18MM. The settlement more or less splits things down the middle, which may remove one complication in tagging him or ultimately signing him to a long-term extension.

Reactions To Cardinals Hiring Kliff Kingsbury

January 8th, 2019 at 7:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals reached by hiring Kliff Kingsbury, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic opines. Kingsbury satisfies the team’s desire for a young and innovative offensively-minded coach, but his lack of NFL experience is cause for alarm in Somers’ view.

Steve Spurrier, for example, fell on his face as an NFL coach and Chip Kelly‘s luck ran out after his first two years with the Eagles. Some could argue that Kingsbury is a hire in the Sean McVay mold, but as Somers notes, McVay spent nine years as an NFL assistant before landing the Rams gig.

Here’s more on the Cardinals and Kingsbury:

  • Per the terms of his contract at USC, Kingsbury owes the school a $150K buyout to resign and take the Cardinals head coaching job, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. There was much discussion about the buyout being a barrier to an NFL deal, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep him from joining the pro ranks. In all likelihood, the Cardinals will pick up the tab for that.
  • Cardinals team president Michael Bidwill didn’t like former coach Steve Wilks’ plan for the future, as Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated writes. “Looking at his plan for 2019 I just didn’t feel like it was a plan that I wanted to get behind,” Bidwill said. With that said, its unclear whether Bidwill actually discussed Wilks’ future plans in depth before firing him on Dec. 31. It’s also curious that he feels more secure in Kingsbury’s five-year plan given that he has never coached in the NFL.
  • Speaking of the Cardinals, the Buccaneers agreed to hire former Cards coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday night. The Cardinals claimed that they still hold Arians’ rights (even though he retired in 2017), so they were able to finagle a small amount of draft capital out of Tampa Bay.

Bucs, Cardinals Complete Bruce Arians Trade

January 8th, 2019 at 7:21pm CST by Zachary Links

When the Buccaneers agreed to hire Bruce Arians, the NFL informed them that they would not need to send compensation to the Cardinals. Later, the Cardinals told the league office that they believed they still had a claim to his rights. In order to avoid a protracted argument, the Bucs have agreed to trade a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for Arians’ rights and a seventh-round pick. 

Ultimately, the Bucs probably could have avoided giving up compensation, particularly since they previously got the green light from the league office. However, they want to hit the ground running with Arians, so they made a small concession enabling them to keep things simple.

The Bucs lured Arians out of retirement with a four-year deal that includes a team option for a fifth season. Already, much of Arians’ staff appears to be in place with Todd Bowles serving as the as the defensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich as the passing-game coordinator, and Harold Goodwin as the run-game overseer.

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