2019 January - Pro Football Rumors

Hunter Henry Won’t Play Vs. Ravens

January 5th, 2019 at 3:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hunter Henry received first-team reps this week, but the Chargers evidently have not seen enough to send their top tight end back into action.

They will not activate Henry from the PUP list Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This will keep Henry sidelined for the Bolts’ first-round matchup against the Ravens. Henry could still be activated for the divisional round if the Chargers advance, but for now, Antonio Gates and Virgil Green will continue to be Los Angeles’ main tight ends.

Los Angeles has until Monday to activate Henry, because of the 21-day window that opened when he resumed practicing. If that does not happen, the third-year tight end must spend the rest of the season on the PUP list.

Henry did not experience a setback, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Instead, the Chargers are being cautious and extending this as long as possible.

Henry is attempting to make it back from a torn ACL less than eight months after the injury occurred. Expected to be a key component of the Bolts’ passing game, Henry went down in late May. He’s been rumored to be a potential X-factor for the Chargers in these playoffs, but the opportunity for that to occur is dwindling.

Mike McCarthy Showing ‘Serious Interest’ In Jets Job

January 5th, 2019 at 2:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets announced Saturday afternoon they completed their interview with Mike McCarthy. They and the Browns are the only known teams vying for McCarthy.

But the Jets’ position in this pursuit has strengthened. McCarthy now has “serious interest” in the New York job, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports. The Jets still have additional candidates to interview, so no McCarthy offer is expected yet. However, such a proposal could be coming soon.

Initially, McCarthy was connected to the Buccaneers’ and Cardinals’ jobs, with an obvious Cleveland path existing because of his past with John Dorsey. But Vacchiano notes the 13-year Packers leader has warmed up to the Jets and that he should be considered the favorite. He plans to stay relatively close to the area, with two high school-aged children, or sit out 2019 altogether.

McCarthy has already completed his Browns interview, according to Vacchiano.

Gang Green already interviewed Eric Bieniemy and Adam Gase and is scheduled to meet with Kris Richard, Jim Caldwell and Todd Monken. But none of these candidates brings the pedigree McCarthy does, his recent firing notwithstanding.

Packers To Interview Todd Monken

January 5th, 2019 at 2:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers’ search to find Mike McCarthy‘s replacement has become quite extensive. Another candidate is now in the mix.

Todd Monken will interview for the job on Saturday night, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This makes nine candidates (so far) on Green Bay’s interview list.

Recently the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, Monken’s docket is filling up fast. He has two interviews scheduled for next week, with the Bengals on Monday and Jets on Tuesday, Fowler adds.

While the Bucs again disappointed, their offense could be counted on for production. Tampa Bay ranked third in total yardage (and 12th in points) this season. No team in the franchise’s 43-season history had previously finished in the top three offensively.

The 2018 season was a critical one for Monken, as he took over play-calling duties for most of the campaign. Dirk Koetter had called plays previously, and did so again briefly this season, but Monken put himself on the map with his work in 2018.

The 52-year-old coach has spent most of his tenure on college staffs but did coach the Jaguars’ wide receivers from 2007-10. After serving as Oklahoma State’s OC for the following two years and then Southern Miss’ head coach over the next three, Monken became the Bucs’ OC. Though, he still served as Tampa Bay’s wideouts coach from 2016-17. Koetter rearranged Monken’s responsibilities in the 2018 offseason, allowing him to focus solely on his OC duties.

Buccaneers Interview Bruce Arians

January 5th, 2019 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saturday is bringing some fast-moving Buccaneers-Bruce Arians developments. Shortly after being linked to the job, Arians interviewed for it, the Bucs announced.

There’s been a sense in the building Arians will end up landing this job. Arians began his campaign to return to the sidelines by saying the only job he would take was the Browns’ position, but the former Cardinals coach has obviously expanded his parameters. This is the only position for which he’s interviewed thus far.

Tampa Bay has already interviewed Kansas City OC Eric Bieniemy and Vikings DC George Edwards and wants to meet with Dallas secondary coach Kris Richard. Arians, though, has more experience and is the only candidate in this group with past HC work on his resume. On top of that, Arians is a two-time coach of the year.

The Bucs kept this quiet, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) this interview occurred Saturday morning, and have a rather significant requirement for their next head coach. The team will bring back Jameis Winston for 2019, despite his shaky on- and off-field track record since entering the league. But Arians has known Winston for years, per Schefter, and worked with Bucs GM Jason Licht when the latter was the Cardinals’ VP of player personnel in 2013. Licht was part of the group that ended up green-lighting Arians becoming the Arizona HC five years ago, per SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).

Arians, 66, stepped down from his Cardinals post after last season. He guided the them to two playoff berths and three 10-win seasons, peaking during Arizona’s 2015 run to the NFC championship game. The former HC and longtime OC spent this season working with CBS, but a return to the sidelines has gained steam. Judging by how fast this is moving, it’s quite possible the Bucs are sold Arians can end their 11-season playoff drought.

If the Bucs do end up making this move, they will be required to compensate the Cardinals in some fashion. Arians’ Arizona contract contained a team option for 2019, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter), and the NFL sent a seemingly Arians-centric memo to teams regarding this recently.

Jets, Cardinals Denied Permission To Interview Kliff Kingsbury

January 5th, 2019 at 12:23pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Cardinals and Jets may not be interviewing former Texas Tech head coach and current USC coordinator Kliff Kingsbury after all. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that USC has denied the NFL teams permission to interview their offensive coordinator. Previous reports indicated that Kingsbury would indeed be interviewing with Arizona and New York.

As Schefter notes, this news is a “perfect storm of the NFL’s new enforcement of an old rule.” League officials recently informed team executives that they had to request permission from athletic directors in order to interview college head coaches. If teams didn’t follow this protocol, it’d be considered “conduct detrimental” to the league, at which time the NFL could “dock draft picks” from the applicable teams.

“If permission is denied, the NFL club should respect that decision just as it would respect a similar decision from another NFL club,” the rule states. “NFL clubs that fail to follow these protocols may be subject to disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the League.”

Following a 5-7 campaign, Kingsbury was fired by Texas Tech in late November. Despite his lackluster tenure at the school, NFL teams have taken notice of his ability to develop quarterbacks; Kingsbury ultimately brought both Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield to Lubbock, Texas.

After declining a chance to become the head coach of the University of Houston, he quickly caught on as USC’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, replacing Tee Martin. Prior to accepting the USC gig, the coach reportedly received overtures from NFL teams. However, since that time, Kingsbury has continued to say that he is solely focused on his current gig with the Trojans.

Buccaneers Eyeing Bruce Arians For Head Coach

January 5th, 2019 at 12:03pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers seem to have an eye on one particular target for their head coaching vacancy. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), Tampa Bay has “real interest” in former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. Rapoport notes that the interest is mutual, and the two sides could meet soon. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero echoes that sentiment, noting that there’s been “a sense in the building” that Arians would ultimately get the job.

After serving as the Cardinals head coach for five seasons, Arians retired from the job last offseason. The 66-year-old was relatively successful during his tenure in Arizona, leading the Cardinals to 49-30-1 record and a pair of playoff appearances (including an appearance in the 2015 NFC Championship Game).

Arians was hired as an analyst by CBS back in May, but there have been continued whispers that he could seek another NFL gig. The coach was reportedly pushing for the Browns head coaching job, but Arians said in December that he wasn’t expecting to land the position. The head coach also recently said that it’s probably a “99-to-1” chance that he’ll be back on the sidelines in 2019.

As our Head Coaching Tracker shows, the Buccaneers have interviewed or will interview three candidates: Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, and Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard.

Steelers Expected To Extend Roethlisberger

January 5th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Ben Levine

Ben Roethlisberger will be entering the final season of his contract in 2019, but it sounds like the Steelers quarterback may be sticking around for longer than that. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Steelers and Roethlisberger are expected to “restructure and extend” the quarterback’s deal prior to the beginning of the league year on March 13th.

In recent years, there have seemingly been whispers every offseason that the 36-year-old Roethlisberger could decide to hang up his cleats, although the veteran has hinted that he’s open to playing beyond his current contract. The Steelers did use a third-round pick on Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph in this past year’s draft, but that wouldn’t necessarily prevent Roethlisberger from playing another handful of seasons. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes that team president Art Rooney II previously said that he’d like to ink Roethlisberger to one more contract.

Despite being up there in age, the veteran quarterback set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season. Roethlisberger has taken an absolute beating throughout his career, and his 24 sacks in 2018 was his highest total since 2014. Still, the signal-caller managed to play in all 16 games for the first time since (of course) 2014.

The quarterback signed an extension with Pittsburgh back in 2015, and he’s set to have a cap charges of $23.2MM. As Schefter notes, an extension could open up some extra cap space for the Steelers, perhaps making an Antonio Brown trade more tolerable.

Injury Updates: Hilton, Coutee, Inman

January 5th, 2019 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

A handful of wideouts were listed as questionable heading into today’s playoff matchup between the Texans and Colts, and it sounds like the three receivers will end up playing. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Texans wideout Keke Coutee and Colts receiver Dontrelle Inman are expected to play. Rapoport also notes that while Colts star wideout T.Y. Hilton is beat up, “the belief is he’ll play today.”

Hilton has been battling through injuries for much of the season, and he’s currently dealing with an ankle ailment that kept him out of this week’s practices. However, considering that the 29-year-old played through injuries during the regular season, it’s not all that surprising that he’ll likely see the field for a home playoff game. Andrew Luck and the Colts will continue to rely on Hilton, who finished the 2018 campaign with 76 receptions for 1,270 yards and six touchdowns.

The Colts will also be able to turn to Inman, who has been battling through shoulder and finger injuries. The 29-year-old joined the Colts in mid-October, and he ended up playing a relatively big role for Indy. Inman finished the season with 28 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns in nine games (four starts).

Meanwhile, Coutee is expected to return from a hamstring injury that has shelved him since the end of November. The rookie has struggled with injuries all season, limiting him to only six games. However, the Texas Tech product has been productive when on the field, hauling in 28 catches for 287 yards and one score. With Demaryius Thomas and Will Fuller sitting on the IR, Coutee should see plenty of targets playing behind DeAndre Hopkins.

Coaching Notes: McCarthy, Jets, Saints, Lions, Falcons

January 5th, 2019 at 10:10am CST by Ben Levine

Mike McCarthy will be interviewing for the Jets‘ head coaching vacancy today, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). We previously heard that the organization was going to interview the former Packers head coach.

The two sides seem like a logical pairing. Considering McCarthy’s connection with future Hall of Famer quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the organization would seemingly see him as a fit with rookie Sam Darnold. Meanwhile, McCarthy would surely be attracted by the team’s $100MM+ in cap space.

We heard earlier this week that McCarthy was looking to stay close to his two high-school aged stepchildren in Green Bay. That would be a positive for suitors like the Jets and Browns, and it may explain why McCarthy ultimately wasn’t interested in the Cardinals gig.

Let’s check out some more coaching rumblings from around the NFL…

It will be a busy day for Saints coaches. As Albert Breer tweets, assistant head coach Dan Campbell will be meeting with the Packers and Cardinals, Dennis Allen is interviewing with the Dolphins, and Pete Carmichael will be meeting with Green Bay. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport provides an update (via Twitter) on Patriots linebackers coach (and de facto defensive coordinator) Brian Flores, who will be meeting with the Browns and Broncos today.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn made it clear that he isn’t in any rush to find a replacement for former offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. “There’s no timetable,” Quinn said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “We’re just going to get this right. There’s no rush. The way this works in the NFL is you can’t talk to people that are employed by other teams, so there’s a waiting period if teams are still playing. So our candidate pool is pretty wide right now, so we’re going to keep it wide until it narrows down and then we’ll go hire the right guy.” Quinn also noted that the decision will “primarily” be made by head coach Matt Patricia.
Similarly, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn won’t be making a decision on a new offensive coordinator in the upcoming days. “I would say there’s nothing to announce today,” Quinn said (via ESPN’s Vaughn McClure). “I’m not going to put like two weeks or a week [on it], but it’s not in the next few days.” Quinn also noted that quarterback Matt Ryan may have a say in the who gets hired. “Well, I think Matt has input because of his familiarity with the offense,” Quinn said. “But as far as going to select people, that’s not part of his influence. … He has a part of it, but not part of who, if that makes sense.” The Falcons fired all three of their coordinators (offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong) earlier this week. The team has reportedly interviewed former Falcons coordinator Mike Mularkey for the offensive position, and they’re also eyeing former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

Steelers Will Consider Trade Offers For WR Antonio Brown

January 5th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Ben Levine

While there are some clear financial hurdles to overcome, the Steelers will be listening to offers for Antonio Brown this offseason. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the organization is “expected to consider trade requests” for their star wide receiver prior to the start of free agency.

As our own Zach Links previously detailed, the Steelers may be a bit wary of trading or cutting Brown due to the impending financial implications. Thanks in part to the $19MM signing bonus he received in his four-year, $68MM extension and the $12.96MM restructuring bonus he later secured, cutting or trading Brown would result in a $21.12MM cap charge for 2019.

However, as Rapoport points out, the Steelers could see some slight savings if they trade Brown prior to the third day of the league year. The receiver is due a $2.5MM roster bonus on that date, and trading Brown would save the team $1MM in cap savings. Furthermore, the team would also see around $15MM in “cash savings.”

Of course, the Steelers aren’t simply looking to give Brown away. Rapoport writes that several team executives believe the asking price is a first-round pick, while others believe it’d take “multiple high picks” in order to pry him away from Pittsburgh. On the flip side, other source told Rapoport that they wouldn’t be surprised if the organization somehow remedies the situation, leading to the receiver sticking with the Steelers in 2019.

Following his curious behavior leading up to a crucial Week 17, there have been conflicting reports about whether Brown requested a trade out of Pittsburgh. If the 30-year-old is indeed on his way out, the Steelers surely won’t be lacking for suitors. While it was a “down year” by his standards, Brown still finished the campaign with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdown receptions.