HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Texans Request Scott Cohen, Trent Kirchner Interviews

January 4th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans’ GM search is heating up. On Monday, the team requested interviews with Ravens director of football research Scott Cohen and Seahawks vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.

[RELATED: Texans To Interview Matt Eberflus]

Kirchner started out as the Seahawks’ assistant director of pro personnel in 2010. After a series of promotions, he was elevated to Vice President of Player Personnel in September. Along with co-lieutenant Scott Fitterer, he’s been a hot candidate for GM jobs for a long time. He’s viewed as an integral part of the Seahawks’ success, and a valuable asset for Seahawks GM John Schneider. In 2017, the Panthers, Colts, and 49ers were all connected to the longtime Seattle exec. This time around, the Texans are exploring multiple candidates from the Seahawks, though Garafolo notes that search firm Korn Ferry is strongly pushing Kirchner.

Cohen, meanwhile, has been with the Ravens since 2015. Before that, he spent time with the Buccaneers, Jets, Eagles, and Jaguars. His first 23 years were spent in player personnel. Over the last six years, he’s worked with the team’s coaching staff on week-to-week scouting.

Texans To Interview Nick Caserio (Again)

January 4th, 2021 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

They can’t seem to let him go. The Texans have requested an interview with Patriots Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio for their GM job, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Panthers Request Nick Caserio Interview]

The Texans tried to hire Caserio as their GM in 2019, but the Pats blocked the move. Drama ensued as the Patriots threatened to file tampering charges. We could see a similar situation unfold in 2021 — Caserio was just extended by the Pats back in February.

Caserio has been with the Patriots since 2001, drawing more and more GM interest over time. The Panthers requested an interview with Caserio over the weekend, so the Texans aren’t alone in their pursuit.

In addition to Caserio, the Texans have also been connected to Seahawks VP of player personnel Trent Kirchner, ESPN broadcaster/ex-Eagles exec Louis Riddick, Ravens director of football research Scott Cohen, and Bills director of pro personnel Malik Boyd.

Jets, Texans To Interview Matt Eberflus

January 4th, 2021 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets and Texans requested interviews with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). There will likely be more on the way for Eberflus, who is considered one of the hottest coaching candidates in this year’s cycle. 

After sacking Adam Gase over the weekend, the Jets are expected to cast a wide net in their search for his replacement. In addition to Eberflus, assistants Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs OC), Matt Eberflus (Colts DC), Don Martindale (Ravens DC), Arthur Smith (Titans OC) and Brandon Staley (Rams DC) are on the radar. Ditto for college coaches Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Matt Campbell (Iowa State), and Dan Mullen (Florida).

Eberflus is in his third year as the Colts’ defensive coordinator, following seven seasons as the Cowboys linebackers coach. With the dysfunctional Jets, he’d have a chance to groom one of this year’s top draft picks and snap the team’s lengthy playoff drought. And, after going with an offensive “guru” last time around, no one would be surprised to see the Jets go back to a defensive specialist.

The Texans have already interviewed Jim Caldwell and Marvin Lewis. Now, they’ll have the opportunity to chat with coaches from all 31 clubs, though they’ll need permission in some cases. It’s believed that the Texans are focused on hiring a coach with pro experience, rather than plucking a candidate straight from the NCAA ranks.

Jaguars Fire Doug Marrone

January 4th, 2021 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars and Doug Marrone have parted ways. On Monday morning, the Jaguars fired their head coach to join the Jets, Lions, Falcons, and Texans on the vacancy list. 

[RELATED: Jets Fire Adam Gase]

This was the long expected move, though the Jags did not make it official until after the season finale. Marrone narrowly avoided an ouster after the 2019 season and stayed on board after the dismissal of GM Dave Caldwell. Marrone had fans in the front office, but it would have been a surprise to see him stay after a 16-game losing streak.

“I am committed and determined to deliver winning football to the City of Jacksonville,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said. “Realizing that goal requires a fresh start throughout our football operations, and with that in mind I spoke this morning with Doug Marrone to express my gratitude for his hard work over the past four seasons as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

“I’ll always appreciate Doug’s passion, grit and class, and I’m confident he will enjoy success in the next chapter of his career. As the search for our new general manager continues, now the quest begins to find a head coach who shares my ambition for the Jacksonville Jaguars and our fans, whose loyalty and faith are overdue to be rewarded.”

From here, the Jaguars may focus their attention on Urban Meyer. The former Florida and Ohio State coach has reportedly made inquiries about future Jacksonville staff members, though Meyer counts at least one other NFL team as a suitor. And, of course, Meyer has a history of cold feet, so the Jaguars will be doing their due diligence with other candidates. Despite their struggles, the Jaguars shouldn’t have trouble attracting big-name coaches. With the No. 1 overall pick and $100MM+ in cap space, they arguably offer the best situation of any coachless club.

Jets To Either Trade Sam Darnold Or No. 2 Pick?

January 3rd, 2021 at 9:32pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets closed the books on their disastrous 2020 season with a loss to the Patriots to finish at 2-14. They made a little bit of noise down the stretch by winning two of their last three, but not enough to stave off the major questions facing the franchise.

Adam Gase is now out of a job, and the attention will soon toward what to do at quarterback moving forward. It seems up in the air as to whether or not Sam Darnold will be back under center in 2021, but one thing already appears to be decided. The Jets will either trade Darnold, or trade the second overall pick in the draft to a team looking for a quarterback, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

That would seemingly mean New York has no plans of drafting a non-quarterback, like Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell, at number two. They also clearly don’t intend on having Darnold and a highly drafted passer on the roster together. Needless to say, first-year Jets GM Joe Douglas has a massive decision ahead of him that will determine his own future.

Darnold, of course, was the second overall pick back in 2018. He started 13 games his first two seasons (the first of which was under Todd Bowles), then 12 this past year. New York went 6-2 down the stretch last year to inspire a little bit of hope entering 2020, but things went off the rails pretty quickly.

He finished this season averaging 6.1 yards per attempt with only nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Of course he’s only 23 years old, and if the Jets are ready to throw in the towel on him there will likely be significant trade interest due to his perceived upside.

This is considered a strong quarterback draft class, and whether it’s the Jets or another team on the clock at number two guys like Ohio State’s Justin Fields, BYU’s Zach Wilson, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance will be available. Assuming Trevor Lawrence still goes first to the Jaguars. Buckle up.

Jets Fire Adam Gase

January 3rd, 2021 at 8:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Well, it’s official. The Jets have fired head coach Adam Gase, the team announced in a statement Sunday evening.

“This evening, I informed Adam Gase he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets. During his time here, I had the pleasure to get to know Adam and his wonderful family and wish them nothing but the best moving forward. While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization – especially in our leadership positions – it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction. We knew there was a lot of work that needed to be done when Adam joined us in 2019. Our strong finish last year was encouraging, but unfortunately, we did not sustain that positive momentum or see the progress we all expected this season,” Jets chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson said in the release.

We heard yesterday that this move was expected as soon as Week 17 concluded, and it certainly isn’t surprising. New York rattled off two wins in their final three games, but obviously it wasn’t enough to save Gase’s job. He’ll finish his two-year stint with a 9-23 record. As Johnson’s statement alluded to the team went 6-2 down the stretch last year, but that didn’t result in any momentum.

Things were a disaster right from the start in 2020 as the team lost each of their last six games. In that same report from yesterday we heard they were going to consider a lengthy list of candidates including NFL assistants like Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs OC), Matt Eberflus (Colts DC), Don Martindale (Ravens DC), Arthur Smith (Titans OC) and Brandon Staley (Rams DC), as well as college coaches like Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Matt Campbell (Iowa State) and Dan Mullen (Florida).

It sounds like GM Joe Douglas is planning an exhaustive search. Even when he settles on a candidate there will still be plenty of unanswered questions, including what to do with Sam Darnold and whether or not to draft a quarterback with the second overall pick.

Gase, 44, first earned national recognition for his role as Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator in Denver from 2013-14. He was head coach of the Dolphins from 2016-18, and was initially praised for his work in Miami before things spiraled. After being fired by the Dolphins he was very quickly picked up by the Jets. Bill Belichick has spoken very highly of him in recent days, but due to how polarizing he became during his time in New York, it’s unlikely he lands another head coaching gig anytime soon.

Falcons To Interview Robert Saleh And Eric Bieniemy For HC Vacancy Monday

January 3rd, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 49ers’ season just ended with a loss to the Seahawks, but things are just getting started for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Saleh is expected to be a hot heat coaching candidate this cycle, and it sounds like he’s got his first move lined up. Saleh will interview with the Falcons over zoom for their job on Monday, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan revealed during his post-game press conference.

Atlanta won’t stop there, as they’re also going to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on Monday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). They clearly aren’t honing in on anything specific, interviewing coaches with defensive and offensive backgrounds. Saleh is a highly regarded leader who always has his defenses playing with high intensity, and when they were healthy the 49ers had one of the league’s best defenses last year.

Bieniemy has a ringing endorsement from Andy Reid, which obviously goes a long way these days. He’s been in Kansas City with Reid since 2013, previously as his running backs coach. Bieniemy is widely considered to be one of the frontrunners for the Texans’ job.

The Falcons won’t be the only team interested in Saleh, and Shanahan even said that he would have several more interviews in the coming days. Saleh is from Michigan, and has also been linked to the Lions’ job. Get ready, the coaching carousel is just starting to heat up.

Latest On Chargers, Anthony Lynn

January 3rd, 2021 at 7:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As the regular season winds down, we’ve got a pretty good sense of what’s going to happen with all the coaching decisions. One of the only things still truly up in the air is the status of Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn. Apparently no decision has been made, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says that’ll be the case until Los Angeles brass gets together on Monday (Twitter video link).

To that end, Lynn is the “biggest wild card” of the coaching carousel, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Fowler adds that people he’s talked to around the league believe it’s 50/50 as to whether Lynn gets brought back for a fifth season. There are apparently slight differences of opinion here, as Jay Glazer of FOX Sports said during a Sunday morning TV hit that he believes Lynn will likely be a goner after Monday’s meeting (Twitter video link).

Lynn went 9-7 his first year and then 12-4 the following season, winning a playoff game, but things collapsed quickly after that. The Chargers went just 5-11 last season and 7-9 in 2020, losing a mind-boggling amount of close games both times. It looked in the middle of the season like Lynn was a lame-duck as he made a series of in-game blunders and the Chargers stood at 3-9.

But the team rallied right after getting eliminated from playoff contention, winning four straight and potentially saving Lynn’s job in the process. Justin Herbert has been a revelation in his rookie season, but the coaching has often been questionable to put it kindly.

If the gig were to open up it would look very attractive on paper, as Herbert looks like a star in the making while there’s a ton of talent at the skill positions and on defense. All-Pro safety Derwin James missed the entire 2020 campaign but should be returning to play at an elite level in 2021. We’ll know more about Lynn’s fate tomorrow.

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