HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Broncos Hire Nathaniel Hackett As Head Coach

January 27th, 2022 at 8:02am CST by Adam La Rose

The first domino has fallen in the 2022 head coaching hiring cycle. The Broncos have hired Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). 

Hackett, 42 has been the offensive coordinator in Green Bay since 2019. While he hasn’t handled play-calling duties during that time, he is credited to a large degree with the high level of play QB Aaron Rodgers has sustained well into his thirties, and the Packers’ three-straight 13-win seasons.

Prior to his time in Green Bay, he had established himself as one of the best young offensive minds in the league during stints in Buffalo and Jacksonville. He interviewed with the Jaguars once already, and had a second meeting scheduled for today. That sped up the hiring process for Broncos general manager George Paton, who “stepped in Wednesday night to get a deal done”, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Hackett will take on a HC role for the first time in his career, both at the college and NFL levels. Meanwhile, he marks the fourth coach hired by Denver since 2016, a stretch that includes five consecutive losing seasons. The offense-based background for Hackett represents a departure from that of the recently-fired Vic Fangio, as well as Dan Quinn, the Cowboys’ DC who has been the hottest name in this year’s hiring cycle and was a finalist for this job.

For the Packers, QB coach Luke Getsy, who also interviewed in Denver, is the favorite to take over as their OC. Meanwhile, this news strengthens the case for Byron Leftwich to get the Jacksonville gig.

Here’s how Denver’s HC search ended up looking:

Be sure to check in on our Head Coach Search Tracker for all the latest updates as more vacancies begin to be filled.

JuJu Smith-Schuster Interested In Joining Chiefs

January 26th, 2022 at 10:20pm CST by Ben Levine

After considering an offer from the Chiefs last offseason, wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster will give Kansas City another long look this time around. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com, the Steelers wideout “is interested in potentially joining the Chiefs again.”

According to Wilson, the JuJu/Chiefs connection is “no secret in NFL circles,” and many league sources believe the impending FA is hoping to join Kansas City.

Smith-Schuster hasn’t come close to matching his Pro Bowl-worthy 2018 campaign. Following a forgettable 2019 campaign, JuJu somewhat bounced back in 2020, finishing with 97 catches and a career-high nine touchdowns. Still, the former second-round pick had to settle for a one-year, $8MM deal from Pittsburgh for the 2021 campaign.

The 25-year-old struggled to stay on the field in 2021 thanks to early-season shoulder surgery. He ultimately saw time in only five games, hauling in 15 receptions for 129 yards.

In Kansas City, Smith-Schuster would be joining a high-flying offense that’s led by Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. Receivers Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson are set to hit free agency this offseason.

Brian Daboll Favorite For Dolphins HC Job?

January 26th, 2022 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Brian Daboll is beginning to pull away from the pack in Miami. According to Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com, the Bills offensive coordinator “has emerged as a top target — and potentially the top target” for the Dolphins head coaching vacancy.

[RELATED: Giants To Conduct Second HC Interview With Brian Daboll]

While the Dolphins appear to be zeroing in on Daboll, the OC would still need to accept the job. That’s one of the “hurdles” that remains in the Dolphins’ search, per Beasley. Daboll is also a candidate for the Giants HC gig, a job that he’s interviewed for twice.

The potential hiring would reunite Daboll with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who played under Daboll when the two were at Alabama. A Daboll hiring would also be a bit of a homecoming for the coach after he served as Miami’s offensive coordinator in 2011. Dolphins GM Chris Grier worked alongside Daboll during the coach’s stint with the team.

Recently, Daboll has made a name for himself in Buffalo. Following an inconsistent first season in the role, the Bills offense has been among the top-10(ish) units over the past three years. That includes a passing offense that ranked second in points scored in 2020 and third in points scored in 2021.

Ravens To Interview Jags’ Joe Cullen, Bucs’ Mike Caldwell For DC Job

January 26th, 2022 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Reports of Mike Macdonald‘s quick return to Baltimore may be slightly premature. The Ravens are not done discussing their defensive coordinator position, and Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen is next in line to interview.

Cullen, a Ravens defensive staffer before joining Urban Meyer‘s staff, will meet with John Harbaugh about the DC job, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun tweets. While Macdonald was reported to be finalizing a deal, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec pushes back on that a bit, indicating that while the Michigan DC is perceived to be the top candidate, this process is not finished (Twitter link). Cullen will meet with the Ravens on Thursday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.

Like Macdonald, Cullen spent several seasons in Baltimore, serving as the team’s defensive line coach from 2016-20. Jacksonville endured another dreadful season, but Cullen’s defense had moments — particularly in the team’s upset win over the Bills and Week 18 victory over the Colts — during the Jags’ 3-14 season. Cullen, 54, has been an NFL assistant for the past 12 seasons. The 2021 slate was his first as a coordinator.

Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell will interview for the job as well, Zrebiec tweets. The Todd Bowles lieutenant has been with the Bucs throughout Bruce Arians‘ tenure and was previously the Eagles’ linebackers coach during Andy Reid‘s final Philly seasons. An 11-year veteran linebacker, Caldwell also played on the first Ravens team in 1996.

The Ravens’ search to replace four-year DC Don Martindale has moved fast, with internal candidates (D-line coach Anthony Weaver), external options (Kris Richard, Joe Whitt Jr.) and former Baltimore staffers currently elsewhere (Cullen, Macdonald) coming up in the past few days.

Jaguars Schedule Second Nathaniel Hackett HC Interview

January 26th, 2022 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

After some buzz about Nathaniel Hackett remaining in the mix for Jacksonville’s HC position, the current Packers OC indeed will meet again with his old team.

Hackett has a second Jaguars interview scheduled for Thursday, according to the Florida Times-Union’s Gene Frenette (on Twitter). A former Jaguars OC, Hackett joins Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich and Colts DC Matt Eberflus as the known finalists for this position.

Leftwich and Eberflus have already conducted two interviews apiece with the Jags. News surfaced about Jags GM Trent Baalke backing Eberflus, while Leftwich has built momentum over the past day. Hackett remaining in play adds an interesting wrinkle, given his past with the team.

Hackett is also one of three finalists for the Denver HC job. He went through his second Broncos interview Tuesday. Cowboys DC Dan Quinn and Rams OC Kevin O’Connell join Hackett in that mix. A Jacksonville landing would be quite interesting for Hackett, who worked as the Jags’ OC from 2016-18. The Jags fired Hackett from that post late in the 2018 season, the team’s last with Blake Bortles at quarterback.

While Hackett has transitioned to a non-play-calling OC role with the Packers, he called Jags plays before his ouster. The 42-year-old assistant has been in the mix for Aaron Rodgers‘ late-30s re-emergence on the MVP scene, though Matt LaFleur has called Green Bay’s plays since the two arrived in 2019. Son of former NFL OC Paul Hackett, Nathaniel also served as Jacksonville’s quarterbacks coach during the latter part of Gus Bradley‘s HC tenure as well.

Ravens DB Anthony Levine Retires

January 26th, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the longest-tenured players in Ravens history, Anthony Levine will call it a career after 10 seasons. The veteran defensive back and special-teamer announced his retirement Wednesday.

Levine has been a vital part of Baltimore’s special teams since joining the team in 2012. The 34-year-old role player played at least 70% of the Ravens’ special teams plays in eight of his 10 Baltimore seasons.

Originally a Packers UDFA in 2010, Levine was a practice squad player when Green Bay won the Super Bowl that season. He spent the 2011 campaign on Green Bay’s P-squad as well but landed with Baltimore for the 2012 season, seeing his first game action that year. Despite not beginning his Ravens run until his third year in the league, Levine is one of a handful of players to suit up for at least 10 seasons with the franchise. Levine’s 146 career games played ranks 11th in team history.

“He worked tirelessly to become one of the NFL’s best special teams players, and he could always be relied upon to contribute at a high level on defense – no matter the role he was asked to play,” John Harbaugh said. “Most importantly, Anthony is a terrific leader of men and someone who helped his teammates become the very best versions of themselves.”

Levine finished his career with 117 tackles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Levine will transition to a scouting role with the Ravens, who also plan to use him as an assistant coach.

Latest On Raiders’ HC, GM Searches

January 26th, 2022 at 5:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders’ general manager search has expanded to include eight names. While the team’s pursuit of its next full-time head coach has not gotten as far off the ground, a few external candidates have emerged.

One possible solution — a Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler partnership — has surfaced on the radar, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). Ziegler, who moved up in the Patriots’ front office hierarchy following Nick Caserio‘s 2021 New England exit, interviewed for the Las Vegas GM job Friday and has been connected to bringing the Pats’ longtime OC with him.

McDaniels has not taken a formal interview with any team during this year’s hiring cycle, though the veteran OC was calling around to coaches around the league for staff-assembly purposes recently, Tafur adds. Patriots West might not be where this Raiders process ends up, however.

Momentum has cooled on a McDaniels-Ziegler pairing this week, per Tafur, who adds Colts VP of player personnel Ed Dodds — a former Al Davis staffer — is still in the mix. Dodds’ GM interview is set for Wednesday. Dodds previously withdrew his name from consideration for the Bears’ GM post. Dodds being with the Colts when McDaniels backtracked on a 2018 Indianapolis agreement would all but squash any chance of those two pairing up.

The Raiders have interviewed only Rich Bisaccia and Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo for their HC position. The team remains interested in speaking with 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans and has a meeting with Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles set for Friday. While Jim Harbaugh looms, not much has emerged connecting the Michigan coach to the Silver and Black in several days. Harbaugh was on the Raiders’ staff as QBs coach for part of Dodds’ Oakland tenure, but this was nearly 20 years ago.

Las Vegas’ GM search is now at eight names, with a request to interview Bucs exec John Spytek and interviews with Falcons staffer Ruston Webster and Steelers exec Brandon Hunt representing the latest news coming out of the search to fill Mike Mayock’s job.

Ravens Aiming To Bring Back Mike Macdonald For DC Job

January 26th, 2022 at 4:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens have been connected to some outside candidates to fill their defensive coordinator post, while also meeting with defensive line coach Anthony Weaver. An external candidate with a Baltimore history, however, appears set to fill Don Martindale‘s former post.

A year after leaving Baltimore to become Michigan’s defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald is squarely on the radar to take the same job with the Ravens. This process is moving fast, with the Detroit Free Press’ Michael Cohen reporting a deal is expected to be finalized within days.

Prior to joining Jim Harbaugh‘s Wolverines staff last year, Macdonald was viewed as the Martindale heir apparent in Baltimore. He had previously worked with the Ravens from 2014-20, moving up from the intern level to linebackers coach by the end of his first stint with the team. Also spending time working with Baltimore’s defensive backs, Macdonald gained extensive experience with the team ahead of his move to the college ranks.

Michigan’s performance certainly helped the young assistant’s cause. Sparked by potential No. 1 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson‘s Heisman Trophy bid, the Wolverines ranked as a top-10 defense in 2021 — a year after ranking 95th in points allowed. Should Macdonald, 34, land the job, he would become the youngest DC in Ravens history.

The Ravens also sought interviews with Saints DBs coach Kris Richard and Cowboys secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. Richard is also in the mix for the Steelers’ DC gig. While the franchise has never hired an outside coach to be its DC, Macdonald essentially checks that box in name only due to the bulk of his coaching experience coming with the team.

Load More Posts