Today’s minor moves:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G Jordan Meredith
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DE Daeshon Hall, FB John Lovett
After failing to receive an offer from the Vikings, Jim Harbaugh will remain at the University of Michigan. For now. Harbaugh agreed to a new $36.7MM deal to coach the Wolverines for the next five years, in theory. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, though, this extension does little to ensure a long marriage between the two parties involved. 
For the most part, the contract is fairly standard. Harbaugh is set to make around $7.05MM in his first year, a raise of more than $3MM per year, with his salary gradually increasing until he reaches $7.63MM in 2026.
The deal is laced with incentives. Winning the Big Ten East earns Harbaugh $500,000. Winning the conference altogether nets Harbaugh $1MM. An appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl game or the College Football Playoff would gain Harbaugh bonuses of $200,000 and $500,000, respectively. A national title would pay out another $1MM to Harbaugh. He also has award incentives that would pay him $50,000 if he is named Big Ten Coach of the Year and $75,000 if he is named the winner of one of the national coach of the year awards.
Where Harbaugh’s contract differs from what is expected is in the buyout. In the first year, Harbaugh’s contract only lists a $3MM buyout, meaning if a team wanted to hire Harbaugh after next season, Michigan would only be due $3MM despite Harbaugh having four years and $29.65MM remaining on his contract. The buyout gradually decreases each year until, in the fourth and penultimate year of his contract, it totals less than $1MM.
This low buyout will do little to deter any teams eager to hire Harbaugh. It will do even less to keep Harbaugh from looking. It’s an ideal contract for the eighth-year Wolverines head coach. He nets a hefty raise for his accomplishments in the 2021 season, while ensuring an easy exit for the next NFL team that comes calling.
Despite previous reports that Roger Goodell would retire at the end of his current contract, a new deal may be in the works for the NFL commissioner, according to Ben Fischer and John Ourand of Sports Business Journal. 
Goodell recently wrapped up his 16th season as commissioner. Initially elected by NFL owners in 2006, Goodell’s seen extensions to his contract in 2009, 2012, and 2017. In terms of public standing, Goodell is in the best position of his career. As a longtime punching bag, usually with attention focused on his disciplinary procedures, Goodell is starting to earn some recognition from both owners and fans.
Under Goodell, the NFL has negotiated a bargaining agreement with the players union through the 2030 season and signed TV/media deals worth $113 billion through the 2033 season. Not only did the NFL navigate the minefield of the COVID-19 pandemic without losing a single game, but viewership increased by 10%. These accomplishments have endeared Goodell to NFL owners.
In the eyes of the public, Goodell is benefitting from a heightened awareness of NFL fans. Public outcry on issues, like the lack of minority coaching hires, has shifted aim from Goodell to owners, as fans start to learn who is really responsible for making those kinds of decisions. Scandals and allegations centered on owners like Stephen Ross, of the Dolphins, and Dan Snyder, of the Commanders, have worked to shift negative attention even further from Goodell and the NFL, specifically.
Even if owners were ready to move on from Goodell, a lack of a clear successor has them stalling for time. Since vacating the position of Chief Operating Officer to become commissioner, the two people who have filled the role have left. Tod Leiweke, who succeeded Goodell and held the COO position until 2018, would’ve been the obvious choice, but he resigned to become the president and CEO of the Seattle Kraken of the NHL, as well as a minority owner. Leiweke’s successor, Mary Ann Turcke, stepped down from the position in August of 2020, leaving the position vacant since then.
Three possible successors have been identified: Chief Media and Business Officer Brian Rolapp, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent, and chief strategy officer Chris Halpin. Rolapp has long been viewed, internally, as the most logical candidate, but has done little to sell himself to owners. He did have a hand in the NFL’s mega-media deals. Halpin is an interesting candidate as he is credited for much of the NFL’s efforts on international expansion. Vincent played a huge part in the NFL’s navigation of the COVID-19 season. Discussions about possibly splitting the commissioner position into two separate leadership positions for football and business could be the eventual answer if owners don’t like their options past Goodell.
For now, though, it sounds like Goodell continues to be the man for the job. One owner was quoted saying, “He’s at the top of his game right now. Why would we want him walking out the door?” For what it’s worth, the NFL’s vice president of communications denied that there was any truth to the reports of contract negotiations.
Goodell has seen his salary increase with each new deal, though his current contract, estimated to have earned him $63.9MM over each of the past two seasons, is heavily incentive-laden. The 63-year-old would be 65 at the end of his current contract. An extension would likely make him the oldest person to have held the position with Paul Tagliabue retiring at 66 and Pete Rozelle walking away at 63. He is already set to pass Tagliabue for the title of second-longest-tenured NFL commissioner. If Goodell walked away in 2024 we would’ve served for 18 seasons, one more than Tagliabue. It’s unlikely that Goodell will reach Rozelle’s tenure of 29 years.
It does seem, though, that Goodell has a few more years left in him, if the reports are true. If a new extension is reached in the coming months, Goodell and the NFL will have a few more years to set up a replacement plan.
In place as the Panthers’ assistant general manager for less than a year, Dan Morgan is already attracting interest for GM jobs. The Steelers interviewed him for their soon-to-be vacant role recently.
The former Panthers linebacker has worked his way up the chain to the point GM interest is logical. He was the Seahawks’ director of pro personnel and spent three years (2018-20) as the Bills’ player personnel director.
Morgan, 43, is now working as Scott Fitterer‘s right-hand man in Carolina. Although Morgan played high school and college football in Florida, starring as a Miami Hurricane, he is a Pennsylvania native, having grown up in a Philadelphia suburb. The former first-round pick played seven seasons with Carolina. He spent time with the Saints in 2009 and was working as a scout the following year, transitioning quickly to the executive side.
The Steelers are looking to replace Kevin Colbert, who intends to step down from his post after the draft. The team also announced it has finished interviews with Buccaneers VP of player personnel John Spytek, Packers co-player personnel director John Wojciechowski and Colts college scouting director Morocco Brown.
Here is how the Steelers’ search looks thus far, courtesy of PFR’s GM search tracker:
- Morocco Brown, college scouting director (Colts): Interviewed
- Ryan Cowden, vice president of player personnel (Titans): Interviewed 2/4
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interviewed 2/4
- Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration (Steelers): Mentioned as candidate
- Dan Morgan, assistant general manager (Panthers): Interviewed
- Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel (Eagles): Interview scheduled
- John Spytek, director of player personnel (Buccaneers): Interviewed
- John Wojciechowski, co-director of player personnel (Packers): Interviewed
- JoJo Wooden, director of player personnel (Chargers): Interviewed by 2/4
Although the Jaguars had offensive-oriented coaches in place as head coach in Doug Marrone and Urban Meyer, neither operated as the team’s primary play-caller. That pattern will change with Doug Pederson. The former Eagles HC will call the Jaguars’ offensive plays, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is not surprising, with the former Super Bowl-winning coach having been Philadelphia’s play-caller during his five seasons at the helm. Pederson also helped establish his HC case by calling plays at points with the Chiefs. Pederson’s primary task will be relaunching Trevor Lawrence‘s career after the prized quarterback prospect struggled under Meyer and Darrell Bevell. OC Press Taylor has not called plays previously, but passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has. They will be Pederson’s right-hand men on his Lawrence reboot effort.
Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:
- In addition to making the long-expected Ejiro Evero defensive coordinator hire, the Broncos are plucking two more assistants off the Rams’ staff in the wake of Super Bowl LVI. Dwayne Stukes is coming to Denver to be the team’s special teams coordinator, while Marcus Dixon is leaving Los Angeles for Colorado to be the new Broncos D-line coach. Stukes, 45, spent the 2021 season as the Rams’ assistant ST coordinator. Stukes has experience as an ST coordinator — with the 2011 Buccaneers — and has been an assistant ST coach with the Bears and Giants. Dixon will also be a one-and-done with the Rams, having been hired as their assistant D-line coach last year. Previously, Dixon spent four years as an assistant at Division I-FCS Hampton.
- The Raiders are hiring a new defensive line coach, tabbing Frank Okam for that role, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). This comes more than a month after the Panthers fired Okam. Carolina brought Okam from Matt Rhule‘s Baylor staff in 2020, when he served as the Panthers’ assistant D-line coach. Carolina bumped Okam to its D-line coach last year. He will follow ex-Panthers assistant Jason Simmons to Las Vegas.
- The Bills are expected to hire Marcus West as a defensive assistant, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic tweets. Previously a co-defensive coordinator at Charlotte, West is on track to be the Bills’ assistant D-line coach, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (on Twitter). This will be West’s first NFL coaching gig.
- One of the Marrone-era holdovers Meyer kept on his lone Jaguars staff, Joe Danna is now on board as the Texans’ safeties coach, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Danna spent five seasons in Jacksonville and was with the Jets and Falcons as well, serving as DBs coach with both teams.
Former NFL wide receiver Cortez Hankton is coming off a national championship-winning season as a Georgia assistant, and he recently accepted an offer to join Brian Kelly‘s LSU staff. A second offseason relocation may be in the cards.
The Rams want to interview Hankton for their offensive coordinator vacancy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Los Angeles is looking to replace Kevin O’Connell, who officially became the Vikings’ head coach this week.
Hankton, 41, is currently LSU’s wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator but is coming off a season in which he helped Georgia to its first national title since 1980. In place as the Bulldogs’ wideouts coach and pass-game coordinator from 2019-21, Hankton has seen his stock rise after former walk-on Stetson Bennett threw 29 touchdown passes despite key injuries to his receiving corps last season.
A former UDFA out of Texas Southern, Hankton spent some time as a Jaguars receiver in the 2000s but has become better known as a coach. He was on staff as Vanderbilt’s wideouts coach prior to his Georgia role. Hankton has not previously coached in the NFL.
The Rams plan to interview Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London for this non-play-calling position. Running backs coach Thomas Brown, former Raiders OC Greg Olson and ex-Rams assistant-turned-Kentucky OC Liam Coen are also on the radar to be Sean McVay‘s top offensive lieutenant.
With new head coach Kevin O’Connell in place, the Vikings made a number of announcements at his inaugural press conference. Among those was the confirmation of several assistants on his staff, as reported by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (Twitter link). 
One of the most notable names on the list is that of Mike Pettine. The 55-year-old was reported to be joining the team’s staff earlier in the week, albeit not as the defensive coordinator as was originally thought by some. The team unveiled that his title will be assistant head coach, the highest-ranking position he’ll have had since his time in Cleveland in 2014-2015.
In addition, Ed Donatell was confirmed as the team’s new defensive coordinator, giving first-time HC O’Connell a vastly experienced staffer on the defensive side of the ball. Several assistants were also announced, each in the roles they were initially reported to be filling: Chris Rumph as defensive line coach, Chris O’Hara and Jerrod Johnson to work with the team’s quarterbacks, Chris Kuper and Justin Rascati to coach the offensive line, as well as Brian Angelichio and Curtis Modkins to serve as offensive pass and run game coordinators, respectively.
Here are some other Vikings notes, including further announcements from the presser:
- As Ben Goessling of The Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the Vikings will switch to a 3-4 base defense, something that hasn’t been seen in Minnesota since the 1980s. With that said, the team, like almost all in the NFL now, will still principally deploy its nickel package, and they plan to switch between three- and four-man fronts within drives and games.
- In a widely expected announcement, O’Connell confirmed that he will call plays on offense. That will make him the first Vikings HC to do so since Brad Childress, and keep him in line with the structure he is leaving under the Rams and Sean McVay. O’Connell added that he plans to include the “up-tempo offensive concepts” he developed in L.A. within Minnesota’s offense.
- One assistant coach who will not be following O’Connell to the Vikings is Jonathan Cooley. The Rams’ assistant defensive backs coach has been blocked from interviewing with Minnesota (Twitter link via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic). Especially given the loss of Ejiro Evero earlier this offseason, keeping Cooley would be particularly important for the Rams.
Things didn’t go according to plan for the Jaguars in 2021, but with an new head coach in Doug Pederson, former first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence and a second straight No. 1 pick this April, there is plenty of cause for optimism in Duval County. Another reason the team may take a step forward in 2022 is the expected return of running back Travis Etienne. According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, he is making progress towards being available to start the season. 
The other first round pick of the Jaguars in 2021, Etienne missed his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury. That was a huge blow to the team’s offense, considering not only the talent he displayed in an illustrious career at Clemson, but his connection with Lawrence. In his absence – and, later on, that of fellow RB James Robinson – the Jags finished last in the NFL in points per game in 2021, with 14.9. Their rushing average (103 yards per game), while more respectable, would certainly stand to improve with a health halfback tandem.
“My foot is doing much better“, the 23-year-old said in a recent interview. “[I] really just got back into the gym for the first time… So that’s been good and I’ve been running for a while now. I’m kind of getting to that 80% to 85% range. Definitely, just heading in the right direction”.
With a new coaching staff that will be focused in large part on rebuilding the team’s offense, much is expected of the unit in 2022. New offensive coordinator Press Taylor, Alper notes, didn’t specify if former HC Urban Meyer‘s plan to use Etienne at wideout would remain in place. Regardless of how he is deployed, the ex-Tigers star would provide a much-needed boost to Jacksonville if he is able to fully recover.
The Bills face a number of tough decisions this offseason as they try to keep one of the league’s most complete rosters intact. One key piece to their league-leading defense is cornerback Levi Wallace, who is a pending free agent. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg writes, though, the Bills will look to re-sign him. 
[Related: Tre’Davious White On Track To Return In 2022]
Wallace joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has started every game he’s appeared in since, however, proving his value to the team. He was counted on in the latter portion of this season in particular, after losing two-time Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White to a torn ACL in November.
Wallace stepped up in White’s absence, putting together arguably the best season of his career. He totalled 58 tackles, two interceptions and a personal-best 10 pass breakups. In coverage, he allowed a completion percentage of 58%, and a passer rating of 72.6, also the best mark of his NFL tenure to date. Overall, Wallace contributed to the Bills defense topping the league in both points (17) and yards (273) allowed per game in 2021.
When asked about the 26-year-old, general manager Brandon Beane said, “he’s a guy we’ll definitely talk to and would love to get him back if he wants to be back”. Even if White does return to full strength, both Wallace and backup Siran Neal are pending free agents, so Beane acknowledged that “cornerback is an area he would look at in free agency”. With the 25th pick in the draft, Buffalo could also be well suited to add a corner, given the depth of that position in this year’s class.
With Buffalo’s limited cap space, and other financial moves which need to be made – including with Stefon Diggs – Wallace could very well find better offers elsewhere. If the Bills are able to keep him, though, he would help the team maintain a highly productive CB tandem, and stay in Super Bowl contention.
In their search to replace departed offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, the Rams have set their sights on Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London. According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he is set to interview with L.A.
[Related: Vikings Hire Kevin O’Connell]
London, 46, only took on his current post last season. Before that, he had been the running backs coach at Penn State, then with the Texans and Bears. His connection with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith dates back to their time together in Tennessee in 2011.
London’s name came up last week as an OC candidate, when he was named as a candidate for the position in Miami. Ledbetter notes that London is thought to have had “a great interview” with the Dolphins, but was expected to remain with the Falcons before today’s news.
If London does ultimately get the job in L.A., it would be his first time serving as an OC at the college or NFL level. Whether with the Rams or elsewhere, it is expected he will land that position sooner than later, given his role on Smith’s staff but also his attendance at the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit, which helps put assistants on the path to OC gigs. Just as the case would have been in Miami, London would not call plays with the Rams, though he does have experience in play design.