HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/20/24

January 20th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Ely Allen

With three games remaining this weekend, six teams were required to announce their roster moves today:

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bills and Lions move forward with the same pair of standard gameday practice squad elevations as last week. The Packers and Buccaneers, on the other hand, will give Banks and Dzansi a chance to make their NFL debuts in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Chiefs Preparing For Potential Andy Reid Retirement?

January 20th, 2024 at 4:15pm CST by Ely Allen

We at Pro Football Rumors often report on actual transactions and recent news, but the word “rumors” is in our name for a reason. This most recent report comes from a rumor out of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and crew who say that “the Chiefs have a possible Andy Reid retirement after the current postseason on their radar screen.”

What does that mean, exactly? Not much, honestly. Reid hasn’t said much, if anything, to stir such rumors. The Chiefs’ brass hasn’t said anything hinting at such an attitude, either. Reid said in 2020 he was open to coaching past 70 and indicated following Super Bowl LVII he was coming back for the 2023 season.

Recently, the subject of retirement was only broached when Reid responded to a question about a potential retirement following the team’s win over the Dolphins last week. “I haven’t even thought about that,” Reid told reporters. “I’m thinking about one thing. I figured that would come up when you guys were asking these questions because I’m old, but (I’m) not that old.”

Reid, 65, is oft mentioned in those conversations concerning the top head coaches in the league, and he belongs there. In 25 years of head coaching experience with the Eagles and Chiefs, Reid holds a 258-144-1 regular season record (.641 winning percentage) and a 23-16 record (.590) in the playoffs. His time in Kansas City has rewarded him with two Super Bowl wins. It’s quite the resume to end with, but Reid’s Chiefs are still currently alive for a potential third Super Bowl, and despite taking a slight step back this year in the regular season, the team shows no signs of giving up ground in the AFC West.

There could be an easy solution to who may replace Reid in that unlikely scenario. It could also answer the question of why Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who has been an annual name in head coaching vacancy rumors, has only so far been mentioned as a candidate to step in for the team he’s already on. If there’s any truth to the possibility that Reid steps down, Bieniemy may be the natural choice to step in and take over after he spent 10 years on the Chiefs’ coaching staff from 2013-22.

Regardless, all of this is mere speculation for now. If the Chiefs fail to advance in the playoffs this weekend, we should be provided some clarity on the matter sooner rather than later. The Chiefs would be put in a difficult position if Reid waits too long to vacate the position and all the best head coaching candidates get hired. If Reid is going to retire, it’s likely to come soon after the Chiefs 2023 season ends.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/20/24

January 20th, 2024 at 3:22pm CST by Ely Allen

A couple practice squad transactions on a Divisional Round Saturday:

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Haack’s Buffalo reunion comes to a quick end after only three days. Haack was brought in as an emergency option at punter with starter Sam Martin dealing with a hamstring injury, but Haack’s release today points to some positive signs for Martin’s availability tomorrow.

Likewise, O’Donnell has been brought in with regular Packers punter Daniel Whelan still questionable on the injury report. O’Donnell wasn’t included in the team’s standard practice squad elevations, though, so it appears Whelan will be available tonight.

Injury Updates: Raiders, Gilmore, Williams

January 20th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Maxx Crosby, who was already a two-time Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro selection within his first four years as a pass rusher for the Raiders, surprised nobody by putting up another career year in 2023. What’s even more impressive about this year’s Pro Bowl season and second-team All-Pro selection is that Crosby accomplished both feats while dealing with a knee injury for most of the season, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com.

This week, Crosby posted a picture of himself following a successful procedure on his left knee. The procedure was reportedly meant clean up an issue with his bursa that Crosby had been dealing with since Week 2 of the 2023 season. That’s not all. The 26-year-old also said recently that he will require thumb surgery. All of this information makes career-highs in tackles (90), sacks (14.5), and tackles for a loss (a league-leading 23) this season all the more impressive.

Elsewhere in Vegas, running back Josh Jacobs saw his own injury information made public earlier this month. After leading the league in rushing yards in 2022, Jacobs’ disappointing 2023 campaign came to an unceremonious end four weeks early, as the 25-year-old missed the final four games of the season with injury.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jacobs had “been dealing with two deep bone contusions that…restricted his range of motion, preventing him from being cleared by the team medical staff.” Pelissero relays that the issues did not result in any structural damage and that Jacobs should be fully healthy heading into free agency this offseason.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL, starting with an update out of northeast Texas:

  • Before Super Wild Card weekend, Cowboys veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore found out that he had suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder. An injury like that is certainly grounds for season-ending surgery that late in the season. Gilmore, though, made the conscious decision to delay surgery, toughing it out for what he hoped would be the second Super Bowl run of his career, per Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News. Gilmore wore a shoulder harness and played 100 percent of the defensive snaps for Dallas in their loss to the Packers. He would’ve done that three more times, if given the opportunity. With the Cowboys’ season now officially ended, Gilmore said that he expected surgery soon, giving him plenty of time to be ready to play in 2024, wherever that may be for the pending free agent.
  • Lastly, the Rams saw rookie sensation Kyren Williams suffer a hand injury in last weekend’s loss to the Lions. The running back out of Notre Dame finished the regular season behind only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry in rushing yards but was forced to exit his team’s playoff game with a broken bone in his hand, according to Rams senior staff writer Stu Jackson. Williams underwent successful surgery on Tuesday of this week and should have plenty of time to recover for his sophomore campaign.

Latest On Panthers’ GM Search

January 20th, 2024 at 11:10am CST by Ben Levine

11:10am: Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby were among the candidates to earn second interviews with the Panthers, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Morgan also remains in contention for the job.

9:05am: The Panthers continue to make progress with their GM search. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the organization has “quietly” started their second round of interviews.

It’s uncertain which candidates have earned second interviews, but Jones points out that assistant GM Dan Morgan entered the interview process as a “strong candidate” for the gig. A first-round pick by the Panthers back in 2001, Morgan returned to the Panthers in 2021, when he was hired as Scott Fitterer‘s assistant GM.

While Fitterer was let go after the 2023 campaign, Morgan was still expected to be a contender for the open job. There were also whispers that the Panthers cold consider pairing Morgan with a football ops-side hire, but it sounds like the executive is a serious candidate for the full-time gig.

After officially ending his playing career in 2009, Morgan pursued front office jobs. He spent eight years in Seattle, working his way up from scouting intern to director of pro personnel. He took on that same role with the Bills in 2018 and spent three seasons in Buffalo.

The new GM will be tasked with turning around a franchise that doesn’t own its first-round pick despite finishing with the NFL’s worst record. With Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay withdrawing from consideration, there are 11 current candidates for the Carolina job:

Coaching Notes: Giants, O’Brien, Panthers

January 20th, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Ben Levine

We’ve got another candidate for the Giants ST coordinator job. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the Giants interviewed Jets assistant special teams coach Michael Ghobrial for the position.

Ghobrial has been with the Jets since 2021, working alongside Brant Boyer and Leon Washington. Prior to his stint in New York, the coach served as a special teams coordinator in the college ranks, spending time with Washington State, Hawai’i, and Tarleton State.

The Giants have been forced to pivot to assistant ST coordinator to replace Thomas McGaughey. The team was denied interviews with ST coordinators like Marquice Williams (Falcons), Chris Tabor (Panthers), and Ryan Ficken (Chargers), although Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes that the Giants could revisit their pursuit of Williams since Atlanta is no longer blocking interviews.

49ers assistant special teams coach Matt Harper and Bears assistant special teams coach Carlos Polk have reportedly interviewed for the job, while Seahawks special teams coordinator Larry Izzo has also been mentioned as a potential candidate.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • Speaking of Thomas McGaughey, the former Giants ST coordinator is interviewing for the same job with the Patriots, according to Raanan. The veteran coach spent the past six seasons as the Giants special teams coordinator, serving on three different coaching staffs. McGaughey previously had stints as the ST coordinator with the Panthers, 49ers, and Jets.
  • While the Patriots have and will continue to consider a number of in-house options for both coaching and front office roles, one of their coordinators won’t be sticking around. We heard yesterday that Bill O’Brien was heading to Ohio State as their offensive coordinator, a somewhat surprising development considering the organization’s reliance on continuity in a post-Bill Belichick era. However, as Albert Breer of SI.com writes, the Patriots always intended to conduct a “full search” for a new offensive coordinator. This meant O’Brien wasn’t necessarily eschewing the New England opportunity; rather, he opted for the definitive offer at Ohio State vs. the potential offer with the Patriots.
  • As our 2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, four of the 12 candidates for the Panthers HC job have defensive backgrounds. While the organization is certainly considering these defensive-minded candidates, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the Panthers still prefer to hire an offensive-minded coach, per ESPN’s David Newton. The belief is that an offensive coach would be an ideal choice to help with the development of quarterback Bryce Young.

Raiders, Antonio Pierce Agree To HC Deal

January 19th, 2024 at 10:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mark Davis regretted passing on interim HC Rich Bisaccia two years ago. The owner is not going to let Antonio Pierce go. The Raiders and Pierce are finalizing an agreement for the linebackers coach-turned-interim leader to become the franchise’s full-time head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. A deal is now in place, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

Pierce’s experience level will make this one of the most shocking HC ascensions in modern NFL history, but Raiders players — in an effort Maxx Crosby spearheaded — lobbied for Davis to elevate Pierce to the full-time role. The former Super Bowl-winning linebacker was viewed as the favorite following Crosby’s threat at requesting a trade in the event the Raiders went in another direction; Pierce is now on the doorstep of making a major climb. This probably goes without saying in light of Friday’s developments, but SI.com’s Albert Breer notes Davis placed a premium on his players’ views of the matter this time around. Per his X account, Crosby appears excited about this decision.

Pierce, 45, will become the first interim HC moved to a permanent post since the Jaguars removed Doug Marrone‘s interim tag in 2017. Teams passing on an interim leader in order to hire a flashier option has been the modern NFL norm, and far more experienced options compared to Pierce — Bisaccia included — have come and gone. While Davis greenlighting a former Josh McDaniels assistant to take over less than three months after he pulled the plug on the McDaniels era 1 1/2 seasons in, Pierce went 5-4 as interim HC and became wildly popular with Raider players.

Other teams had noticed Pierce as well. The Falcons and Titans sent out interview requests; the then-temporary Raiders leader interviewed with the Titans virtually last week. As the interest escalated, the Raiders are making one of the bolder HC moves in NFL history.

A GM will now need to be hired, and interim leader Champ Kelly having sat in on HC interviews points to the Raiders giving strong consideration to keeping their end-of-season setup in place. Though, other candidates will need to be interviewed to comply with the Rooney Rule. Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds is viewed as a threat to Kelly’s grip on the job, with the Raiders not viewing Kelly-Pierce as a package deal. Kelly is believed to be meeting with Raiders brass today, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. The Raiders have already met with Kelly twice during this cycle.

Pierce’s former Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin, is set to help his ex-pupil assemble a staff, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Coughlin was among the coaches who helped Pierce once the Raiders made him interim HC. One name who is expected to be on Pierce’s next Raiders staff: Marvin Lewis. The former Bengals HC, who coached with Pierce at Arizona State and joined Coughlin and Adam Gase in helping the unseasoned leader during the season, is on track to be a Las Vegas full-timer, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Pierce is less than two years removed from resigning from his co-defensive coordinator post at Arizona State amid an NCAA recruiting investigation. He spent four years with the Sun Devils, moving to the co-DC role in 2020, before McDaniels brought him aboard as Raiders linebackers coach shortly after his Arizona exit. As recently as 2017, Pierce was the head coach of Long Beach Poly High.

That said, Pierce’s coaching experience does not trail new Patriots HC Jerod Mayo‘s by too much. While Mayo has been viewed as the Bill Belichick heir apparent for at least two years, he only began work as a full-time Patriots staffer in 2019. This HC hiring period has featured 2000s and 2010s linebackers take starring roles.

Still, Davis passing on at least interviewing higher-profile coaching options — considering those now available — is rather surprising. The Raiders’ search committee only met with ex-Bills DC Leslie Frazier and former Seahawks and Saints DC Kris Richard. Those two meetings satisfied the Rooney Rule. Although Pierce is also Black, this process reminds of when Davis went through with only Rooney Rule interviews as he brought back Jon Gruden in 2018. The Raiders will pass on efforts to interview Belichick, ex-Oakland assistant Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel. While a Raiders Harbaugh push was rumored, Pierce quickly seized the lead here.

As Pierce takes the unusual route of rising to a head coach position without being a college head coach or an NFL coordinator, he will be assembling a new staff. Most of Pierce’s offensive staff will not be retained, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Raiders fired OC Mick Lombardi soon after they canned McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler on November 1, installing Bo Hardegree as their offensive play-caller. Hardegree is among the staffers not expected to stay in Las Vegas, per Rapoport. Considering Pierce was elevated to the interim job instead of DC Patrick Graham, it would surprise if the latter stayed on as well.

Momentum crested for Pierce to be hired after the Raiders upended the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day. That came just after the team bashed the Chargers, leading them to fire their HC-GM combo, in a 63-21 rout. Behind Pierce and Graham, the Raiders finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense for the first time since the 2002 Super Bowl season. Graham’s unit ranked ninth, which came after Vegas’ 2022 defense finished 26th.

The team finished 8-9 despite Aidan O’Connell largely struggling in his second-half audition; the team ranked 23rd in points scored and 27th in total offense. The Raiders’ to-be-determined GM should be expected to make a genuine quarterback pursuit.

The Raiders undeniably turned their operation around following McDaniels’ ouster, though this will be a gamble due to Pierce’s limited experience. Pierce grew up a Raider fan in Los Angeles, and Davis is believed to have appreciated the young leader’s grasp of the team’s culture and history. While Davis was connected to taking another big swing for the HC gig, his past two — Gruden and McDaniels — did not succeed. The Raiders have just two winning seasons since Super Bowl XXXVII; Pierce will be tasked with turning the operation around. With Davis giving McDaniels and Ziegler less than two years — after signing the pair to six-year contracts — it is worth monitoring how long of a leash Pierce will have.

As for Lewis, he has been out of the NFL since the Bengals fired him following the 2018 season. The former Super Bowl-winning DC has not been an NFL assistant since 2002, coaching the Bengals for 16 seasons. Lewis’ longevity made him a somewhat divisive figure during that stint, as playoff losses mounted, but he has interviewed for NFL HC jobs in the years since his Cincinnati dismissal. Lewis, 65, looks likely to be one of Pierce’s top aides for the 2024 season.

Bill Belichick Viewed As Top Falcons HC Candidate

January 19th, 2024 at 10:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bill Belichick-Falcons partnership prospects are heating up. Belichick arrived in Atlanta on Thursday night ahead of his second interview, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports, and is now viewed as the top candidate for this job.

After Belichick’s first interview consisted of a one-on-one meeting with Arthur Blank, he is set to meet with other Falcons higher-ups. Belichick began his second interview with dinner Thursday, Russini adds, and CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson notes this process — Belichick’s first time on a coaching carousel in 24 years — continues to trend in a positive direction. Though, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones cautions this is not yet a done deal.

Blank, CEO Rich McKay, GM Terry Fontenot and team president Greg Beadles will be part of this second interview, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. This meeting will double as a chance for Belichick to evaluate the Falcons as a fit, as questions will be warranted on his part. This marks Belichick’s first meeting in Atlanta, with Jones adding the interview with Blank took place on the owner’s yacht near the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Belichick held final personnel say throughout his Patriots run. While he laps Fontenot in terms of experience, the presences of the fourth-year GM and McKay — a former Falcons GM who moved up the chain in the late 2000s — create some uncertainty as to what the legendary head coach’s role would be. Belichick reaching a comfort level with McKay, a former Super Bowl-winning Buccaneers GM, will be critical here, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Doubt about Belichick wanting to keep the McKay-Fontenot status quo in place has emerged, per Jones. But Blank would need to naturally approve of any major front office restructuring.

One source has informed Jones that Blank “desperately” wants Belichick as his next coach and that it would be on the latter to accept the job. Even with Jones indicating the Falcons want to complete a thorough search, it would not surprise to learn of Belichick receiving an offer. The Falcons have also interviewed Jim Harbaugh and are preparing to meet with their former interim HC, Raheem Morris, on Saturday. But the team is believed to be prioritizing experience to fill its latest HC vacancy. Blank has never hired anyone with previous NFL HC experience to lead his team, and Belichick is arguably the greatest coach in league history.

While Belichick issues on the GM side recurred in New England — particularly after Tom Brady‘s 2020 exit — he continued to give the Patriots top-shelf work on the defensive side of the ball. Sixteen of New England’s Brady-era teams finished with a top-10 scoring defense, and the Pats fared well down the stretch despite losing Matt Judon and Christian Gonzalez early this season. But how the Falcons would plan on structuring their front office around Belichick would double as one of this offseason’s most interesting questions. The team made a point to say Blank and McKay are leading the HC search, with Fontenot offering input. McKay soon backtracked by indicating the GM has not seen his standing diminished after three straight 7-10 seasons.

The prospect of Belichick, 72 in April, wanting familiar personnel staffers would seemingly be in play; Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge have already been rumored staff targets if Belichick does indeed become the next Falcons HC. No team has ever hired a coach older than 66 (Bruce Arians, 2019). Will the Falcons buck that trend and become the team that gives Belichick the chance to break Don Shula‘s record? The 29-year HC veteran is 14 wins away.

Ravens Activate Two From IR, Sign RB Melvin Gordon Back To PS

January 19th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Ravens fans have been sitting on their hands for nearly three weeks now since the team clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC and began resting its starters in anticipation for a playoff run. The wait ends tomorrow with a matchup against the visiting Texans, and the Ravens made a number of roster moves in order to prepare for the divisional-round game.

First, Baltimore brought in some reinforcements from injured reserve. While this move has been expected for some days now, it’s been unclear who exactly would be filling the team’s recent roster vacancies until today. Things became more clear when it was announced that star tight end Mark Andrews, who had been designated for return from IR, would not be available to play against the Texans. With that decision made for them, the Ravens went forward with the activations of wide receiver Devin Duvernay and defensive back Ar’Darius Washington from IR.

Duvernay adds wide receiver depth on the offense but mostly serves as the team’s return specialist. A former All-Pro as a return man, Duvernay was the only Raven returning any kickoffs or punts up until his injury. With his replacement, Tylan Wallace, declared out for Saturday with a knee injury, returning duties will fall directly back on Duvernay’s shoulders.

Washington, a former undrafted safety out of TCU, spent most of his first two years in the NFL as a special teamer and practice squad defender. The team was expecting a big 2023 season out of Washington after he opened the year as the Ravens’ starting nickel cornerback, but a chest injury landed him on IR after only Week 2, and he’s been out ever since. With star cornerback Marlon Humphrey out for tomorrow’s game with a calf injury, the depth Washington adds at cornerback will be welcome.

Additionally, running back Melvin Gordon, one of the players removed from the 53-man roster in order to make room for Duvernay, Washington, and Dalvin Cook, will remain in Baltimore under a new practice squad deal. The veteran rusher played a prominent role in the team’s Week 18 game as the Ravens attempted to rest Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but a lost fumble early in the game forced the team not to take any chances. They’ve now subbed Cook in for Gordon on the active roster, but Gordon will now be available in case of emergency off of the practice squad after clearing waivers.

Lastly, the Ravens announced their standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s game. Wide receiver Dan Chisena and linebacker Josh Ross will suit up with the active roster against the Texans. Houston, on the other hand, made the decision not to elevate any practice squad players for the second week in a row.

David Shaw To Interview For Titans’ HC Position

January 19th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Add another offensive-minded coach to the list of head coaching candidates in Tennessee. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Titans will host former Stanford head coach David Shaw this weekend to interview for their vacant head coaching job.

Shaw was out of coaching in 2023, taking a year off after re-signing from his longtime position as head coach of the Cardinal. Shaw held his position at Stanford for 12 years, winning three conference titles in his first five years at the helm. Shaw had been a homerun hire out of the gate, amassing an 82-26 record over his first eight years in Palo Alto. Unfortunately, a 14-28 record over his last four years, including two consecutive 3-9 seasons to close out his tenure, seemingly forced his hand, ending his time at Stanford.

Before serving as a head coach at the collegiate level, a position Shaw had been promoted to after time as an offensive coordinator for the Cardinal and passing game coordinator at the University of San Diego under Jim Harbaugh, Shaw had an extensive career as an NFL assistant. After starting as an offensive quality control coach in Philadelphia in 1997, Shaw spent three years in the same role for the Raiders. In 2001, Shaw was promoted to quarterbacks coach in Oakland and would leave the next year to coach quarterbacks and wide receivers in Baltimore.

Shaw’s college coaching career saw him bring up such NFL successes as Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey. His pro-style offense has often been a point of interest in the NFL, bringing his name up in several head coaching searches in the past. Despite all the interest, this will only be Shaw’s third NFL head coaching interview following an interview yesterday with the Chargers and last year with the Broncos.

You can find the full list of all candidates for vacant NFL head coaching jobs at PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, but for convenience, the Titans are as follows:

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