2024 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Bears GM: CB Jaylon Johnson Not Going Anywhere

January 11th, 2024 at 3:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trumaine Johnson‘s standing as the most recent cornerback to be franchise-tagged (in 2017) may change soon. Jaylon Johnson continues to look unlikely to reach free agency.

After a monster contract year that included a first-time Pro Bowl nod, Jaylon Johnson expressed a desire to stay in Chicago. Ryan Poles did not mince words upon sharing the same sentiment; the third-year Bears GM said the four-year veteran “is not going to go anywhere.” The Bears would have until March 5 to apply the franchise tag on Johnson.

Poles relayed confidence (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley) about retaining Johnson, indicating the sides will work to reach an agreement. This continues both parties’ effort to reform this partnership, one tested when the Bears let Johnson seek a trade hours before the October deadline.

The Bills and 49ers were among the teams to discuss a swap, but the Bears held onto their top cover man. While a tag would keep the door open for offer sheets, that is an unrealistic scenario due to the two first-round draft picks that would change hands in the event of the Bears not matching the terms. The Bears could use the transition tag, but they would not be entitled to any compensation in the event of an unmatched offer sheet. Chicago is the most recent team to place any tag on a corner, transition-tagging Kyle Fuller in 2018, and it matched Green Bay’s offer sheet to retain him.

Fuller’s career arc resembles Johnson’s. The Bears declined Fuller’s fifth-year option in 2017 and watched him submit a quality contract year. Fuller built on that late-emerging form in 2018, earning first-team All-Pro honors. Johnson intercepted four passes and rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall cornerback this season. By his own account, the Utah alum made some money in his contract year.

With the salary cap expected to check in around $240MM (up from $224.8MM), the corner tag is on track to come in around $18MM. That is a steep tag, but the Bears used a $17.88MM tag on Allen Robinson in 2021. Johnson’s age (24) makes him a more appealing player to keep, and despite the Bears prioritizing an extension for Montez Sweat shortly after they let Johnson seek a trade, it certainly appears Poles views both players as defensive pillars.

As the team prepares to make its pivotal quarterback decision — seemingly picking up Justin Fields‘ fully guaranteed fifth-year option or trading him and drafting Caleb Williams at No. 1 — a rookie-QB contract would support three top-market deals on defense (counting Tremaine Edmunds‘ $18MM-AAV deal). Three corners (Jaire Alexander, Denzel Ward, Jalen Ramsey) are on pacts at or north of $20MM per year; three more (Marlon Humphrey, Trevon Diggs, Marshon Lattimore) are signed for at least $19MM per year. Johnson’s camp will assuredly target this range for his second contract.

Giants To Add QB; Team Eyeing First-Round Investment?

January 11th, 2024 at 3:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

This Giants regime is suddenly in a difficult spot at quarterback. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll gave a starter they did not draft a $40MM-per-year extension that drew extensive criticism, and Daniel Jones subsequently suffered an ACL tear. Jones will spend the next several months rehabbing, creating uncertainty.

Following Jones’ knee injury, Schoen said the team would be in the market for a quarterback to at least round out the depth chart. While it is still not known if the Giants would legitimately consider adding competition for a player they worked to re-sign last year, they do have the No. 6 overall pick — Jones’ slot back in 2019. People close to the Giants have informed Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline the team will make its QB move this offseason.

“Ultimately, we have to do something,” Schoen said this week. “Whether it’s the draft or a free agent, just because Tyrod [Taylor’s] contract is up. We have Tommy [DeVito], who’s under contract, and then Daniel’s injury — the return to play and the uncertainty there. When free agency starts, the draft. Whichever avenue we decide to take, we will address the position.”

Schoen hopes Jones can make it back by Week 1; the five-year veteran said recently he is aiming for a return by training camp. With training camp more than nine months from Jones’ early-November injury, that recovery timetable would be in range. Week 1 would be more realistic, but the bigger question for the Giants — who are tied to Jones due to guarantees through at least the 2024 season — is if they want to add a veteran backup type or make a push to draft a replacement. A report suggesting a true Jones replacement will be targeted emerged in the fall, though the Giants were then projected to hold a higher draft choice than No. 6.

Jones again faces questions about his long-term viability. Eli Manning‘s successor has run into multiple neck injuries and now the ACL tear, but he was not remotely viewed as a $40MM-AAV player when the Schoen-Daboll regime declined his fifth-year option. Jones is the first quarterback in the option era (2014-present) to see his option declined and then re-sign with that team. His $82MM guaranteed makes a 2024 cut untenable, but a 2025 release — especially if it is the post-June 1 variety — would cost the team only $11.1MM in dead money. Considering Dave Gettleman drafted Jones, this Giants offseason could become the point the Schoen-led regime makes plans to move on.

That would, of course, be a bit odd due to the $160MM contract to which Jones is attached. But the Duke product was not playing particularly well, albeit behind an injury-ravaged O-line, before his injury this season. Jones struggled from 2020-21 as well, though his 2022 ascent also came with the Giants fielding a bottom-tier pass-catching group. Variables exist here, and Jones will only be going into his age-27 season this year.

Pauline mocks Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels to New York at No. 6. Barring a trade-up maneuver, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are almost definitely out of reach for Big Blue, and Daniels — given the QB supply-and-demand issue — may also require a trade-up come April. Field Yates’ ESPN.com big board places Daniels one spot in front of Maye, however, with no other QB in the top 25. The race for the second- and third-best 2024 arms could be fascinating, assuming the Bears take Williams first overall.

The Giants have a better in-house option, assuming Jones is recovered, than most of the other teams in the market for a passer. But if Daboll and Schoen become enamored with one of the prospects, it is certainly reasonable they will effectively put an expiration date on the Gettleman-era QB draftee.

Falcons Request HC Meeting With Ejiro Evero, Block Assistants From Interviews

January 11th, 2024 at 1:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, the Falcons attempted to interview Ejiro Evero for their defensive coordinator position. The Broncos blocked the move. Atlanta is taking similar actions this year.

Evero is again on Atlanta’s interview list, but with teams unable to block HC interview opportunities, it appears Evero will finally meet with the Falcons. The Panthers’ defensive coordinator received an interview request from the Falcons on Thursday, The Athletic’s Joe Person tweets. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, that interview will take place on January 14.

The Falcons eventually hired Ryan Nielsen as their DC, but with Arthur Smith now out of a job, uncertainty exists on the team’s staff. On that front, the Falcons are not letting their assistants under contract walk just yet. They are believed to be blocking assistants from interviewing elsewhere, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

This is not too uncommon, as the Panthers have shown this week, blocking Evero from a Jaguars DC interview. But some teams in coaching transitions have also allowed assistants to look elsewhere. The Seahawks have let Pete Carroll‘s assistants explore jobs, giving the next HC full autonomy to assemble a staff. The Rams did so while Sean McVay deliberated on returning or leaving last year. It is unlikely most of Smith’s Falcons assistants will be back. Thus, blocking interviews — a practice allowed for lateral moves, including any coordinator moves not involving a play-calling role — would impede Falcons assistants. That said, it is still early, as eight teams are now looking for head coaches, who are unable to conduct in-person interviews until after the divisional round.

Evero has become one of the more interesting HC candidates in recent years. This marks his second straight offseason as a sought-after candidate despite being tied to a team coming off a woeful season. The Broncos finished 5-12 in 2022, but Evero still interviewed — after Denver’s defense performed well — for all five vacant HC positions last year. Evero’s stock has dipped a bit, as the Falcons are his second HC interview request in this cycle (after the Panthers), but he remains on the HC/coordinator radar despite Carolina’s 2-15 season.

Carolina still views Evero as a potential coordinator under its next head coach, and until that is sorted out, the team could keep blocking its defensive play-caller from interviewing for DC jobs. But Evero will soon explore a Falcons opportunity.

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Declares For Draft

January 11th, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Viewed as a mortal lock to be one of the first players selected in the 2024 draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. has made his entry official. After skipping Ohio State’s bowl game, the draft’s top wide receiver prospect announced Thursday he will be part of this year’s prospect pool.

The son of Colts legend Marvin Harrison, the ex-Buckeyes superstar will undoubtedly be chosen before his father, who went 19th overall in the 1996 draft. Although this draft class is expected to produce another deep haul of receivers, Harrison has long resided as the top draft-eligible wideout.

Ohio State has become a wide receiver factory in recent years. The Big Ten power has produced the likes of Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The latter trio all went in the first round between the 2022 and 2023 drafts. Harrison should be expected to be chosen earlier than all his former receiver teammates.

Playing behind Wilson, Olave and Smith-Njigba as a freshman in 2021, Harrison became the Buckeyes’ top weapon as a sophomore. Smith-Njigba’s nagging hamstring injury thrust Harrison and fellow draft-eligible performer Emeka Egbuka to the forefront. Both delivered, with Harrison separating himself as a prospect quickly. Harrison eclipsed 1,200 yards in each of his final two college seasons and caught 14 touchdown passes in both years.

The Philadelphia native came to Columbus as a four-star prospect. His father, a Syracuse product, was part of a loaded 1996 receiver draft that featured Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Amani Toomer, Eric Moulds, Muhsin Muhammad and others. The Colts icon was the fourth receiver drafted that year. It would be shocking if his son was not the first 28 years later. At 6-foot-4, the younger Harrison stands four inches taller than his father, who sailed to the Hall of Fame as Peyton Manning‘s go-to target.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board lists the younger Harrison second only to likely No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Although prospects like Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels may be candidates to be chosen ahead of Harrison due to the quarterback importance, a top-five landing spot appears likely.

Titans Request Four HC Interviews; Team Not Targeting Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh

January 11th, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the dust having settled on Mike Vrabel‘s firing, the Titans are moving quickly in searching for his replacement. The team is casting a wide net, but a pair of high-profile candidates are not included.

Tennessee has submitted head coaching interview requests for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Colleague Ian Rapoport reports that the Titans are also interested in Texans OC Bobby Slowik, while adding the team is set to speak with Bengals OC Brian Callahan tomorrow. Lastly, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has received an interview slip, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.

Those names add further to the list of Titans targets, a group which already had five members comprising of coordinators on both sides of the ball as well as Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce. As Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports, however, neither Bill Belichick nor Jim Harbaugh are on the team’s radar. The former has officially parted ways with the Patriots as expected, while the latter has been linked to an NFL return for several months and is well-positioned to do so after winning a national title with Michigan.

Although Ben Johnson has been connected to commanding a high salary — due to his popularity on this latest HC carousel — the Titans staying out of the Belichick and Harbaugh derbies points to both a less expensive coach being targeted, along with a younger option. Belichick has now been ruled out for the Commanders and Titans. The Falcons remain connected to the legendary Patriots leader, while loose connections have formed between Belichick and the Chargers and Raiders. No official Belichick interview request has come out yet. Harbaugh has been connected to both the Falcons and Commanders, but the reigning national champion coach still looks to have the best chance of resurfacing in the NFL via the Chargers or Raiders.

This continues a remarkable rise for Slowik, who worked with Kyle Shanahan in both Washington and San Francisco. The Shanahan tree has proven fruitful since the 49ers’ 2019 turnaround, and Slowik’s play-calling debut — under ex-Shanahan DC DeMeco Ryans — produced the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite in C.J. Stroud. The Texans’ rebound from 3-14 to 10-7 has put Ryans in danger of losing his play-caller early.

Brian Johnson has received two interview requests in two days; this follows the Panthers’ slip. This is not Johnson’s first season calling plays, however, as he was previously the OC at Florida. Ben Johnson’s play-calling efforts over the past two years have seen him draw interest just about everywhere. This makes five HC interview requests for the two-year Lions OC, who has played an integral role in the team’s turnaround. After bowing out early on last year’s HC carousel, Johnson is likely to land a job this year.

Callahan interviewed for the Colts and Cardinals’ jobs last year and has been in place as an OC longer than Slowik and the Johnsons combined (five years). That said, Zac Taylor calls plays in Cincinnati. But Joe Burrow‘s rapid ascent and the competent play of backup Jake Browning this season again led the way to Callahan becoming an HC candidate. In addition to the Titans, Callahan has received requests from the Panthers, Chargers and Falcons.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Falcons Send Out Seven HC Interview Requests

January 11th, 2024 at 11:35am CST by Adam La Rose

11:35am: A seventh name can be added to the Falcons’ growing list of targets. Texans OC Bobby Slowik has received an interview request, per SI’s Albert Breer. Slowik followed DeMeco Ryans from San Francisco to Houston this offseason, and 2023 has marked his first stint as a coordinator. His and the team’s success has landed the 36-year-old on the HC radar this offseason. The Panthers and Commanders have also submitted interview requests for Slowik.

10:13am: The Falcons have been connected to two high-profile coaches in recent days, but the team has yet to line up any interviews with interested candidates. That is set to change soon, as Atlanta has now sent out six interview requests.

The Falcons are looking to speak with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, who adds Atlanta is also interested in Bengals OC Brian Callahan. In addition, Lions DC Aaron Glenn and Ravens defensive line coach/associate head coach Anthony Weaver are on the list of request recipients, colleague Ian Rapoport tweets. 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has also received a request, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Lastly, Atlanta has requested an interview with Rams DC Raheem Morris, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Johnson, as expected, has been one of the most sought-after candidates so far. In his second season at the helm of Detroit’s offense, the Lions have remained among the league’s most efficient teams on that side of the ball. The 37-year-old has been in the Motor City since 2019 and a coordinator only since 2022, but his relative lack of experience did not stop him from generating interest during last year’s hiring cycle. An aggressive Johnson pursuit is expected from the Panthers, but he is also on the radar of the Chargers and Commanders.

Callahan has likewise been connected to a number of openings this season after receiving interest last year. The Bengals fell short of expectations this season, and the offense struggled in a number of categories. Despite going much of the year without Joe Burrow, though, Cincinnati still managed to go 9-8 while finishing 16th in the league in scoring. Notably, each of the other candidates listed for the Falcons’ vacancy have a background on the defensive side of the ball.

That includes Glenn, whose unit has not matched Johnson’s in terms of effectiveness. Nevertheless, the former has received interest from the Chargers, Titans and Commanders so far. Weaver has served as a position coach during his three-year Ravens tenure, but he has held a coordinator role in the past, doing so with the Texans in 2020. Mentioned less frequently than fellow Baltimore staffers Todd Monken and Mike Macdonald, Weaver has nonetheless received an interview request from the Commanders in addition to today’s summons.

Wilks and Morris both have interim head coaching experience. The former finished off the season with the Panthers last year after Matt Rhule was fired. Wilks received support from several Panthers players to be retained on a full-time basis, but the team instead went in a different direction. That led him to San Francisco, where he has guided the 49ers’ defense to top-10 finishes in both points and yards allowed en route to securing the NFC’s top seed.

Morris, meanwhile, is an interesting name given his Falcons connection. The 47-year-old joined Atlanta in 2020 as an assistant head coach, later taking on the DC title in 2020. Midway through that season, Dan Quinn was fired and Morris finished the campaign as interim head coach. He has not received another opportunity to lead a staff since then, but his three-year coordinator run with the Rams has been well received and it has put him back on the HC radar this offseason.

After making the unsurprising move of dismissing Arthur Smith, the Falcons have been connected to both Jim Harbaugh and Bill Belichick. Links to the latter have continued in the wake of his long-rumored spilt with the Patriots having been confirmed. No Harbaugh or Belichick interviews have been lined up to date, of course, but the team will now have meetings with a host of other options as the Falcons look to take a step forward in 2024 and beyond.

Ian Cunningham, Adam Peters Finalists For Commanders’ President Of Football Operations Position

January 11th, 2024 at 11:02am CST by Adam La Rose

The Commanders are one of eight NFL teams in need of a new head coach, but they are also in the process of re-working their front office structure. That will include the addition of a president of football operations, and a hire in that department could be coming very soon.

Having already completed the first round of interviews for the position, Washington is down to a pair of finalists. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes Ian Cunningham and Adam Peters are still in the running, and multiple reports have confirmed those two are now alone in the race.

Both execs have been among the hottest names on the GM/front office market for this year’s hiring cycle after receiving interest last year as well. Cunningham – currently serving as assistant general manager for the Bears – was immediately on the Commanders’ radar, and he has also received an interview request from the Chargers. Competition is also in place for Peters.

The latter has received a slip from the Raiders and Chargers, confirming his status as one of the most sought-after executives in this year’s hiring cycle. With multiple teams in pursuit of Peters and Cunningham, it comes as little surprise that the Commanders are choosing to move quickly with respect to choosing between the two. Owner Josh Harris has assembled a selection committee which includes former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman in advisory roles. Second interviews with both Cunningham and Peters are expected to take place shortly, and a hire will be in place before the team turns its attention to a coaching addition.

Cunningham began his front office career with the Ravens, working in the scouting and player personnel departments. That led him to Philadelphia, where he continued to climb the ranks and establish himself as one of the top young minds in the league. After joining the Bears in 2022 in his AGM role, he has continued to receive interest from a number of teams. Another step up the ladder via a Commanders hire would come as little surprise.

Peters has likewise been a top target for several teams recently. The 44-year old began his career in the scouting world, first with the Patriots and then with the Broncos. Since joining San Francisco’s front office in 2017, he has become a key lieutenant of GM John Lynch. Peters was promoted to assistant general manager in 2021, and he has elected to remain in the Bay Area despite overtures from other teams. He turned down the GM positions in Arizona and Tennessee last offseason, and it will interesting to see if he does the same in 2024.

With Harris in place as owner, signficant cap space ahead of free agency and the second overall pick in April’s draft, the Commanders could be an attractive destination for coaching and front office candidates. Both Cunningham and Peters could soon find themselves in a new role, although the runner-up for the Washington gig will still have interest from other teams as the hiring cycle takes shape.

Pete Carroll Attempted To Keep Seahawks HC Gig; Staffers Free To Explore Other Jobs

January 10th, 2024 at 10:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

After 14 seasons with Pete Carroll at the helm, the Seahawks are starting over. They are kicking Carroll to an advisory role. With this not being Carroll’s call, it is fair to label it a firing.

Lending further toward this split not being entirely amicable, Carroll said Wednesday he “competed pretty hard to be the coach” in 2024. The Seahawks are nevertheless moving on. Although the Seahawks have 10- and nine-year HC runs in their history (Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox), Carroll is the longest-tenured HC in franchise annals by a wide margin.

Carroll, 72, said Monday he was expecting to be back with the Seahawks for a 15th season. Acknowledging he is “about as old as you can get in this business,” Carroll said today (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) he did not foresee this outcome when he last met with the team. Carroll also does not know what his role with the organization will be yet, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar tweets.

Given Carroll’s accomplishments, it is unsurprising ownership did not opt for a straight-up firing. A similar scenario is unfolding in New England with Bill Belichick — Carroll’s Patriots successor back in 2000 — though Carroll is not a lock to coach again. An NFL HC for 18 years (between stints with the Jets, Pats and Hawks), the Super Bowl winner/gum enthusiast did not slam the door on coaching somewhere else but acknowledged it is too early for such rumors. Based on his push to keep the gig he held for 14 years, Carroll still believes he can coach effectively.

The Seahawks are coming off their second straight 9-8 season, though this one veered toward disappointing due to the resources poured into the roster. Seattle re-signed Geno Smith on a three-year, $75MM deal, made two more first-round picks (Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba) and made two big-ticket D-line investments by giving Dre’Mont Jones a $17MM-AAV contract and making a buyer’s trade for Leonard Williams. Carroll’s defense ranked 30th in yards allowed, following a 26th-place ranking in 2022.

Although Carroll is seemingly set to play a role in Seattle’s front office, he will not have a say in who replaces him. GM John Schneider will lead the way on that front. Carroll said the chance for Schneider to pick a head coach became the biggest factor in his decision to accept this move to an advisory position, per Dugar and the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.

Schneider, 52, has ridden shotgun alongside Carroll throughout their time in Seattle. The GM arrived during the same 2010 offseason as Carroll, though the latter held final say. It is not known if the Seahawks will give Schneider full autonomy, or if both the GM and HC would separately report to Jody Allen, but the successful GM has been in place longer than all but one pure GM in the NFL. Only the Saints’ Mickey Loomis, hired in 2002, has served in his role longer than Schneider, who obviously played a major role in assembling Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII and XLIX rosters. The 15th-year GM is signed through 2027.

This change will almost definitely lead to major staff adjustments. The Seahawks will let Carroll’s assistants speak to other teams about jobs, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noting the next HC will not be required to retain any staffers. Shane Waldron has completed three seasons as Seahawks OC, while Clint Hurtt has been in the DC role for two years.

Teams can block lateral moves for contracted coaches, so long as they do not involving a team wanting to interview a non-play-calling coordinator for a play-calling position. The Panthers did so earlier today, preventing an Ejiro Evero Jaguars DC interview. The Rams, however, made a similar good-faith gesture last year by letting Sean McVay‘s staffers explore other opportunities while he debated walking away.

Bears Fire OC Luke Getsy, Four Assistants; Matt Eberflus To Stay

January 10th, 2024 at 10:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ahead of the Bears’ seminal quarterback decision, they will have a new play-caller. The team is firing two-year offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The Bears are also moving on from quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, per Pelissero.

It does indeed appear Matt Eberflus will be back. After Ryan Poles praised the job Eberflus did in his second season, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports the defensive-oriented HC is set to stay for a third year. The former Colts DC is expected to remain the Bears’ defensive play-caller, per Rapoport, though the early expectation is Eberflus hiring a DC to at least be a key voice in game-planning.

“He was steady at the wheel,” Poles said of the 53-year-old HC, via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. “He fought to get back above water and get things the way they were. His ability to adapt and adjust, really take input from the players, to get this thing on the right path was incredible. I think a lot of people would have been in really bad shape and crumbled to the pressure. He got better with the pressure, and so did our football team.”

The Bears evaluated their staff over the past two days, and although Eberflus hovered on a hot seat early this season, the Bears rallying to finish 7-10 represented progress after a lengthy losing streak spanned from the second half of last season through October 2023. As the calendar turned to 2024, Eberflus was not expected to be fired. This news assuredly points to Poles staying on for a third year; the GM was viewed as a better candidate to stick than Eberflus coming into 2024.

Chicago improved from 29th to 12th in total defense from 2022-23 and from 32nd to 20th in points allowed in Eberflus’ second season. The Bears hired Eberflus with the intention he would be a CEO coach, rather than the play-caller, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Wearing both hats this season following DC Alan Williams‘ September exit, Eberflus did make strides. It will be interesting, then, to see if the Bears stick with Eberflus as their defensive play-caller. Despite a 3-14 debut season and a 1-5 start to the ’23 campaign, the veteran defensive coach has survived.

In addition to Getsy and Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert and running backs coach Omar Young, per ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, will not join Poles and Eberflus next season. Despite improvement from Justin Fields and a career-best season from trade acquisition D.J. Moore, the Bears are removing the top pieces from their offensive staff. They have been viewed as a bit more likely to trade Fields and use the No. 1 overall pick on USC’s Caleb Williams, though definitive traction in either direction remains elusive. But Fields is close to becoming a more expensive commodity, with his fifth-year option decision on the horizon come May, while Williams would be tethered to a rookie contract for at least three years.

Chicago’s offense improved from 28th to 20th in yardage and from 23rd to 18th in scoring over Getsy’s two seasons, though the ex-Packers assistant remained in the crosshairs. A change at this juncture would point to the Bears leaning toward making the long-rumored move to trade Fields and start over with a higher-ceiling rookie. This was the 39-year-old Getsy’s first OC gig; he had previously served as Aaron Rodgers‘ QBs coach.

Thanks largely to Fields’ gifts as a runner, the Bears led the NFL in rushing in 2022 and finished second this season. The latter ranking came despite the Ohio State alum missing four games due to injury. No single Bears rusher totaled more than 700 yards, however, and only Khalil Herbert topped 500 among the team’s three-headed running back setup. WR2 Darnell Mooney (414 yards) also did not make much of an impact in his fourth season, despite the former fifth-round pick being a previous 1,000-yard receiver. Chicago finished 27th in passing yards, inviting more speculation about Fields’ Windy City future.

Janocko, 35, came to Chicago after seven seasons in Minnesota. While Janocko spent his entire NFL career with the Vikings, he only coached quarterbacks in one of those seasons (2021). Tolbert, conversely, has been a specialist throughout his career. The 56-year-old assistant has coached wide receivers for six teams since 2003. On the Cardinals’ staff when Anquan Boldin broke through as a rookie, Tolbert later coached Demaryius Thomas for seven seasons in Denver, collecting a Super Bowl ring for the latter stay. The Bears hired him after four seasons with the Giants. Young came to Chicago from the college ranks in 2022; the team promoted him from the quality control level to RBs coach last year. Assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts has also been let go, the team announced.

It seems unlikely Eberflus will sign an extension, as his four-year deal runs through 2025, but the Bears showing faith in their coach to keep him in place despite the likelihood of a No. 1 overall QB investment coming in. Should that happen, the team’s next OC hire will obviously become quite important.

Bears Request Interview With Seahawks OC Shane Waldron For Lateral Move

January 10th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Ely Allen

With Pete Carroll no longer manning the head coaching role in Seattle, the Bears have decided to try and lure Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron into their newly vacated position of the same name. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Chicago has requested to interview Waldron for their offensive coordinator position.

Since Carroll is no longer holding the staff in Seattle together, the assistants are now available to seek another job. Most new head coaches in the NFL will prefer to choose their own offensive and defensive coordinators, who in turn prefer to work with their own assistants, thought head coaches can often impact the decision-making for assistant coaches, as well. That being said, the incumbent coordinators and assistant coaches in Seattle are in a precarious position, and Chicago is offering Waldron a chance at a more certain future.

Earlier today, the Bears opted to keep head coach Matt Eberflus but chose to gut the offensive side of the coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. It didn’t take long for general manager Ryan Poles, Eberflus, and company to act on Getsy and Janocko’s potential replacement. Reaching out to Waldron is technically offering him a lateral move, but considering that Waldron’s future is fairly insecure without a head coach in place in Seattle, taking the Chicago job would offer him much more short-term job security.

Now, Seattle’s search to replace Carroll has really yet to begin. As of this moment, only one name has even been rumored as a potential replacement, with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn getting that nod. There’s a chance that Waldron, after coaching the amazing comeback story of quarterback Geno Smith, could get an opportunity to stay in Seattle. There’s even a chance they consider him for head coach, though it would be the first time he’s been considered for a head coaching gig since 2018, when he received an interview request for the Bengals job that would eventually go to his coworker Zac Taylor.

With the development in Seattle being as fresh as it is, there’s lots left to determine. One of those things is the fate of Waldron. If the Seahawks have any desire of keeping him in Washington, they’ll need to act fast, as others in the NFL have already begun to lure him away.

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