HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Titans To Hire Bo Hardegree; Team Blocking Justin Outten Interviews?

February 8th, 2024 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Two one-and-done AFC West offensive coordinators are likely to be part of the Titans’ 2024 staff. One of them will be recent Raiders interim OC Bo Hardegree, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Hardegree is set to become the Titans’ QBs coach, which was his role to start last season in Las Vegas.

The Raiders elevated Hardegree shortly after the Josh McDaniels firing, with OC Mick Lombardi dismissed as well. Hardegree operated as Las Vegas’ play-caller during the season’s second half. The Raiders, however, made it known they were moving on from Hardegree upon elevating Antonio Pierce to their full-time HC post. An extensive OC search ended with Luke Getsy in Vegas, but the team’s previous play-caller will have a home elsewhere in the AFC.

[RELATED: Titans Hire Bill Callahan As O-Line Coach]

Hardegree has a history with new Titans HC Brian Callahan. The two were both offensive assistants in John Fox‘s final Broncos season (2014). While Hardegree has mostly held offensive assistant roles in his career, the 39-year-old staffer served as the Dolphins’ QBs coach for three seasons under Adam Gase. Hardegree was the Raiders’ QBs coach for 1 1/2 seasons before the November promotion.

Following McDaniels and Lombardi’s exits, the Raiders averaged 23 points per game. That ranked in the top half of the league, and it came with fourth-round rookie QB Aidan O’Connell at the controls. This production, which featured a larger dose of Josh Jacobs compared to the season’s first half, has helped Hardegree land on his feet.

The Titans also may have plans to retain one of Mike Vrabel‘s assistants on offense. Hired in 2023 — after an interesting season as Denver’s OC — Justin Outten appears in Callahan’s plans. The team has blocked other clubs from interviewing Outten, according to TheDraftNetwork.com’s Justin Melo (X link), who adds Outten has received interest for run-game coordinator roles. Teams can block lateral moves involving assistants under contract. Outten served as the Titans’ run-game coordinator in 2023.

Despite being the OC for a Broncos offense that cratered during Nathaniel Hackett‘s disastrous season in charge, Outten generated interest from teams last year. The Ravens interviewed him for their OC job, and the Rams considered a hire. Amid Denver’s struggles — which produced 2022’s 32nd-ranked scoring offense — Hackett bypassed Hackett and gave QBs coach Klint Kubiak play-calling duties late that year. Following Hackett’s firing, however, Outten took over the Denver play-calling role.

Kubiak is on track to become the Saints’ OC, while Hackett remains the Jets’ play-caller. Hardegree and likely Outten will work under Callahan and new OC Nick Holz in Nashville.

Commanders To Add Brian Johnson To Staff

February 8th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Fired from the Eagles last month, Brian Johnson will not land another offensive coordinator job. But the Eagles will see their three-year assistant twice next season.

Dan Quinn is expected to add the former play-caller to his Commanders staff, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Johnson will work under Kliff Kingsbury in a prominent position. Prior to spending the 2023 season as the Eagles’ OC, Johnson was in place as quarterbacks coach.

It appears the Commanders will install Johnson as their pass-game coordinator, Fowler tweets. Johnson played an integral role in Jalen Hurts‘ ascent during the early 2020s, and although the Eagles fell apart on both sides of the ball late in the season, Hurts’ development on the whole reflects well on the young assistant.

Johnson, 36, interviewed for multiple HC jobs this offseason — in Atlanta and Tennessee — and received a request from Carolina. Though, the Panthers made a point of indicating they were no longer interested days later. Johnson landed on the OC carousel soon after, interviewing for the Browns, Buccaneers and Saints’ positions. Each team went in another direction. With only one OC job open — Seattle’s — Johnson will take a step back in 2024. Though, Quinn having a prominent OC candidate in place on his staff could certainly help during his first season in Washington.

This Commanders commitment also comes after Johnson engaged in talks with other teams, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. It was believed several teams were monitoring Johnson’s status. While Eric Bieniemy was unable to use the Commanders as a platform to solidify his value, Kingsbury and Johnson could have longer leashes due to the circumstances. Josh Harris and Adam Peters should be considered likely to give Quinn at least two seasons to prove he has what it takes to lead this team back to relevancy, though the team’s fortunes may well come down to how the No. 2 overall pick fares. Johnson figures to be an essential component in that equation.

Shifting from Shane Steichen to Johnson last year, the Eagles started off well but became one of the most disappointing contenders in recent memory by fading down the stretch. Philly managed just nine points in a one-sided wild-card loss in Tampa, and it appears Nick Sirianni was asked to fire both Johnson and DC Sean Desai. Unlike Doug Pederson in 2021, Philly’s HC obliged and will keep his job.

The Eagles’ bigger problems came on defense, but Hurts’ 15 INTs matched his 2021 and ’22 seasons combined. His yards-per-attempt number also dropped from 8.0 to 7.2 from 2022 to ’23. Though, the Eagles still ranked in the top eight in scoring and total offense. As the Eagles’ tailspin eventually involved the offense as well, Johnson found himself out of a job after receiving HC interview requests. The Eagles interviewed Kingsbury hours after firing Johnson; the two will now work together in Washington.

Johnson, who came to the Eagles after spending 2020 as Florida’s offensive coordinator, will likely join Kingsbury in developing a rookie quarterback. The Commanders’ Sam Howell experiment took on water this season, and the eight-game win streak to close out the campaign gave the team the No. 2 overall pick. That is expected to be used on a quarterback. It should then be expected that Kingsbury and Johnson’s fortunes will be tied to Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels — with the Bears still viewed as likely to draft ex-Kingsbury charge Caleb Williams at No. 1 — in Washington.

Chargers To Hire Jets’ Chad Alexander As Assistant GM

February 8th, 2024 at 9:24am CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers will turn to two longtime Ravens staffers to lead their next front office. New GM Joe Hortiz will hire a familiar name to be his top lieutenant alongside Jim Harbaugh.

Hortiz and Harbaugh are bringing Jets director of player personnel Chad Alexander to Los Angeles, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets. While Alexander will make the trek from New York to Los Angeles, he and Hortiz worked together in Baltimore for nearly 20 years. The Bolts hired Hortiz as GM late last month.

[RELATED: Chargers Name Greg Roman As Offensive Coordinator]

Alexander joined ex-Ravens exec Joe Douglas with the Jets in 2019, when Douglas took over as GM. Prior to the New York trek, Alexander had ascended to the post of assistant director of pro personnel in Baltimore. Coming up from the scouting ranks, Alexander spent his final nine seasons with the Ravens holding that title. He collected two Super Bowl rings for his efforts, joining Hortiz as being with the club during its Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XLVII seasons.

The Jets have now lost Alexander and assistant GM Rex Hogan. They mutually parted ways with the latter last month. Hogan, who also held a Jets role under Mike Maccagnan, returned to the Jets as assistant GM once Douglas took over. Alexander and Hogan served as Douglas’ top two advisors, Brian Costello of the New York Post adds. As Douglas prepares for a make-or-break year in New York, he will need some new lieutenants.

Harbaugh’s fractured relationship with ex-49ers GM Trent Baalke played a central role in the former’s San Francisco tenure ending after four seasons. The 49ers had Baalke on staff before hiring Harbaugh. With the Chargers set to give the decorated (and highly paid) HC personnel control, they have long been expected to work with their new coach in assembling the front office. They will have two ex-John Harbaugh coworkers running point on that end.

Additionally, the Chargers announced Corey Krawiec will be named director of player personnel strategy. The team hired Krawiec recently, and the fellow ex-Ravens exec will pair with former coworkers Hortiz and Alexanders.

Brian Belichick To Stay With Patriots; Team To Hire T.C. McCartney

February 8th, 2024 at 8:56am CST by Sam Robinson

While a coordinator opportunity lured Steve Belichick to the college ranks for the first time, the Patriots will not lose all the Belichicks from their staff. Brian Belichick will stay with the team, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss notes.

The team moved on from six-time Super Bowl-winning HC Bill Belichick days after the season, but successor Jerod Mayo extended an offer for both of Belichick’s sons to stay on. Steve is now officially in place as the DC at the University of Washington, but Brian will continue with the Patriots.

[RELATED: Eliot Wolf Expected To Control Patriots’ Roster]

Brian Belichick has worked as the Pats’ safeties coach since 2020. This marked his first gig coaching a position under his father, who brought him aboard in 2016 as a scouting assistant. Steve had been with the team 12 years, moving from safeties coach — making a place for Brian — to outside linebackers assistant.

Additionally, the Patriots are set to hire T.C. McCartney as their next QBs coach, Reiss adds. Fired from the Browns on the same day the team axed Alex Van Pelt, McCartney will rejoin his previous boss in Foxborough. The Patriots named Van Pelt their new play-caller last week. McCartney, 34, spent the past two seasons as the Browns’ tight ends coach but has a past in charge of QBs. In 2019, McCartney served as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach. The team moved on after one season, leading McCartney to Cleveland as an offensive assistant. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported Wednesday a McCartney hire was close.

The Patriots are also hiring Browns assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters as their offensive line coach, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds. Peters will serve as the team’s next O-line coach, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan. This will strip the Browns of their top two O-line coaches, with Peters’ exit coming days after the team allowed well-regarded O-line coach Bill Callahan to join son Brian on the Titans’ staff. A two-time jiu jitsu world champion, Peters saw brief NFL action in 2003 before spending time on practice squads. Peters was part of Kevin Stefanski‘s initial Browns staff back in 2020.

As the Browns transition to OC Ken Dorsey, they are starting over at most of their offensive staff positions. Firing Van Pelt, McCartney and running backs coach Stump Mitchell, Cleveland will also lose its O-line contingent.

Cowboys Block Commanders From Interviews With Al Harris, Lunda Wells

February 8th, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Sam Robinson

Dan Quinn has agreed to bring Joe Whitt with him to Washington, moving the former Dallas secondary coach up to defensive coordinator. The Cowboys are not allowing their former DC to poach other assistants for lesser roles.

The Cowboys have now prevented the Commanders from interviewing two of their staffers. They are blocking the Commanders from interviewing defensive backs coach Al Harris, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. This comes after the team nixed a Washington meeting with tight ends coach Lunda Wells, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Quinn sought Wells as his next offensive line coach, per Rapoport. Wells, 40, was in place as the Cowboys’ tight ends coach before Quinn arrived in 2021. Mike McCarthy hired Wells in 2020; he previously worked on the Giants’ staff under multiple head coaches.

Harris, 49, also predates Quinn in Dallas. McCarthy brought the former cornerback in as his DBs coach in 2020 as well. Harris had previously worked as a six-year Chiefs assistant under Andy Reid, making a transition into the coaching ranks after a lengthy playing career.

Harris has drawn consideration for the Cowboys’ DC post, but in the days since his name emerged in that mix, the Cowboys have interviewed bigger names. Ron Rivera, Mike Zimmer and Rex Ryan have met with the team about its defensive play-calling gig. They join D-line coach Aden Durde and Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel in the mix for that position. Whitt was believed to be the Cowboys’ initial DC choice, but he opted to follow Quinn elsewhere in the NFC East.

The NFL has moved to prevent teams from blocking staffers at moves to the coordinator ranks in recent years, but while the team could not block Whitt from leaving for Washington (a move that is now official), clubs can still prevent assistants under contract from making lateral moves. Whitt will call the Commanders’ defensive plays, putting Quinn in place as a CEO coach in Washington.

The Cowboys are not standing in the way of multiple other assistants following Quinn, however. They will not nix Commanders interviews with assistant defensive line coach Sharrif Floyd or quality control staffer Pete Ohnegian, Archer adds. A former first-round Vikings draftee, Floyd joined McCarthy’s Cowboys staff in 2023.

Follow The NBA Trade Deadline On Hoops Rumors

February 8th, 2024 at 8:31am CST by Rory Maher

Trade deadline day has arrived for the NBA, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams! The deadline is set for 2:00pm CT on Thursday.

Luke Adams provided a deadline primer this morning to help readers prepare for today’s action, and he will release his annual recap of all the completed trades this evening.

While it began as a relatively quiet week, three deals were agreed to on Wednesday, and many more significant trades were completed earlier in the season, with James Harden, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Immanuel Quickley, Terry Rozier, and Steven Adams among the players on the move.

In total, we’ve seen 11 in-season trades so far during the 2023/24 season. Last year, we saw 12 deals completed on deadline day alone, and this year could be just as action-packed!

Dejounte Murray, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Miles Bridges, Andrew Wiggins, and Tyus Jones are among the names that have continually popped up in trade rumors. The Sixers have also reportedly talked to the Bulls about six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, perhaps the most accomplished player who has a chance to be sent to a new team today.

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Latest On Bears’ Quarterback Decision

February 7th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears would fetch far more by trading the No. 1 overall pick than by trading Justin Fields. Though, other advantages — the prospect value of Caleb Williams and having at least three more years of a rookie contract to build around — still look to be pointing the Bears in the direction of starting over.

While headlines did surface in the pro-Fields direction, they have largely been blunted by the other QB route Chicago can take. Views around the NFL still lend toward Fields being on the move. The consensus at the Senior Bowl centered on the Bears trading Fields, according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi.

After trading the No. 1 pick last year — for a bounty that included D.J. Moore and what turned out to be this year’s top choice — the Bears should not be expected, barring an extraordinary development, to move out of the top slot again, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs notes. This would almost definitely mean drafting Williams at No. 1.

Kliff Kingsbury‘s Commanders OC hire has invited speculation about a reunion between the recent USC quarterbacks coach and his prized pupil, though the parties only worked together for several months. This would only be relevant if the Bears show a willingness to pass on Williams and take the next-best quarterback at 2. This would be an obvious risk given Williams’ prospect profile.

The concept of the Bears trading down and still grabbing a quarterback represents a farfetched scenario, Biggs adds, though if the team place near-equal grades on the top two prospects, it is conceivable it would entertain a trade-down maneuver. Still, Biggs classifies the prospect of Chicago moving down as “remote.” The team that passed on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson for Mitch Trubisky will naturally face pressure to nail its upcoming QB decision and find the franchise-level option that has eluded the organization since at least Jim McMahon.

Moving down and being comfortable enough with Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels would be a fascinating call by the Bears, who would then have assets from a Fields trade and from moving down one spot on the board. Then again, Ryan Poles did not draft Fields. Passing on the likes of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud and then punting on the Williams draft slot would invite scrutiny on Poles, despite his shrewd move to pick up assets from the Panthers. How the Commanders grade the top QB prospects will naturally determine their interest level in moving up to 1. Williams, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain, should still be expected to go first overall — as he has for months.

Fields’ marginal improvement, which led to a lukewarm Poles postseason endorsement (after the GM built his 2023 offseason around Fields developing), and the Commanders’ Kingsbury hire may be tertiary matters regarding the upcoming draft. The Bears’ access to Williams remains the lead story. Fields has shown generational gifts as a runner but has not developed into a passer that would, in the eyes of most, make it a genuine debate between a path with him or Williams as Chicago’s QB1. Fields’ penchant for bailing on plays early frustrated some with the Bears, Giardi adds. He finished this season 23rd in QBR.

After Fields did not move the Bears into playoff contention during his rookie contract, the Bears — or, in all likelihood, another team — must decide on the 2021 first-rounder’s fifth-year option by May. As Fields is set to become more expensive soon, the Bears would have the luxury of keeping Williams on a rookie deal through at least 2026. Williams can be tied to his rookie pact through 2028 via his own fifth-year option.

A December breakdown pegged Fields’ trade value modestly, indicating the Bears would be likely to receive proposals headlined by a Day 2 pick. It would be interesting to see if the Raiders showed interest in the three-year vet, given Fields’ up-and-down tenure alongside Luke Getsy. But Las Vegas is a team in need at the position; that need has since brought the Daniels-Antonio Pierce connection back to the surface. While the Vikings and Broncos also carry needs and reside in similar draft territory (Nos. 11 and 12), Fields would not seem a fit for either Sean Payton or Kevin O’Connell‘s offenses. Now that the Falcons have hired Sean McVay disciple Zac Robinson as OC, Fields’ Atlanta fit may not be optimal. Then again, teams holding picks outside the top three may need to get creative — especially those that do not land Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield.

Arthur Smith revamped his offense for Marcus Mariota in 2022, and although the Steelers have Kenny Pickett tentatively installed back atop their depth chart, how Pittsburgh goes about adding competition will be worth monitoring. A Fields trade would not seemingly be competition-focused but rather a move aimed at landing a surefire starter.

Eliot Wolf Expected To Control Pats’ Roster

February 7th, 2024 at 10:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Eliot Wolf interviewed for GM gigs in the past. It now looks like the veteran exec has one, just without the title. Mentioned earlier as the likeliest exec to be running the show in New England post-Bill Belichick, Wolf is indeed expected to be at the top of the Patriots’ front office structure this year.

The second-generation personnel man is expected to have control of the Pats’ 53-man roster, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Wolf, 41, will work closely with new HC Jerod Mayo; when it comes to final say, however, it is expected Wolf will hold the power Belichick wielded for so long. Wolf most recently held the title of scouting director in New England, but Rapoport adds Matt Groh is expected to be in charge of the team’s college scouting.

Wolf’s influence can be felt early this offseason. The Patriots have hired ex-Packers assistants Alex Van Pelt, Ben McAdoo, Jerry Montgomery and Alonzo Highsmith. The latter, who worked with Wolf in Green Bay and Cleveland, will hold the title of senior personnel executive, Rapoport adds.

This will represent a belated rise for Wolf, whom the Packers considered as Ted Thompson‘s GM successor in 2018. The team instead promoted Brian Gutekunst, and Wolf joined Highsmith in leaving for Cleveland. The Browns installed Wolf as their assistant GM under John Dorsey. Following Dorsey’s 2020 ouster, Wolf and Highsmith worked as consultants in Seattle. While Highsmith stayed, Wolf left to become part of the Pats’ then-Belichick-led front office.

Wolf interviewed for the Colts’ GM job back in 2017 and has been on the GM radar elsewhere in the recent past. The Bears and Vikings considered Wolf for their GM openings in 2022, respectively hiring Ryan Poles and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Patriots also gave Groh the title of player personnel director in 2022, keeping Wolf as their scouting director under Belichick. Following the latter’s exit, it appears Eliot Wolf will follow in his father’s footsteps as the top personnel man in an organization.

Longtime Al Davis right-hand man Ron Wolf later served as Packers GM from 1991-2001. This span included the Packers acquiring Brett Favre from the Falcons and signing Reggie White to close his much-publicized free agency tour a year later. Those pillars became all-time greats, solidifying their legacies in Green Bay while helping snap a near-30-year Super Bowl drought for Titletown. While Eliot Wolf did not join Green Bay’s front office until 2004, he worked with the organization his father transformed for nearly 15 years. Eliot climbed to the director of football operations position by 2016.

Given Belichick’s towering presence within the organization for 24 years, Wolf will naturally step into a high-pressure spot. Though, Belichick did not account himself especially well on the personnel side in recent years. The team’s post-Tom Brady decline does make the the prioritizing of continuity interesting here, but Wolf, Groh and Mayo will be in charge of leading this reconstruction effort — one that will include the No. 3 overall pick, the highest Patriots draft choice since 1993.

Buccaneers Hire Thomas McGaughey As ST Coordinator

February 7th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

After the Giants fired long-time special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey a month ago, the veteran coach became a hot name around the league for different vacancies. After interviewing at a few other spots, McGaughey will reportedly land with the Buccaneers as their new special teams coordinator, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

The Buccaneers spared no effort in their attempts to find Keith Armstrong‘s replacement. On the day the team interviewed McGaughey, the Buccaneers also confirmed an interview with former Titans special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, according to Buccaneers senior writer/editor Scott Smith. Smith also reported that Tampa Bay gave defensive/special teams assistant Keith Tandy an opportunity to interview for the coordinator job, as well. Seahawks special teams coach Larry Izzo also was confirmed to have interviewed, per Smith.

Interview reports continued to roll in over the last two days, with Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports posting that Saints assistant special teams coach Phil Galiano would get to interview for a potential return to Tampa Bay, where he coached back from 2012-13. Jenna Laine of ESPN unveiled the most recent interviewee yesterday to be University of Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods.

McGaughey is a respected special teams veteran who has spent significant time coaching at the college and professional level. After starting as a graduate assistant at the University of Houston, McGaughey first broke into the NFL as a Bill Walsh Minority Fellow for the Chiefs in 2001. He earned the assistant special teams coordinator job the following year but left in 2003 to become the special teams coordinator back at his alma mater in Houston.

After two years back with the Cougars, McGaughey returned to the NFL for assistant special teams coordinator jobs with the Broncos and Giants. Once again, he would depart for a coordinator gig at the collegiate level, this time heading to LSU. After three years in Baton Rouge, McGaughey finally got his first NFL coordinator position with the Jets in 2014. He followed that up with a one-year stint in the same position for the 49ers and a two-year stint with the Panthers.

In 2018, McGaughey returned for his second job with the Giants, this time as the official special teams coordinator. He held the position for six years despite multiple hurdles along the way. The position group he inherited was a mess, he was diagnosed with periampullary cancer in 2020, and injuries decimated his unit this past season, leading to his eventual dismissal.

Despite the poor results at times in New York, many teams were interested as soon as he became available. McGaughey interviewed for the job in New England and was an interviewee in Tennessee, as well, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. In the end, though, he’ll end up replacing Armstrong, who made the move to retire a little over a week ago after five years in Tampa Bay.

The team made two other adjustments to their staff in the last few days. Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that Saints assistant offensive line coach Kevin Carberry would be joining the Buccaneers staff as the team’s new offensive line coach. Additionally, defensive assistant Mike Chiurco, who previously served as assistant to the head coach under Bruce Arians, is no longer with the team, per Greg Auman of The Athletic.

Cowboys To Interview Jets’ Marquand Manuel

February 7th, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys added another name to their list of defensive coordinator candidates today, scheduling an interview with Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the meeting will take place tomorrow.

Manuel started coaching in Seattle in 2012, a few years after concluding his playing career, as an assistant special teams coach. He would climb the ladder for the Seahawks becoming a defensive assistant and an assistant secondary coach over the next two years. He took his first position coaching gig as the secondary coach for the Falcons in 2015 and was promoted to defensive coordinator two years later.

When his contract in Atlanta expired, Manuel was hired as the defensive backs coach in Philadelphia for a year before taking the safeties coach position in New York. Manuel was a candidate for the Texans defensive coordinator job last offseason. He also interviewed for the same job with the Panthers last year, as well.

Manuel would be an interesting choice to replace former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, having worked for two years as Quinn’s defensive coordinator in Atlanta. He faces some stiff competition for the job as the list of candidates includes a number or current Cowboys assistants and multiple former NFL head coaches:

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