HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Kliff Kingsbury Now Leading Candidate For Commanders’ OC Job; Latest On Raiders’ Options

February 3rd, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Quickly following news that the Raiders would not be closing the deal to make former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury their next offensive coordinator under now official head coach Antonio Pierce, rumors are circulating that Kingsbury is now the leading candidate for the same position in Washington, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. After spending 2023 as a senior offensive analyst at USC, Kingsbury’s return to the NFL seems inevitable at this point.

Two days ago, the NFL world was under the impression that Kingsbury would become the next offensive play-caller in Las Vegas. That story changed this morning with Kingsbury informing multiple people in the Raiders organization that he would not be joining the team. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, there was “a contractual hang-up” that prevented Kingsbury from following through on those initial reports, and as a result, the Commanders have swooped in, setting Kingsbury in their sights. Arizona Football Daily‘s Mike Jurecki adds that the Raiders offered a two-year contract, whereas Kingsbury was aiming for a three-year pact.

Washington makes sense for Kingsbury for a number of reasons. The Commanders recently landed on former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their replacement for former head coach Ron Rivera. Quinn being a defensive coach puts the Commanders in a different situation than teams like the Titans or Panthers, whose offensive-minded head coaches will be calling plays over their respective offensive coordinators. Kingsbury will be handed the keys to a young offense, something he has experience with from his time in Arizona.

The Commanders also make sense because there seems to be a very real chance that the team could draft a former pupil of Kingsbury’s in USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Though Williams has long been rumored to be the No. 1 overall pick and the Commanders sit at No. 2, rumors have picked up recently that the Bears, who hold the top pick, will not be trading down. While that could mean Williams is headed to Chicago to try and displace Justin Fields as the starting quarterback, there have been an equal number of rumors stating that Williams wants nothing to do with the Bears, meaning he could slip down to No. 2 and end up a Commander being coached by his former mentor.

Kingsbury reportedly interviewed with the Commanders and Quinn recently, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and though neither side seems to have settled on an agreement, both sides seem to be moving in the right direction.

As for Vegas, their search for their next play-caller under Pierce continues. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who had been a name to watch in Washington before this most recent news of Kingsbury’s prospects, and former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy are names to watch, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. Getsy was considered a top candidate for the position when Kingsbury was originally announced, and Kelly may shift focus to the Raiders if the Commanders do indeed shift theirs to Kingsbury.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN mentions that Las Vegas recently spoke to former Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, amounting to what could essentially be considered a coordinator exchange should Bieniemy land in Vegas and Kingsbury be hired in DC. He also mentions that the team spoke with former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton but includes that Hamilton may just be in consideration for a position coaching job.

So, today’s breaking news from Vegas does create a bit of a shuffle, but both the Raiders and Commanders seem to have reacted quickly in the fallout. As a result, Washington could be closing in on their new play-caller, while Las Vegas continues to explore their options.

Dolphins Hire Anthony Weaver As DC

February 3rd, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Dolphins have found their replacement for Vic Fangio. According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Dolphins are hiring Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver as their new defensive coordinator.

[RELATED: Anthony Weaver Emerging As Dolphins DC Favorite]

Weaver is well regarded in coaching circles, leading to him garnering a pair of head coaching interviews (Atlanta, Washington) this offseason. He didn’t land either of those gigs, but he’ll still earn a promotion to defensive coordinator in Miami. We heard yesterday that Weaver was the favorite to land the open defensive coordinator position previously held by Fangio, who recently left the Dolphins to return to the Eagles.

Weaver, a former Ravens second-round pick, earned his first NFL coaching job with the Jets in 2012. He was the defensive line coach in Buffalo, Cleveland, and Houston before he landed the Texans defensive coordinator gig in 2020. The Texans defense didn’t fare all that well that season, and with David Culley being brought in as head coach in 2021, Weaver wasn’t retained.

He was quickly scooped up by his former coach, John Harbaugh. Weaver joined the Ravens coaching staff as their defensive line coach/run game coordinator in 2021, and he earned a promotion to associate head coach in 2022. Schultz notes that the Ravens attempted to keep Weaver on their staff, but the Dolphins managed to lure him to Miami.

It’s not a huge surprise that Weaver decided to take his talents elsewhere, as he’s twice been passed over for Baltimore’s DC gig. The Ravens hired Mike Macdonald over promoting Weaver to DC in 2022, bringing the former back after a one-year stay at Michigan. They most recently elevated inside linebackers coach Zach Orr over Weaver to replace Macdonald. The Ravens defensive coaching staff has been decimated this offseason. Besides Weaver and Macdonald, the Ravens have also lost defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, who was named the Titans new defensive coordinator.

The Dolphins should anticipate an improvement to their already-impressive pass rush corps. Miami finished third in the NFL this past year for sacks, behind only the Chiefs and Weavers’ Ravens. A Dolphins pass rush featuring Bradley Chubb (11.0 sacks in 2023), Zach Sieler (10.0), Christian Wilkins (9.0), and Jaelan Phillips (6.5 sacks in only eight games) could become that much more formidable with their new defensive coordinator at the helm.

After the Dolphins and Fangio decided to mutually part ways last month, the organization cast a relatively wide net for a replacement. Many of their targets earned DC jobs elsewhere or decided to stick with their current situations. Besides Weaver, the known remaining candidates included Dolphins inside linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, Texans linebackers coach Chris Kiffin, Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Slowik, and former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.

Bills Likely To Retain Von Miller

February 3rd, 2024 at 9:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

Given their tight cap situation, the Bills will face a number of challenges this offseason with respect to roster moves. In the case of edge rusher Von Miller, a release or trade would carry signficant financial implications. Neither route appears to be in the team’s plans, however.

When speaking to the media about the Bills’ outlook, head coach Sean McDermott made repeated references, via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia, to next season as it pertained to Miller remaining in Buffalo (subscription required). In spite of a forgettable 2023 campaign, therefore, the former Super Bowl MVP is likely on track for a third Bills campaign. Four years remain on Miller’s contract, and guarantees exist for 2024.

Miller is owed $17.5MM in each of the next two seasons, and his pact calls for $6.44MM in guaranteed compensation for the ’24 campaign. For that reason, designating him a post-June 1 cut would be necessary to avoid negative cap savings. A trade before that date would create a dead cap charge of nearly $22MM and only $2MM in savings. No guaranteed money is in place beyond 2024, though, so next season will be imperative as Miller looks to rebound from a disappointing second campaign in Buffalo.

The 34-year-old posted zero sacks and only three QB hits in 12 games in 2023, finding himself a healthy scratch at one point late in the regular season. He was also held without a sack in the Bills’ two playoff games, a far cry from his production in 2022. Of course, Miller began the campaign late as he recovered from an ACL tear, and he will aim to be in a better health situation in time for Week 1 of the 2024 season.

Wideout Stefon Diggs has also been the subject of recent speculation, though the Bills have made it clear he remains a central part of their plans moving forward. In Miller’s case, McDermott’s stance points to at least short-term continuity. Gregory Rousseau still has term on his rookie contract, but fellow edge rushers A.J. Epenesa, Leonard Floyd and Shaq Lawson are each pending free agents.

As such, Buffalo could see considerable turnover at the position in the near future, and heavy losses could see Miller receive a higher workload than the 32% snap share he saw in 2023. At a minimum, he should be expected to log a rotational role in a bounce-back bid with the Bills.

Giants Block Seahawks From Interviewing Mike Kafka For OC

February 3rd, 2024 at 7:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks have found their new head coach in Mike Macdonald as well as a key assistant in Leslie Frazer. The team still has an offensive coordinator vacancy, however, and that position will be worth watching as the 2024 hiring cycle winds down.

Seattle lost Shane Waldron this offseason when he departed for Chicago. That resulted in the team’s ongoing search for a replacement, which has included connections to a shortlist of outside candidates. Another name to monitor would have been Mike Kafka. The current Giants OC drew interest from the Seahawks, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. He adds, however, that New York has blocked him from interviewing for a lateral move.

Kafka was among the candidates who conducted a second head coaching interview with Seattle, but to no surprise he did not land a HC gig this offseason. The Giants took a step back on offense in 2023, hurting the 36-year-old’s stock. Kafka had not previously been connected to any OC openings this year, but Jones notes he interviewed well during the Seahawks’ head coaching search. Teams are prohibited from blocking coaches’ efforts to take promotions with new clubs, but they are allowed to prevent moves under an equal title such as a New York-to-Seattle trek in Kafka’s case.

The Giants appeared poised to move on from Kafka at one point (as they since have with DC Don Martindale and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey), but today’s news certainly suggests he will remain in place for 2024. Head coach Brian Daboll took over play-calling duties at times this season, so his relationship with Kafka will be a key storyline should the pair continue working together moving forward.

Seattle has sent out an interview request to Detroit’s Tanner Engstrand, and the team has also been linked to Alabama’s Ryan Grubb. Those two names will be among the top targets for the Seahawks’ OC vacancy, but their continued desire to at least consider Kafka points to their search expanding. With no other known coordinator interest at the moment (and every HC opening now filled), meanwhile, the latter appears set to take part in a third season overseeing the Giants’ offense.

QB Sean Mannion Retires, To Join Packers’ Coaching Staff

February 3rd, 2024 at 5:52pm CST by Ely Allen

Nine years after entering the NFL, veteran quarterback Sean Mannion has made the decision to retire from playing football. According to Brady Henderson of ESPN, the former Rams passer is not walking away from football completely as he’ll hang up his cleats but pick up a whistle. Mannion will reportedly be accepting a job on the Packers’ coaching staff.

Mannion came into the league as a third-round pick out of Oregon State for the Rams of St. Louis. Leaving Corvallis with 13,600 passing yards and 83 passing touchdowns, Mannion went to the NFL with the title of the Pac-12’s all-time passing leader.

Mannion was drafted to serve as a third-string passing option, sitting behind Nick Foles and Case Keenum as a rookie. The following year, No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff would replace Foles, and eventually Keenum, on the depth chart. Over the last two years of his rookie contract, Mannion would serve as the primary backup behind Goff. He would leave Los Angeles having played in 10 games for the Rams, making one start over those four years.

The next two years saw Mannion play on two one-year contracts with the Vikings backing up Kirk Cousins. In 2021, he would sign with the Seahawks as a free agent, but after he was released prior to the start of the season, Minnesota scooped Mannion up, signing him to a practice squad deal. In 2019 and 2021, Mannion appeared in four games, starting two. He would spend the last two years bouncing between the Vikings’ and Seahawks’ practice squads while not appearing in any games.

For his career, Mannion appeared in 14 total games with three of those being starts. He finished his playing career with a 60.9 completion percentage, throwing for 573 yards and one touchdown to three interceptions.

The title of his position with the Packers is not yet known, but Henderson claims that Mannion will be working with quarterbacks and the passing game. As of right now, Green Bay already has a quarterbacks coach in Tom Clements and a passing game coordinator in Jason Vrable, so it’s assumed Mannion will be working in some sort of offensive assistant or quality control position.

Raiders Interview Pep Hamilton For OC

February 3rd, 2024 at 4:31pm CST by Ely Allen

After being mentioned as someone who spoke with the Raiders in the aftermath of Kliff Kingsbury backing out of the offensive coordinator job, it has been confirmed that Pep Hamilton did, in fact, interview as an offensive coordinator candidate, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Initial thoughts were that the former Texans assistant coach was in the running for a position coaching job, but after allowing more information to come out, it appears Hamilton is in consideration for the play-calling role.

Hamilton was out of the NFL in 2022, after failing to be retained following the firing of Lovie Smith in Houston. Before that, Hamilton earned his first NFL coordinator job with the Colts back in 2013, following quarterback Andrew Luck from Stanford to Indianapolis as his offensive coordinator. Despite being considered for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy in 2014, Hamilton was fired midway through the following season.

The next several years would be eventful for Hamilton, seeing him spend a year in Cleveland, serving two years of a four-year contract with the University of Michigan, sitting out the 2019 season, and getting hired as the head coach and general manager of the DC Defenders of the XFL. Following his short XFL stint, Hamilton was hired by the Chargers, where, as quarterbacks coach, he would help Justin Herbert to the offensive rookie of the year award. His success with Herbert led to his next opportunity under David Culley in Houston as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Hamilton earned his promotion under Smith the following year.

In Vegas, Hamilton would be tasked with helping to determine the team’s currently uncertain future at quarterback. With veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell on the roster, it doesn’t feel like the position is secure for the Raiders. This is what Hamilton’s competition for the job currently looks like:

Mike Zimmer To Interview For Cowboys’ DC Position

February 3rd, 2024 at 3:45pm CST by Ely Allen

After being mentioned as a potential name to watch for the Cowboys defensive coordinator position, former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is now set to meet with the team in regard to the position, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Having not coached in the NFL over the past two seasons, Zimmer could return to a coordinator position for the first time in 11 years and could reunite with the Cowboys for the first time in 18 years.

Zimmer, 67, has a storied history as one of the NFL’s better defensive minds. Starting in the college ranks, worked his way into his first coordinator job with Washington State after stints at Missouri and Weber State. After five years with the Cougars, Zimmer made the jump to the NFL, joining the Cowboys as a defensive assistant focusing on coaching nickel cornerbacks.

It took only a year for Zimmer to get promoted to defensive backs coach in Dallas, and after another five years, Zimmer became an NFL coordinator for the first time in his career, taking over play-calling duties for the Cowboys defense. After holding the position in Dallas for seven years, Zimmer decided to join Bobby Petrino in the same position during Petrino’s only NFL head coaching stint in Atlanta. Petrino famously left the Falcons after only 13 games to become the head coach at the University of Arkansas, drawing much ire from Zimmer who would be left without a job as he refused to follow to the college coaching ranks.

As a result, Zimmer took his next coordinator job with the Bengals. With five years of coaching consistently good defensive in Cincinnati under his belt, the league began to try out Zimmer’s name for head coaching interviews. After seven years with the Bengals, Zimmer would finally get his first head coaching opportunity with the Vikings.

Zimmer’s tenure in Minnesota would widely be deemed as successful, but a failure to stay consistently in contention and a to reach the Super Bowl ultimately led to his departure. Over his eight years as head coach, the Vikings went 72-56-1, never winning fewer than seven games. The Vikings twice won the NFC North under Zimmer and even reached the NFC Championship game in 2017. In 2021, Zimmer missed the playoffs for the second straight year after seeing the postseason in three of his first six seasons. Despite his ability to keep his team competitive, Zimmer was let go.

Since then, Zimmer has been away from the NFL, spending the 2022 season as an analyst/consultant under Deion Sanders at Jackson State. A return to the NFL has long been expected and would return one of the league’s better coordinators to the professional ranks.

Zimmer would have the luxury of taking over a top-five defense from the Commanders new head coach, Dan Quinn. Reuniting Zimmer with a Cowboys defense that now contains such stars as Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland seems like a no-brainer. His main competition seems to be Cowboys defensive backs coach Joe Whitt and perhaps former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. Cowboys cornerbacks coach Al Harris and defensive line coach Aden Durde have been considered as possibilities for a promotion, as well.

A date has not yet been set for Zimmer’s meeting with the Cowboys, but an interview seems imminent. Seeing Zimmer return not only to the NFL but to the Cowboys, as well, could be just what Dallas needs to take that next step in the NFL.

Kliff Kingsbury Won’t Take Raiders’ Offensive Coordinator Job

February 3rd, 2024 at 11:51am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Kliff Kingsbury won’t be heading to Las Vegas after all. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kingsbury has withdrawn himself from consideration for the Raiders offensive coordinator job. It was reported earlier this week that the Raiders were set to hire the former Cardinals head coach for the role.

[RELATED: Raiders Expected To Hire Kliff Kingsbury]

Per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the agreement between the two sides was believed to be all but done. Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reports that contract negotiations became “undone” over the past 24 hours, and Kingsbury informed multiple members of the organization this morning that he wouldn’t be joining the coaching staff.

Following a one-year stint at USC, Kingsbury seemed prime for a return to the NFL. Besides the interest from the Raiders, the coach also interviewed for the Bears and Eagles offensive coordinator vacancies. While both of those franchises decided to go in different directions, it was still clear that Kingsbury was back on the coordinator radar.

The former NFL quarterback was once considered one of the brightest offensive coaching minds in the sport. That offensive acumen helped him earn the Cardinals head coaching job back in 2019. The team took steps forward in each of Kingsbury’s first three years at the helm, including a 2021 campaign where the Cardinals won 11 games. However, the Cardinals dropped to 4-13 in 2022, and Kingsbury was let go.

The coach seemed to lose a bit of his shine last offseason, leading to him taking a gig as senior offensive analyst/quarterbacks coach at USC. It wasn’t the most taxing job; after all, Kingsbury was tasked with guiding former Heisman Trophy winner and top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams. The signal-caller didn’t do anything to hurt his draft stock this past season, with Williams finishing the campaign tossing 30 touchdowns vs. five interceptions.

Former Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi was fired back in October, and Antonio Pierce has clearly put an emphasis on experience as he looks for his next offensive leader. We heard recently that the organization was eyeing Hue Jackson for a role on the staff, and the team also reportedly gave a long look at Chip Kelly for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Kingsbury was expected to lead this group, but the Raiders will apparently have to pivot in a different direction.

While the Raiders cast a wide net to fill their OC vacancy, many of their candidates have already taken jobs elsewhere. Besides Kelly, the Raiders could still turn to former Bears OC Luke Getsy, Buccaneers QBs coach Thad Lewis, or Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.

As for Kingsbury, it will be interesting to see where he lands next. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports points out that Kingsbury had been discussed as a potential OC option for the Commanders. With Dan Quinn now in place, that might be an idea that Washington circles back to.

Latest On Stefon Diggs’ Future With Bills

February 3rd, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Ben Levine

After finishing with at least 100 receiving yards in five of his first six games, Stefon Diggs didn’t put up nearly the same numbers through the final three months of the season. In his final 11 regular-season games, Diggs averaged only five catches for 51 yards per contest, and he scored only three touchdowns over that span. Things didn’t get any better in the playoffs, with the Bills wideout hauling in only 73 receiving yards. This includes a playoff loss to the Chiefs where he had a season-low 21 receiving yards and dropped a crucial fourth-quarter pass.

Considering his drop in production, some have speculated that Diggs may be frustrated in Buffalo and looking for a change. Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.com says that’s not the case, as Diggs isn’t expected to ask for a trade. Diggs discussed his future in Buffalo while attending this week’s Pro Bowl Games, marking the first time he’s talked with reporters since Buffalo was eliminated from the playoffs. The receiver was generally noncommittal about his future, just stating that he’s “ready to go no matter which way it goes.”

“I feel like I take it day by day,” Diggs said (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder). “Obviously, there’s a lot of changes going on, a lot of things going on. I can’t really put the carriage before the horse, you know what I’m saying? But I got a great offseason in front of me to put a lot of work in and kind of build around what we got and what we’re doing.

“I can’t tell you what the future holds, but I’m still being me.”

Diggs is a questionable trade/release candidate just by virtue of his contract. He’ll account for a $27.35MM cap hit next season, and there’s three years remaining on the four-year extension he inked back in 2022. The Bills would face significant dead cap if they cut the veteran, and his incoming salary would likely be untenable for many trade suitors.

As a result, Pete King of Football Morning in America believes that GM Brandon Beane and the Bills front office will ultimately do “major surgery” on the wide receiver’s deal, and the writer suspects that Diggs wouldn’t be happy about that arrangement. Pauline agrees that a restructured Diggs contract would partly help the cap-strapped Bills, but he’s also wary of how that move would impact the player’s attitude.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like the Bills are particularly anxious to get rid of Diggs. Beane told reporters that he expects the two-time All-Pro receiver to continue leading their depth chart in 2024.

“He’s a No. 1 receiver,” Beane said (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). “I firmly believe that. I’m not wavering off of that. Listen, we have to continue to put weapons out there to keep teams from bracketing him or, you know, locking him down in different ways to take him away.”

Buccaneers Hire Liam Coen As OC

February 3rd, 2024 at 10:30am CST by Adam La Rose

SATURDAY, 10:30am: The two sides have reached an agreement, per Greg Auman of Fox Sports.

FRIDAY, 8:05am: As coordinator dominoes continue to fall, Liam Coen is set to head to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are nearing an agreement with the Kentucky OC to take over their offensive coordinator gig, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Once in place, the deal will allow Coen to return to the NFL game after his second stint in charge of Kentucky’s offense. Between his college stints, he spent time on the Rams’ staff working with the team’s receivers and quarterbacks, along with OC responsibilities in 2022. Coen did not call plays when he was part of Sean McVay‘s staff, but he will likely do so under Todd Bowles.

Tampa Bay enjoyed a relatively successful run on offense during Dave Canales‘ one-year run as OC. His quick career ascent recently included taking the Panthers’ head coaching position, creating a vacancy at the offensive coordinator post for the second straight year. Now, the team has a replacement on tap.

With Canales on the HC radar, a report listed Tampa QBs coach Thad Lewis as a name to watch with respect to a promotion. Amidst interest from several other teams, Lewis did indeed interview for the Bucs’ vacancy. That meeting did not produce an agreement, however, and it will now be Coen making the jump back into NFL circles to take on his second pro coordinator gig.

The latter worked alongside Baker Mayfield during his Rams audition period in 2022, and the pair are believed to have a strong relationship. For that reason, it came as little surprise when Coen joined the list of Tampa Bay candidates with his interview yesterday. Mayfield is a pending free agent, but this hire could help the chances of a new contract being worked out.

Tampa Bay is seeking a multi-year Mayfield agreement, though talks on that front have not started. The former No. 1 pick had one of his most productive seasons under Canales in 2023, a coach with which he did not have a previous working relationship. Having a familiar face in place could be beneficial, although the Mayfield-Coen Rams pairing did not last long in the closing weeks of the 2022 campaign. That season, the injury-riddled Rams finished last in the league in total offense and 27th in scoring.

Improvement in both categories will be the goal in Coen’s second opportunity to lead an NFL offense. The 38-year-old will inherit a unit which ranked 20th in scoring in 2023. Struggles in the ground game continued from past years, and taking step forward in that regard would be a welcomed development moving forward. Questions remain, however, about the future of Mayfield and wideout Mike Evans.

Tampa Bay conducted one of the most wide-ranging searches in this year’s hiring cycle, and the team waited until many others made their hires to reach agreement on their own. Coen nonetheless represents an intriguing addition to the NFC South winners as they look to repeat this year’s success.

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