HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Kellen Moore, Jason Witten Viewed As Strong Contenders For Cowboys’ HC Position?

January 17th, 2025 at 11:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the discourse around the Cowboys’ head coaching vacancy has been dominated by Deion Sanders. While it remains to be seen how willing the Colorado coach and owner Jerry Jones will be to move forward with such a hire, other names are worth watching.

Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is on Dallas’ interview list. He will speak with the team today before ultimately turning his attention back to the Eagles’ upcoming divisional round game. Moore vastly outranks longtime Cowboys tight end Jason Witten in terms of time spent on the sidelines, but his name has also been floated with respect to the HC gig or at least another spot on Dallas’ staff.

Taking things one step further, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reports both Moore and Witten are considered to have a strong chance at being hired by Jones. The former quickly transitioned from his quarterback career to the sidelines, serving as the Cowboys’ QBs coach in 2018. He was promoted to offensive coordinator one year later and held that title for four seasons. With then-head coach Mike McCarthy taking on play-calling duties in 2023, Moore moved on to the Chargers for one year before winding up in his current Eagles posting.

Philadelphia’s passing efficiency has been a talking point for much of the season, but the team’s strong rushing attack played a big role in the current run to Round 2 of the playoffs. Moore, 35, also has an interview lined up with the Jaguars today and another with the Saints tomorrow for their respective HC positions.

Witten’s “realistic shot” (as Pauline terms it) to succeed McCarthy is notable given his inexperience as a coach. The 11-time Pro Bowler retired in 2018 but wound up returning to play two more seasons before hanging up his cleats for good. Since then, his four years leading Liberty Christian School in Texas (which includes a pair of state championships) represent the extent of his coaching tenure. As NFL Network’s Jane Slater notes, Witten has been in contact with Jones recently and was set to be part of Dallas’ 2025 coaching staff in the event McCarthy had remained in place (video link).

Such a setup could very well have set Witten up as a potential successor to McCarthy, but now that the team will be going in another direction it remains to be seen what will happen on that front. Slater notes Jones’ affinity for Witten, 42, could still land him a position of some kind on the team’s coaching staff. Jumping from his current situation all the way to an NFL HC position would remain surprising regardless of how Jones views his other options.

Pauline’s sources note that Sanders is not viewed as being a true contender to land the position at this point. The Hall of Famer corner is not considered ready to handle a head coaching gig in any market, they add. If Jones agrees with that assessment, Moore and Witten’s respective candidacies will increasingly become worth monitoring.

Courtesy of PFR’s head coaching search tracker, here is an updated breakdown of where things stand with the Cowboys:

Titans Hire Mike Borgonzi As GM

January 17th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Titans moved quickly after narrowing their list of general manager candidates to a group of finalists. With second interviews complete, a decision appears to have been made.

Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi is set to take over the Titans’ front office, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. A formal agreement had not originally been worked out, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes a five-year contract is now in place. Tennessee’s GM vacancy has been filled with plenty of time left in the offseason.

Six candidates took part in second interviews over the past few days. Borgonzi was among them, which came as little surprise given his experience and how close he came to landing a GM gig last year with the Commanders. After 16 seasons in Kansas City – including the past four in his role as assistant general manager – Borgonzi will depart the two-time defending champions to oversee the Titans’ rebuild.

Tennessee moved on from Jon Robinson late in the 2022 campaign, ending his seven-year run span at the helm of the franchise. Ran Carthon was brought in as his replacement, and the decision by owner Amy Adams Strunk dismiss head coach Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season seemed to set Carthon up for a long runway in his position. The Titans bottomed out this year, though, and while Brian Callahan was retained after one year as head coach, Carthon was let go.

Borgonzi was one of the top candidates in this year’s GM hiring cycle, interviewing as well for the Jets’ position. New York’s search continues, but one name has now been removed from the list of remaining options. Without a head coaching hire to make (which is still the case for both the Jets and Raiders), meanwhile, the Titans can move forward with a new power structure once the Borgonzi hire becomes official.

Kansas City and Tennessee have been connected on the trade front recently, with the swaps which saw cornerback L’Jarius Sneed head to Tennessee in the offseason and which sent wideout DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City ahead of the deadline this year representing recent examples. Borgonzi will aim to make immediate progress with respect to roster-building in his first GM opportunity, something which will include the No. 1 pick in April’s draft.

Chad Brinker joined the Titans’ staff along with Carthon, and he was promoted to president of football operations last year. He ran Tennessee’s GM search, and his connections to Borgonzi made this development one to watch for. Given the team’s announcement (during the statement confirming Carthon’s firing) that Brinker would “break ties” when it comes to key decisions, it will be interesting to see how much authority Borgonzi ends up wielding especially in the early portion of his tenure.

For now, though, attention will turn to building out the rest of the front office staff. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes the scouting department is an area which could see additions made in the near future, with former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler being an option on that front. In any case, the Titans have found the executive who will be tasked with finding a franchise quarterback and returning the team to postseason contention.

Here is the final breakdown of how Tennessee’s search broke down:

Ben Johnson Remains Interested In Jaguars’ Head Coaching Vacancy

January 17th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

11:03pm: ESPN’s Adam Schefter as well as Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz both echo the sentiment that Jacksonville remains under consideration in Johnson’s situation. They also note the Bears could be a team to watch on this front, something which will of course remain the case until Chicago makes a hire.

10:40am: In recent days, the Raiders have emerged as the presumed destination for Ben Johnson with respect to his high-profile head coaching candidacy. The Lions’ offensive coordinator still has other suitors, of course, and the Jaguars are among them.

Prior to the news strongly tying Johnson to Vegas, Jacksonville was reported to be “all in” on hiring him. Neither the Raiders nor the Jags have made a hire yet, and Johnson will of course not be available to officially take the position with either franchise until the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs. In-person interviews with coaches whose team’s seasons have ended can take place once the divisional round ends; Johnson could participate in such a meeting with interested teams during the bye week leading up to the Super Bowl should the Lions make it to the title game.

As the watch for further developments on the Raiders front continues, Bovada’s Josina Anderson reports Johnson remains interested in “exploring” the Jaguars’ vacancy. She adds the Jags continue to ask about how a potential Johnson-led staff would look, an indication that feeling is still mutual. Jacksonville moved on from an offense-oriented head coach (Doug Pederson) at the end of the season, but doubling down on that side of the ball would of course be a move aimed at – among other things – maximizing quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s potential.

Anderson adds that Lions pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand would likely be a name to watch regarding potential offensive coordinator hires in the event Johnson were to take the Jaguars’ gig. Hiring an experienced defensive coordinator would be expected in that event, per Anderson, something which would come as no surprise given the team’s struggles on that side of the ball in 2024. Jacksonville owner Shad Khan and general manager Trent Baalke (who, to the surprise of many, was retained but may see another front office staffer added during the hiring cycle) will need to pivot to other candidates if Johnson drops out of the running or lands elsewhere. This connection still persists as the 2025 coaching landscape takes shape, though.

Via PFR’s HC search tracker, here is a look at Jacksonville’s situation:

Roger Goodell Aiming For 18-Game Schedule, 16 International Games

January 17th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Ely Allen

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently sat down to do an interview on Bloomberg TV for The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations. In the interview, Goodell touched on a number of recent topics including the league’s goals for an 18-game season and a 16-game slate of international games in a season.

Goodell approached the answer to a question about the 18-game season by claiming that “if (they) continue to focus on the safety” aspect of the game that 18 games could be the potential result. It’s a contradictory notion that Goodell attempts to justify with the suggestion of removing another preseason game to maintain “that 20-game framework.”

The idea that replacing a preseason game with a regular game is a simple solution disregards many issues that come along with it. In regard to safety, increased games results in increased stress to the body and a higher likelihood for injury. Especially when considering that preseason games hardly see extended time from main starting players, replacing preseason games for regular-season games is not a one-for-one return in regard to safety.

Additionally, coaches and player personnel staff utilize preseason games to help whittle the roster down to the eventual 53 players who will open the season on the team. Continuing to reduce the number of preseason games robs a large number of fringe players of playing opportunities to show that they deserve a roster spot, potentially diminishing the quality of play in the league by denying diamonds in the rough a chance to shine.

The only seeming benefit that would result from the extension of the season is that every player would receive an extra game check, increasing the value of their contracts. In reality, the benefit goes to team owners and the league, who will all see a revenue increase from replacing poor-performing preseason games with higher-stakes regular-season contests. With no risk to their own health and safety, the support of an 18-game season has been a no-brainer for the elite in league circles.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell, after going over superficial discussions with the NFL about the possibility of an 18-game season, spoke this past summer about concessions the players could seek in return for adding an 18th game. While overall compensation is the obvious one, other points of negotiation would include additional bye weeks, improved playing surfaces, and decreased travel, a contentious issue with the NFL’s insistence on expanding the game internationally. Not surprisingly, these are all health concerns for issues that could be further strained by an extension to the season.

While Goodell claims they would only move forward “with the players” on this decision, he calls it the “logical” next step. The situation feels like an inevitable transition from which the players will simply need to try to get whatever concessions they can.

On the topic of the international slate, Goodell confirmed recently mentioned plans to expand to 16 out-of-country games in a season. He has quickly pushed the slate from five such contests in 2024 to a confirmed eight in 2025. Increasing the number of games in a regular season to 18 would, in theory, make it easier to schedule 16 international games, but if the NFLPA decides to push back on the amount of travel in return for increasing the season, the league’s two goals could be working against each other.

Goodell did push back a bit on the possibility of expanding the league or relocating a team to an international site, though. While he does believe there are markets internationally that could sustain an NFL franchise, he cited issues with travel and competitiveness as hurdles in the execution. The notion a European franchise could spawn — or an American team could relocate — has not generated as much buzz over the past several years. Goodell’s latest remarks continue that trend.

He did project an idea that moving a division would make more sense than moving a single team. This solution would see three road games each year come with relatively short travel for those international teams, assuming they’re all in a close area like Europe. The remaining five or six road games would still require extensive travel, as would the travel for any teams visiting them. This would especially be an issue for any team whose schedule includes all four teams from the international division, requiring either two separate trips or one, long overseas trip to play those games.

The terms of the active collective bargaining agreement for the players are currently in place until 2030. Given the league’s quick work on the international slate, the owners’ eagerness to once again expand the NFL schedule, and Howell’s willingness to engage in early dialogue, it feels like a push for change is coming much sooner than that. Money talks, and if the NFL can alleviate the players’ concerns with promises of concessions, we may be watching a new-look season very soon.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 11/17/25

January 17th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s reserve/futures contracts around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Patriots Request OC Interview With Chargers’ Marcus Brady

January 17th, 2025 at 9:12pm CST by Ely Allen

The Patriots have already gotten off to a fast start in the offseason as the first team to hire a new head coach. With Mike Vrabel now in place, they can get a head start on building the staff beneath him. With a defensive-minded head coach in Vrabel, New England has begun by searching for a new offensive coordinator. Their most recent interview target, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.

Per Fowler, New England requested to interview Brady today, making him the fourth candidate to be linked to the position. Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, who served as interim offensive coordinator and interim head coach after the team fired both coaches at different points of the season this year, is the only interviewee so far, meeting with the team earlier this week. Former Raiders head coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has also been confirmed as a candidate, but no interview has been scheduled as of yet.

Brady, a former undrafted quarterback who played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League, first got his coaching start in the CFL the season following his retirement from playing. His first coaching job came on the team he retired with, the Montreal Alouettes, as a wide receivers coach in 2009. By 2012, the team promoted him to offensive coordinator for a season before he was hired by the Toronto Argonauts for the same position. He called plays in Toronto for five years, with the Argonauts winning the Grey Cup in 2017.

In 2018, Brady finally got his chance in the NFL, getting hired as assistant quarterbacks coach for the Colts. A year later, he was the full quarterbacks coach, a role he held for two seasons before quickly rising to his first coordinator job in the NFL for Indianapolis. That role came under Frank Reich, though, who called his own plays, so though the Colts offense ranked ninth in scoring in his first year as offensive coordinator, it was not a result of his play-calling. When the team’s offense struggled mightily in his second season as OC, Reich fired Brady before getting fired himself shortly after.

Brady rebounded in Philadelphia, rejoining Nick Sirianni, who he replaced as OC in Indianapolis. He spent his first partial season with the Eagles as an offensive consultant before getting promoted to senior offensive assistant in 2023. In 2024, he joined Jim Harbaugh‘s new staff in Los Angeles in his current role. While the Chargers’ passing attack ranked only 19th in the NFL this year, largely due to Greg Roman‘s run-heavy offensive philosophy, they led the NFL with the fewest interceptions (3) and the lowest interception percentage (0.6). Justin Herbert‘s high-octane production was curtailed a bit in the new system, but reining in his turnover issues after he threw 35 interceptions in his first three seasons was an impressive feat.

Since being fired from his first NFL OC job, Brady has been active on the interview circuit. Before taking his promotion in Philadelphia, Brady interviewed for open coordinator jobs with the Rams and Jets in 2023. Brady also had interview requests for the OC opportunities with the Panthers and Bears before taking the job as passing game coordinator in Los Angeles.

After only a year in that role, Brady’s pursuit of a second chance as an offensive coordinator and an opportunity to call plays for the first time in the NFL could continue with this request from New England. Here’s how the Patriots’ OC search is shaping up so far:

OL Notes: Thuney, Packers, Cowboys, Bears

January 17th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Thuney landed on the All-Pro first team at his natural left guard position, but as the Chiefs have struggled to find a left tackle solution this season, they had kicked their standout LG to that post. Although in-season free agency addition D.J. Humphries is healthy, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes Kansas City will leave Thuney at LT. This arrangement has featured Mike Caliendo at left guard. Humphries, who rehabbed an ACL tear for most of 2024 as a free agent, suffered a hamstring injury during his Chiefs debut. Thuney has fared much better than Wanya Morris or second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia, the latter having won the job out of training camp. While the two-time reigning champions will have work to do at this spot soon, it appears their threepeat push will feature Thuney at LT the rest of the way.

Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:

  • The Packers have both their primary tackle starters (Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom) under contract for 2025, and Elgton Jenkins is tied to a lucrative extension. With Jordan Morgan‘s rookie deal going through 2027, Green Bay only has one key UFA-to-be on its offensive front. Four-year center starter Josh Myers is out of contract, but GM Brian Gutekunst labeled (via the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood) the blocker as having “his best year.” Perhaps more importantly, Gutekunst praised how Myers and Jordan Love work as a combo on offense. Although Ryan Kelly is the biggest name among available centers, Myers’ age (26) and experience (56 starts) will help him become one of the top interior O-linemen on the market. The Packers last faced a decision on a center in 2021, when they let Corey Linsley walk before drafting Myers. It will be interesting to see how they address the situation with Myers.
  • Also in Green Bay, Gutekunst noted that there could be some shuffling in the offensive line starters’ positions. Notably, he mentioned that Tom, who has started every game at right tackle for the past two years, could potentially shift over to the blind side, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Back in 2022, Tom’s rookie season, the Wake Forest alum started games at both left tackle and left guard, and Gutekunst believes Tom could play any of the five positions, though he lauds that the 25-year-old has established himself at tackle and could end up starting on the left side.
  • In the recent past Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have been extremely fortunate when forced to start rookie offensive linemen. Players like Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Connor Williams, and Zack Martin have all been players who immediately (or almost immediately) stepped in to great success on the offensive line in Dallas. This year, Jones hoped he’d be able to count to two rookies drafted in the first three rounds once again, starting first-round Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton and third-round Kansas State center Cooper Beebe for a combined 27 games. Guyton was drafted to replace departed veteran Tyron Smith, but the rookie was in a bit over his head this season. Out of 81 players graded at the position by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Guyton graded out as the 73rd-best tackle, getting benched near the end of the season. Beebe faired a bit better in 16 starts but only ranked as the 16th-best center in the league, per PFF. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Jones admitted on a radio interview with 105.3 The FAN that he “probably got a little out over (his) skis thinking, ‘just plug those guys in.'”
  • Offensive guard Matt Pryor has bounced around quite a bit over his first six years in the NFL, getting traded halfway through his rookie deal from Philadelphia to Indianapolis before spending a year each in San Francisco and Chicago. In his sixth NFL season, Pryor, who had only filled in as a starter over his first five years, found himself starting 15 games this season for the Bears. According to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, Pryor wouldn’t mind putting down some roots, saying “he’d like to return” after the one-year deal he played on this season. He graded out decently (21st of 77) per PFF, so he could fetch some money on the free agent market, but it sounds like he’s interested in staying in Chicago.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Patriots Interview Thomas Brown For OC Job

January 17th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Technically still in the running for the Bears’ head coaching job, Thomas Brown has begun to explore his options. After meeting with the Seahawks about their position, the interim Chicago HC is on the Patriots’ radar.

As Mike Vrabel looks to replace Alex Van Pelt on his first New England staff, he met with Brown about the OC job, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The meeting occurred Tuesday, before it became known the Seahawks had others in mind — Klint Kubiak, Grant Udinski — for second interviews about their OC vacancy.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

Vrabel joined Brown in meeting about the Bears’ HC job, and the two one-time Chicago candidates spent time discussing recent Bears offensive work. It looks like Brown will be set to join a fourth team in four years. While the Patriots are set to conduct a wide-ranging search (per Vrabel, at least) that will include Josh McDaniels, Brown looks likely to leave Chicago.

Brown spent the 2022 season with the Rams, was both a play-calling and non-play-calling OC with the Panthers in 2023 and held three Bears positions last year. Initially hiring Shane Waldron as their OC, the Bears circled back to Brown as pass-game coordinator. Brown took the Chicago play-calling reins after the team fired Waldron months into his tenure and then replaced Matt Eberflus soon after. While Brown’s HC tenure did not go very well, team brass realized the tough spot he was in and still considered him for the HC role. Given how disappointing the Bears’ 2024 season was and the importance of maximizing Caleb Williams, it should be expected Brown will not be retained.

The Bears dropped from 4-2 to 4-12 this season, though Brown did nab his only win as interim HC via a game-winning field goal over the Packers in Week 18. The presences of Williams and a well-regarded skill-position group did not boost the Bears this season; the team ranked last in total offense and 28th in points scored. This stands to make a move to another play-calling post — which the Patriots’ job will be — potentially difficult for the former Sean McVay assistant.

Brown is the first confirmed interview for this position, even though a third McDaniels stint has been on the New England radar for a bit. Van Pelt confirmed he was fired along with Jerod Mayo after the Pats’ Week 18 win. If someone other than McDaniels lands the New England job, it will be the franchise’s fifth OC in five years.

Chiefs Activate CB Jaylen Watson From IR

January 17th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Ben Levine

JANUARY 17: Watson has indeed been activated, per a team announcement. He will be in line to handle a significant workload on Saturday and beyond if the Chiefs manage another deep postseason run.

JANUARY 16: Jaylen Watson is expected to return from IR just in time for the Chiefs’ playoff opener. According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, the Chiefs are expected to activate their starting cornerback before Saturday’s divisional round matchup with the Texans.

Watson suffered a fractured fibula and tibia back in Week 7 that was expected to knock him out for the rest of the season. Instead, the former seventh-round pick has worked his way back in just a few months. Watson was a full participant at practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and Taylor believes the 26-year-old could play a majority of his team’s snaps this weekend. Of course, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was quick to caution that his CB will need to knock off any rust.

“I think these next two (practices) will be really important,” Spagnuolo said (via Taylor). “He needs to get up to the speed of the game — and it’s not regular-season speed. It’s playoff speed.”

After serving as a rotational defensive back through his first two years in the league, Watson took on a larger role in 2023. The cornerback started each of Kansas City’s first six games, appearing in 91 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. In those six appearances, Watson compiled 32 tackles and six passes defended, with Pro Football Focus grading him 30th among 117 qualifying cornerbacks.

As Taylor notes, Watson combined with All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie to limit opposing passers to a 60 percent completion percentage. When the likes of Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, and Chris Roland-Wallace filled in, that number jumped to 67 percent, so Watson should provide a boost to the team’s defense.

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