HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

49ers’ John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan Endorse Long-Term Brock Purdy Extension

January 8th, 2025 at 10:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers’ coaching staff is the center of the team’s attention right now, but the coming offseason will include a number of major roster-building decisions. The most significant of those, of course, will be a Brock Purdy extension.

San Francisco’s decision-makers are well aware of the fact this offseason represents the former Mr. Irrelevant’s first point at which he could sign a long-term deal. A massive raise will be in store compared to his rookie pact, although it remains to be seen how high the 49ers will be willing to go with respect to average annual value. Purdy himself hopes to get through the negotiating process in short order, and the team made it clear on Wednesday a deal keeping him in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future is a mutual goal.

“What we know about Brock is he’s our guy,” general manager John Lynch said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). Purdy took over starting duties midway through his rookie season, and his level of play helped inform the departures of Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. The Iowa State product’s success was key in San Francisco’s latest Super Bowl appearance, and going one step further will be the target for Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan moving forward. In spite of Purdy’s regression in 2024 – matched by that of the team as a whole – no quarterback competition is on tap with the final year of his rookie contract looming.

“I plan on being with Brock here the whole time I’m here,” Shanahan said (via Wagoner). “He’s a guy I’ve got a lot of confidence in just as a human, but it starts with what he’s done on the field these last two and a half years. We’re capable of winning the Super Bowl with him. He just almost did and I know he’s capable of getting the Niners a Super Bowl in the future.”

Coming off a 6-11 season, the 49ers will look for new faces at a number of positions. That is especially the case considering some of the pending free agents which are on track to depart given the cap commitments a new Purdy deal will require. The top of the quarterback market reached $60MM just before the start of the season, and eight other passers are currently on a deal averaging at least $51MM per year. Even if Purdy’s next pact checks in at a relative discount, the 49ers’ cap structure will undergo major changes moving forward.

Given the mutual interest which exists between team and player to work out an agreement, it will be interesting to see how quickly progress is made at the negotiating table. The 49ers have a history of lengthy contract talks with key players, but such a scenario may be avoided in Purdy’s case.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/25

January 8th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions:

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Designated to return from IR: CB Eli Apple

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed off Bills’ practice squad: S Lewis Cine

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Designated to return from IR: CB Troy Hill

Washington Commanders

  • Designated to return from IR: TE Colson Yankoff
  • Placed on IR: DT Haggai Ndubuisi

A former first-round pick, Cine will get a third chance in Philadelphia. The Georgia-product has failed to gain much traction at his first two stops with the Vikings and Bills, but he’ll open the postseason on the active roster with the Eagles.

Once a ball-hawking cornerback for the Rams, Hill’s role has reduced quite a bit in his age-33 season. With the playoffs coming up, though, Hill has the potential to provide some experienced depth in the Buccaneers secondary.

Raiders Request Interview With Ravens OC Todd Monken

January 8th, 2025 at 9:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken can add another team to his list of suitors. After the Bears and Jaguars were reported to have requested interviews with the second-year Baltimore play-caller, Las Vegas is the latest team to have requested permission to interview Monken, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Monken has a wealth of experience coaching offenses at both the NFL and collegiate level. First beginning his coaching journey as a graduate assistant at Grand Valley State in 1989, Monken, 58, has worked for eight different college programs and four different NFL teams. Despite all the experience, he’s only had one head coaching stint, going 13-25 in three seasons at Southern Miss, though he did turn them from a 1-11 team in Year 1 to a 9-5 team in Year 3.

Monken has seen prodigious success in his offensive coaching over years in the NCAA. His NFL success has been a bit more hit or miss. As the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, Monken’s offenses finished 19th in scoring and 18th in total yards in 2016, 18th in scoring and ninth in total yards in 2017, and 12th in scoring and third in total yards in 2018. The following year he took over a Browns offense that had finished 20th in scoring and 13th in total yards in 2018 and saw both of those places fall to 22nd in his lone year at the helm.

Following these first stints as an NFL offensive coordinator, Monken took the same job at the University of Georgia, where he improved the nation’s 49th-best scoring offense and 61st-best total offense to the fourth- and fifth-best offense in those respective categories in just three years. This collegiate success earned him another chance in the NFL, landing him as the successor to Greg Roman in Baltimore.

Monken, now in his second season as the Ravens offensive coordinator, has drawn praise for helping lead Lamar Jackson to his most productive season to date. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a season this year, despite significant turnover on the offensive line and the loss of offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris. Under Monken, Baltimore led the league in total offense this season, ranking third in scoring with an average of 30.5 points per game.

Monken’s recent run of success in one of the league’s most prolific offenses will likely continue to garner head coaching attention. Per PFR’s 2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker, this is how his competition in Las Vegas is stacking up:

Jaguars Request Interview With Brian Flores

January 8th, 2025 at 7:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars began their head coaching search by submitting an initial list of eight candidates they wish to interview. Another slip has been issued, adding to the staffers on the team’s radar.

Jacksonville has requested an interview with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the team announced on Wednesday. This marks the third request to date of the 2025 hiring cycle, as the Bears and Jets have also reached out. Flores is among the candidates on the market with head coaching experience, and his time in Minnesota has likely helped his stock.

Flores was fired by the Dolphins after the 2021 season, and he followed that up with a single campaign as the Steelers’ linebackers coach. The 43-year-old has been in charge of Minnesota’s defense for the past two seasons, and in 2024 the unit ranked fifth in points allowed per game (19.5). Flores made it clear earlier in the year he wants to be a head coach again, and he is prepared to take an interview with every interested team this winter. The list of suitors now sits at three, although the Raiders could soon submit a request of their own.

Jacksonville moved on from an offense-oriented coach in Doug Pederson, but a number of candidates on the team’s radar have a background on that side of the ball. That includes Ben Johnson, with a Wednesday report indicating the Jaguars are preparing an “aggressive pursuit” of the Lions offensive coordinator. Johnson has plenty of suitors, though, and the presence of general manager Trent Baalke could complicate matters.

Baalke, to the surprise of many, was retained in the wake of Pederson’s dismissal. The former 49ers GM has had a lengthy tenure in Duval County, but owner Shad Khan has not confirmed Baalke will remain in his current situation for 2025. Adding an executive vice president to the front office is a possibility, and altering the power structure currently in place may be a condition necessary for certain coaching candidates to accept the position. It will be interesting to see how Flores views the prospect of working with Baalke.

Courtesy of PFR’s tracker, here is an updated look at the Jags’ search process:

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/8/25

January 8th, 2025 at 7:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Wednesday’s practice squad moves around the league:

Buffalo Bills

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: T Max Pircher

Gotsis will provide veteran D-line depth for the Bucs in advance of the playoffs. The 32-year-old has 126 games and 54 starts to his name, including five appearances with the Colts earlier this year. It will be interesting to see if Gotsis makes his way onto Tampa Bay’s roster in time for the team’s wild-card round either through promotion or as a gameday elevation.

Thomas Dimitroff To Interview For Titans’ GM Job

January 8th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

After interviewing for the Jets’ open general manager position back in December, former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has continued his efforts to return to an NFL front office. Per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, Dimitroff is set to interview for the same job in Tennessee.

Dimitroff has been out of the NFL for a while now, not holding a position in the league since being fired alongside then-head coach Dan Quinn in 2020. His focus has since shifted to a billionaire-backed football analytics company, SumerSports, which hired Dimitroff on as president of football operations. The company, which is “aimed at creating precision in player acquisition and roster management in the NFL,” must have kept Dimitroff busy during the past few GM interview cycles, as this is his first time even interviewing since 2021.

Dimitroff had earned his first GM job after a run with the Patriots, where he served as the scouting director from 2003-07, collecting two Super Bowl rings. He then filled the role as Atlanta’s GM from 2008-20, overseeing a run of playoff berths during Matt Ryan‘s tenure. Taking over the Falcons in the aftermath of the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal, Dimitroff chose Ryan third overall in his first draft at the helm and built rosters that booked first-round playoff byes in 2010, 2012, and 2016. Ultimately, the team had journeyed to the playoffs six times during Dimitroff’s tenure, reaching the NFC championship game twice. The Falcons’ lone trip to the Super Bowl under Dimitroff ended in the now infamous 28-3 collapse.

The veteran exec worked in the NFL from 1993-2020 but has not held a position since. GMs receive second chances at a much lower rate than head coaches, as only two second-chance GMs — Trent Baalke (Jaguars), Tom Telesco (Raiders) — are currently in place. Dimitroff, 58, last interviewed for a GM post in 2021, having met with the Lions about the gig that went to Brad Holmes.

According to McCormick, the Titans are planning to conduct their first round of interviews starting Thursday and continuing over the next two days. Due to an intense winter storm hitting Nashville at the moment, the first round of interviews will likely all be virtual. Should the cold weather subside, in-person interviews could begin next Monday and Tuesday. Dimitroff is currently one of seven candidates reported for the position.

CB Justin Bethel Retires

January 8th, 2025 at 6:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

Justin Bethel‘s playing days have come to an end. The veteran corner/special teams ace announced his retirement via Instagram on Wednesday.

“23 years. 12 years pro,” Bethel wrote. “That’s how long I’ve played the game of football! Been blessed more than I can imagine. Met a lot of great people thanks to football and been to a lot of cool places. But my greatest years are ahead of me.”

Bethel entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2012. He played all 16 games in his rookie year but hardly saw the field on defense. With respect to special teams, though, his 70% snap share showcased his immediate contributions. It was in the third phase that Bethel would go on to make his most notable impact in the NFL. That included three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2013-15.

Following a six-year run in Arizona (including the 2017 campaign, in which he logged his heaviest defensive workload), Bethel spent one year with the Falcons. That, in turn, was followed by time with the Ravens, Patriots and Dolphins. He logged a full season in 2023 with Miami but was out of the league this past campaign. Rather than attempting a return for the 2025 season, Bethel has elected to hang up his cleats.

In all, the 34-year-old played 200 combined regular and postseason games in the NFL, collecting five interceptions and 282 tackles along the way. Thanks in large part to his first Cardinals extension, Bethel amassed roughly $20MM in career earnings.

Bears Expected To Conduct HC Interview With Matt Campbell

January 8th, 2025 at 6:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears’ head coaching search includes a number of names from various backgrounds in the NFL. At least one candidate currently in the college ranks is set to receive a look as well.

Matt Campbell is expected to interview with the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports. Campbell remains in place as head coach at Iowa State, the posting he had during his most recent NFL interview process. The 45-year-old met with the Lions as part of their 2021 head coaching search.

Detroit reportedly made Campbell an eight-year, $68.5MM offer, but indications emerged soon after that it was only Dan Campbell who was ever offered the job. The latter is still in place, of course, but the Bears’ efforts of catching up to the Lions includes their ongoing search for a new coach. General manager Ryan Poles is leading the way, and he recently confirmed a wide range of coaches will be considered.

“It’s going to be a diverse group,” Poles said (via Biggs). “This will be different backgrounds from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro. We’re turning every stone to make sure we’re doing this the right way. There’s going to be some names that you don’t expect that are going to surprise you because we’re digging deeper than we ever have before.”

Considering the prior interest he drew, though, Campbell is of course not a complete unknown as far as head coaching candidates go. He took on Toledo’s full-time HC position in 2012 and spent five years with the program, posting a 35-15 record. Campbell then moved on to Iowa State, where he has finished with a losing record only twice in nine seasons. The Cyclones’ best campaign to date under Campbell came in 2024, where they went 11-3 en route to the Big 12 title game. It will be interesting to see if that success yields renewed NFL interest aside from Chicago.

Via PFR’s head coaching tracker, here is an updated look at the Bears’ search:

2025 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

January 8th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans and Raiders again became part of a GM carousel in the 2020s. Tennessee canned its front office boss after two seasons, while Las Vegas moved on after one. These two joined the Jets, and after two-plus offseason weeks, the Jaguars followed suit by firing Trent Baalke. With the Titans, Raiders and Jets landing on GMs, the Jags are the only team left searching. Here is how the GM market looks:

Updated 2-21-25 (4:00pm CT)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

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