Raiders Aiming For Offense-Minded HC To Pair With Fernando Mendoza?
Firing defense-minded head coaches in back-to-back years, the Raiders would presumably be more interested in going in another direction during this year’s cycle. Teams regularly take this route after a hire does not work out, and it indeed looks like Las Vegas wants to go offense with its 2026 HC appointment.
The Raiders want to pair an offense-oriented coach with likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes. The team may also be willing to wait on this weekend’s conference championship games or perhaps through Super Bowl LX.
Klint Kubiak and Davis Webb both interviewed for the Raiders’ HC position, doing so virtually. The Broncos and Seahawks’ bye weeks allowed for their assistants to discuss jobs early, and Schultz adds both look to have made good impressions. Each remains in the running, and while Jesse Minter appears to be a live candidate as well, he may be fighting an uphill battle due to where the Raiders are aiming.
The team canned Antonio Pierce a year after removing his interim tag. After an aggressive Ben Johnson pursuit fell short, the Raiders veered about as far in the opposite direction as possible by hiring Pete Carroll, who became the oldest HC in NFL history this season. Carroll finished 3-14, edging a disinterested Chiefs team in Week 18 to avoid a two-win campaign. The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick as a result of Carroll’s performance, giving his replacement a silver lining as the organization retools yet again.
Mendoza holds the honor of spearheading one of the great stories in modern college football history, with non-traditional power Indiana emerging to go 16-0 and win the national championship on the back of its Heisman-winning quarterback. He is expected to be the Raiders’ No. 1 pick, as the franchise has taken a few unsuccessful swings at QB since releasing Derek Carr in 2023. To avoid having Mendoza lose his play-caller — granted, this has not been an issue for the Raiders in a long time — to another HC job, the Silver and Black could pair him with an offense-geared leader from the start.
It would seem a bit early on Webb, but the Broncos’ QBs coach is impressing in interviews. The 30-year-old assistant has garnered interest for second interviews, and this report certainly points to the Raiders being interested in a follow-up meeting. Should Denver pull an upset and edge New England without Bo Nix, Webb’s stock could skyrocket ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Raiders cannot interview him again until the Broncos are eliminated.
The same rules are in place with Kubiak, the first year Seahawks OC. Kubiak has yet to run the same team’s offense in consecutive seasons, but he certainly would be asked back in Seattle if not hired by a team this year. While Sam Darnold finished just 19th in QBR, the Seahawks went 14-3 and saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the NFL in receiving. Kubiak, 39 next month, would give the Raiders access to a Shanahan-style attack, as the second-generation coach was on the 49ers’ staff previously and grew up observing his father (Gary) and Mike Shanahan‘s similar offensive approaches.
Webb remains in the running for the Ravens’ HC job, while the Bills have him on their radar as well. Kubiak interviewed with the Cardinals and Ravens while also emerging early as a potential Bills candidate. Joe Brady, Nate Scheelhaase, Mike LaFleur and Klint’s brother Klay — the 49ers’ OC — are the other offensive candidates to interview for the Vegas job.
Falcons Request GM Interview With Mike Bradway
The Falcons have named a fifth candidate in the running for their open general manager position. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Bradway has been requested to interview for the job in Atlanta.
Bradway joins Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl, Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Texans assistant GM James Liipfert, and 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams as candidates to replace Terry Fontenot as general manager. All five names came in over the past two days, hot on the heels of the team’s hiring of Kevin Stefanski to fill their open head coaching position.
Despite Bradway owning nearly 20 years of NFL front office experience, a move to Atlanta would match Bradway with only his third NFL franchise. Much like many others in the Chiefs’ building, Bradway’s only NFL ties are to Kansas City and Philadelphia. The son of former Jets general manager Terry Bradway, Mike began his NFL front office career with a 10-year stint with the Eagles. In 2018, Bradway reunited with several who made the move to Kansas City about six years prior, when head coach Andy Reid departed from Philadelphia and landed the same job with the Chiefs.
Bradway’s first role with the Chiefs in 2018 was assistant director of personnel. Two years later, he was promoted into a joint assistant director of player personnel role with current Bears GM Ryan Poles, who had already served a year in the position. In 2021, both got promotions with Bradway being named director of player personnel and Poles being named executive director. When Poles departed for Chicago, Bradway earned another title bump up to senior director, serving in that role for three seasons before finally landing in his current role.
With Bradway getting his first general manager interest in the league today, he advances one step closer to following in his father’s footsteps towards landing a full GM position. Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Falcons will begin interviewing candidates tomorrow, starting with Liipfert and Weidl over Zoom and continuing with more virtual interviews throughout the week, likely with the intention to move to in-person interviews next week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/21/26
Wednesday’s minor moves:
New England Patriots
- Designated for return from IR: DT Joshua Farmer
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from IR: RB George Holani
With only four teams remaining in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy, there are fewer and fewer minor transactions from day-to-day. Today, though, the Patriots and Seahawks opened the 21-day practice windows for backups Farmer and Holani. The Patriots stand to benefit the most from today’s transactions as they look for the fourth-round Florida State rookie to potentially end his first year of play on the field.
Bills’ Terry Pegula Discusses Sean McDermott’s Firing; Josh Allen To Have Input In HC Search
The Bills suffered a 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos in last weekend’s divisional round, the franchise’s latest crushing playoff defeat. Sean McDermott was at the helm for several of those losses, and owner Terry Pegula elected to make a change in firing the head coach on Monday.
A Super Bowl appearance eluded McDermott, but his nine-year run was nonetheless a success. Taking over an organization that had missed the postseason 17 straight times, McDermott guided the Bills to the playoffs in eight of nine seasons. He went 98-50 in the regular season, 8-8 in the playoffs and won five AFC East titles.
McDermott, then the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, took the Buffalo job in January 2017. Former Panthers colleague Brandon Beane became the Bills’ GM four months later.
Not only is Beane still in place despite McDermott’s ouster, but Pegula promoted him to president of football operations/GM on Monday. Beane is now leading the search for McDermott’s replacement.
Five weeks before the Bills cut ties with McDermott, he expressed concerns over the roster in a meeting with Pegula and Beane, Vic Carucci of Sirius XM Radio reports. McDermott pointed out certain ingredients the Bills were missing to win a Super Bowl, which left Pegula and Beane displeased. Pegula publicly stood up for Beane’s roster when discussing McDermott’s firing on Wednesday.
“Great roster,” he said (via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network). “Good coaching. No Super Bowls… how do we overcome this? One year after another. I just couldn’t see us doing that with Sean (McDermott). That’s why I relieved him.”
It’s unknown which positions McDermott brought up in the meeting, though wide receiver, the run defense, the pass rush and a banged-up secondary were among areas of inconsistency for the team during the season. Beane didn’t make any deals to address the Bills’ weaknesses before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, instead bringing in receiver Brandin Cooks in free agency three weeks later and claiming defensive back Darnell Savage off waivers in early December.
The Savage addition came after the Bills’ claiming of former Steeler Darius Slay blew up in their faces. Slay didn’t report to the Bills, who placed him on the reserve/retired list. Assuming they’d get Slay, the Bills cut Ja’Marcus Ingram and then saw him join the Texans on waivers. McDermott was irked over losing Ingram, a member of the Bills from 2022-25.
“I’m a huge Ja’Marcus Ingram fan, and will always be,” said McDermott. “I want the best for him, so that’s really where my mind is right now.”
Cooks and Savage ended up playing important roles in Buffalo’s loss to Denver, and not in a good way for the Bills. Savage, subbing in during a minor Cam Lewis injury, was burned for a 29-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first half, The Broncos took a 17-10 lead on that score and later went up by double digits, but the Bills fought back to force overtime.
With the game tied at 30 in OT and the Bills driving for the win, Cooks was unable to haul in a Josh Allen deep ball that could have propelled the team to the AFC title game. In one of the most controversial plays of the season, Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian wrestled the ball from Cooks and came away with an interception. The Bills likely would have set up for the winning field goal had it been ruled a catch; instead, their season and the McDermott era are over.
Pegula told the media he decided to part with McDermott after entering a despondent postgame locker room in Denver. The owner concluded the Bills hit“the proverbial playoff wall” and needed to go in another direction (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN).
Pegula also revealed that Allen, who has spent his entire eight-year career under McDermott, had no say in the decision (via Wolfe)
“He didn’t have any input at all,” Pegula said. “I didn’t talk to Josh about this. I talked to him after and that convo will stay private but he had no input in it.”
Allen appreciated his run with McDermott, but the reigning MVP continues to have faith in Pegula and Beane, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News relays. As the face of the franchise, Allen will be involved in the coaching search, per Pegula (via Getzenberg).
Considering Allen is under center and the Bills are coming off their seventh straight season of double-digit wins, Pegula is confident he won’t have any problems landing a capable successor to McDermott. Although Allen will turn 30 in May and still hasn’t won a Super Bowl as he nears the back nine of his career, Pegula won’t tell the next head coach the team’s in championship-or-bust mode in 2026 (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
“I don’t know about pressure right now, but there’s a lot of people that want to look at taking this job,” Pegula said. “There’s a lot of interest.”
With Allen aiding Pegula, Beane and other Bills bigwigs in their head coaching search, here’s their early list of candidates:
- Lou Anarumo, defensive coordinator (Colts): Interview requested
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/21
- Brian Daboll, former head coach (Giants): To interview
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Rumored candidate
- Anthony Lynn, run-game coordinator (Commanders): To interview 1/24
- Grant Udinski, offensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interview requested
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interview requested
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Rumored candidate
Six of those eight coaches come from the offensive side of the ball. Allen has enjoyed success under Brady and Daboll, and he’s known to have good relationships with the pair. Teammates from 2019-21, Allen and Webb have been close friends for several years.
Kyle Shanahan: Gus Bradley ‘Obvious’ Choice For 49ers’ DC Job
The 49ers are without a defensive coordinator after Robert Saleh became the Titans’ head coach on Monday, but it doesn’t appear they’ll go outside the organization for a replacement. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan “all but said” assistant HC Gus Bradley will take over for Saleh, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Asked if he’d cast a wide net for Saleh’s successor, Shanahan revealed: “I’m not going to say it’s a real wide net. Gus is the obvious one to everyone. And (he) is to us, too. Gus would be the main internal candidate. I feel very fortunate to get Gus and feel great about that.”
While it appears the 49ers will promote Bradley, the Rooney Rule requires them to hold in-person interviews with two minority candidates before a decision is made. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz may also emerge as a possibility for the 49ers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN notes. Schwartz is in the running to become the Browns’ head coach, but even if that doesn’t happen, they’d like to retain him.
If Shanahan ultimately chooses Bradley, it would put the 59-year-old in position to serve as a D-coordinator for the fifth time in his career. Bradley previously led defenses for the Seahawks (2009-12), Chargers (2017-20), Raiders (2021) and Colts (2022-24). His greatest success came in Seattle during the early stages of the “Legion of Boom” era. The Seahawks boasted the top scoring defense in Bradley’s last season on the job, but he left a year before they won the Super Bowl.
Bradley departed Seattle to become the head coach of the Jaguars, but it didn’t go well. The Jags posted a disastrous 14-48 record under Bradley from 2013-16, and he hasn’t gotten a second HC chance since then. Notably, Saleh was on Bradley’s staff in Jacksonville. He also worked under Bradley in Seattle.
The familiarity between Saleh and Bradley suggests the 49ers’ defense would transition smoothly from the former to the latter in 2026. In Saleh’s lone year on the job, San Francisco’s defense finished 13th in yards and 20th in points. A rash of injuries – including to the unit’s two best players, linebacker Fred Warner and edge rusher Nick Bosa – prevented the group from reaching its full potential.
A dislocated and broken ankle ended Warner’s season in Week 6, three weeks after Bosa tore his ACL. Warner underwent surgery in October, but the four-time first-team All-Pro should have a clean bill of health in 2026. Warner said he won’t require any offseason procedures, per Wagoner.
Packers Interview Al Harris For DC
Looking for a defensive coordinator to replace the departed Jeff Hafley, the Packers could turn to one of their former players. They’ve completed an interview with Bears defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Al Harris, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Harris, a former cornerback, spent a large chunk of his playing career in Green Bay. A Packer from 2003-10, Harris piled up 14 interceptions and earned two Pro Bowl nods in their uniform. He’s now a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.
After wrapping up his career with the Rams in 2011, Harris jumped into coaching as an intern with the Dolphins.
Since he got his feet wet for a year in Miami, Harris has coached defensive backs with the Chiefs, Cowboys and Bears. Harris doesn’t have any experience as a coordinator, but he has learned from the likes of Bob Sutton, Mike Zimmer, Dan Quinn and Dennis Allen.
In 2025, his first season in Chicago, Harris helped guide a turnover-happy defense that led the league with 23 interceptions. The Bears pulled that off despite going without two high-end corners, the injured duo of Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, for significant periods. Johnson missed 10 games, and Gordon sat out 14. The Bears nonetheless finished 11-6 and won the NFC North before knocking the archrival Packers out of the wild-card round with a 31-27 comeback victory.
After dropping a nail-biter to the Rams in the divisional round, the Bears could lose Harris to the Packers. The 51-year-old joins former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones and Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker as early candidates to succeed Hafley. After two years running the Packers’ defense, Hafley left to become the Dolphins’ head coach on Monday.
In Hafley’s last year in Green Bay, the team ranked a solid 11th in points allowed and 12th in yards. The Packers’ defense likely would have enjoyed more success had the unit’s best player, superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons, not gone down with a torn ACL in Week 15. The rehab process is expected to sideline Parsons for the start of 2026, but he’s optimistic he’ll return by Week 4.
Vikings Extend DC Brian Flores; Flores Still HC Candidate
While Brian Flores is currently pursuing a higher position elsewhere, the Vikings have signed him to an extension. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Flores is still considered a candidate for the open head coaching jobs in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but he’ll now have his job as defensive coordinator in Minnesota if those teams end up hiring other candidates. 
Similiar to another coach on the offensive side of the ball, Mike McDaniel, Flores was getting interest around the league lately for his potential to become both a team’s new head coach or a team’s new defensive coordinator. The former Dolphins head coaches were both looking to return to another leading role, and Flores has interviewed with the Ravens and Steelers, while also being mentioned as a candidate for the job in Las Vegas.
With his contract as defensive coordinator in Minnesota coming to an end, though, other teams around the league were showing signs of interest in Flores continuing in his role as a defensive play-caller. A week ago, he interviewed for the job in Washington, so the speculation was already up in the air on whether Flores would end up being a head coach or a coordinator with a new team. With this extension in place, though, Flores’ two options are to land a head coaching job with a new team or return to the Vikings and remain as defensive coordinator.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell had recently expressed doubt that Flores would leave for the same job with another team. In reaction to the news of Flores’ extension, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifer, O’Connell told the media, “The identity of our defense is a reflection of his leadership and preparation. On a personal level, I’ve really valued the relationship we’ve built over the last three years, and that shared trust, alignment, and high standard will continue to be critical to our success.”
As Flores had continued as a candidate outside the building, the team had held discussions concerning the potential for a new deal like this with Flores, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. In his three years as defensive coordinator in Minnesota, Flores’ unit has given up the second-fewest points per game in the NFL over that span. The unit has improved each year and finished seventh in points allowed and third in yards allowed at its peak this season, anchored by a defense that gave up the league’s second-fewest passing yards per game this year.
The Ravens are starting to select finalists as they move slowly through their interview process, and the Steelers have made it known that Flores is considered to be a “serious contender” to land as their head coach, but the Vikings have been loud in their assertion that seeing him return to lead the defense was their No. 1 priority. Now, they’ve held up their end of the bargain and secured his place on next year’s staff. They’ll just have to hope that Baltimore and Pittsburgh neglect to had him a bigger opportunity.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/21/26
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Atlanta Falcons
- TE Joshua Simon
Chicago Bears
- TE Qadir Ismail
Las Vegas Raiders
- LS Alex Ward
Los Angeles Rams
- S Nate Valcarcel
Miami Dolphins
- LB Seth Coleman
Philadelphia Eagles
- TE Jaheim Bell
San Francisco 49ers
Chiefs Bring Back Eric Bieniemy As OC
JANUARY 21: Bieniemy and the Chiefs have officially agreed to a deal, according to Pelissero.
JANUARY 19: Earlier today, Eric Bieniemy received an interview request from the Chiefs for their offensive coordinator position. A reunion is indeed set to take place. 
Bienemy is expected to return to his previous role with Kansas City, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Once a hire takes place, the Chiefs will have their Matt Nagy replacement in the building. Nagy has not yet taken a head coaching position, but the team has been preparing for a departure in his case.
According to Scoop City‘s James Palmer, this reunion has been in the works for a notable stretch. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke with Bieniemy last night after the Bears’ divisional round loss, Palmer adds. A plan to have Bieniemy depart Chicago – where he served as the team’s running backs coach in 2025 – is now in motion.
From 2013-22, Bieniemy worked on Reid’s staff in Kansas City. The final five years of that span included Bieniemy operating as the team’s offensive coordinator. Reid routinely campaigned for the 56-year-old to receive a head coaching opportunity, but numerous interviews across various hiring cycles did not result in a hire. In the end, Bieniemy took on a play-calling OC gig with the Commanders for 2023. One season in that role was followed by another one-and-done campaign at UCLA.
During last year’s hiring cycle, Bieniemy returned to the NFL ranks by joining Ben Johnson‘s staff. The Bears produced a record of 11-6 and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs during Johnson’s first year as a head coach. The ground game played a key role in that success, and both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai enjoyed strong seasons down the stretch in particular. Their performances have helped Bieniemy’s stock as a coordinator, although this KC reunion will no doubt see Reid continue to handle play-calling duties.
Nagy was a top Reid assistant during his first Chiefs stint, and he was the team’s OC for one season before becoming the Bears’ head coach. After that Chicago run ended, Nagy returned to Kansas City at first as a quarterbacks coach. Nagy has again held the title of offensive coordinator for the past three years, but this Bieniemy return signals he will be coaching elsewhere in 2026. Nagy has been connected to a number of HC openings in recent days, and a Titans hire in particular would come as little surprise given his Chiefs connections with general manager Mike Borgonzi.
Broncos Designate C Luke Wattenberg For Return From IR
Denver will go without starting quarterback Bo Nix when it hosts New England in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, but one of the Broncos’ top offensive linemen could return. The Broncos have opened center Luke Wattenberg‘s 21-day practice window, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
A shoulder injury has kept Wattenberg out of three straight games. Under normal circumstances, a player on injured reserve is required to miss four contests. However, because the Broncos clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs, Wattenberg is now eligible to come off IR.
Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick in 2022, spent his first two seasons in Denver as a backup. He became the Broncos’ No. 1 center in 2024 and has since started in all 28 appearances, including 15 this season. Pro Football Focus ranked Wattenberg’s performance 10th among 38 qualifying centers in 2025. He earned solid grades as both a run and pass blocker.
With Wattenberg a few months from free agency, the Broncos awarded him a four-year, $48MM extension on Nov. 25. He now sits fifth at his position in contract value and AAV. Wattenberg’s $27MM in guarantees trails only the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey ($35MM).
On Christmas Day, a month after the Broncos locked up Wattenberg for the long haul, he landed on IR. Alex Forsyth has filled in at center during Wattenberg’s IR stint, and that will likely continue if the latter is unavailable against the Patriots. Forsyth suffered an injury in a 33-30 divisional round win over the Bills, which led the Broncos to plug in Sam Mustipher for the rest of the game. However, Forsyth participated in practice Wednesday, Tomasson relays.
Despite their injuries at center, the Broncos escaped in overtime against the Bills in an instant classic. Nix sustained a season-ending ankle injury, though, leaving the Broncos as rare home underdogs in the AFC title game. Former Patriot Jarrett Stidham will fill in for Nix as the Broncos vie for their first conference championship in a decade.
While Stidham’s facing an uphill battle this week, the return of Wattenberg would help his cause. The Broncos could also welcome No. 1 RB J.K. Dobbins back after opening his practice window on Monday.