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Cowboys Conduct OC Interview With Cardinals’ Klayton Adams

January 29th, 2025 at 4:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

A second candidate has emerged for the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator position. Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams interviewed with Dallas yesterday, Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated reports.

Even though this is the first one he has been connected to, Orr adds that Adams can be classified as a “top candidate” for the Cowboys’ OC gig. He has yet to operate as a coordinator at the NFL level, although he does have experience as a co-OC dating back to his college tenure. For the past two years, Adams has held his current role in Arizona.

The 41-year-old’s stock has benefitted from his time with the Cardinals based on his success in guiding the team’s ground game. Arizona ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, in terms of rushing yards across the past two years. The Cowboys could certainly stand to benefit in that department moving forward, so it will be interesting to see if this summit leads to a serious pursuit on the team’s part.

Dallas had previously been linked to Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger for the OC position. ESPN’s Todd Archer notes his interview also took place recently as new head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks to fill out his first staff at the helm of the team. He handled offensive coordinator duties for each of the past two years, albeit in a non-play-calling capacity. Schottenheimer will call plays in 2025 regardless of who his first OC hire winds up being.

Dallas officially reunited with Matt Eberflus yesterday; the former Bears head coach will operate as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator during his second stint with the franchise. Nick Sorensen, meanwhile, was brought in to handle Dallas’ special teams shortly after it became clear he would not carry on with the 49ers moving forward. That leaves one coordinator vacancy to be filled in the near future, which could come in the form of a first OC stint for Adams.

NFC Coaching Rumors: Bucs, Bowles, Kafka, Martindale, Lions, Falcons, Cardinals

January 27th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Liam Coen‘s Buccaneers divorce has become one of the most memorable staff separations in recent years. In addition to the Bucs’ OC search, multiple additional fallout items have emerged from Coen backtracking on an extension agreement to accept the Jaguars’ HC offer. Some around the league are now wondering how willing coordinator candidates will be to join up with Todd Bowles, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones writes. Bowles has evaded firing rumors for multiple seasons, though it was quieter on that front in 2024. While it is a bit odd that he continues to win division titles (3-for-3 in that regard), the rumors about the veteran HC’s murky status in Tampa persist.

On that note, Jones adds the Bucs should not be expected to let any coaches out of their contracts to follow Coen to Jacksonville. Bowles, Jason Licht and assistant GM Mike Greenberg attempted to reach Coen on Thursday, when he was supposed to sign his Bucs extension. Coen had already delayed the signing. The one-and-done Tampa Bay OC had even fibbed about a personal matter to continue his Jags negotiations, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicated during a Pat McAfee Show appearance the Bucs were plenty irked about his exit process.

Here is the latest from the NFC side of the coaching carousel:

  • The Bucs have completed four interviews with outside candidates, but an internal Coen replacement option has surfaced as well. Pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard is on the radar to be promoted, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes. Grizzard, 34, has been in the NFL since 2017 and joined Bowles’ staff to work under Coen. The Bucs thought they had avoided a scenario in which they use a fourth OC in four seasons, via the Coen agreement, and Mayfield will now have a sixth play-caller since the 2021 campaign. An internal promotion would help ensure some familiarity.
  • Mike Kafka is still in the running for the Saints‘ HC job, though Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy may be more likely to land the job. If the Giants’ OC were to pull an upset and jump from a 3-14 team to another club’s top coaching job, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes he would be expected to bring Wink Martindale with him as DC. Kafka and Martindale worked together in New York for two seasons, before the latter’s explosive 2024 exit. Martindale, who spent the 2024 season as Michigan’s DC, interviewed for the Colts and Falcons’ DC jobs this month.
  • Acting swiftly to fill the void created when Kelvin Sheppard made the jump to replace Aaron Glenn, the Lions are elevating another recent NFL linebacker. Detroit will promote Shaun Dion Hamilton to its LBs coaching post, 247Sports.com’s Matt Zenitz tweets. Hamilton attempted to make the Lions’ active roster in 2022 but instead found a job on their coaching staff. Dan Campbell hired Hamilton, an ex-Washington defender, as an assistant. He moved up to assistant LBs coach in 2023, and at 29, is climbing the ladder again.
  • The Falcons are making two hires for Jeff Ulbrich‘s defensive staff. They added Mike Rutenberg as pass-game coordinator and Nate Ollie as D-line coach. Rutenberg will follow Ulbrich from the Jets, having coached their linebackers for four seasons. The Robert Saleh hire oversaw the development of Quincy Williams from waiver claim to All-Pro, while Ollie was also on Saleh’s first Jets staff. The Colts hired him as D-line coach in 2022, and he landed with the Texans as assistant D-line coach last year.
  • The Cardinals are losing their linebackers coach to a college coordinator role. Virginia Tech hired Sam Siefkes to be its next DC. Jonathan Gannon had hired Siefkes after two years as a Vikings assistant. Prior to that, he had served in the college ranks, heading up Wofford’s defense. Additionally in Arizona, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes the team is not bringing back D-line coach Derrick LeBlanc. On the Dolphins’ staff before heading to Arizona in 2023, LeBlanc had spent nearly two decades at the college level.

2025 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

January 26th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, half the league changed up at offensive and defensive coordinator. As most HC-needy teams have now filled their open positions, the coordinator carousel has accelerated. Here is how the market looks now. When other teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-21-25 (1:59pm CT)

Offensive coordinators

Chicago Bears (Out: Chris Beatty)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Ken Dorsey)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Brian Schottenheimer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Ben Johnson)

  • John Morton, pass-game coordinator (Broncos): Hired

Houston Texans (Out: Bobby Slowik)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Press Taylor)

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Klint Kubiak)

New York Jets (Out: Nathaniel Hackett)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Promoted

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Ryan Grubb)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Liam Coen)

Defensive coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Jimmy Lake)

Chicago Bears (Out: Eric Washington)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Lou Anarumo)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Mike Zimmer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Aaron Glenn)

  • Larry Foote, inside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Kelvin Sheppard, linebackers coach (Lions): Promoted

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Gus Bradley)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

  • Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach/running game coordinator (Packers): Hired
  • Jonathan Cooley, pass-game coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
  • Patrick Graham, former defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed 1/27
  • Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/27
  • Aubrey Pleasant, defensive pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/28

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: DeMarcus Covington)

  • Ryan Crow, outside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/21
  • Terrell Williams, defensive line coach (Lions): Hired

New Orleans Saints (Out: Joe Woods)

New York Jets (Out: Jeff Ulbrich)

  • Chris Harris, former defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/29
  • Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (49ers): To be hired

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Nick Sorensen)

Bears Request OC Interview With Cardinals’ Israel Woolfork

January 25th, 2025 at 9:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

The list of offensive coordinator candidates for the Bears continues to grow. Chicago has requested an interview with Israel Woolfork, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.

[RELATED: Bears Add Antwaan Randle El, Al Harris To Staff]

Woolfork’s playing career ended in 2012, and he immediately transitioned to coaching. From 2013-21, he worked on the staff at Miami (Ohio), holding different titles along the way. Woolfork began as a graduate assistant before coaching the team’s running backs and then its receivers.

His entry into the NFL came with the Browns. Woolfork was involved in the Bill Walsh coaching fellowship program for 2021 and ’22, and after that process he landed his first position coaching gig at the pro level. The Cardinals hired him as their quarterbacks coach in 2023, and he has remained in that role for the past two years.

Kyler Murray was sidelined for the beginning of last season as he rehabbed his ACL tear. He managed to play eight games upon returning to the lineup, though, and his performances to close out the year laid the foundation for this past campaign. The Cardinals enjoyed a relatively strong start to 2024, posting a 6-4 record before the bye. The team fell out of contention in the NFC West toward the end of the campaign, but Woolfork’s work with Murray and Arizona’s other passers has now generated interest at the coordinator level.

New head coach Ben Johnson will no doubt call plays during his debut Chicago campaign, but his decision not to retain Thomas Brown leaves the team in need of another offensive coordinator hire. The Bears went with Shane Waldron last offseason, but his tenure proved to be short-lived. Brown served as interim play-caller (and, eventually, head coach) to close out the campaign but Johnson was of course Chicago’s top target for outside HC candidates. His offensive coordinator search will be one to watch closely as it expands.

Via PFR’s OC/DC Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand:

  • Declan Doyle, tight ends coach (Broncos): Rumored candidate
  • Hank Fraley, offensive line coach (Lions): Rumored candidate; staying with Lions
  • Bo Hardegree, quarterbacks coach (Titans): Interview requested
  • Israel Woolfork, quarterbacks coach (Cardinals): Interview requested

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

January 19th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Two weekends of playoff football have come and gone, providing us with 10 more draft slots cemented into position as NFL teams continue to be eliminated from the playoffs. The top 18 picks were already divvied up at the conclusion of the regular season to the teams who failed to make the playoffs, while picks 19-28 have been determined over the past two weeks.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order has been determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. The playoff squads are being slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular-season record.

The league’s Super Wild Card weekend resulted in the elimination of Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, Buccaneers, and Vikings after their respective losses. Tampa Bay benefitted from the three-way tie in record with Denver and Pittsburgh, just as the Chargers did over the Packers.

The divisional round of the playoffs resulted in the elimination of the Texans, Rams, Ravens, and Lions. This time, Houston held the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, gifting it higher draft priority.

We are still at a place that, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.

Here is how the draft order looks following two weeks of playoff football:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/16/25

January 16th, 2025 at 7:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • P Jake Julien

The Cardinals snagged a pair of wide receivers from recently-eliminated playoff teams. Quez Watkins spent all of this season on the Steelers practice squad, while Trishton Jackson was a member of the Vikings’ taxi squad when they were knocked out of the postseason. Watkins brings the most experience of the duo, as the former sixth-round pick got into 49 games with the Eagles between 2020 and 2023.

The Vikings added a former 49ers third-round pick in Ambry Thomas. The cornerback got into 42 games across three seasons in San Francisco, collecting 79 tackles and two interceptions. Thomas spent most of the 2024 campaign on the 49ers injured reserve, but he was cut by the team last month. He was claimed by the Colts but immediately released after failing a physical, and he subsequently landed on Minnesota’s practice squad.

2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-11-25 (11:40am CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/25

January 13th, 2025 at 7:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

  • DT Ralph Holley

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • OT Doug Nester

2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team

January 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.

Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to $255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure between $265MM-$275MM.

As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.

Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:

  • San Francisco 49ers: $50.01MM
  • Cleveland Browns: $41.95MM
  • New England Patriots: $34.86MM
  • Las Vegas Raiders: $33.57MM
  • Detroit Lions: $23.73MM
  • Washington Commanders: $19.83MM
  • Dallas Cowboys: $18.84MM
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: $15.89MM
  • Green Bay Packers: $15.11MM
  • Tennessee Titans: $14.72MM
  • Arizona Cardinals: $11.38MM
  • Indianapolis Colts: $10.1MM
  • Seattle Seahawks: $8.42MM
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: $6.83MM
  • Philadelphia Eagles: $6.81MM
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6.63MM
  • Atlanta Falcons: $6.07MM
  • Minnesota Vikings: $5.94MM
  • Cincinnati Bengals: $5.94MM
  • Chicago Bears: $5.08MM
  • Los Angeles Chargers: $4.89MM
  • Houston Texans: $4.81MM
  • Kansas City Chiefs: $3.15MM
  • Miami Dolphins: $3MM
  • New Orleans Saints: $2.93MM
  • Los Angeles Rams: $2.75MM
  • Baltimore Ravens: $2.14MM
  • Denver Broncos: $1.91MM
  • Buffalo Bills: $1.34MM
  • New York Giants: $1.17MM
  • Carolina Panthers: $490K
  • New York Jets: $346K

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.

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