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Coaching Notes: Pleasant, Curry, Broncos

February 17th, 2023 at 11:48am CST by Sam Robinson

A defensive coordinator interviewee earlier this decade, Aubrey Pleasant was without a job midway through last season. The Lions fired the veteran assistant, leading to a Packers move. But the former Rams assistant is coming back to Los Angeles. The Rams are rehiring Pleasant to be their defensive backs coach and defensive pass-game coordinator, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The sides have been talking about the job for about a month, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets.

Both the Saints and Vikings interviewed Pleasant for their DC positions in 2021, shortly after he had taken a job as the Lions’ secondary coach. But the Lions fired him in October. The Packers, who have ex-Rams staffer Joe Barry in place as DC, hired him as a consultant to close out the season. Pleasant, who has been in the NFL for 10 seasons, will return to a Rams organization that previously had him in place as its cornerbacks coach from 2017-20. In addition to Pleasant, the Rams are adding Mike Harris as their assistant DBs coach, Rodrigue adds (on Twitter). Harris spent the past two years as a Bears offensive assistant.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • The Broncos’ lone known offensive coordinator candidate thus far, Ronald Curry will not be moving. The Saints will retain their quarterbacks coach, Aaron Wilson of KPRC tweets. Curry, a former Sean Payton hire, interviewed for both the Buccaneers and Broncos’ OC positions. As Denver will continue its search, Tampa Bay hired Dave Canales earlier this week. A former NFL wideout, Curry has been with the Saints since 2016.
  • While multiple former Payton assistants connected to a reunion will not be heading to Denver, former Saints special teams coach Mike Westhoff will meet with his former boss tweeted about his upcoming Broncos meeting. Westhoff, 75, has been retired since 2019 but was rumored to be a candidate to join Payton in Denver. He worked for the Saints from 2017-18 but enjoyed long tenures (with the Dolphins and Jets) previously. In addition to former Saints coaches, Payton has been connected to coaches out of the league. Rex Ryan is favored to be the next Broncos DC, though interviews are ongoing, and Mike Zimmer has surfaced as a possible Broncos assistant option.
  • Canales will bring a Seahawks assistant to Tampa. The Bucs are hiring Brad Idzik to be their wide receivers coach, John Schneider said during a radio interview (via Seahawks.com’s John Boyle, on Twitter). Idzik previously worked as the Seahawks’ assistant wideouts coach. This marks a return trip for Idzik, who is the son of former Bucs front office bastion (and ex-Jets GM) John Idzik. The younger Idzik had been with the Seahawks since 2019.
  • The Raiders will greenlight a reunion as well, hiring Matt Lombardi to be their assistant wide receivers coach, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Matt Lombardi is the younger brother of Raiders OC Mick Lombardi and the son of former Raiders exec (and Browns GM) Michael Lombardi. Matt Lombardi spent the past three years with the Panthers, being one of Matt Rhule‘s hires.
  • Staying with the family theme, the Giants have added Brian Daboll‘s son to their staff. Christian Daboll will work as an offensive assistant in New York, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News tweets. Christian Daboll had previously worked as a student assistant at Penn State. Although the Giants have the younger Daboll listed as a staff member, they have not announced the hire.

Cardinals Request OC Interviews With Drew Petzing, Drew Terrell, Joel Thomas

February 16th, 2023 at 7:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Jonathan Gannon in place as the new head coach in Arizona, changes are coming on the defensive side of the ball. As for their offense, several candidates will be considered before a hire is made.

The Cardinals put out three interview requests for the offensive coordinator position on Thursday. In a trio of tweets, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report that Arizona is seeking a meeting with Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing, Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell and Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas.

As Rapoport notes, Petzing is a strong contender to land the position. The 35-year-old worked alongside Gannon during their shared time in Minnesota, and was named as a logical hire in the event Gannon was given the head coaching position in Arizona. Petzing has spent the past three years in Cleveland, coaching the team’s tight ends before taking charge of the QBs room in 2022.

Terrell, 31, spent four years in the college ranks before making the jump to the NFL. He worked with the Panthers for two years, then went to Washington in 2020. After one season as an assistant WRs coach, the Stanford alum was promoted to the full-time position and has held it for the past two years. Rapoport adds that Terrell is highly regarded around the league despite his relative lack of experience, so it comes as little surprise that he is receiving interest for a coordinator position.

Thomas held a number of hats at the NCAA level, but has consistently worked with running backs throughout his career. He worked as an OC at Idaho in 2004 and 2005, serving in a similar capacity at Washington in 2012. His only NFL posting has been in New Orleans, beginning in 2015. The 48-year-old has been a key positional coach helping drive the success the Saints have enjoyed with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram in the backfield during his tenure, though, like the other two coaches, he has not received interview requests from any other team so far.

Much has been made about the importance regarding Gannon’s hire at OC, given his own background as a defensive staffer and his status as a rookie head coach. During his introductory press conference, he spoke about his commitment – regardless of whomever is tapped as offensive coordinator – to keeping the unit centered around Kyler Murray.

“I have a very specific vision of how I want to play on offense and the person that comes in here to run the offense is going to understand that everything that we do will be structured around the quarterback position to maximize his skill set,” Gannon said, via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “And we have an elite one.”

Gannon added that he expects to start the interview process to begin in the next few days, so a decision will likely not come long after as he works to build his staff.

NFC South Notes: Bucs, QBs, Maye, Panthers

February 15th, 2023 at 10:26am CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady‘s retirement shoved the Buccaneers‘ void-years bill to 2023, and the $35.1MM cap hit will complicate the team’s plans to replace the all-time great. Tampa Bay is more than $55MM over the cap, as of Wednesday, and has upper-crust cornerback Jamel Dean on track for free agency. While the rest of the NFC South is being connected to quarterbacks, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets the Bucs should not be considered players for top-tier QB free agents. This would include Jimmy Garoppolo and almost definitely Derek Carr, and while Stroud adds the team will look at the market, the Bucs’ price range could be considered in the midlevel area.

Former second-rounder Kyle Trask, whom Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes Bucs players are high on as a player who can compete for the starting job (after two years in development), is the only quarterback left on the roster. The team holds the No. 19 overall pick. Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • The Saints have been the team most closely connected to Carr. They will need to complete their usual batch of winter restructures to be in position to pay him, though there are not as many avenues available to the crafty organization compared to recent years. But the Saints started their path to cap compliance Wednesday. They restructured Marcus Maye‘s deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. By moving $6.07MM of Maye’s salary into a signing bonus, the team created $4.85MM in cap space. Baby steps. The Saints are still more than $50MM over the cap.
  • Another Matt Rhule-era hire is no longer with the Panthers. The team parted ways with VP of player personnel Pat Stewart, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Stewart, who worked with Rhule at both Western Carolina and Temple, joined the Panthers in 2020.
  • New Panthers HC Frank Reich will bring in ex-Rams assistant Jonathan Cooley, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets. Cooley is set to join the Panthers as their defensive backs coach. He and new Carolina DC Ejiro Evero worked together in Los Angeles, with the Rams promoting Cooley after Evero left for Denver last year. The Rams, despite blocking Cooley from interviewing with the Vikings in 2022, fired him just after this past season ended.
  • Another Rams staffer fired along with Cooley in January will catch on in the NFC South. The Saints are hiring Kevin Carberry to be their assistant offensive line coach, Yates adds (on Twitter). Carberry served as the Rams’ offensive line coach during their Super Bowl LVI-winning 2021 season and last year. He will replace Zach Strief, who is now the Broncos’ O-line coach.
  • When Ryan Jensen went down during a July practice, he tore his MCL and PCL fully but only partially tore his ACL. This allowed for the veteran Buccaneers center to avoid surgery, Dan Pompei of Athletic notes (subscription required). Jensen also suffered meniscus damage, per Pompei, who adds retirement was a consideration for the injured blocker. Jensen took out a $5MM insurance policy in the event of a career-ending injury. A stem cell treatment in Antigua, however, made a difference in Jensen’s recovery. The 31-year-old blocker managed to make it back to practice late in the season and played in Tampa Bay’s wild-card loss to Dallas. Two years remain on Jensen’s three-year, $39MM contract.
  • Eddy Pineiro came to Charlotte as a Zane Gonzalez replacement, but the ex-Bears kicker fared well. Pineiro made 33 of 35 field goals, including a 15-for-16 mark from beyond 40 yards, and Person views him as the most likely Panthers kicker in 2023. Gonzalez suffered a preseason quad injury, leading to a full-season IR stay. The Rhule signee is under contract through 2023, while Pineiro is a free agent. But the latter has ties to special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, whom Person adds Reich is retaining. Tabor coached Pineiro in Chicago as well.

Raiders To Release Derek Carr

February 14th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 14: The Raiders officially released Carr, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Carr will hit the market a month before free agency, allowing him to determine his 2023 plans weeks ahead of his free agent QB peers. The Raiders save $29.3MM in cap space by making this move.

FEBRUARY 13: With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, Derek Carr‘s guarantee vesting date is fast approaching. The Raiders do not plan to wait until the deadline. They will release their longtime starting quarterback Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link).

The Raiders would have until 3pm CT Wednesday to find a Carr trade partner, but the veteran passer has already indicated he will not waive his no-trade clause. That leaves the Raiders with little choice here, given their actions to this point. They will cut Carr to avoid paying the $40.4MM guarantee.

This unique free agency derby will feature a few teams. The Saints, whom Albert Breer of SI.com notes are the only team to send the Raiders a Carr trade offer, will be one. The Jets are believed to view Carr as an Aaron Rodgers backup plan, while Rapoport notes the Panthers, Titans and perhaps others will be in the mix.

Tuesday’s transaction will not only end this unusual divorce and spur a fascinating pursuit — one that will put teams to decisions on going after Carr now or waiting for other options later — but it will also wrap the Raiders’ longest-running partnership with a starting quarterback. Although Ken Stabler was a Raider longer than Carr, the Hall of Famer did not begin his run as a full-time starter until his sixth season (1973). The Raiders needed Carr from the jump, plugging him into the lineup in Week 1 of his rookie season. Carr ended up starting 142 games as a Raider, but the team stopped that streak abruptly with a benching ahead of its Week 17 game last season.

The Raiders, who will only be hit with $5.6MM in dead money by this release, gauged Carr’s fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense via their three-year extension agreement. But that deal’s escape hatch — the Feb. 15 guarantee vesting date — will trigger Las Vegas’ quarterback search. Carr constantly landed in trade rumors under previous regimes, but the Raiders held onto him through the Jack Del Rio and Jon Gruden‘s stays. The Raiders did not have much luck at quarterback in the years immediately before taking Carr in the 2014 second round, with the Carson Palmer and JaMarcus Russell moves in particular costing the team dearly. But McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler will replace Carr this year.

Carr, 32 in March, could have been a potential chip at last year’s trade deadline, but The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes (subscription required) the Raiders were not ready to pull the plug at that point. Even after a 24-0 loss to the Saints, the Raiders hoped Carr and McDaniels would mesh down the stretch. The 2-5 team stayed the course, but late in a season that saw Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow sidelined for extended stretches, the Silver and Black showed their cards with the benching. Davante Adams has said he remains committed to the Raiders, despite Carr driving him to seek out Vegas as a destination last year.

Carr and his wife trekked to New Orleans for a Raiders-approved visit — the only meeting the team permitted — and the summit lasted two days. Carr wanted to meet with every interested team, per Tafur, but the Raiders worried the 10th-year veteran would use those summits to work out a free agency agreement. Now, instead of Carr following the Matthew Stafford or Alex Smith winter trade paths, he will be a free agent. Connections to a host of teams are sure to follow.

The Raiders wanted a third-round pick. It is unclear if the Saints offered that, but they will have a chance to woo Carr on the market. New Orleans would need to backload a Carr contract, being nearly $60MM over the cap. While February cap gymnastics are old hat for GM Mickey Loomis, the Saints appear set to enter a competitive chase for a free agent quarterback for the first time since they signed Drew Brees in 2006. New Orleans, which waded deep into the Deshaun Watson trade sweepstakes last year, is unlikely to retain Jameis Winston and has not been aggressive in attempting to re-sign Andy Dalton. Carr appears the target, though he will be for other teams as well.

The Jets’ recent inquiry about Rodgers’ availability makes sense, with Carr about to hit the market. New York’s might be the most intriguing decision: go after Carr now or risk striking out on Rodgers. Jimmy Garoppolo also looms as a later potential Rodgers consolation prize — for both the Jets and Raiders — and the Titans’ involvement here points to Ryan Tannehill being available as well.

The Titans have used Tannehill as their primary starter for the past four seasons, and while the team promoted OC Tim Kelly, a Carr chase makes Tannehill’s Tennessee status tenuous. The Titans can save $27MM by designating Tannehill as a post-June 1 cut. A past restructure would make a standard Tannehill release more costly for the AFC South franchise. Even though the Titans kept Tannehill in the loop regarding Kelly’s hire, per Titans.com’s Jim Wyatt, one season remains on his contract.

Carolina has sought a long-term QB answer since cutting Cam Newton in 2020. But the Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield efforts fell short of expectations. Frank Reich went through a few veterans in Indianapolis as well, which would make the Panthers diving back into the veteran market interesting. The Panthers hold the No. 9 overall pick, putting them in play for a quarterback pick or a trade-up maneuver. A Carr acquisition would presumably prevent either. Carolina looks to be a second-tier suitor here, per David Newton of ESPN.com, who notes the Panthers could be interested if the price drops below its expected point (Twitter link).

2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 14th, 2023 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, 10 NFL teams hired new head coaches. Following the Panthers, Broncos and Texans’ hires, this year’s vacancy count sits at two. Last year’s Saints and Buccaneers moves, however, showed these job openings can emerge at unexpected points.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-14-23 (1:30pm CT)

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

February 13th, 2023 at 9:56am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LVII in the books, the order of the final two first-round picks in April’s draft have been finalized. The Chiefs once again find themselves at the bottom of the order by virtue of winning their second Lombardi Trophy in the past four years.

The last time they found themselves in that position, they added running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in what was seen as a selection which would greatly boost their rushing attack. A repeat of that decision is unlikely this time around, given the emergence of seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco as the team’s lead back down the stretch, including the Super Bowl in which Edwards-Helaire was deactivated.

For the Eagles, the fact that their own first-rounder will be one spot higher than Kansas City’s is of course no consolation for the outcome of the game. Nevertheless, Philadelphia will have two chances – since they also have the Saints’ top choice, sitting at No. 10 overall – to add high-end rookies to an already strong core. The success both teams enjoyed in 2022, coupled with the strengths of their respective front offices, should have them well-positioned to contend once again next season.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks at the regular season’s close:

  1. Chicago Bears: 3-14
  2. Houston Texans: 3-13-1
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 4-13
  4. Indianapolis Colts: 4-12-1
  5. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
  6. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  7. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-11
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Carolina Panthers: 7-10
  10. Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
  11. Tennessee Titans: 7-10
  12. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  13. New York Jets: 7-10
  14. New England Patriots: 8-9
  15. Green Bay Packers: 8-9
  16. Washington Commanders: 8-8-1
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-8
  18. Detroit Lions: 9-8
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
  21. Los Angeles Chargers: 10-7
  22. Baltimore Ravens: 10-7
  23. Minnesota Vikings: 13-4
  24. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-8
  25. New York Giants: 9-7-1
  26. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  27. Buffalo Bills: 13-3
  28. Cincinnati Bengals: 12-4
  29. New Orleans Saints (via 49ers through Broncos)
  30. Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 14-3

This year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice

Derek Carr Will Veto Potential Trades; QB Expected To Be Released

February 12th, 2023 at 3:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

As Derek Carr moves another day closer to finding out his future with the Raiders, he has reportedly sent a clear message to his current employer. The quarterback will not accept a trade to the Saints or any other interested team, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

As a result, Rapoport notes, the Raiders will be left with no other option but to release him in the coming days. Carr has over $40MM in guaranteed money set to vest this week, and with Vegas having moved on from him, a trade represented their only way of receiving compensation while relieving themselves of that financial obligation. Carr has a no-trade clause, however, which gave him control of the situation at all times in this process, something which he has clearly used.

The Raiders prevented the 31-year-old from negotiating with potential new teams until trade compensation had been agreed upon. That made it noteworthy when they allowed him to visit the Saints this past week, with a subsequent report indicating the two teams had an agreement in place. Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero tweets that it was Carr’s contract which stood in the way of a deal being finalized to send him to the NFC South.

A report emerged over the weekend that Vegas’ asking price was a third-round pick. The Saints could have easily met that request, given their current allotment of selections in this year’s draft, but they find themselves in dire straights from a financial standpoint. New Orleans is more than $60MM over the cap at the moment, so acquiring Carr via trade would have added considerably to the salary cap gymnastics general manager Mickey Loomis has become known for in recent years.

Carr has a scheduled cap hit of $34.9MM in 2023, and two more years on his existing contract with hits over $43MM. Given the absence of guarantees on the pact (at the moment), however, the Raiders would see more than $29MM in savings by releasing Carr in the immediate future. Designating him as a post-June 1 cut would see that figure grow to $33MM weighed against comparably small dead cap charges.

Of course, this news in no way precludes the Saints from still ultimately landing Carr as a free agent. The four-time Pro Bowler will be free to sign anywhere immediately following his release, as opposed to players who can only negotiate prior to the start of the new league year in mid-March. New Orleans should be in the market for a new signal-caller after the production seen in 2022 from veterans Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston. Carr will certainly have other suitors as well, however.

The former second-rounder had a down year this past season, the first with head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler at the helm. Still, he will headline a QB market which may or may not see the likes of Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones and Geno Smith be on the move through trades or free agent deals. The Jets are widely understood to be all-in on Rodgers, but they are reportedly prepared to target Carr as a secondary option.

The value of a deal Carr is able to land on the open market will no doubt be linked to the perceived availability of those other passers. Still, with his release imminent, it likely won’t be long until he has found his next NFL home.

Latest On Potential Derek Carr Trade

February 11th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tomorrow’s Super Bowl has obviously been the league’s top storyline in recent days, but the future of Derek Carr has generated plenty of interest as well. The Raiders quarterback is close to having more than $40MM in guaranteed money vest, meaning clarity could emerge soon.

[RELATED: Saints Viewed As Carr Frontrunners]

Vegas allowed Carr, 31, to visit the Saints this week, having previously prevented him from meeting with teams which had yet to agree on trade compensation. The fact that New Orleans hosted Carr meant that at least the framework of a deal has been agreed upon. More details have emerged on that front.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Raiders are seeking a third-round pick in exchange for Carr. Such a selection has been seen in plenty of high-profile QB trades in recent years, but Fowler is likely accurate in calling the ask a “modest” one. Of course, Carr has significant leverage in this situation by holding a no-trade clause and thus having the ability to force the Raiders to release him in the coming days and sign with the Saints (or any other potential suitor, of which there would be several) as a free agent.

New Orleans once again holds a first-round pick via the Sean Payton trade, but also the 41st and 72nd overall selections in this year’s draft. The latter would be headed Vegas’ way if previous reporting on terms being agreed upon holds true. The other complicating factor in this situation, though, is of course Carr’s contract and the Saints’ current financial situation.

New Orleans is more than $60MM over the 2023 salary cap ceiling, leaving them with more cost-cutting to do than any other team around the NFL before the new league year begins in mid-March. Carr has a scheduled cap hit of $34.9MM in 2023, and $7MM of his 2024 salary will become guaranteed this week barring a restructure. As Fowler and colleague Dan Graziano note, unsurprisingly, the Saints would be keenly interested in lowering Carr’s financial cost upon acquisition, but that the four-time Pro Bowler has no need (at least at this point) to agree to do so.

Carr would likely provide an upgrade under center to the Saints compared to their 2022 setup of Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston. The Raiders, meanwhile, have made it clear they are prepared to move on to a new era at the position, leaving attention squarely placed on Carr himself as he weighs his options.

Saints Viewed As Derek Carr Frontrunners

February 9th, 2023 at 6:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:03pm: Carr concluded his visit, Sean Fazende of FOX 8 tweets. The ball remains in the 31-year-old quarterback’s court. If Carr is willing to waive his no-trade clause, the Raiders and Saints will have the green light to finalize trade terms. If not, free agency looks like the next step here.

5:33pm: Derek Carr remains in New Orleans for a second day of this Raiders-approved visit. After the Carr-Saints meeting wrapped at around 10:30pm Wednesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football notes (via Twitter) the meeting has continued today.

Dennis Allen and Saints brass went to dinner with Carr on Wednesday night, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds New Orleans is viewed as the frontrunner to land the nine-year veteran (video link). The Raiders and Saints have not agreed completely on terms, but Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets the framework of an agreement is in place.

Initially, the Raiders were not prepared to allow Carr to speak with any team that had not agreed on trade terms. By broadening that baseline to suitors who are in the ballpark of Las Vegas’ preferred compensation, a visit came to pass. Carr wields a no-trade clause, giving him the ability to nix a Raiders-Saints agreement and move closer to free agency. No deal is expected to be finalized Thursday, Rapoport adds.

Six days remain until Carr’s $40.4MM guarantee vests. The Raiders will not pay their longtime quarterback that money, which will lead to a trade or release. The Saints, whose Carr interest generated buzz at the Senior Bowl, are almost the de facto frontrunners here. No other team having been granted permission to speak with Carr. Raiders potential concerns about Carr’s agent using talks to gauge free agency interest helped lead to the narrow parameters on a visit. Even though Carr has only spoken with the Saints, other teams have looked into this early free agency sweepstakes.

The Commanders and Jets were mentioned as suitors late last month, and the Jets are examining Carr. The Commanders are taking a somewhat unexpected offseason course, at least compared to how they have proceeded in recent offseasons. Expected to shed $26MM-plus by releasing Carson Wentz, Washington is planning to give Sam Howell a long look as a potential starter. The team is still monitoring veterans, but not to the degree it did in 2022. Commanders connections to just about every potentially available vet sprang up last year, leading to the Wentz swap. Despite Howell being a fifth-round pick and making on appearance as a rookie, he appears to have a decent chance to be Washington’s 2023 starter.

Expected to dive far deeper into the veteran QB pool, the Jets will need to determine if they want to pursue Carr now or wait for the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo or another potentially available arm after this February Carr chase wraps up. The Raiders have also been connected to Garoppolo and Rodgers, raising the stakes for a Jets team that has been tied to vet QBs for weeks.

New Orleans has Jameis Winston under contract through 2023, but after benching Drew Brees‘ initial successor, the Saints should not be expected to retain him. Not when they are $60MM over the cap. As of mid-January, no Andy Dalton talks had occurred either. While the Saints did obtain a first-round pick from the Broncos in the Sean Payton trade, that pick sits at No. 29 overall. This draft’s top four QBs will likely be gone by that point, and a veteran would seem to complement the Saints’ experienced roster better anyway.

Coaching Notes: Bills, Panthers, Dolphins, Saints, Lions, Packers

February 8th, 2023 at 9:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Another former member of the Panthers organization is heading to Buffalo. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), the Bills are hiring Al Holcomb as a senior defensive assistant. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets that the two sides have yet to officially finalize a deal but are heading in that direction.

After having previously spent five seasons as the Panthers linebackers coach, Holcomb returned to Carolina in 2020 as their defensive run game coordinator. When Steve Wilks became the Panthers interim head coach this past season, Holcomb was promoted to the team’s interim defensive coordinator/assistant head coach.

Holcomb worked under former Panthers defensive coordinator (and current Bills head coach) Sean McDermott in Carolina. He also worked alongside current Bills GM Brandon Beane, who previously served as Carolina’s director of football operations and assistant GM.

Speaking of the Panthers, they made their own coaching move today. The team announced that they’ve agreed to terms with linebackers coach Peter Hansen. The coach served in the same role with the Broncos last season, where he coached under new Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The 43-year-old Hansen was previously the defensive coordinator at UNLV.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • The Dolphins are hiring Butch Barry as their new offensive line coach, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). Barry was recently canned by the Broncos after serving as their OL coach for one season, but now he’ll get another opportunity in Miami. The veteran coach will be replacing Matt Applebaum, who was let go after only one season with the Dolphins organization.
  • The Saints have been busy adding to their coaching staff. Cardinals defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson is heading to New Orleans, per Mike Jurecki (on Twitter). Robertson, who spent the past four years in Arizona, will presumably be serving in the same role with the Saints. Meanwhile, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets that the Saints are closing in on a deal with Clancy Barone to serve as their tight ends coach. The veteran coach most recently served in that same role with the Bears, and he previously worked alongside Saints head coach Dennis Allen when the two were with the Broncos and with Texas A&M. Finally, Underhill tweets the the Saints are retaining offensive assistant Kevin Petry. The young coach “was coveted for a position by Sean Payton” in Denver, per Underhill, but the Saints ultimately convinced him to stick in New Orleans.
  • The Lions have made some changes to their coaching staff. Most notably, the team promoted J.T. Barrett to assistant quarterbacks coach and Shaun Dion Hamilton to assistant linebackers coach. Barrett, a former star at Ohio State, bounced around the NFL before joining the Lions coaching staff as an offensive assistant last offseason. Hamilton, a former sixth-round pick, spent a year on the Lions’ roster before joining their coaching staff last year. Per Tim Twentyman of the team’s website (on Twitter), the Lions also promoted Brian Duker to defensive backs coach, Tanner Engstrand to passing game coordinator, and Steve Oliver to assistant offensive line coach. The Lions have also added Dre Thompson as a defensive quality control coach.
  • The Packers are hiring former Cardinals cornerbacks coach Greg Williams, according to Tom Silverstein of Packers News. It’s uncertain what role Williams will fill on Matt LaFleur’s staff, but Silverstein expects him to help fill the void left by defensive passing game coordinator Jerry Gray, who left Green Bay for the Falcons. Prior to his four-year stint in Arizona, Williams served as the Broncos and Colts defensive backs coach.
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