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Raiders To Conduct Second GM Interviews With Brandon Brown, Chad Alexander

January 18th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

A pair of finalists have emerged for the Raiders’ general manager position. More in-person interviews could be coming soon, but for now two are on tap.

Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown has a second interview lined up with the Raiders, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. His second meeting with the team will take place Monday. On that same day, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds Chargers AGM Chad Alexander will conduct a second interview with Vegas’ search committee.

Earlier this week, it was learned both staffers had received an interview request from the Raiders. Brown and Alexander each took part in a virtual interview, and their success in that capacity has kept them in contention to land the position. Neither have been an NFL general manager before, but Brown is no stranger to interest in that regard while Alexander is a veteran of several front offices.

Brown’s NFL tenure began in 2012 with the Jets, but much of his tenure in the league came with the Eagles. He held the title of director of pro scouting as well as pro personnel director before making the intra-divisional move to the Giants. New York will keep GM Joe Schoen for at least one more year, but if he were to be replaced Brown would represent a feasible in-house option to take over. Depending on how his in-person interview goes, though, Brown could elect to make his general manager debut in Vegas.

Alexander spent 20 seasons with the Ravens in several capacities. He has served with familiar faces since departing Baltimore, having worked under Joe Douglas with the Jets and, for 2024, Joe Hortiz with the Chargers. Alexander will look to join Douglas and Hortiz as staffers who parlayed their time in Baltimore into GM gigs elsewhere.

Recent days have seen Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson heavily linked to the Raiders’ head coaching position, a potential hire which would come as something of a surprise given the team’s quarterback situation. Drafting a passer would be a logical step this offseason, with Shedeur Sanders being a name to watch closely on that front. In any case, finding a long-term answer under center will be a central priority for Vegas once a general manager hire is made.

Via PFR’s GM search tracker, here is an updated look at the Raiders’ situation:

  • Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
  • Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
  • Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested

Patriots Notes: Glaser, Coaching Changes, Bowen

January 18th, 2025 at 12:46pm CST by Ben Levine

As the Patriots kick off a new era under Mike Vrabel, they’ll do so without a long-time executive. Robyn Glaser, New England’s executive vice president of football business, informed the organization that she is resigning, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Glaser plans to work for the organization through mid-February.

[RELATED: Mike Vrabel To Control Patriots’ Roster?]

Glaser has spent nearly two decades in New England, starting as a senior adviser to ownership in 2007. She gradually climbed the organizational ladder before earning the role of “senior vice president, business affairs and chief administrative officer of football” in 2022. As Reiss explains, Glaser was tasked with “all league business and legal relations, including league compliance.” Glaser took on even more responsibility (and media scrutiny) in 2024 when she was named a senior adviser to Jerod Mayo.

While this departure will open a significant hole in New England’s front office, Vrabel is actively clearing his coaching staff as he prepares for new hires. Reiss passes along a number of staff members who won’t be back with the Patriots in 2025: Bob Bicknell (tight ends), Taylor Embree (running backs), Tyler Hughes (wide receivers), Keith Jones (defensive coaching assistant), Joe Kim (director of skill development), and Tiquan Underwood (assistant wide receivers).

Per Reiss, Vrabel has started the process of interviewing potential candidates for his staff. We’ve already heard that the organization is eyeing Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady and interim Bears HC Thomas Brown for their OC job, and the team is also considering old friend Josh McDaniels. While the Patriots have only been connected to OC interviews, it sounds like they’re also considering options on defense. Connor Hughes of SNY.tv believes Vrabel is looking to bring Shane Bowen to New England.

Vrabel and Bowen worked alongside each other during their stops in Houston, and Vrabel brought Bowen along to Tennessee. The assistant eventually worked his way up to the defensive coordinator job during the duo’s final three seasons with the organization. After the Titans cleaned house last offseason, Bowen was hired as the Giants new defensive coordinator.

Coaching/Front Office Notes: 49ers, Packers, Giants, Bears

January 16th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Ben Levine

After moving on from special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, the 49ers have started looking at replacements. After meeting with Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins, the team has added two more candidates to the fray.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the 49ers have interview Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo for their ST coordinator vacancy. The long-time special teams ace ended his playing career following the 2022 campaign, and he quickly found post-career work in Denver. He’s spent the past two years serving as the Broncos assistant ST coach, and now he could take another career leap in San Francisco.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers also interviewed Chris Tabor for the job. Most recently, the veteran coach served as the Panthers interim head coach following the firing of Frank Reich. Before that, he spent a season-plus as the Panthers ST coordinator, a title he also held in stints with the Bears and Browns.

More coaching and front office notes from around the NFL…

  • The Packers have parted ways with defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Rebrovich just took on the role this past season after previously serving as Green Bay’s OLBs coach. Brian Gutekunst hinted that changes could be coming, as the GM recently attributed the team’s DL struggles to scheme instead of personnel. The team isn’t wasting any time seeking a replacement, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Packers will interview Jets DL coach Aaron Whitecotton for the job. Whitecotton spent the past four seasons in the role, and he previously had stints with the 49ers, Bills, and Jaguars.
  • The Giants have made some changes to their defensive coaching staff, firing defensive passing game coordinator/DB coach Jerome Henderson, per Garafolo. The Giants have also moved on from safeties coach Michael Treier. Henderson joined the organization as part of Joe Judge‘s initial Giants staff in 2020. As Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes, Brian Daboll‘s first coaching move was to retain Henderson, but the DB coach later drew some ire for his initial support (and later critiques) of Deonte Banks. Per Art Stapleton of USA Today, Marquand Manuel is a name to watch as a potential replacement for one of the vacant secondary roles. Manuel would bring plenty of experience, having once served as the Falcons defensive coordinator and most recently as the Jets safeties coach.
  • One last firing to pass along. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears have let go of director of football analytics Krithi Chandrakasan. Following stints in Kansas City and Jacksonville, Chandrakasan was brought to Chicago by Ryan Poles in 2022.

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

Raiders Request Interviews With Giants’, Chargers’ Assistant GMs

January 15th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

The list of candidates for the Raiders‘ open general manager position continues to grow. After three interviews were requested or announced yesterday, the team requested two more interviews today. Earlier, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Raiders were the latest team to request an interview with Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tagged on a request to interview Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, as well.

While he has yet to earn his first general manager position just yet, Brown is once again getting interest in a top job. Brown is one of the younger names you’ll see getting interviews in this cycle. He only broke into the NFL as a pro personnel intern for the Jets in 2012. In 2017, Brown got his big break, getting hired as assistant director of pro scouting in Philadelphia. After two years in the position, Brown was promoted to director of pro scouting and, two years later, was promoted as second time to director of player personnel. After only a year in that role, the Giants hired Brown away to become their assistant general manager in 2022.

Before he was hired by New York, he was interviewed in 2022 for the Vikings GM position that went to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. His meteoric rise stalled a bit in 2023, as he continued his job without further interviews, but last year, both the Panthers and Chargers booked him as a candidate for their open GM jobs, which eventually went to Dan Morgan and Joe Hortiz, respectively. Both teams even moved him on to the second round of interviews before making their decisions.

Alexander has been around a bit longer than Brown. He spent 20 seasons in Baltimore in a variety of roles, mostly in the personnel department under Ozzie Newsome. He followed Joe Douglas to the Jets, when Douglas was hired as GM, to serve as director of player personnel, a role Alexander held for five years in New York. When his other former coworker in Baltimore, Hortiz, was hired as GM in Los Angeles last year, he followed to take on his current role.

While Alexander has extensive experience in NFL front offices, having just completed his 26th season in the NFL, this is his first interview for a general manager position. If the Raiders are able to complete interviews with two of Brown, Alexander, and Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White, they will have satisfied the interview requirements of the Rooney Rule.

For now, both Brown and Alexander join a currently short list of Raiders’ candidates, though more candidates are expected to be announced. Here’s the full list of the team’s planned and requested interviews:

  • Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interview requested
  • Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interview requested
  • Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested

Giants Exec Ryan Cowden To Join Patriots’ Front Office

January 13th, 2025 at 5:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

TODAY, 5:10pm: While initial reports painted Ryan Cowden as the No. 2 behind front office leader Eliot Wolf, new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel hinted that the arrangement may not be so cut and dry. During his introductory press conference, Vrabel said the team’s front office approach would feature a “shared organizational vision” (per Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal).

Vrabel said he’s already had many conversations with Wolf, although it sounds like a conversation about the front office dynamic is still to come. When discussing Cowden’s involvement in the operations, Vrabel said “nothing has been determined” while hinting that he’ll have conversations with Wolf about the definitive structure (via Giardi). At the very least, it sounds like New England’s new head coach will also have a heavy influence on how the front office operates.

TODAY, 2:40pm: Giants executive Ryan Cowden is joining the Patriots’ front office to reunite with new head coacch Mike Vrabel, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Cowden was the executive advisor to Giants general manager Joe Schoen for the last two years, but the team let him out of his contract so he can pursue this new opportunity.

Cowden is expected to be the “de facto No. 2” to Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, with a title “along the lines of VP of player personnel.” He began his front office career as a scouting assistant for the Panthers in 2000 and worked his way up to assistant director of college scouting by his departure in 2015. Cowden was then hired by the Titans to be the director of player personnel and was promoted to vice president when Vrabel came on as Tennessee’s head coach in 2018.

After the Titans fired GM Jon Robinson during the 2022 season, Cowden finished out the year on an interim basis. He was Vrabel’s preferred choice to take over the front office, but the Titans went with Ron Carthon instead. Not only did that lead to Cowden’s departure from Tennessee, it also raised tensions between Vrabel and the rest of the Titans’ leadership.

Two years later, Cowden and Vrabel are reunited in New England where they hope to turn around years of post-Tom Brady stagnation. The Patriots have a few promising players on each side of the ball, including recent first-rounders Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, but most of the roster needs a facelift as does a culture that lacked accountability and vision from Jerod Mayo.

Giants Likely To Retain DC Shane Bowen

January 12th, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Brian Daboll will remain in place as the Giants’ head coach in 2025, and both of his top lieutenants could stay with him. Despite rumors that offensive coordinator Mike Kafka could be dismissed if team ownership elected to retain Daboll, that has not happened yet. So unless Kafka lands a head coaching gig, it looks like he is on track to see out his thru-2025 contract with Big Blue.

Likewise, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen appears likely to stay on Daboll’s staff for the 2025 campaign (video link). Bowen’s job security was called into question by the harsh evaluation that owner John Mara recently gave of his club’s defense, and the fact that the Patriots just hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach immediately created some speculation that Bowen could join him in Foxborough.

Bowen, 38, worked with Vrabel on the Texans’ defensive staff over the 2016-17 seasons, and when Vrabel took the Titans’ head coaching job in 2018, Bowen followed him to Tennessee to become the club’s linebackers coach. Bowen was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2021, a role he held for three seasons.

His first year on the job was his best, as the Titans finished 12th in total defense and sixth in scoring defense in 2021 en route to an AFC South title and an appearance in the divisional round of the playoffs. Thanks in part to injury troubles, Bowen’s unit was unable to replicate that performance over the next two seasons, and after Vrabel was dismissed last January, Bowen took an interview with the Giants (who had just parted ways with former DC Wink Martindale in the wake of highly-publicized friction between Martindale and Daboll). 

Bowen’s first Giants defense finished in the bottom-10 in terms of yardage and just outside the bottom-10 in terms of points allowed, so he did not necessarily make a compelling case to stick around (to say nothing of the fact that he was not the Giants’ top choice to serve as Martindale’s successor in the first place). However, like the rest of New York’s top staffers, it appears he will be given a mulligan and will return in 2025, though Garafolo does leave open the possibility that the Giants could allow Bowen to leave the club and reunite with Vrabel if he wants to.

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

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

Brian Daboll May Step Out Of Play-Calling Role; John Mara Criticizes Giants’ Defense

January 7th, 2025 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

After OC Mike Kafka primarily called Giants plays from 2022-23, Brian Daboll took the reins this past season. Despite being at the controls as Josh Allen morphed from raw talent into superstar with the Bills, Daboll could not do much with the 2024 Giants’ offense. As a result, he nearly lost his job.

John Mara, however, retained both Daboll and GM Joe Schoen but issued directives that an improvement must take place immediately. Daboll is now entertaining a step back into a CEO coaching role, though the fourth-year Giants HC did not confirm if the idea of another shift was his or Mara’s.

[RELATED: Mike Kafka Drawing HC Interest]

Mara said Monday he talked to Daboll about moving off play-calling, but Daboll subsequently insisted (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) he broached the subject. When pressed as to who initiated that conversation, Daboll admitted it was perhaps Mara who did. While this seems an important detail, Daboll will be coaching for his job early in the 2025 season — regardless of which party brought this up.

Daboll could not coax quality play from Daniel Jones, despite he and Kafka doing so in 2022. Jones struggled during an injury-plagued 2023 and did not bounce back this season, leading to an in-season cut and a move to the Vikings’ practice squad. The Giants then went around Drew Lock to give Tommy DeVito the first crack at replacing Jones. Lock then took the wheel to close the season, offering inconsistent play down the stretch. The Giants finished 31st in scoring, but in Daboll’s (slight) defense, they were 30th in 2023. This came after a Saquon Barkley-dependent offense placed 15th in 2022, leading to a divisional-round appearance.

Changes on offense may not be all that comes out of a disastrous 3-14 season. Mara criticized Shane Bowen‘s defense when assessing the season, potentially calling the former Titans DC’s job status into question. The Giants did climb from 26th to 21st in total defense, despite not having Dexter Lawrence for a third of the season and missing Kayvon Thibodeaux for a sizable chunk in the middle. New York’s secondary struggled, however.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t think our defense played very well this year at all,” Mara said, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “I know that when you have an offense that performs like that, you’re putting more pressure on your defense. But we need to make improvements there. I’m tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us. So, I think that has to be addressed.”

Despite Hard Knocks‘ offseason effort showing Bowen being given a key voice in defensive personnel, Dunleavy reminds he was not the Giants’ first choice for the job. Bobby Babich and Dennard Wilson were the team’s initial preferences, Dunleavy adds.

The Bills promoted Babich — a former Daboll Buffalo coworker — to DC, while Wilson instead took the Titans’ DC gig. The Giants were one of three other teams to request a DC meeting with Babich, while Wilson — a former Eagles DBs coach — was one of three Ravens assistants to become a DC elsewhere in 2024. He met about the Giants’ job in mid-January; Big Blue did not hire Bowen until Feb. 5.

Monitoring Bowen’s status will be important for Giants fans over the next few days, as it would be difficult to expect the team to carry on as is after a 3-14 season. Nevertheless, Daboll will soon be the team’s longest-tenured HC since Tom Coughlin.

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