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AFC Coaching Notes: Dickerson, Browns, Bills, Addae, Day, Chargers, Dolphins, Colts

February 9th, 2024 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns allowed Bill Callahan out of his $3MM-plus contract to join son Brian in Tennessee. Given Bill Callahan’s status as one of the NFL’s best O-line coaches, this left a void on Cleveland’s staff. The team will fill it with one of the candidates it interviewed for its OC post. Seahawks O-line coach Andy Dickerson will take the same position with the Browns, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Set to work under Ken Dorsey, Dickerson was one of the ex-Sean McVay staffers who followed Shane Waldron to Seattle. The Seahawks promoted Dickerson to their O-line coach in 2022. Upon removing Pete Carroll from his longtime HC post, the Seahawks let their assistants speak with other teams. Additionally, the Browns are adding Roy Istvan as their assistant O-line coach, per the Associated Press’ Tom Withers. Istvan was most recently the Eagles’ assistant O-line coach under acclaimed staffer Jeff Stoutland; Istvan had been in that role for five seasons.

Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:

  • Recently retired safety Jahleel Addae will return to the NFL as a coach. The former Chargers starter will join the Bills as their cornerbacks coach, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel tweets. Addae, 34, had been on the Miami Hurricanes’ staff. Addae started 63 games during his nine-year career, with most of the starts coming as a Charger.
  • The Bills are not bringing back DBs coach John Butler, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News tweets. Butler had been Buffalo’s DBs coach since 2018. With the Bills moving Bobby Babich to DC, some changes are being made. Another will be the hire of Matt Edwards as assistant D-line coach. The team recently bumped up Marcus West to D-line coach, replacing the departed Eric Washington. Edwards previously worked as a Raiders defensive assistant, concentrating on the team’s pass rush.
  • Shane Day is coming back to Los Angeles. Spending two seasons as the Chargers‘ QBs coach under Joe Lombardi, Day was with the Texans as a senior offensive assistant. Jim Harbaugh will bring Day back to the Bolts as their QBs coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Justin Herbert became the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter under Day in 2021, and Garafolo adds the star QB enjoyed working with Day. Though, Brandon Staley fired both Lombardi and Day following the Bolts’ wild-card collapse in Jacksonville. The veteran assistant was with the 49ers on two separate occasions, though neither was during Harbaugh’s San Francisco run.
  • The Chargers are also hiring Sanjay Lal as their wide receivers coach, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Lal has been coaching wide receivers in the NFL since the late 2000s. One of those tenures — 2015-16 with the Bills — overlapped with new Bolts OC Greg Roman. Lal was most recently the pass-game coordinator and WRs coach with the Seahawks.
  • Recent Titans assistant Ryan Crow will move to Miami. The Dolphins are hiring Crow as their outside linebackers coach, Breer adds. The Vikings, Seahawks and Giants showed interest as well, per Breer. The Browns also interviewed Crow last month, but he will instead work with the likes of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips in Miami. Crow’s former boss, Shane Bowen, is now in New York, explaining the Giants’ interest. Crow will replace Ryan Slowik, who interviewed for the DC job that went to Anthony Weaver. But Slowik is set to stay with the Dolphins in a different capacity, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. The older brother of Texans OC Bobby Slowik, Ryan has been an NFL assistant for more than 15 years. Although Mike McDaniel hired him in 2022, the two were low-level staffers in Denver in 2005.
  • The Colts found their next D-line coach at the college level. Charlie Partridge, who spent the past seven seasons as Pitt’s D-line coach, will take the same position under Shane Steichen in Indianapolis, Fox59’s Mike Chappell notes. The former Florida Atlantic HC, Partridge has never coached in the NFL previously, spending more than 25 years in the college ranks. Partridge coached recent first-round pick Calijah Kancey at Pitt and was J.J. Watt‘s position coach at Wisconsin.

2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

February 9th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a crowded carousel previously stopped, the 49ers opened their defensive coordinator position. Here is how the NFC champions’ search looks:

Updated 3-2-24 (10:00am CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dave Ragone)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Ken Dorsey)

  • Joe Brady, interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (Bills): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed

Carolina Panthers (Out: Thomas Brown)

  • Marcus Brady, senior offensive assistant (Eagles): Interview requested
  • Brad Idzik, wide receivers coach (Buccaneers): Hired

Chicago Bears (Out: Luke Getsy)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Brian Callahan)

  • Andy Dickerson, offensive line coach (Seahawks): To interview
  • Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): Promoted

Cleveland Browns (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Mick Lombardi)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Kellen Moore)

New England Patriots (Out: Bill O’Brien)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Pete Carmichael)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Brian Johnson)

  • Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Interviewed 1/23
  • Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Chargers): Hired

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Matt Canada)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Shane Waldron)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Dave Canales)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Tim Kelly)

  • Nick Holz, passing game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Eric Studesville, associate head coach/running backs coach (Dolphins): Interview requested

Washington Commanders (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Chip Kelly, former head coach (Eagles/49ers): On team’s radar
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Hired

Defensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Mike Macdonald)

  • Zach Orr, inside linebackers coach (Ravens): Promoted

Buffalo Bills

  • Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): Promoted
  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Sean Desai, former defensive coordinator (Eagles): To interview

Chicago Bears (Out: Alan Williams)

  • Joe Barry, former defensive coordinator (Packers): To interview 1/27
  • Chris Harris, secondary coach (Titans): To interview
  • Eric Washington, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Bills): Hired
  • Terrell Williams, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Titans): To interview

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Dan Quinn)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Barry)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Mike Caldwell)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Derrick Ansley)

  • Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Hired

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Raheem Morris)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Vic Fangio)

New England Patriots

  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Promoted
  • Michael Hodges, linebackers coach (Saints): To interview
  • Tem Lukabu, outside linebackers coach (Panthers): To interview
  • Christian Parker, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed

New York Giants (Out: Don Martindale)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Sean Desai)

  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Vic Fangio, former defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
  • Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/22

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Gerald Alexander, safeties coach (Raiders): Interviewed 3/1
  • Daniel Bullocks, defensive backs coach (49ers): Interviewed 2/28
  • David Merritt, defensive backs coach (Chiefs): To interview
  • Nick Sorensen, defensive passing game specialist (49ers): Promoted
  • Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Clint Hurtt)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Shane Bowen)

  • Brandon Lynch, cornerbacks coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/30
  • Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Hired

Washington Commanders (Out: Jack Del Rio)

  • Joe Cullen, defensive line coach (Chiefs): Considered a candidate
  • Joe Whitt, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Hired

Poll: Which Team Made Best HC Hire?

February 8th, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s HC cycle became the rare carousel to generate more attention around the coaches who did not land jobs than the ones hired. Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel being left out will assuredly generate stories ahead of the 2025 hiring period, and it will be worth monitoring if Pete Carroll is connected to another coaching job.

But eight teams — up from five in 2023 — made the decision to change coaches. Dan Quinn‘s hire filled the final vacancy. While the Commanders’ process generated extensive fallout, teams are now moving forward with staff assembly following their HC hires.

The Commanders look to have gone through a bit of back-and-forth about their interest in Lions OC Ben Johnson. Pushing back on the notion the two-year Detroit play-caller was their top choice all along, Washington will give Quinn a second chance. But the former Dallas DC may well have been Washington’s third choice; the team made an aggressive push to land Mike Macdonald as well. The Seahawks finished that 11th-hour competition by giving the young Ravens DC a six-year deal.

Only Seattle and Washington waited until after the conference championship games to hire their coaches. Macdonald, who is half Carroll’s age, becomes the NFL’s youngest HC (36). (New Patriots leader Jerod Mayo, 37, held that title for several days.) A Ravens defense that carried major questions in the pass-rushing department led the NFL in sacks while leading the league in scoring defense as well. Quinn re-established his value over three years in Dallas, restoring that unit as one of the game’s best. While Quinn has the Super Bowl LI collapse on his resume and went 0-for-3 in playoff berths over his final three seasons in Atlanta, Washington’s new ownership group will bet on the experienced staffer.

Although the Commanders’ search produced a number of headlines, the Falcons introduced this year’s top “what if?” storyline. The only team serious about hiring Belichick, interviewing him twice, the Falcons steered clear of the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC. While Arthur Blank went into the hiring period prepared to hire the 24-year Patriots leader, it appears other Falcons higher-ups — in an effort potentially connected to their own statuses — helped sway the owner toward the Raheem Morris hire.

Morris, whom Falcons CEO Rich McKay hired during his time as Bucs GM in the early 2000s, will make the historically rare move of returning to coach a team years after operating as its interim HC. Morris left Atlanta on good terms in 2021 and comes back after a successful run as the Rams’ DC. Though, Belichick will undoubtedly be tied to Morris during the latter’s second Atlanta stay.

It took a six-year contract for the Panthers to bring in Bucs OC Dave Canales, who parlayed his first coordinator season into a head coaching gig. The Panthers trading the No. 1 overall pick and David Tepper‘s reputation as an impulsive meddler played into Carolina’s search, but the team had long been connected — despite Frank Reich‘s struggles — to pursuing an offense-oriented leader. Carolina also pursued Johnson for a second year but did not wait to make an attempt to interview him in-person. Following his work with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, Canales will be charged with developing Bryce Young.

The Titans also went offense with their hire, adding five-year Bengals non-play-calling OC Brian Callahan to succeed Vrabel. Zac Taylor‘s longtime lieutenant probably would have landed a job earlier had he called plays in a Joe Burrow-piloted offense, but the Titans will turn to the 39-year-old candidate to develop Will Levis. Brian Callahan will also technically oversee his father this coming season, hiring well-regarded Browns O-line coach Bill Callahan to the same position. This will be the Callahans’ first time on the same staff.

Las Vegas and New England each went with in-house solutions. The Raiders became the first team in seven years to elevate an interim HC to the full-time position. Mark Davis listened to his players, after expressing regret about not removing Rich Bisaccia‘s interim tag in 2022. But the second-generation owner also passed on interviewing other viable candidates for the job, only going through with required interviews to comply with the Rooney Rule. While Pierce accounted himself well as a leader during the season’s second half, his experience level is quite thin compared to just about every other HC hire in modern NFL history.

Using a Rooney Rule workaround by including language in Mayo’s contract about succeeding Belichick, the Patriots also passed on a true search. Robert Kraft intervened last year, extending Mayo after the Panthers had sought a meeting, and will give the keys to the recent Patriots linebacker. Mayo’s time in coaching does not match Pierce’s, though the former has spent more time as an NFL assistant. The franchise is largely keeping the Patriot Way going, promoting from within to fill the HC position and elevating an in-house staffer (Eliot Wolf) to fill the de facto GM post, only with Belichick no longer involved.

The highest-profile hire came out of Los Angeles. The Chargers became the team to lure Jim Harbaugh back to the pros. The Bolts gave the accomplished HC a $16MM salary — over five years — and signed off on allowing final say. Harbaugh has won everywhere he has been and held leverage in the form of another Michigan extension offer and a second Falcons interview being scheduled. The Bolts did not let him leave for that meeting and gave Harbaugh significant input into Tom Telesco‘s GM replacement (Joe Hortiz). Harbaugh’s final NFL snaps came with the Chargers, and after hiring three first-time HCs under Telesco, the team will make a bigger bet to turn things around.

Which team ended up doing the best with its 2024 hire? Why did Belichick fail to land a job? Will he and Vrabel be back in 2025? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this year’s HC market in the comments.

Raiders Expected To Add Hue Jackson To Coaching Staff

February 8th, 2024 at 6:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders are set to add another experienced coach to their staff. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders are expected to hire Hue Jackson.

The former Raiders and Browns head coach met with the organization last week, and he’s currently “ironing out a role” on new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy‘s staff. We heard that the organization was eyeing Jackson last week, but it was uncertain if he was still in the team’s plans after they had to pivot from Kliff Kingsbury to Getsy.

Jackson has multiple connections to the Raiders. The long-time coach had a two-year stint in Oakland, serving as the OC for a year before replacing Tom Cable at head coach. He went 8-8 during his lone season at the helm and was fired after the season. The 58-year-old also has a connected to head coach Antonio Pierce, who was an undrafted free agent when Jackson was in Washington.

Jackson has held multiple OC titles through his long career, but he’s most known for his dreadful two-plus-year stint in Cleveland that saw the Browns go 3-36-1. After getting fired by the Browns during the 2018 campaign, he had a stint with the Bengals and Tennessee State before being named the head coach at Grambling State. Following two-straight losing seasons, he was fired by the school in November. Now, he’ll land on his feet in Las Vegas.

Pierce has been busy adding experienced voices to his coaching staff. After assisting Pierce during his interim stretch, Marvin Lewis will be sticking with the organization in some capacity.

Raiders Planning To Acquire QB; Aidan O’Connell To Compete For Starting Job

February 8th, 2024 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a second straight offseason, the Raiders are preparing to acquire a starter-caliber quarterback. The team’s 2023 move — Jimmy Garoppolo — was quickly determined to not be a viable solution. A new Raiders regime will try again.

The Raiders are prepared to acquire a quarterback, according to Antonio Pierce (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur). While it should be expected the team will aim higher than Aidan O’Connell, Pierce said the team’s second-half starter will be given the chance to compete to keep the starting job.

After not needing to pursue QBs for nine straight offseasons, the Raiders cutting Derek Carr changed their equation. They gave ex-Josh McDaniels pupil Garoppolo a three-year, $72.75MM deal. Injuries and poor performance led Garoppolo to the bench after only six starts, moving O’Connell — chosen at the end of the fourth round — into the lineup. O’Connell made 10 starts, winning five of those games. While the Purdue product may be viewed as more of a backup, he remains in the Raiders’ Pierce-Tom Telesco regime’s plans.

It would be a moderate surprise if Brian Hoyer did, given his ties to McDaniels. But the 38-year-old veteran remains under contract for 2024, thanks to the two-year deal he signed after considering retirement. (Designating Garoppolo as a post-June 1 cut would save the Raiders nearly $13MM.) O’Connell’s rookie contract runs through 2026, but the Raiders are already being connected to making another draft investment at the position.

Pierce was on Arizona State’s staff when it recruited and signed Jayden Daniels. The 2023 Heisman winner transferred in 2022, the same year Pierce resigned amid a recruiting scandal. In place as the Raiders’ HC, Pierce was believed to have discussed the prospect of trading up for Daniels during the team’s OC search. The Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick. Although Daniels’ value does not appear set, he is expected to go off the board earlier.

Unlike the Vikings or Buccaneers, the Raiders do not have exclusive negotiating rights with a starter-caliber veteran. Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield cannot speak with other teams until the legal tampering period, which begins March 11. Russell Wilson is expected to be released by the Broncos soon, and the lower his 2024 contract, the bigger — due to offset language — Denver’s dead-money bill. Options like Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett and Sam Darnold are on track to hit the market as well.

Perhaps the most interesting name for the Raiders will be Justin Fields. Working under new Raiders OC Luke Getsy for two years, Fields experienced highs and lows during that partnership. But the Bears are expected to seek a trade partner for the 2021 first-round pick, who can be controlled through 2025 via the fifth-year option. Fields is also not expected to cost a first-round pick, though Chicago asking for one would not surprise. Multiple teams will probably pursue Fields; it would surprise if the Raiders were not one of them.

Raiders To Hire Mike Caldwell As LBs Coach

February 7th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Raiders are continuing to make additions to Antonio Pierce‘s staff. Vegas is set to hire Mike Caldwell as linebackers coach, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

As is the case with a number of other staffers in similar situations, Caldwell will also hold the title of run game coordinator. The move marks a quick rebound for him, after his two-year run as defensive coordinator of the Jaguars came to an end. Caldwell and a number of defensive staffers were let go at the end of the campaign, one in which Jacksonville fell short of a playoff spot.

The Jaguars posted middling numbers in several defensive categories in 2023, but the team did rank ninth in rushing yards allowed. Caldwell will look to duplicate that success with the Raiders as he quickly moves to a new role on an NFL staff. The 52-year-old previously served as LBs coach with the Eagles, Cardinals, Jets and Buccaneers before getting his first coordinator gig in Jacksonville.

As Garafolo and KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson note, the Ravens were among the teams which showed interest in Caldwell for their linebackers coach vacancy. The same is true of the Eagles and Bills, but Caldwell will instead join a Raiders staff which still includes defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The latter was a head coaching candidate, but with all eight vacancies filled on that front, any move would be a lateral one. The Raiders made it clear early in the hiring cycle that they would block any Graham coordinator interviews.

Vegas saw a notable turnaround on defense after Pierce took over midseason, finishing ninth in points allowed. The team ranked just 21st against the run, however, and improvement in that department will be an offseason goal. Caldwell will look to rebuild his coordinator stock while playing a key role on the Raiders’ new-look staff.

Raiders Targeting Jayden Daniels?

February 6th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders will be eyeing quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft, but they might not wait for a signal-caller to fall to No. 13. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders could be a trade suitors for a top-three pick.

Fowler notes that head coach Antonio Pierce is a “big fan” of Jayden Daniels, but the organization would surely have to trade for the LSU quarterback. Pierce and Daniels crossed paths during their stints at Arizona State, and that familiarity makes the Raiders a natural landing spot for the prospect.

Further, Fowler notes that Pierce was evaluating offensive coordinator candidates with “the loose possibility of Daniels in mind.” The team’s first choice for OC, Kliff Kingsbury, most recently worked with the draft’s top QB prospect, USC’s Caleb Williams. When Kingsbury declined the Raiders offer and opted for the Commanders’ job, the Raiders pivoted to Luke Getsy.

Fowler assumes that the Bears will take Williams with the first-overall pick, meaning the Raiders will likely have to trade with the Commanders (No. 2) or the Patriots (No. 3) if they want to add Daniels or UNC’s Drake Maye. New GM Tom Telesco was known for his drafting prowess during his years with the Chargers, although his strategy usually didn’t feature home-run, draft-day trades.

With that in mind, it’s notable that the team recently met with Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at the Senior Bowl, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Penix is hoping to emerge as the fourth QB on the draft board (following Williams, Daniels, and Maye), although he’s not consistently projected for the first round.

Regardless of how things unfold during the draft, it’s likely that the Raiders will be eyeing a new signal-caller in 2024. Jimmy Garoppolo barely played once Pierce was named the interim head coach, and the veteran will likely be a trade/cut candidate. And while rookie Aidan O’Connell was a standout during the final chunk of the season, it sounds like the Raiders envision him as more of a backup. If the Raiders strike out in the draft, the team could turn to the likes of Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, and Jameis Winston via free agency.

Raiders Hire Luke Getsy As OC

February 6th, 2024 at 6:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 6: The Raiders have made it official. The team announced the hiring of Getsy as its new offensive coordinator.

FEBRUARY 4: Less than a day after Kliff Kingsbury backtracked on a reported agreement to become the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, the team is moving toward another option. The team is zeroing in on Luke Getsy.

The Raiders and the recently fired Bears OC are working on an agreement, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. A hire is expected, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This would be for another play-calling OC gig; the Bears axed Getsy after two years in the same role. This has been an eventful search for Antonio Pierce‘s team, but it is looking like — barring another 11th-hour breakdown — the AFC West club will have a new play-caller in place soon.

A number of Raiders targets took OC jobs elsewhere. The Bengals promoted Dan Pitcher to what is a non-play-calling OC position. Ex-Browns OC Alex Van Pelt interviewed with the Raiders but accepted the Patriots’ play-calling OC role. The Raiders also had Klint Kubiak, Zac Robinson and Shane Waldron on their radar. This trio of candidates respectively is now aligned with the Saints, Falcons and Bears. As a result of Kingsbury’s course change, the Raiders are ready to commit to a future with Chicago’s previous play-caller.

The Kingsbury agreement surfaced on Thursday. As of Saturday morning, however, the deal was off. Kingsbury informed the Raiders he would not take the job; this came after contract negotiations fell apart. The USC quarterbacks coach is believed to have sought a three-year deal, while the Raiders were aiming at a two-year pact. This might not boil down to only term length, but as it stands now, Kingsbury is squarely on the Commanders’ radar to become their play-calling OC.

Following the Kingsbury news, dot connecting between the Raiders and Getsy commenced. Though, the Raiders also spoke with Eric Bieniemy about the position. With Kingsbury and Chip Kelly — another Raiders candidate — on the radar in Washington, it certainly appears Bieniemy will not be retained. Seeing as Bieniemy arrived in Washington when Dan Snyder and Ron Rivera were still in power, it seemed a long shot he would stay — especially after a 4-13 season — under this new Josh Harris–Adam Peters–Dan Quinn regime.

Getsy, 39, interviewed for the Raiders’ OC job last week; they were the first team to reach out. While the interview went well, the Raiders did not position the ex-Packers QBs coach as their first choice. Getsy also interviewed for the Patriots and Saints’ OC positions, meeting with the Saints twice. But the team is prepared to go with Kubiak.

Tasked with developing Justin Fields, Getsy drew criticism as that effort did not go smoothly. That said, the ex-Aaron Rodgers position coach made a concerted effort to utilize Fields’ gifts in the run game midway through the 2022 season. The result nearly brought down Lamar Jackson‘s single-season QB rushing record; Fields finished with 1,143 rushing yards — second-most by a QB in a season — in 2022. The jury is still out on Fields as a passer, leading to the Caleb Williams rumors, but the Bears respectively ranked first and second on the ground in Getsy’s two seasons.

On the whole, the Bears ranked 23rd and 18th in scoring offense during Getsy’s two seasons in Illinois. Prior to that stay, he also served as the Packers’ pass-game coordinator from 2020-21. Current Raider Davante Adams ripped off his first two All-Pro seasons during that span.

Assuming this Getsy-Raiders partnership becomes official, this year’s OC carousel will feature three recently fired coordinators — Getsy, Van Pelt, Ken Dorsey — landing jobs elsewhere. The Chargers also did not retain Kellen Moore, but he is now in place as the Eagles’ OC. Ditto Seattle and Waldron, who left for Chicago after three years as Pete Carroll‘s OC. Getsy will step into an interesting position in Las Vegas.

Some of this era’s top offensive minds reside in the AFC West. Andy Reid is set to coach in his fifth Super Bowl, while the Broncos have former Super Bowl champion Sean Payton in his second offseason running the show. The Chargers have upped the ante, hiring ex-Super Bowl HC and reigning national champion Jim Harbaugh to oversee Justin Herbert‘s development. Getsy will join a team that has by far the least experienced head coach in the division, and with Pierce’s background on defense, it will be Getsy in full command on the offensive side.

The Raiders also have a quarterback question to answer, joining the Broncos in that regard. Getsy will either be charged with developing a draft choice or working with a veteran acquisition. Either way, plenty will be on the young assistant’s shoulders in 2024.

Joe Whitt To Call Commanders’ Defensive Plays; Magic Johnson Helped Sway Kliff Kingsbury

February 5th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dan Quinn will step back from the play-calling post he held in Dallas, indicating Monday his new defensive coordinator — Joe Whitt — will run the show on gamedays. This will be a move up for Whitt, who spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys’ secondary coach.

The Cowboys wanted to retain Whitt, who had a pre-Dallas history with both Quinn and Mike McCarthy. Whitt’s past with the latter is far more extensive; Whitt was on McCarthy’s Green Bay staff for 11 seasons (2008-18). He joined Quinn’s Falcons defense in 2020, but Quinn’s October 2020 ouster prevented the two from coaching together much. Quinn brought Whitt to Dallas, however, and will entrust him with the defensive play calls in Washington.

One of Whitt’s former Packers coworkers is also on the Commanders’ radar. The team is interested in hiring Jason Simmons, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicating the Commanders sent the Raiders an interview request. Las Vegas granted the request. Simmons spent the past two seasons as the Raiders’ DBs coach and pass-game coordinator, being a Josh McDaniels hire. While some McDaniels hires are in line to stay, others have already been fired or left for other positions.

Simmons, 47, spent nine years with the Packers, overlapping with Whitt from 2011-18 in Wisconsin. Both coached Green Bay’s DBs at points during that span, with their final year together featuring Whitt as the Pack’s pass-game coordinator and Simmons in the DBs coach post. Simmons served as the Panthers’ pass-game coordinator under Matt Rhule and doing the same under McDaniels and Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. With Whitt in place as the DC, it would seem the Commanders are targeting Simmons for another pass-game coordinator role.

Shifting to the higher-profile Commanders coordinator choice, Kliff Kingsbury is indeed bound for D.C. after initially committing to the Raiders. Contract length represented a sticking point for Kingsbury and the Raiders, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds Commanders limited partner Magic Johnson was in the USC assistant’s ear during the hiring process.

Johnson is believed to have informed Kingsbury the Commanders would be interested if his Raiders talks broke down. Soon after, Kingsbury had a deal in place with the Commanders. This probably will not go over well with the Raiders, who have since moved on to Luke Getsy as their offensive play-caller. But after the Commanders were unable to land their top choices as head coach, their OC position enticed Kingsbury to bail on a Vegas pledge.

Johnson aligned himself with Josh Harris when he attempted to buy the Broncos in 2022, and the NBA legend did so again during the 76ers owner’s successful push to acquire the Commanders. The Kingsbury about-face also has not prompted the Raiders to block a Simmons interview, potentially indicating the latter was not firmly in their 2024 plans.

The Commanders wanted an experienced play-caller to team with Quinn, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. Kingsbury fits the bill, having run the show on offense at Texas Tech and then with the Cardinals. After a season as Caleb Williams‘ position coach, Kingsbury is likely to coach a rookie quarterback five years after mentoring No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. Washington is unlikely — barring a Chicago trade-down — to be in position to take Williams, but a Commanders future with Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels is firmly in play. The team now has Kingsbury readying to lead this likely development effort.

Kliff Kingsbury Now Leading Candidate For Commanders’ OC Job; Latest On Raiders’ Options

February 3rd, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Quickly following news that the Raiders would not be closing the deal to make former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury their next offensive coordinator under now official head coach Antonio Pierce, rumors are circulating that Kingsbury is now the leading candidate for the same position in Washington, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. After spending 2023 as a senior offensive analyst at USC, Kingsbury’s return to the NFL seems inevitable at this point.

Two days ago, the NFL world was under the impression that Kingsbury would become the next offensive play-caller in Las Vegas. That story changed this morning with Kingsbury informing multiple people in the Raiders organization that he would not be joining the team. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, there was “a contractual hang-up” that prevented Kingsbury from following through on those initial reports, and as a result, the Commanders have swooped in, setting Kingsbury in their sights. Arizona Football Daily‘s Mike Jurecki adds that the Raiders offered a two-year contract, whereas Kingsbury was aiming for a three-year pact.

Washington makes sense for Kingsbury for a number of reasons. The Commanders recently landed on former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their replacement for former head coach Ron Rivera. Quinn being a defensive coach puts the Commanders in a different situation than teams like the Titans or Panthers, whose offensive-minded head coaches will be calling plays over their respective offensive coordinators. Kingsbury will be handed the keys to a young offense, something he has experience with from his time in Arizona.

The Commanders also make sense because there seems to be a very real chance that the team could draft a former pupil of Kingsbury’s in USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Though Williams has long been rumored to be the No. 1 overall pick and the Commanders sit at No. 2, rumors have picked up recently that the Bears, who hold the top pick, will not be trading down. While that could mean Williams is headed to Chicago to try and displace Justin Fields as the starting quarterback, there have been an equal number of rumors stating that Williams wants nothing to do with the Bears, meaning he could slip down to No. 2 and end up a Commander being coached by his former mentor.

Kingsbury reportedly interviewed with the Commanders and Quinn recently, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and though neither side seems to have settled on an agreement, both sides seem to be moving in the right direction.

As for Vegas, their search for their next play-caller under Pierce continues. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who had been a name to watch in Washington before this most recent news of Kingsbury’s prospects, and former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy are names to watch, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. Getsy was considered a top candidate for the position when Kingsbury was originally announced, and Kelly may shift focus to the Raiders if the Commanders do indeed shift theirs to Kingsbury.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN mentions that Las Vegas recently spoke to former Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, amounting to what could essentially be considered a coordinator exchange should Bieniemy land in Vegas and Kingsbury be hired in DC. He also mentions that the team spoke with former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton but includes that Hamilton may just be in consideration for a position coaching job.

So, today’s breaking news from Vegas does create a bit of a shuffle, but both the Raiders and Commanders seem to have reacted quickly in the fallout. As a result, Washington could be closing in on their new play-caller, while Las Vegas continues to explore their options.

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