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2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 1st, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders’ hire has wrapped this year’s cycle. Barring a team making an 11th-hour change, the 2024 HC carousel has come to a stop. The final breakdown produced five defensive coaches being hired compared to three with backgrounds on offense. Many teams are still searching for offensive and defensive coordinators, however.

Updated 2-1-24 (10:37am CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Hired

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Latest On Raiders’ OC Vacancy, Team’s GM Interview Process

January 31st, 2024 at 6:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the coaching carousel continues to spin, a number of coordinator vacancies remain open. The Raiders have yet to pair head coach Antonio Pierce with his next OC, but a number of candidates have been connected to the position.

Former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has interviewed for three openings during the 2024 cycle, including those of the Bears and Eagles. Chicago and Philadelphia have elected to go in a different direction, but Vegas has not landed on a top candidate yet. Kingsbury interviewed with the Raiders, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes he is expected to land a coordinator gig in Vegas or elsewhere this year (video link).

Kingsbury spent the 2023 season with USC after his Cardinals tenure ended in underwhelming fashion the year prior. He is still well-regarded with respect to his offensive acumen, Garafolo notes, making him a strong candidate to return to an NFL staff. With Pierce’s background from his playing days and coaching career coming on defense, the Raiders’ next OC will be a key figure on the team’s new staff. Kingsbury is not the only high-profile coach linked to Vegas, however.

Former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is believed to be “targeting” the Raiders’ OC position, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. The 60-year-old’s last NFL stint came in 2016, and he has been at the helm with UCLA ever since. A recent report cited Kelly as a candidate to return to the pro ranks this year, but he has yet to conduct any known interviews. Like Kingsbury, Kelly would offer signficant play-calling experience on a Raiders team looking to improve on offense and find stability at the quarterback position moving forward.

Of course, Pierce will be a figure to watch closely as his staff takes shape. After a well-received interim HC stint to close out the 2023 campaign, he was given the full-time position earlier this month. The Raiders were also in the midst of their general manager search when that decision was made. Further details on the process of choosing ex-Chargers GM Tom Telesco – and Pierce’s involvement in it – have emerged.

The latter sat in on the second round of interviews with each of Vegas’ three GM finalists, owner Mark Davis recently explained. Telesco, interim GM Champ Kelly and Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds conducted follow-ups with Davis and a select number of other personnel. Pierce was present for each in-person sit-down, even though Telesco’s was the only one which took place after Pierce had officially been hired.

“The initial interviews with the GMs were only them and the group of five or six that we had,” Davis said, via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur (subscription required). “Once we narrowed it down to the three finalists, I wanted to make sure that Antonio was in on those interviews as well. So, he was in all of the second interviews with the three candidates.”

The Pierce-Telesco partnership is now in place, but in addition to the OC position, there are unanswered questions on the team’s coaching staff. One of those is the role Marvin Lewis will take on. The longtime Bengals coach was one of the veteran staffers who assisted Pierce during his interim stretch, and he will stay in the organization moving forward. As Tafur notes, Lewis appears set to work with the coaching staff rather than the front office.

Plenty is yet to be determined in Las Vegas as the hiring cycle continues. The team’s search for an offensive coordinator will be worth watching closely, as will the relationship between Pierce and Telesco as they aim to give the franchise long-term stability following the failed Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler endeavor.

Panthers Hire Harold Goodwin, Three Other Assistants

January 30th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already committed to bringing Buccaneers wide receivers coach Brad Idzik with him to Carolina, Dave Canales is adding another veteran Bucs staffer.

The new Panthers HC will bring Harold Goodwin with him to work as the team’s run-game coordinator. The Cardinals’ offensive coordinator under Bruce Arians from 2013-17, Goodwin will bring some experience to an offensive staff that lacks it — in the top positions, at least. Goodwin, 50, spent the past five seasons as the Bucs’ run-game coordinator.

This is an interesting pickup for Canales, as Goodwin was an Arians assistant for much of the past 20 years. Following Arians from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis to Tampa, Goodwin will make his first non-Arians-driven move since he began his NFL career on Lovie Smith‘s Bears staffs in the mid-2000s.

Todd Bowles is in the process of finding a new offensive coordinator; he will need to replace two key offensive assistants as well. This includes O-line coach Joe Gilbert, who is following Canales and Goodwin to Charlotte.

The Panthers sent out an interview request to Raiders assistant offensive line coach Cameron Clemmons about their O-line coach position, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Raiders already lost their O-line coach from last season, Carmen Bricillo, to the Giants. It is unclear if Clemmons remains in the Antonio Pierce-run team’s plans. But Canales will bring another Bucs assistant with him.

Gilbert joined Goodwin, 59, as an Arians hire back in 2019, and the veteran assistant spent the past five seasons as the Bucs’ O-line coach. This will be Gilbert’s third run as an NFL O-line coach; he initially held that position for the Colts under Chuck Pagano. While Canales and Idzik will run the Panthers’ offense, Goodwin and Gilbert will provide considerable experience. Gilbert replaces James Campen, a Matt Rhule hire who was not retained.

Additionally, the Panthers are adding Rob Moore as wide receivers coach and Bernie Parmalee as running backs coach. A former Jets and Cardinals standout receiver, Moore spent the past six seasons as the Titans’ wideouts coach. He held the same roles with the Bills and Raiders previously. A former running back, Parmalee spent the past three years as the Jaguars’ RBs coach. He has also coached special teams and tight ends during a 14-year NFL coaching career.

Buccaneers QBs Coach Thad Lewis Receiving Interest For OC; Bills, Raiders First To Reach Out

January 29th, 2024 at 8:40pm CST by Ely Allen

TODAY, 8:40pm: Lewis has secured an interview, as the former QB met with the Titans today about their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin.

SATURDAY, 3:35pm: The Buccaneers made the playoffs this year partially thanks to some improvements to a re-tooled offense with a new starting quarterback in Baker Mayfield getting coached up by a new offensive coordinator in Dave Canales and quarterbacks coach in Thad Lewis. The success seen in Tampa Bay will result in the team having to re-tool once more. With Canales departing to become head coach of the Panthers, Lewis will see opportunities for offensive coordinator jobs moving forward.

The first of those opportunities will come in the form of an interview with the Bills, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Bills are looking to replace Ken Dorsey after firing the play-caller midseason this year. After firing Dorsey, the team went on to win six of their final seven games under the play-calls of quarterbacks coach Joe Brady, with their only loss coming in overtime to the Eagles. After failing to win the race for the Falcons’ head job, Brady will interview for the Bills’ full-time offensive coordinator gig, competing with Lewis.

Lewis has also had an interview requested by the Raiders to be the new coordinator under new head coach Antonio Pierce, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. If Lewis were to interview, he would join a field of five candidates that has been reduced from seven due to recent hires. There have also been rumors that Lewis could follow Canales to Carolina.

Lewis has risen quickly in NFL circles. After spending two years as an offensive analyst at UCLA, Lewis joined the Buccaneers as an intern in 2020. He was promoted to assistant wide receivers coach before earning his current position. After only four years in the NFL, Lewis is on the cusp of reaching one of the heights of offensive coaching.

Patriots Interested In Klint Kubiak, Scott Turner For OC Position

January 29th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have cast a wide net in their search for a new offensive coordinator. Several outside candidates are already known to be on the team’s radar, but the list of staffers drawing interest continues to grow.

New England has already met with 49ers assistant Brian Fleury for the OC gig, but he is not the only member of Kyle Shanahan‘s staff to have done so. Passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak also spoke with the Patriots about the position. In addition, as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes, the Patriots plan to interview Raiders passing game coordinator Scott Turner this week.

Kubiak has been connected to three other coordinator vacancies during the 2024 hiring cycle as he considers a potential return to a coordinator posting. The 36-year-old held the position for one year (2021) with the Vikings before joining the Broncos the following year as their QBs coach. This past offseason, he joined Shanahan’s staff as passing game coordinator, making him a key figure guiding an offense which put up elite numbers in several categories and helped lead the team to the Super Bowl.

Because of that success, Kubiak can interview again during the upcoming week, but he cannot be hired until the end of the season. That does not apply to Turner, whose season ended after Week 18 with the Raiders falling short of the postseason. The latter has not yet been mentioned as a candidate for any OC opening around the league, but like Kubiak, he has coordinator experience.

Turner oversaw the Commanders’ offense from 2020-22, though he never guided the unit to a finish better than 23rdin scoring over that period. The 41-year-old spent this season with the Raiders, a team which underwent considerable staffing changes midseason with Antonio Pierce taking on head coaching duties. He is in place on a full-time basis, leaving open the possibility Turner and other assistants will be headed elsewhere this offseason.

Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley is the only Patriots candidate to have a second interview lined up so far. While he might therefore be the favorite for the position, New England is certainly employing a wide-ranging approach in its search to find a Bill O’Brien replacement.

Here is an updated look at the Patriots’ search:

Raiders Interested In Klint Kubiak For OC

January 28th, 2024 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders are interested in Klint Kubiak for their vacant offensive coordinator position, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes. Since Kubiak is currently the 49ers’ pass-game coordinator, and since the Niners’ season has not yet come to an end — they host the Lions in today’s NFC Championship game — Las Vegas cannot conduct an in-person interview with him at this point.

If San Francisco should lose today, Rapoport says the Raiders might bring Kubiak in for an interview. But as the Silver-and-Black plan to hire their OC in the next several days one way or another, it sounds like Kubiak will not get the chance to meet with Vegas brass if the Niners advance to the Super Bowl.

Without Kubiak in the mix, the Raiders and head coach Antonio Pierce would be choosing from a list comprised of Luke Getsy, Thad Lewis, Kliff Kingsbury, Mike Sullivan, and Alex Van Pelt. The club was also connected to Dan Pitcher, Zac Robinson, and Shane Waldron, but all three of those candidates accepted OC jobs elsewhere.

Kubiak, 36, has enjoyed multiple NFL play-calling stints, succeeding his father, Gary Kubiak, as Vikings OC under Mike Zimmer in 2021 and taking over during the Broncos’ lost 2022 season under then-HC Nathaniel Hackett. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hired the younger Kubiak as his pass-game coordinator this past offseason, and the 49ers nearly became the rare team with three 1,000-yard pass catchers. Deebo Samuel, who missed two games, finished 108 yards shy of joining Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle in the 1,000-yard club.

Although the Raiders’ decision to remove Pierce’s interim tag and name him the permanent head coach has been well-received, the team’s QB position is decidedly unsettled. Las Vegas’ free agent acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo last offseason proved to be a poor decision, and Garoppolo looms as an obvious release candidate. Although Aidan O’Connell played well enough for a fourth-round rookie, he hardly cemented himself as the franchise’s long-term answer. The Raiders currently hold the No. 13 pick in the draft, which will prevent them from acquiring one of the top passers in this year’s collegiate class, barring a trade-up.

Kubiak has interviewed for the Saints’ and Bears’ OC jobs in this year’s cycle, as our coordinator tracker shows. Chicago ultimately hired Shane Waldron for the post, though Kubiak is presumably still in the running for the New Orleans gig.

Coaching Notes: Eagles, Canales, Bucs, Falcons, Fins, Fangio, Colts, Raiders, Jags

January 26th, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Caldwell will not land the Eagles‘ DC position. Vic Fangio becoming available is expected to give the Eagles the candidate they wanted last year. Recently fired from his Jaguars DC post, Caldwell will still have a chance to end up in Philly. The Eagles are interviewing him for their linebackers coach position, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Caldwell has a history with the Eagles as a player and coach. The longest stretch of Caldwell’s 11-year playing career came in Philly, transpiring from 1998-2001. Caldwell, 52, worked as a part-time starter for Ray Rhodes and Andy Reid‘s teams and joined Reid’s staff in 2008. On Reid’s final five Eagles staffs, Caldwell collected a Super Bowl ring as linebackers coach for the 2020 Buccaneers. The Raiders, however, have also shown interest.

With the coaching carousel spinning wildly, here is the latest:

  • The Falcons are the third team wanting to speak with Aden Durde about a DC post, joining the Packers and Rams. Raheem Morris wants to meet with the Cowboys’ defensive line coach, ESPN’s Todd Archer tweets. Durde, 44, has become quite popular. These are believed to be his first slips about a DC interview. Durde and Morris coached together in Atlanta from 2018-20; the former moved up from the quality control level — to outside linebackers coach — during Morris’ season as the Falcons’ interim HC. He has been in Dallas since.
  • Shifting back to Fangio, it seems there is little love lost between the veteran staffer and some Dolphins defenders he coached this season, agent Drew Rosenhaus said. Rosenahus mentions some Dolphins stood in Fangio’s corner but many did not. Fangio has been known to ruffle feathers but has been one of the most in-demand defensive coaches during the 21st century. The Dolphins had given him a deal worth more than $4.5MM per year. While his exit is being framed as the team letting the 65-year-old assistant return to his home state, unpopularity among players likely made that an easier decision.
  • The Buccaneers will not receive two third-round picks as a result of Dave Canales receiving a head coaching job, Mark Maske of the Washington Post notes. Although Canales is Latino, the Bucs will not pick up the Rooney Rule-driven draft haul due to the the coach’s one-year tenure, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. Canales is believed to have needed to be with the Bucs for at least two years to receive the third-round selections from the NFL.
  • Matt House is returning to the NFL. The Jaguars are hiring the LSU defensive coordinator to be their linebackers coach, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. House, the Chiefs’ LBs coach from 2019-21, spent the past two seasons in Baton Rouge. He has served as a DC at four programs, including Kentucky. House will join Kris Richard and Cory Robinson as Ryan Nielsen Jacksonville hires thus far.
  • Spending the past three seasons as a Jets assistant, Ricky Manning Jr. will join the Raiders. The Silver and Black are hiring Manning as their new defensive backs coach. The former NFL DB spent time on the Raiders’ practice squad in 2009; his most notable coaching title has been assistant DBs coach in Seattle under Richard from 2016-17.
  • The Colts are not retaining two of their defensive staffers. They are letting the contracts of defensive line coach Nate Ollie and assistant DBs coach Mike Mitchell expire, per the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson, who adds neither staffer is expected back. Ollie, 32, joined Gus Bradley’s staff in 2022 despite having no history with the veteran coordinator. His firing comes after the Colts saw notable development from defensive ends Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo. The two 2021 draftees combined for 16.5 sacks this season, and the Colts had four players with at least eight. This marked Mitchell’s first coaching gig; he had finished his 10-year career as a safety with the Colts.

Tom Telesco To Control Raiders’ Roster; Team Wants Champ Kelly Back

January 25th, 2024 at 10:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mark Davis‘ two recent regimes featured head coach-centric operations, with Josh McDaniels and Jon Gruden the much higher-profile figures compared to their respective GMs. Although Mark Davis made a point to say Dave Ziegler controlled the Raiders’ 53-man roster, comparisons to Mike Mayock‘s shotgun role alongside Gruden also emerged after the Patriot Way model combusted.

In pairing Tom Telesco with Antonio Pierce, the Raiders have an experienced GM and an unseasoned head coach. Davis confirmed (via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez) Telesco will control the roster, but the longtime Chargers front office boss said he and Pierce will work collaboratively.

“It’s a partnership,” Telesco said, via The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “As far as building the roster, you’re working through the vision of the head coach. How does he want to play on offense? How does he want to play on defense? How does he want to play on special teams? And you build it that way. … We’re going to be able to bounce ideas off each other.”

Telesco will become the rare GM to receive an immediate second chance. Although Trent Baalke is in place as the Jaguars’ front office leader, four years passed between Baalke’s San Francisco ouster and his elevation to this role. Baalke and Telesco are the league’s only current GM retreads, with the rest of the league using first-timers or having a setup in which the owner is the team’s de facto GM. Telesco, 51, lasted 11 years as Chargers GM but only oversaw three playoff teams.

Pierce and Telesco did not have any connection prior to this partnership, though the two joked about the 63-21 December result that ultimately led the latter to Las Vegas. The team preferred Teleseco’s experience to finalists Champ Kelly and Ed Dodds and liked the Chargers’ roster makeup, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. Telesco’s knowledge of the AFC West also worked in his favor.

It is true Teleseco built well-regarded Bolts rosters for most of his tenure, though they regularly fell short of expectations. The ex-Colts exec also inherited Philip Rivers in his prime and had Justin Herbert waiting for him when the Dolphins chose Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in 2020. This Raiders effort stands to be more difficult through that lens, and the lack of a prior relationship with Pierce will make the setup worth monitoring.

Kelly is under contract, and Davis said (via Gutierrez) he hopes the veteran exec will stay with the team. It appeared Kelly was close to landing the job, with the Raiders having him sit in on their few HC interviews. But it had been reported Pierce and Kelly were not necessarily a package deal. Davis also added Tom Delaney would remain in place managing the Raiders’ salary cap. Part of the search committee that produced Pierce and Telesco, Delaney has been with the Raiders since the late 1990s.

Hired as Ziegler’s assistant GM before becoming the interim leader midseason, Kelly interviewed for the Panthers’ GM job. That has gone to Dan Morgan; Kelly has not been connected to any other job. Unless the Raiders let Kelly out of his contract or he quits, a situation in which Telesco works with his top competitor for the job could conceivably come to pass.

Raiders, Saints To Interview Mike Sullivan For OC

January 24th, 2024 at 12:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

12:59pm: Sullivan’s offseason itinerary now includes two OC interviews. The Saints will also meet with the veteran assistant, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Raiders meeting will come first. The Saints now have eight OC candidates on their radar. Sullivan also has a short history with Derek Carr, which came from working with the then-Fresno State prospect before the 2014 draft, Garafolo notes. It is unclear if the Steelers will make any effort to retain Sullivan.

9:22am: The Raiders’ offensive coordinator search now includes a seventh candidate. After his two-month period calling the shots in Pittsburgh, Mike Sullivan is in the mix to become the play-caller in Las Vegas.

Sullivan is set to interview for the Raiders’ OC gig, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. The veteran assistant has ties to Antonio Pierce dating back to the latter’s playing days in New York. The Giants employed Sullivan during multiple stints; the first encompassed Pierce’s run in the Big Apple. Tom Coughlin, who hired Sullivan twice in New York, remains in place consulting Pierce on potential hires.

When the Giants hired Coughlin in 2004, they brought Sullivan in as wide receivers coach. He stayed on for eight years, being moved up to QBs coach in 2010 and collecting a second Super Bowl ring a year later. Sullivan parlayed that 2011 success into the Buccaneers’ OC job under Greg Schiano. After two years there, he returned to coach under Coughlin during his final season on the sidelines. Sullivan also spent the 2016 and ’17 seasons as Ben McAdoo‘s Giants OC, but Pittsburgh effectively placed him in such a role after Matt Canada‘s firing.

The Steelers gave running backs coach Eddie Faulkner the interim OC title but installed Sullivan, 56, as their play-caller. Pittsburgh’s offense did improve under Sullivan, immediately snapping what had become an infamous run without a 400-yard showing. The Steelers crafted a fairly surprising stretch — though it probably should not have been, given Mike Tomlin‘s penchant for avoiding losing seasons — around third-string QB Mason Rudolph. The veteran steered the Steelers to three straight wins to close out the regular season and fared decently in Pittsburgh’s wild-card loss in Buffalo.

After making in-house promotions to fill his OC position since Todd Haley‘s exit, Tomlin pointed to an outside hire filling the Steelers’ play-calling post this offseason. Sullivan’s time as Pittsburgh’s QBs coach lasted three seasons.

Pierce was with the Giants from 2004-09. Sullivan marks the first assistant from his time with the Giants to land on the Raiders’ OC radar. With that in mind, here is how that search looks:

Raiders, Kliff Kingsbury To Discuss OC Role

January 24th, 2024 at 11:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to Kliff Kingsbury interest this week, the Raiders will go ahead with that meeting. Kingsbury will meet with the AFC West team about its offensive coordinator position, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

Out of the NFL this year, Kingsbury is again a popular figure on the interview circuit. He met with the Bears about their OC vacancy, and after that job went to Shane Waldron, the current USC quarterbacks coach became the first known candidate for the Eagles’ OC position. Kingsbury met virtually with the Eagles hours after their Brian Johnson firing.

[RELATED: Raiders Hire Tom Telesco As GM]

The Raiders are scheduling a Kingsbury meeting, per Breer. This will be the team’s sixth confirmed candidate for the position. Although the Raiders retained Antonio Pierce, they will not keep interim OC Bo Hardegree, opening the door for more experienced candidates.

While Kingsbury has never held an NFL OC role, he qualifies as experienced. The former Texas Tech head coach went straight to the NFL HC ranks, becoming a surprise Cardinals hire back in 2019. Kingsbury, who had signed up to become USC’s OC following his Texas Tech firing, joined the Cardinals and lasted four years as their HC. The Cards snapped a five-season playoff drought under Kingsbury, advancing to the NFC bracket in 2021. After a steep decline last season, the team fired Kingsbury despite having extended him during the 2022 offseason.

Of the coordinator candidates the Raiders are considering, none match Kingsbury’s play-calling experience. In addition to his time running the show in Arizona, Kingsbury called plays during his Texas Tech HC tenure. This, of course, included Patrick Mahomes‘ run with the Red Raiders. Kingsbury’s most recent college QB prodigy, Caleb Williams, improved his completion percentage (from 66.6 to 68.6) and yards per attempt (9.1 to 9.4) between his 2022 Heisman campaign and his junior season. Though, Williams’ yardage and TD totals dropped compared to his dominant 2022.

With a handful of other OC openings likely — once the remaining HC-needy teams begin coordinator searches — Kingsbury could see more interest emerge. The Lincoln Riley assistant looks to have done well to reestablish momentum in 2023. This, of course, comes after the Cardinals finished 4-13 in 2022. Kyler Murray‘s numbers, following his extension agreement, worsened in ’22. But the Kingsbury-handpicked QB fared much better in 2020, beating out Tom Brady for a Pro Bowl spot, and 2021. Murray’s two Pro Bowl nods came under Kingsbury, and the Cardinals rolled out the No. 11- and No. 13-ranked offenses in 2020 and ’21, respectively.

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