Paul Guenther - Pro Football Rumors

Vikings To Hire Paul Guenther

February 10th, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are set to hire Paul Guenther as a senior defensive assistant (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero). After being fired as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator, Guenther now has a job lined up for the 2021 season.

Guenther worked for Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati for six years, then took over his role as DC when Zimmer moved on to the Vikings in 2014. He’s held high-profile jobs ever since, though his reputation took a hit as the Raiders’ defense sagged in 2020.

The Raiders gave Guenther the heave-ho after an ugly Sunday night loss to the Colts. The 44-27 defeat saw the Raiders surrender 456 total yards, including 212 yards on the ground. It was the team’s second straight game with 200+ rushing yards surrendered. They were also in the league’s cellar for sacks and allowed 28.4 points per game under Guenther’s guidance.

Gus Bradley has since assumed Guenther’s old job in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Guenther will get reacquainted with his winter wardrobe in Minnesota.

Raiders Fire DC Paul Guenther, Promote Rod Marinelli

December 14th, 2020 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. In his place, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will serve as the team’s interim DC what’s left of the 2020 season.

The decision came on the heels of an ugly Sunday night loss to the Colts. The 44-27 loss saw the Raiders surrender 456 total yards, including 212 yards on the ground. With no real chance of reaching the postseason, the Raiders got a jump on their spring cleaning.

The Raiders did not register a single sack against Philip Rivers, emblematic of their front seven so far this year. They entered Sunday near the bottom of the league in sacks, and that’s where they remain with a few games to go in 2020. On the whole, the Raiders performed as the 22nd ranked D in the league under Guenther’s guidance. And, over the last two-years-and-change, they’ve been dead last in points allowed with 28.4.

Of course, the Raiders’ struggles went beyond the veteran DC. The Raiders’ recent blowout loss to the Falcons, for example, could be largely blamed on the team’s six offensive turnovers. Regardless, the Raiders want to move their high-priced defense in a different direction, starting right now.

Extra Points: Ebron, Packers, Guenther

November 29th, 2019 at 7:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Eric Ebron was recently placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and it apparently came as a surprise to the Colts. Ebron said in a statement at the time that he had been dealing with severe ankle pain since the beginning of the season, but Indianapolis apparently was caught off-guard. Colts coach Frank Reich said recently he was “not aware there was anything significant” with Ebron’s ankle, per Zak Keefer of The Athletic. Keefer notes that the tight end “missed only one legitimate practice due to ankle pain all season,” and that was back in Week 9.

Ebron’s statement on Twitter read, in part, “up to this point, the team and I have done everything in our power to manage the pain and get me out there each and every week.” That seems to be at odds with the Colts’ recollection. The team wasn’t happy “about how it went down,” tweets Stephen Holder of The Athletic. Keefer notes that Ebron is set to be a free agent in March, and the implication from the team seems to be that Ebron wanted to save himself for free agency, even if they aren’t saying it directly. Reich did say that Ebron had a scan on his ankle during training camp, but that “to the best of [his] knowledge, the scan was fine.” If the reports that Indy isn’t happy are true, then it’s probably safe to say Ebron will be finding a new home this spring.

Here’s more from around the league:

Jared Veldheer is officially a member of the Packers. The offensive tackle retired with the Patriots during training camp as he battled a lingering hip injury, and was released off their reserve/retired list after expressing interest in a comeback. Green Bay claimed Veldheer, and there was apparently some concern he wouldn’t be able to pass a physical. Those fears were unwarranted, as Veldheer indeed passed his physical and practiced with the team Friday, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Oakland’s defense has struggled mightily at times this season, and it was terrible last year, but don’t expect Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s job to be in jeopardy anytime soon. Guenther’s seat is “ice cold” writes Vic Tafur of the Athletic, who notes that head coach Jon Gruden “loves him.” Gruden himself has been given a seemingly endless leash from owner Mark Davis, and that apparently extends to his assistants as well. Interestingly, Tafur writes that “everything has always been directed toward Las Vegas with this staff” and that nobodies jobs will be in danger “until they are all sitting in a meeting room in the desert.”
In case you missed it, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett won’t be fired during the season.

Coaching Notes: Falcons, McDaniels, Titans

January 21st, 2018 at 10:39am CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons were set to add Darrell Bevell and Ken Dorsey to their quarterbacks coach interview list, but they might not have gotten around to it by the time they arrived at their decision. Greg Knapp will replace Bush Hamdan as Atlanta’s QBs coach, Alex Marvez of Sporting News reports. The 54-year-old Knapp did not coach in the NFL last season and spent the previous four years coaching the Broncos’ quarterbacks.

Knapp will return to Atlanta in a different capacity; he was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator from 2004-06. Running the most successful of the Michael Vick offenses, Knapp also was OC with the 49ers, Raiders (two stints) and Seahawks. The one-season stay in Seattle (2009) overlapped with Dan Quinn, who was the Seahawks’ defensive line coach from 2009-10. Knapp’s Broncos work may look a bit better now considering how far their quarterback play fell this season, and the Falcons are hoping he can help return Matt Ryan to top-tier status after a down year.

Here’s the latest from the coaching circuit.

Mike Vrabel‘s Titans deal is a five-year agreement, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). This is a noticeably bigger commitment to a first-time HC than the franchise made to Mike Mularkey, who was then set for his third go-round as a head coach. Mularkey received a three-year commitment in 2016.
Josh McDaniels was only seriously interested in the Colts and Giants‘ jobs, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, adding that the Titans could have had a shot at the Patriots’ OC had they fired Mularkey late in what was an inconsistent regular season. McDaniels and Jon Robinson worked together in New England.
Volin adds McDaniels is not scared off by Andrew Luck‘s recent health history despite the Colts having redshirted their cornerstone performer this season. Luck still doesn’t have a firm timetable to return, but McDaniels signing on points to confidence he will be back come 2018.
Matt Patricia is not certain to hire a defensive coordinator with the Lions, Volin notes. Patricia will run the Lions’ defense regardless. This was the job he was connected to throughout the offseason, and despite reports emerging the Giants had him among their finalists, Volin notes that wasn’t the case. McDaniels and Pat Shurmur are believed to be the only HC candidates the Giants were considering, per Volin.
Paul Guenther‘s deal as Raiders DC is a four-year pact, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. The Bengals made a “lucrative” offer to try to keep Guenther in his previous position after his contract expired, but after 15 seasons in Cincinnati, the veteran assistant wanted to work with Jon Gruden. Guenther said the Raiders will be running “80 to 90 percent” of what the Vikings run under Mike Zimmer, so the Raiders will have a firmer commitment to the 4-3 than in years past.
Josh McDaniels may well look to bring his younger brother with him to Indianapolis, Volin writes. The 37-year-old Ben McDaniels worked as a Bears offensive assistant for the past two seasons. He also served in that role for the 2009 Broncos before Josh McDaniels promoted him to quarterbacks coach in 2010, so it appears likely the brothers will reunite with the Colts soon.
The Titans will lose wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson to the college ranks. Jackson served as Tennessee’s wideouts coach for just one season, and he’ll take over the same job at Baylor, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports. The former NFL wideout was a college receivers coach from 2008-16.

Coaching Rumors: Chiefs, Packers, Bengals

January 8th, 2018 at 7:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs could promote running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to offensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (on Twitter). Rapoport adds that he has “the inside track.” The vacancy opened up this weekend when Matt Nagy agreed to become the next head coach of the Bears.

Here’s the latest coaching news from around the NFL:

Packers secondary coach Darren Perry interviewed for the team’s defensive coordinator position on Monday, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News (on Twitter). The interview was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was delayed due to the team’s front office reorganization.
Contrary to a previous report, former Bengals offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was not interviewed by the Browns on Monday, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. When he does interview with the team, it will be for an offensive assistant job and not necessarily for the OC position.
The Raiders will officially ink contracts with offensive coordinator Greg Olson and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther before the big Jon Gruden press conference, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Bengals announced the signing of Bob Bicknell as the team’s new wide receivers coach. Bicknell, who has 25 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience, was Baylor University’s WRs coach in 2017. Meanwhile, defensive line coach Jacob Burney has been retained with a new two-year contract extension (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of The Sporting News).

Raiders To Name Jon Gruden As Their Head Coach On Tuesday

January 5th, 2018 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

The worst kept secret in football is about to go public. The Raiders will name Jon Gruden as their head coach in a press conference on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The news was first reported by author Steve Corkran (Twitter link).

Recently, Gruden admitted there is a “good chance” that he’ll become the next coach of the Raiders. However, he denied reports indicating that he will wind up with a piece of team ownership as part of the deal. Even without minority ownership, this is a colossal deal for Gruden. It’s a ten-year contract likely to be worth about $100MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The sum of Gruden’s contract is jaw-dropping, but he provides a great deal of value to the Raiders outside of football. His presence will keep the fanbase in Oakland engaged for the next two years before the move to Las Vegas. Once they arrive in Nevada, Gruden’s popularity could boost ticket sales and the value of local media rights packages.

From a football perspective, Gruden offers familiarity with team ownership and a winning pedigree. It’s also an opportunity for the Raiders to rewrite history. Under Gruden, the Raiders reached the playoffs twice, ascending to the AFC Championship game in the 2000 season before their heartbreaking loss to the Patriots in the following year. In 2002, the Raiders traded Gruden to the Buccaneers for a whopping package that included two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8MM in cash. That season, of course, gave us the Gruden Bowl. Gruden’s Bucs blew the doors off of the Raiders and won by a score of 48-21.

One can’t help but wonder how the late Al Davis would feel about all of this. The Raiders owner always had a pension for defying popular thought, but his reluctance to dole out exorbitant salaries to coaches is what led to Gruden’s departure in the first place. Fifteen years later, Gruden is back in Oakland with a record-breaking contract.

Unlike the Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Colts, and Giants, the Raiders did not cast a wide net in their coaching search. This week, the team interviewed incumbent tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and met with one other unknown candidate to fulfill the Rooney Rule. With that obligation out of the way, the Raiders are set to announce the signing of the only coach they were ever interested in hiring.

Already, Gruden’s staff is taking shape. The Raiders will hire Rams quarterbacks coach Greg Olson as their offensive coordinator and former Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther as their new DC, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). And, as previously reported, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will be moving from Dallas to Oakland.

The deals for each coordinator will be four years in length, giving them two years in Oakland and two years in Las Vegas, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deals will also be backloaded in order to capitalize on the absence of state income taxes in Nevada, Michael Gehlken of the Journal-Review tweets.

Bengals Want To Keep DC Paul Guenther

January 3rd, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday morning, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis confirmed that defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will interview with the Raiders for their defensive coordinator job under a yet-to-be-named head coach (whom we’re pretty sure is Jon Gruden). However, Lewis says the Bengals hope to have a chance to bring him back, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

It was previously reported that Guenther would be leaving the Bengals, but there’s apparently interest in keeping him on board. Guenther is a free agent, so he is free to pursue opportunities with the Raiders, Redskins, or any other team looking for a DC.

It appears that both Gruden brothers have their eye on Guenther. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden worked with Guenther in Cincinnati and tried to lure him to D.C. a season ago before the Bengals blocked his request. Clearly, Jon also took notice of his work.

If the Bengals and Lewis parted ways this offseason – as was rumored for weeks – it was said that Guenther would have been a strong internal candidate to take over as head coach. That opportunity is no longer on the table, so Guenther could be looking for a change of scenery. In the coming days, we’ll find out whether Lewis’ own lengthy history with Guenther can persuade him to stay.

DC Paul Guenther To Leave Bengals

January 2nd, 2018 at 5:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Marvin Lewis has signed an extension to remain as Bengals head coach, he’ll return in 2018 without his defensive coordinator. Paul Guenther will leave Cincinnati after 13 seasons to explore other opportunities, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Guenther, whose contract has expired, has enjoyed a long working relationship with Lewis, as the two overlapped for one year with the Redskins before Guenther was hired by the Bengals in 2005. After serving as a defensive staffer for nine seasons, Guenther took over as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator after Mike Zimmer left to become the Vikings’ head coach. The Bengals have finished 14th, 10, 17th, and 14th in defensive DVOA in four full seasons under Guenther.

While he wasn’t promoted to head coach in Cincinnati given Lewis’ continued presence, Guenther should quickly resurface as a defensive play-caller elsewhere in the league. The Raiders, who will presumably hire Jon Gruden in the coming days, are reportedly interested in Guenther, as are the Redskins, who employ Guenther’s former coworker Jay Gruden as head coach.

Although unlikely, Guenther could also generate head coaching interest now that he’s on the open market. Guenther was linked to the Browns and Eagles head coaching vacancies in 2016, but never actually interviewed for either position.

Gruden Rumors: ESPN, Morton, Guenther

January 1st, 2018 at 9:38am CST by Micah Powell

Though he has not officially taken the job, Jon Gruden is expected to become the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday night.

“The more you talked to people, the more they were convinced Jon would reenter coaching this year,” Schefter said. The return to coaching would be Gruden’s first job on the sideline since he left Tampa Bay in 2008. The Super Bowl XXXVII-winning coach broke into the league with the Raiders in 1998 at the age of 35 and amassed a 38-26 record in four seasons with the team.

Despite the rumors, ESPN has said that Gruden will call Saturday night’s playoff game with the Monday Night Football crew. That, of course, is likely to change should the announcement be finalized.

Here is the latest on the Gruden front:

News broke Sunday night that Jets offensive coordinator John Morton was expected to be a target for Gruden’s coaching staff. On Monday, the Jets are expected to let Morton out of his contract to join Gruden in Oakland, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta hears (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported (Twitter link) that Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is expected to be pursued by Gruden for the same role in Oakland. Guenther’s contract expired following the Bengals’ 31-27 win over the Ravens on Sunday. If Marvin Lewis is not retained in Cincinnati, however, Guenther could be a candidate for the head-coaching gig.
On Monday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (Twitter link) that Gruden is expected to eventually say yes to the job after the team complies with the Rooney Rule. He also notes that Gruden is planning to call plays.

Coach Notes: Jackson, Patricia, Coordinators

December 25th, 2017 at 10:01am CST by GregGoldstein

Hue Jackson has accumulated a stunningly poor 1-30 record in almost two seasons as the head coach of the Browns. However, despite his poor performance, he looks to be safe for next season. Other factors such as a lack of talent and a disfunctional front office certainly play a big role in the team’s failures, but basic logic must win out in determining his coaching future, opines Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

La Canfora notes that while Jackson appears to be “immune to review” at the moment, the team should be thinking about moving on from their second-year head coach. It’s not ideal for a franchise that has shuffled through many coaches in the past, but La Canfora argues that the job is more attractive then some may think when just observing this season.

New general manager John Dorsey has a track record of success and the team could be bringing in a young franchise QB with the number one pick, even though Josh Rosen has reportedly had some reservations about going to Cleveland.

La Canfora notes that finding a better replacement to Jackson shouldn’t be hard, even if the team is unlikely to do so given most of the reports coming from Browns ownership.

Here’s more notes from around the coaching carousel:

The Lions have stood behind head coach Jim Caldwell for the past four seasons, despite not winning a playoff game. However, it may be time for the franchise to move on after the team lost to the Bengals on Sunday. Patriots defense coordinator Matt Patricia may be a prime candidate if the job opens up because of his relationship with current Lions general manager Bob Quinn, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News (Twitter link). The two men worked together in New England when Quinn was a high level decision maker in the Patriots front office, so the hire would be a natural fit.
The Redskins missed the playoffs for the second straight season, but could still lose their quarterback coach Kevin O’Connell to another opportunity. O’Connell is reported to be a “top target” for the UCLA offensive coordinator post, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). New Bruins head coach Chip Kelly is looking for another offensive mind to add to his staff and the offensive coordinator job would be a difficult position to turn down if O’Connell was offered, according to Rapoport. Under O’Connell’s guidance, Kirk Cousins has continued to produce solid numbers in 2017, which has certainly helped make him more sought after for promotions at the collegiate level.
There’s a number of attractive coordinators who will be free agents this offseason. Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com run down a list that includes defensive coordinators: Gus Bradley, Paul Guenther, Vic Fangio and George Edwards. They mention that Bradley in particular is an odd situation because he signed just a one-year deal with the Chargers last offseason and has a great track record as a defensive coordinator with the Seahawks as well. At the moment, the Chargers have the third ranked scoring defense in the league, which should help make him in high demand for open defensive coordinator jobs after this season is over. Guenther on the other hand has been mentioned has a potential replacement for longtime Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, although he would be free to look at other opportunities should the team opt to go in a different direction. The article also makes note that popular Eagles quarterback coach John DeFilippo and Cowboys passing game coordinator Matt Eberflus would bring widespread interest as well if they move on from their current teams.

Paul Guenther News & Rumors