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Pete Carroll

Raiders Never Offered Ben Johnson HC Job; Latest On Team’s Pete Carroll Setup

January 28th, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pete Carroll confirmed Tom Brady was “intricately involved” in the Raiders’ coaching search. The hiring of ex-Brady Michigan teammate and Buccaneers staffer John Spytek confirmed the part-owner’s role in the GM pursuit. This plan may have been Brady’s backup, as reports of a long-running Ben Johnson push emerged.

Brady began scouting Johnson when he covered a Week 9 Lions-Packers game for FOX, and he made a big push to bring the former Detroit OC to Las Vegas. A big offer was believed to have been in play prior to Johnson signing on with the Bears. Although we may never know how closely the Raiders were to landing Johnson, Mark Davis attempted to provide some pushback to the notion he turned them down.

[RELATED: Raiders Interested In Darrell Bevell For OC]

While it can be safely assumed that had Johnson wanted to be the Raiders’ next HC he would be, Davis said (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez) he did not offer the job to the high-profile play-caller. Instead of a potential Johnson-Lance Newmark pairing, it will be Spytek and Carroll running the show.

Going from a rising 38-year-old OC to the oldest HC ever hired, as Carroll is 73, represents a massive approach shift. But the Raiders are understandably interested in adding an experienced HC; Carroll installing a strong culture figures to be important after the instability in Vegas since Jon Gruden‘s forced resignation.

It is fairly clear Brady will have a significant say in the Raiders’ dealings moving forward. Davis already declared the all-time QB great-turned-announcer/owner will lead the way as the Raiders search for an answer at that position, and Brady effectively ran the HC and GM searches. Carroll is accustomed to holding final-say power; he was in that role above John Schneider for 14 years in Seattle. The new Raiders HC, however, said (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed) he and Spytek will work together in running the AFC West franchise.

Carroll had turned some control over to Schneider during his final years as Seahawks HC, but his contract gave him veto power. Tafur and Reed confirm Carroll’s Raiders deal does not include such power, which will make Spytek a more important figure in Vegas. That said, Carroll added that the duo will work with Davis and the Raiders’ minority owners regarding football decisions as well. This can certainly be interpreted as Brady continuing to have a significant say in how the Raiders operate.

Davis used a head coach-centric blueprint during Gruden’s second stay with the team, and while Dave Ziegler held roster control from 2022-23, it was widely assumed Josh McDaniels played a central role in personnel as well. Davis had Tom Telesco controlling last season’s roster. It will be interesting to learn if Spytek will control the Raiders’ 53-man roster this year. If he does end up doing so, Carroll’s experience and Brady’s stature will impact the power the new GM would hold.

Carroll’s age is an unavoidable part of this equation. Only one coach in NFL history (Romeo Crennel, as a Texans interim in 2020) has served as a head coach at 73. NFL teams passed on Carroll joining him last season, but Brady has long respected the former Super Bowl-winning leader. As Carroll prepares to install a culture change in Vegas, SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates he did spend time during his coaching free agency stay looking into an assistant who could potentially succeed him. Bruce Arians had done this in Todd Bowles, and a succession plan to carry on a Carroll culture would benefit the Raiders — if their current plan is successful, that is.

The Raiders have yet to interview an offensive coordinator, but ex-Carroll Seahawks hire Karl Scott met with the team already. How the team’s OC search shakes out may be pivotal regarding any Carroll succession plans. For now, the energetic septuagenarian will enjoy a rare fourth chance to be an NFL head coach.

Raiders To Hire Pete Carroll As HC

January 24th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

Pete Carroll recently emerged as the top name to watch regarding the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy. He is indeed on track to take over on the sidelines in Vegas.

Carroll and the Raiders are negotiating an agreement, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. No deal is in place at the moment, but that is the goal on both sides. Provided this hire comes to pass, Vegas will have its new HC-GM combo in place. An agreement has now been reached, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter noting this will be a three-year contract including a team option for a fourth year.

Ben Johnson was seen as the Raiders’ top head coaching target, with a major offer being expected. The quarterback position is certainly a different story in Vegas as opposed to Chicago as things stand, however, and the former Lions OC ultimately chose to take the Bears’ gig. That took the most in-demand coaching candidate off the market and forced the Raiders to pivot.

On Monday, it was reported Carroll had become the frontrunner for the Vegas posting. The former Seahawks Super Bowl winner interviewed with the Bears before they elected to bring in Johnson, but since he also spoke with the Raiders it was clear a market existed for a return to the NFL. The 73-year-old discussed the Cowboys’ vacancy with Jerry Jones yesterday, but instead of making a serious run at that position he will take over a Raiders team which has undergone major changes recently.

Not long after his minority stake in the franchise was officially purchased, Tom Brady became a central figure in Vegas’ head coaching and general manager searches. Antonio Pierce was fired after one full season on the sidelines, and at the time that move was made it appeared general manager Tom Telesco would be safe. Just two days later, though, Telesco was also dismissed after his debut campaign running the front office. With Brady and Jed Hughes (who played a role in Carroll’s Seahawks hire in 2010) leading the way, the Raiders have now filled both vacancies.

Former Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek reached agreement with the Raiders on Wednesday to take over as the team’s new general manager. Now, he and Carroll will look to lead the franchise in a new direction from a culture perspective will overseeing a roster rebuild. The quarterback position is one of many which needs to be addressed in the spring.

Prior to today’s news, the oldest head coaching hire in NFL history came when 66-year-old Bruce Arians took charge of the Buccaneers. His Tampa Bay tenure included a Super Bowl win with Brady under center, and now the latter will look to steer the Raiders back to contention with Carroll on the sidelines. Given his age, it will be interesting to see how deep into this contract Carroll lasts.

In any event, owner Mark Davis’ willingness to allow for a long-term plan to be put in place by the Carroll-Spytek tandem will make for a key storyline. Davis informed Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler they would have three years to oversee a rebuilding effort upon being hired in 2022, but he pulled the plug midway through Year 2 of that setup. Davis was known to favor something other than the ‘Patriot Way’ approach this time around, and that has proven to be the case with the new faces in the front office and on the sidelines.

Carroll coached the Jets in 1994 before taking charge of the Patriots from 1997-99. It was not until 2010 that he got his next NFL head coaching opportunity, but in the intervening years he had a successful tenure at USC which included a national title. His 14-year Seahawks run produced a pair of Super Bowl appearances and the franchise’s only championship.

Carroll stepped aside from Seattle last offseason, although he attempted to reverse course on that move. In the end, the Seahawks moved on by hiring Mike Macdonald as head coach. That left Carroll out of coaching, and in August he expressed contentment with that situation. Things have obviously changed since then, though, and now he will take charge of a Raiders team with considerable ground to make up moving forward.

Each of the other three teams in the AFC West (coached by Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton) qualified for the playoffs in 2024. Expectations will remain high in Kansas City, Los Angeles and Denver in the immediate future, whereas the Raiders face a number of questions at this point. It is now known that Carroll – who of course had considerable sway regarding roster moves in Seattle – will be tasked with adding Vegas to the list of playoff contenders in the division during the latest chapter of his decorated coaching career.

Jerry Jones, Pete Carroll Discuss Cowboys’ HC Opening

January 23rd, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Brian Schottenheimer has picked up unexpected momentum for the Cowboys’ HC job, a more conventional option may be under consideration as well. A Pete Carroll connection to a third HC-needy team has formed.

Jerry Jones is believed to have reached out to Carroll recently, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris. While this was not an interview and can be classified as an informal discussion, Harris adds the team’s interest in the former Super Bowl-winning coach is believed to be legitimate. That said, no interview is on the team’s docket.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Not a team known for conventional strategies involving hiring or firing a head coach, the Cowboys already had a non-interview discussion with Deion Sanders. Subsequent reporting has pegged this as an unlikely partnership, with Schottenheimer and Eagles OC Kellen Moore emerging as the early leaders.

Both have history in Dallas and extensive OC seasoning, but if Moore is a true consideration, the Cowboys would need to wait until next week to conduct a second interview and may not be able to hire their former play-caller — should the favored Eagles prevail in Sunday’s NFC championship game — until after Super Bowl LIX. Schottenheimer has not been connected to any other teams’ HC vacancies — this year or at any other point during the 2020s — so the Cowboys would not risk losing their incumbent OC by waiting. But dismissing Mike McCarthy and then promoting his less qualified OC would be a strange move.

While Carroll would be a more down-the-middle hire, he also brings risk due to his age. The former Seahawks, Patriots and Jets HC is 73 and will turn 74 in September. No NFL HC has coached a game beyond age 72. This impacted Bill Belichick‘s job pursuits last year, and Carroll also found himself shut out after his Seattle ouster. But Carroll has rebuild momentum and appears a legitimate frontrunner for the Raiders job. The Bears also met with Carroll during their expansive search.

Pete Carroll Moving Into Frontrunner Position For Raiders’ HC Job?

January 20th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Ben Johnson choosing to team with Caleb Williams in Chicago, his other two suitors will need backup plans. While Liam Coen has been closely tied to the Jags, the Raiders may have a more experienced option in mind.

Pete Carroll was among the many candidates to meet with the Bears, but the former Super Bowl-winning HC also interviewed for the Raiders’ job. As Johnson is Chicago-bound, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed indicates Carroll looks to have moved into frontrunner position in Las Vegas. This marks the second mention of Carroll being a true candidate in Las Vegas.

The Raiders are using the Korn Ferry search firm’s Jed Hughes to help them identify their next coach, and Reed points out Hughes helped guide Carroll to the Seahawks in 2010. This connection is certainly interesting, and a Carroll HC appointment would both make him the rare fourth-chance NFL HC and represent a stark difference from the direction the Raiders were prepared to go with Johnson.

Although Tom Brady spoke with Johnson extensively over Zoom and had eyed the Lions’ OC for a while, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz indicates the team was never considered the frontrunner for the hotshot play-caller. The Bears were viewed as the early favorites, and the team stuck the landing with the picky candidate. Johnson’s decision will certainly affect the Raiders, who joined the Jaguars in appearing to have him atop their candidate list.

Carroll turned 73 in September. As this space has regularly reminded, no team has hired a head coach older than 66 (Bruce Arians, 2019). Those reminders generally pertained to Bill Belichick, who will turn 73 in April. But Belichick is now at North Carolina. Although a few rumors — including one involving the Raiders — have mentioned some uneasiness on the Tar Heels’ part, Belichick is believed to be committed to trying his hand in the ACC. Although Arians is the oldest full-time HC ever hired, Carroll joins Romeo Crennel, George Halas and Marv Levy as coaches to man the sideline at 72. Of course, Carroll would become the oldest HC in league history if the Raiders hire him. No one has coached a game at 73 previously.

It would certainly be interesting, then, if Carroll became the oldest HC ever hired after Belichick punted on another HC carousel stay. Carroll spent 14 seasons as Seahawks HC but was Belichick’s Patriots predecessor (1997-99) as well. He began his head coaching run as a one-and-done Jets leader in 1994. (Brady was a rookie in 2000 and did not overlap with Carroll in New England.) To be on the radar for a job 30 years later represents remarkable staying power for the two-time Super Bowl coach.

Following the Johnson-Bears agreement, here is how the Raiders’ HC search looks:

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 1-28-25 (3:17pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Raiders Hire Headhunter For HC/GM Search; Pete Carroll Among Top HC Candidates

January 10th, 2025 at 5:37pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Raiders were already looking for a new head coach, and after firing Tom Telesco, they’re looking for a new general manager as well.

The team has brought in headhunter Jed Hughes of consulting firm Korn Ferry to join their search process, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Hughes coached in college and the NFL for almost 20 years and has since helped multiple teams hire coaches and executives, including the Packers and the 49ers. He will join Tom Brady as a key voice in the direction of the Raiders this offseason.

Hughes’ NFL experience includes a two-year stint as the Vikings’ defensive backs coach under Bud Grant in 1982 and 1983, giving him a connection with one of the Raiders’ head coach candidates. Grant retired after the 1983 season, but returned to Minnesota in 1985 and hired Pete Carroll in Hughes’ former position.

Carroll is a serious candidate for the HC job in Las Vegas, according to Vincent Bonsignore Las Vegas Review-Journal. He has already interviewed for the same job with the Bears. Carroll stepped down as the Seahawks’ head coach last year, but remained with the team as an advisor.

Brady has plenty of his own connections around the league, including a relationship with Buccaneers general manager John Spytek, according to Jones. Spytek was Brady’s teammate at Michigan in 1999 and later helped bring the quarterback to Tampa Bay as the team’s vice president of player personnel. The Buccaneers then won Super Bowl LV in Brady’s first year.

Brady isn’t the only Raiders minority owner who could impact the team’s ability to attract top candidates. Egon Durban, CEO of investment firm Silver Lake, purchased 7.5% of the team in December, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The persuasive power of Brady’s reputation and Durban’s financial resources could be a key factor in a crowded coaching market this offseason.

Raiders To Interview Pete Carroll For HC Job

January 9th, 2025 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

After failing in their (potential) Hail Mary attempt to lure Bill Belichick to Las Vegas, the Raiders will now take a look at another long-time NFL coach. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders are set to interview Pete Carroll for their coaching vacancy next week.

Carroll spent this past year out of the NFL following his divorce with the Seahawks last offseason. It didn’t take long for the former Super Bowl winner to reemerge in this year’s hiring cycle. The 73-year-old met with the Bears about their head coaching vacancy earlier today.

The long-time coach would bring 18 years of HC experience to Las Vegas. He most recently spent more than a decade in Seattle, where he helped guide the Seahawks to 10 playoff berths, including two Super Bowl appearances. However, the organization decided to move on after Carroll and the Seahawks went 25-26 with a single one-and-done playoff appearance between 2021 and 2023.

Even before Carroll was ousted, there were rumblings that the coach was considering retirement or a transition to the front office. Shortly thereafter, we heard that Carroll always intended to stick around as Seattle’s HC for at least one more year, and his recent appearance in the interview circuit clearly indicates that he’s not ready to step away from the NFL.

While Carroll was tasked with guiding competitive teams in his time with Seattle and New England, he’ll be eyeing a rebuilding situation in Las Vegas. The Raiders are armed with the sixth-overall pick and will be one of the main suitors for the draft’s top QB prospects. Carroll once guided the Seahawks to contention with third-round pick Russell Wilson, and his defensive pedigree could help speed up the franchise’s turnaround.

The Raiders are now seeking their fourth full-time HC since the 2021 campaign. While Antonio Pierce avoided a Black Monday firing, he was handed his pink slip the following day. Carroll represents the sixth definitive candidate for the job. We heard earlier today that former Jets head coach Robert Saleh had joined the list with Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, Ravens OC Todd Monken, and Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo. Mike Vrabel and Brian Flores have also been mentioned as potential options for the organization, but neither candidate has scheduled a reported interview.

As for Belichick, we heard that Tom Brady — who is playing a central role in the Las Vegas HC search — recently contacted his former coach to see about a reunion. It was quickly reported that Belichick didn’t have any interest in reneging on his UNC commitment. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal believes that Brady was merely picking his former coach’s brain as he prepares for a HC move, and Mark Maske The Washington Post says the Raiders haven’t given “serious consideration in recent days” to a Belichick pursuit.

It’s already been a busy day in Las Vegas. The Raiders kicked off a GM search after moving on from Tom Telesco.

Bears Schedule Pete Carroll HC Interview

January 7th, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Pete Carroll expressed interest in the Bears’ head coaching job, but the longtime Seahawks HC’s name was not included in the initial wave of interview requests. It is now.

[RELATED: Pete Carroll Interested In Bears’ HC Job]

The Bears are planning to meet with the Super Bowl-winning coach Thursday, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler report. Carroll attempted to land another job after his Seattle ouster last year but did not. The veteran leader’s age (73) stands to present issues, as it did for Bill Belichick, but the Bears are going to see what the experienced leader can bring to the table.

Reports about Carroll’s NFL future haven’t necessarily been consistent. Following his Seattle ouster, there were rumblings that the long-time coach was moving towards retirement, anyway. On the flip side, reports indicated that Carroll intended to remain in his post as head coach of the Seahawks in 2024, but efforts to convince the organization to allow that to take place were ultimately unsuccessful.

While Carroll didn’t push for a new gig during the 2024 campaign, he recently resurfaced in the HC carousel, as the former Super Bowl champ was connected to the Bears gig towards the end of the regular season. He’ll now have a chance to pitch himself to Chicago’s brass, although it remains to be seen if the organization is simply doing their due diligence. While the Bears have cast a wide net in their search for a Matt Eberflus replacement, there’s been a sentiment that they’re seeking an offensive mind who can help develop former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Carroll’s defensive pedigree wouldn’t necessarily match with that gameplan.

Of course, Carroll’s decades in the NFL means he has plenty of connections, so it shouldn’t be tough for the coach to find a worthy offensive lieutenant. Carroll also helped transform former third-round pick Russell Wilson into one of the best QBs in the NFL, so it’s not like the coach is completely incapable of guiding a young signal-caller.

While Carroll’s age could work against him, he also had an obvious experience advantage over his fellow candidates. The long-time coach has 18 years of head coaching experience in stops with the Jets, Patriots, and Seahawks. He’s only earned one Super Bowl ring, but he also earned a second NFC Championship, and he owns a career playoff record of 11-11. His final seasons in Seattle left a bit to be desired, as the Seahawks went 25-26 with a single one-and-done playoff appearance between 2021 and 2023.

Still, there’s no denying that Carroll represents one of the most respected names available on the market. Assuming the Bears are looking for an immediate return to legitimacy, Carroll would certainly add some credibility to the organization.

Pete Carroll Interested In Bears’ HC Job

December 25th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

After a year away from the NFL, former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is ready to get back on an NFL sideline, and he has his eye on a specific sideline. There are currently three jobs that will be interviewing candidates for next season: the Bears, Jets, and Saints. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s the job in Chicago that Carroll has his eyes on.

Carroll has taken breaks from NFL coaching jobs in the past to much success. After his first stint as a head for the Jets, as a result of promotion from defensive coordinator, ended unceremoniously after one year, Carroll rebounded as a defensive coordinator for the 49ers before earning his second head coaching job with the Patriots, whom he took twice to the playoffs and with whom he never had a losing record. Despite the surface-level success in New England, team owner Robert Kraft fired Carroll after a late-season slide cost them a playoff spot in 1999.

Carroll then chose to become a head coach at the collegiate level, as opposed to returning to the NFL as a defensive coordinator again. After a rough 6-6 inaugural year as a college head coach with USC, Carroll quickly turned the Trojans into a powerhouse program, winning the conference seven straight years and winning back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004, not to mention just missing out on a three-peat after falling to Vince Young and the Longhorns in 2005.

Carroll turned his college success into another opportunity to coach in the NFL, landing the job in Seattle that he held for 14 years. In all that time, Carroll only had three losing seasons (twice going 7-9 and once going 7-10), amassing a career-record in Seattle of 137-89-1. He made the playoffs 10 times and twice made it to the sport’s season finale, winning the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. When the Seahawks narrowly missed the postseason last year due to a tiebreaker, Carroll and Seattle mutually agreed that he would step down from his post as head coach.

Nearly a year later, Carroll is ready to put his hat back in the ring. The question is: where could he go? This year’s crop of head coaching candidates has been deemed as a weaker class, especially after one of the stronger candidates, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, made the decision to take a head coaching at the collegiate level with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Schefter’s report claims that Carroll is interested in the Chicago job, but is he a good fit?

The Bears have made it known in preliminary conversations about who will replace Matt Eberflus that they are hoping to bring someone in who can develop and mold rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. While Williams shares a USC connection with Carroll, the two were never there at the same time. Additionally, Carroll’s defensive-minded background would require him to come in with a plan on which assistants he could bring in to develop Williams. The Bears’ supposed preference leads many to believe that an offensive-minded coordinator like Kliff Kingsbury or Ben Johnson would be a better fit, especially since Kingsbury was a mentor of Williams at USC just last year.

So, if not Chicago, what city seems to make more sense as Carroll’s next destination? The Jets have a history of hiring defensive-minded head coaches, as well as a history of hiring guys named “Pete Carroll.” They just fired a former defensive coordinator in Robert Saleh, but their foray with Adam Gase, a former offensive coordinator, was brief and unsuccessful. Before that, was a defensive coordinator in Todd Bowles and, before him, Rex Ryan, who led the team to their last playoff appearance and back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009 and 2010. There may be a bit of bad blood over his firing the first time around, but over the last 30 years, he may have let bygones be bygones.

The Saints are the other option, though a few more pop up at the end of the season. Regardless, Carroll is ready to take a stab at another NFL job, and though he seems to favor Chicago early on, he may have to keep his options open and explore the other positions available to him.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Hufanga, Rams

October 10th, 2024 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Left in charge after the Seahawks jettisoned their other football operations pillar, John Schneider‘s search for Pete Carroll‘s successor started earlier. The 14-year Seattle HC’s age (72 as of Week 18 last season) moved Schneider to do some early work on candidates, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, leading the team to 36-year-old Mike Macdonald.

While the Carroll-for-Macdonald change — or a move to a much younger candidate — was eventually expected, the decision from Seahawks ownership gave Schneider full autonomy for the first time. Previously riding shotgun to Carroll in terms of final roster say, Schneider’s takeover of sorts came after the aging HC had discussed ceding that power to the GM in recent years, Henderson adds. A January report also pointed to Carroll considering retirement around midseason only to reverse course; Seahawks ownership’s decision cemented the change to a Schneider-run operation. Although Carroll and Schneider rarely disagreed to the point the coach had to wield his decision-making hammer, it will be interesting to gauge the Seahawks’ direction with the longtime GM calling all the shots.

Carroll is technically a Seahawks advisor following his coaching stay, though the former Jets and Patriots HC wanted to coach again. He lobbied to keep the Seattle gig. But Carroll has kept his distance from the facility, with Henderson adding the departed coach wants to give Macdonald’s regime space. Carroll had indeed planned to serve in his advisory role, but he has stepped back in the months since. Carroll, now 73, is no longer eyeing another coaching job.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Both Carroll and Macdonald signed off on a Jason Peters addition. The now-42-year-old tackle played sparingly for the Seahawks last season, coming in to help a team that missed RT Abraham Lucas for much of the season. With that again the case and George Fant‘s second Seattle stint on hold, the Seahawks again summoned Peters to the practice squad. Close to becoming the first O-lineman to be on an active roster in a 21st NFL season, Peters said he did not expect to play again. Staying in contact with Schneider helped the All-Decade blocker’s cause, Henderson adds, and he could be on the cusp of being elevated to the Hawks’ gameday roster again.
  • Tre’Davious White is still on the Rams‘ 53-man roster, but the team deemed the eighth-year veteran a healthy scratch in Week 5. Classifying this as a coach’s decision, Sean McVay demoted the free agency acquisition from starter to out of the mix entirely, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This is an interesting decision, even with the Rams activating Darious Williams from IR and turning to the recently re-signed Ahkello Witherspoon as a starter (alongside Cobie Durant) for the first time this season. Despite his injury trouble during the final years of his Bills tenure, White played 98% of Los Angeles’ defensive snaps during the team’s first four games. Pro Football Focus rated White as the NFL’s seventh-worst corner this season, and the former Buffalo extension recipient has already been charged with allowing four touchdown receptions and a 138.4 passer rating as the closest defender this season. White, 29, is on a one-year, $4.25MM deal.
  • Talanoa Hufanga is back on IR, having suffered a wrist injury shortly after his ACL rehab odyssey concluded. Injuries are slowing the All-Pro safety, but ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano still views him as being on the 49ers’ extension radar. Hufanga joins cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir on San Francisco’s extension radar. The team may be readier to commit to Lenoir compared to Ward, who is three years younger (at 25), but Hufanga being on the team’s re-up radar is interesting. The former fifth-round pick rocketed onto the All-Pro tier in 2022 and would make sense as an extension candidate, but the 49ers paid Brandon Aiyuk this offseason and have a Brock Purdy extension on the horizon. Choices will need to be made on a defense that also houses Dre Greenlaw in a contract year.
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