Doug Marrone

AFC South Notes: Albert, O’Brien, Hooker

May 13th, 2017 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Doug Marrone was emphatic today when declaring he still hasn’t heard from recently acquired left tackle Branden Albert, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. The new full-time Jaguars coach seemed to indicate Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell have checked in with him about the situation involving the AWOL trade acquisition.

“I just want to know so when you ask me, I can answer it or when [Coughlin or Caldwell] asks, I can answer them,” Marrone said, via O’Halloran. “They ask me, ‘Have you talked to him? Is he going to come? Is he going to play?’ I don’t know. I’ve been in situations where I’ve had a player on the [franchise] tag and they would say, ‘Hey, I’m not signing the tag, I’m not going to [show up], but I’m going to be working out and training.’ … You just want to know where everyone is at and that’s all I was expecting [from Albert].”

Albert cannot be fined until June 13, when the Jags convene for their mandatory minicamp. O’Halloran reports that when Albert came to Jacksonville for a post-trade press conference in March, a source indicated a new contract wasn’t coming for the 32-year-old blocker. The tackle market then exploded, with less proven players like Matt Kalil, Riley Reiff and Russell Okung all signing for at least $11MM per year and each receiving at least $24MM in guarantees. This leads O’Halloran to believe Albert had a change of heart about playing on his Dolphins-constructed contract this season. Albert is now the 15th-highest-paid left tackle, in terms of AAV. The two-time Pro Bowler’s deal has no guaranteed money remaining.

Here’s the latest from the AFC South.

The Jaguars are lining up Cam Robinson exclusively at left tackle, O’Halloran tweets. Arriving as a second-round pick from Alabama, Robinson was believed to be viewed as either a tackle or guard. The Jags have some uncertainty at left guard despite re-signing Patrick Omameh, so an ideal setup may be Albert at left tackle and Robinson at left guard. With Albert’s status unknown, the franchise is not arranging its pieces this way.
After the Texans again sputtered on offense in 2016, the team parted ways with OC George Godsey without bringing in a new coordinator. Bill O’Brien confirmed he’s running the offense and will continue to do so. “I’ve been probably doing more coaching myself in the last four or five weeks than I’ve done in the three years that I’ve been here,” O’Brien said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. “I’m really involved in the offense and I’m having a lot of fun.” O’Brien categorized last season’s stretch-run arrangement as he and Godsey splitting up the play-calling duties. Barshop notes O’Brien will call plays this season.
Malik Hooker will not participate in the Colts‘ rookie minicamp this weekend and will likely be held out until training camp, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. The first-round safety underwent surgeries in January to repair a torn labrum and address a hernia issue.
The Jaguars are expected to give Leonard Fournette a fully guaranteed contract like the Panthers did for Christian McCaffrey, O’Halloran notes. McCaffrey’s $17.24MM deal as the No. 8 overall pick will be well shy of what O’Halloran expects to be a fully guaranteed pact for the No. 4 overall choice, who would earn $27.15MM. That amount would exceed the league’s top guarantee for a running back. Ezekiel Elliott‘s $24.97MM guarantee leads this position by a healthy margin presently, with LeSean McCoy having the top veteran-contract guarantee at $18.25MM.

Fallout From Bills’ Front Office Shakeup

April 30th, 2017 at 7:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills deciding to trade out of their No. 10 slot, when the Chiefs surrendered their 2018 first-rounder to headline a package that netted them Patrick Mahomes, indicated Doug Whaley was not going to be around much longer, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes. Buffalo moving down 17 spots — a move the Bills were believed to be pushing for prior to the draft — signaled a long-term plan more than one designed to help an embattled GM’s team win now. (However, Chiefs GM John Dorsey told B.J. Kissel of KCChiefs.com — Twitter link — Whaley was involved in talks that originated early this week.)

Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com notes the Bills’ chaotic front office situation goes back to 2014, when Terry and Kim Pegula took over and were surprised when Doug Marrone exercised an opt-out option that garnered him $4MM and left the Bills without a coach despite having completed a rare over-.500 season in 2014. The current Jaguars HC’s 9-7 campaign, aided the Patriots resting starters in Week 17 of that season, represents the most the Bills wins since 2004.

La Canfora notes Whaley has not gotten along especially well with any of his coaches, describing less-than-ideal relationships with both Marrone and Rex Ryan, and the one with Sean McDermott did not take off. Bill Polian declined to join the Bills in January of 2015, and La Canfora notes that decision kept Whaley in charge and helped lead to Marrone bolting on his contract.

Now running the show in Buffalo, McDermott was not happy the Patriots plucked Stephon Gilmore in free agency, La Canfora writes. The RFA decisions on Chris Hogan and Mike Gillislee did not help, either. The CBS-based reporter notes some of Pegula’s confidants advised him to fire Whaley years ago. The Bills signed Whaley to an extension last year, however.

A source categorized the Bills’ draft room this weekend as “one of the weirdest three days,” per Breer, due to the fact a leadership component wasn’t entirely present. McDermott, though, was the one who was providing the final say, Breer reports. The first-year HC was given autonomy to remove prospects from the draft board as well. Pegula said today Whaley put together the draft and the organization decided to fire him after the three-day event, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com relays.

Scouts were upset with Ryan’s program last year, Breer notes, adding that Bills coaches felt some of Whaley’s draft decisions — be it the trade-up for Sammy Watkins or selection of injury-risk Shaq Lawson — didn’t fit the schemes they were using. As for Watkins, it’s possible the Bills made his injury situation worse. Breer reports that the wideout’s foot injury was too severe for him to complete walkthroughs, but no one put a stop to his comeback attempt, and the pain worsened as he pushed through it to lead to a two-month shutdown. Watkins returned for the final six games but only cleared 80 receiving yards twice, albeit on a run-centric team. Already rumored to be set to decline Watkins’ fifth-year option, the Bills are probably more likely to go in that direction now that Whaley is gone, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap tweets.

Further complicating things with McDermott: Anthony Lynn was Whaley’s first HC choice, according to Breer, and ownership went with the former Panthers DC — with whom Whaley did not have much of a relationship — while letting Lynn proceed to the Chargers’ job. Tyrod Taylor‘s return on an adjusted deal also went against Whaley’s wishes and was more in line with new OC Rick Dennison‘s. The latter was the Broncos’ OC when the team pursued Taylor in 2015.

As far as the selection of the next GM, the Pegulas might not lean on team president Russ Brandon too much, with Terry Pegula saying today the owners would ask Brandon questions if they believed they need to (Twitter link via Breer). Former Eagles president and Browns CEO Joe Banner understandably expects the new GM to be someone with close ties to McDermott, the longtime exec told Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link). Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane could well become a candidate.

Jags Notes: Bortles, Marrone, Albert, Draft

April 22nd, 2017 at 3:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars are undecided on Blake Bortles‘ fifth-year option, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports. But the Jacksonville-based writer notes that had the new-look Jags decision-making group planned to exercise it, word would have gotten out by now. The team has until May 3 to pick up the 2018 option, which could be worth as much as $18MM.

“We’re still discussing that,” Jags GM Dave Caldwell said. “There are a lot of things that go into it.”

Bortles has not shown himself to be what the Jags envisioned when they used the No. 3 overall pick on him, making Bortles the franchise’s second top-10 quarterback of the decade after Blaine Gabbert, and the current embattled starter’s play regressed last season. Caldwell said before the franchise established its new power structure that the next coach wouldn’t have to start Bortles this season, but he backtracked on that later in the winter, saying the fourth-year player was going to be the team’s quarterback. O’Halloran doesn’t expect the team to exercise the option, meaning the 25-year-old passer would be in a contract year.

Here’s the latest out of Jacksonville, courtesy of O’Halloran.

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi believed the decision on Bortles has been made, telling O’Halloran the Jaguars are going to begin the potentially looming breakup in this draft. “[Tom] Coughlin’s going to draft a quarterback,” said Lombardi, who now works for The Ringer. “… Look, there are some times when we’re all better off saying, ‘We screwed that up. We really blew that. We have to admit we made a mistake.’ He has to be a guy they have to replace. This is the perfect draft to do it.” The Jags have Bortles, Chad Henne and Brandon Allen under contract, but the top two on the depth chart are only signed through 2017. Bortles represented the Jags admitting a mistake three years about Gabbert, and this draft would represent the same time span from when Bortles arrived. Of course, it would be somewhat of a surprise if the Jags went with a quarterback at No. 4 overall considering their recent history with such passers.
Doug Marrone has attempted to contact recent trade acquisition Branden Albert, but in a somewhat puzzling development the presumptive left tackle starter has not gotten back to him. “I have not had any communication with him [this week], which is a surprise,” Marrone said, via O’Halloran. “I don’t know what his thoughts are going forward. Obviously, it’s voluntary, but I was surprised that I didn’t receive a call back from him.” The 32-year-old Albert has not reported to his new team’s workouts yet. He’s holding out for a new contract, presumably one with more guaranteed money on it. Albert has two years remaining on his Dolphins-designed deal. That pact stands to pay the former Pro Bowler $8.9MM in 2017 and $9.6MM in ’18. The Jags have more than $51MM in cap space.
Coughlin provided some cryptic answers on his first draft since returning to north Florida, but the former Jags and Giants HC said the team is open to moving down from No. 4 overall. This could be relevant if the Jags want to stockpile picks, because the Browns are believed to be debating a move from their No. 12 pick back into the top 10 to take Mitch Trubisky. That is, if they don’t select him No. 1 overall, which is under consideration as well. This marks the sixth straight year Jacksonville has held a top-five pick.

AFC Rumors: Dolphins, Alonso, Broncos

March 1st, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Kiko Alonso doesn’t want to move from the middle linebacker spot in 2017, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins might want to move him to outside linebacker, but that might not be an option if he is unwilling to adjust. As Salguero notes, the Dolphins should probably figure all of this out in the next week with free agency on the horizon. There’s also this – in the past, Alonso has indicated a willingness to move, if it would help the team. So, even if the linebacker’s preference is to remain in the middle, he might be willing to be a good soldier and shift positions.

Here’s more from the AFC:

There has been lots of talk about the Broncos acquiring a veteran quarterback, but head coach Vance Joseph indicated that he’s happy with current options Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. “We’ve got two young guys that combined to win nine games last year as starters — probably should have won two more games,” he said (via NFL.com). “We’re fine there with those two kids.”
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone admits leaving the Bills head coaching job was a “mistake” he has learned from, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. He added that he has spoken about it with Bills owner Terry Pegula. Marrone opted out of his Bills deal before the 2015 season, but a unique clause in his contract allowed him to still collect on his full $4MM salary.
On Wednesday, the Steelers re-signed James Harrison to a two-year deal. The new pact will take him through his age-40 season.

Coaching Notes: Jags, Fins, Ravens, Broncos

January 19th, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In the aftermath of this offseason’s head coaching searches across the NFL, Greg A. Bedard of SI.com asked three executives from successful franchises their thoughts on this year’s hirings. One opined that the league’s owners “have absolutely no idea what they’re doing” and that “most of these places are screwed up.” He also blasted the Jaguars’ decision to elevate Doug Marrone from interim head coach to the full-time position. “Look at Jacksonville. They keep Marrone—I mean, he was an assistant head coach on that team the past two years [8–24], was he not?—and say he’s by far the best candidate,” he stated. “After speaking to (Josh) McDaniels, (Kyle) Shanahan and Mike Smith? Are you kidding?”

Marrone coached the final two games of the Jaguars’ season, during which they went 1-1, after the firing of Gus Bradley. Before joining Jacksonville’s staff in 2015, Marrone worked as the Bills’ head coach and went 15-17 in two years. The club finished 9-7 on his watch in 2014, but Marrone then elected to opt out of his contract.

Now for the latest staff changes:

The Dolphins have named Frank Bush their assistant head coach/linebackers coach and promoted Chris Kuper from quality control coach to offensive line assistant, per Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. Additionally, the team has designated special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi an associate head coach, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The 54-year-old Bush will take over Miami’s linebackers from Matt Burke, who’s now the defensive coordinator. Bush spent the past four seasons coaching the Rams’ LBs.
The Ravens have announced the hiring of Joe D’Allessandris as their offensive line coach. He’ll replace Juan Castillo, who went to Buffalo. D’Allessandris oversaw the Chargers’ O-line from 2013-15.
The Broncos will name Johnnie Lynn their assistant defensive backs coach, a league source told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Lynn is familiar with the Broncos’ new head coach, Vance Joseph, as the two worked together in San Francisco from 2006-10. More recently, Lynn was with the Raiders from 2012-14.

Jaguars Notes: Coughlin, Bortles, Flaherty

January 14th, 2017 at 2:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

While it could have been assumed newly hired Jaguars executive VP Tom Coughlin would have final say over the team’s 53-man roster, no more assumptions are required. The veteran coach and first-time exec will have the final say on the 2017 roster, stripping some power from GM Dave Caldwell, owner Shad Khan said. Caldwell had been in charge of the Jacksonville football operations since 2013.

Coughlin interviewed for the Jags’ HC position but said he prefers the VP job he acquired instead. The 70-year-old provided two of his top coaching choices to Khan, and Doug Marrone was one of those two. Khan added that the decision “wasn’t close” between Marrone and the other coaches the team interviewed during this hiring process.

In addition to Coughlin and Marrone, the Jags also met with Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, Mike Smith and Harold Goodwin. Marrone is 16-18 in two-plus years as a head coach.

Here’s the latest coming out of Jacksonville.

The Jaguars hired Pat Flaherty to become their offensive line coach, the team announced today. Flaherty worked under Coughlin in each of his 12 seasons as the Giants’ HC, instructing the Giants’ offensive linemen from 2004-15. The 60-year-old Flaherty spent this past season as the OL coach for the 49ers.
During the Jags’ time without a full-time head coach, the word coming down from the front office was one of hesitancy regarding Blake Bortles, with Caldwell saying the next coach would not have to commit to the former No. 3 overall pick. But Coughlin shut down notions the team will attempt to replace Bortles this offseason. “Blake Bortles is our quarterback,” Coughlin said, via Lindsay Jones of USA Today. Marrone’s belief in Bortles impacted the hiring decision. Bortles’ quarterback rating plummeted from 88.2 to 78.8 this season, but it’s safe to assume after this declaration the Jags are planning to pick up his fifth-year option.
The Jaguars will have extensive sideline continuity despite finishing the season 3-13, retaining both coordinators in Nethanial Hackett (offense) and Todd Wash (defense).
Jacksonville brought over Denver special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis to work in the same capacity.

Reactions to Jaguars’ Hirings

January 9th, 2017 at 8:25pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars have officially announced the hiring of head coach Doug Marrone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin. The organization also announced the two-year extension for general manager Dave Caldwell. Owner Shad Khan released a statement regarding the moves (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter):

“I have confidence that one day soon we’ll look back on today’s news as the moment that inspired and ultimately established the Jacksonville Jaguars as a football team that wins, week to week and season to season.

“I am honored to welcome Tom Coughlin back to Jacksonville, where winning was customary under his leadership. I know he expects the same in his return to head our football operations, and that’s good news for us and Jaguars fans everywhere. The extension of Dave Caldwell’s contract speaks to his excellent work thus far and the continued importance of complementing our talented and promising roster.

“I am particularly enthused to introduce Doug Marrone as our new head coach. Doug is a strong football man in every respect and offers us qualities that will serve us well in all facets of the team, from the meeting rooms to game day and much more. The results will speak for themselves in time, but with Tom coming in to join Dave and Doug, there is no question the Jacksonville Jaguars are a stronger football team today.”

Let’s take a look at some reactions out of Jacksonville following the organization’s busy day…

Caldwell will report to Coughlin, reports ESPN.com’s Mike DiRocco. The writer assumes that Coughlin “will have final say over personnel issues as well as the draft,” although the organization hasn’t confirmed whether this will be the case. A source told Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter) that Coughlin presumably “has the final say on everything.”
Marrone believes Blake Bortles can be a franchise quarterback, and this mindset played a significant role in the hiring, reports Rapoport (via NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal). The organization clearly valued continuity, but Rosenthal notes that there will be “pressure on Marrone and Caldwell to turn Jacksonville’s fortunes around quickly.”
Bortles certainly sounded optimistic about the hiring. “I think Doug has earned the respect of the offensive players and I’m excited for him to get this opportunity and the direction of this team,” Bortles told DiRocco.
Rosenthal notes that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will presumably keep his role. Hackett worked under Marrone with Syracuse and the Bills.
Meanwhile, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets that the Jaguars’ defensive coaches were told they’d be retained if Marrone got the job. Alex Marvez of The Sporting News provides even more clarity (on Twitter), noting that the team will at least be keeping defensive coordinator Todd Wash and linebackers coach Robert Saleh.
Mike Smith was thought to be a close second for the Jaguars job, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. The former Falcons head coach served as the Buccaneers defensive coordinator this past season. In seven seasons in Atlanta, Smith led his squad to a 66-46 record and four playoff births. Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com writes that Smith is still in the running for the Chargers‘ head coaching gig.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Jaguars To Hire Doug Marrone As Head Coach

January 9th, 2017 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The first head coaching vacancy of this offseason has been filled. The Jaguars are taking the interim tag off of Doug Marrone, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Marrone’s contract will take him through 2019, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

In 2015, Marrone joined Gus Bradley‘s staff as an offensive line coach and assistant head coach. This year, when Bradley was sacked, Marrone was given the interim head coaching title. In those final two weeks of the season, Jacksonville saw enough out of Marrone to give him the real gig.

Marrone found some success as the Bills’ head coach in 2014 when he guided them to a 9-7 record. Instead of building on that progress, he opted out of his contract (and still cashed in on his $4MM guaranteed salary for 2015). Expecting to be a hot candidate for multiple openings, Marrone was undoubtedly disappointed when he was passed on by the Falcons, Bears, Jets, and 49ers. He bided his time in Jacksonville and, after two years, he’s back in the head coaching ranks.

As shown in our 2017 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker, Tom Coughlin, Harold Goodwin, Mike Smith, Josh McDaniels, and Kyle Shanahan, were also interviewed for the job. Anthony Lynn was also expected to interview.

The hiring of Marrone leaves five teams in search of a head coach: the Bills, Broncos, Rams, Chargers, and 49ers.

La Canfora’s Latest: Joseph, Eagles, Bradley

January 8th, 2017 at 7:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers’ 30-12 wild-card romp past the Dolphins is not expected to affect Vance Joseph‘s standing as an attractive head coaching candidate. Joseph will decide on which interviews he will take soon, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports, with the expectation the Broncos’ job will be atop his list.

With the Broncos essentially down to to Joseph, Kyle Shanahan and Dave Toub among their finalists, La Canfora estimates this search might not last long after Joseph’s upcoming interview with Denver. Mike Klis of 9News notes that meeting is expected to occur in Denver early this week. The 44-year-old DC has been connected to five of the six teams in need of coaches, with the Jaguars being the only one to balk at the rising sideline talent thus far. According to PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, Joseph is slated to interview with both the Broncos and 49ers but hasn’t yet decided on summits with the Bills, Chargers and Rams. He’s now free to do so after the Dolphins’ elimination.

Here’s more from around the coaching carousel.

The Eagles‘ decision not to allow quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to interview for the Jets‘ OC job was not based on any grudge but rather a desire to see Carson Wentz develop under the instructor’s guidance. La Canfora also notes Teryl Austin hoped to hire DeFilippo as his OC if he ends up taking a head coaching job. The Eagles’ front office came out against that as well, intending to retain the position coach and former coordinator.
Gus Bradley continues to have options despite his historically unsuccessful HC tenure in Jacksonville. The former Seahawks DC is “by far” the favorite to become the Redskins‘ DC, but La Canfora notes Bradley still has a standing offer to become Anthony Lynn‘s top defensive coach should he get a head coaching job.
Josh McDaniels will remain a centerpiece in the NFL’s hiring period despite the Patriots being projected to advance deep in this year’s playoffs, with La Canfora expecting the 49ers to be a major player for the coach’s services. We heard on Saturday McDaniels holds the 49ers’ job in high esteem, but longtime friend and fellow Patriots staffer Nick Caserio turned down an interview request from the 49ers. San Francisco seems undeterred, though, and will likely still attempt to find a GM it can pair with the Patriots’ OC, per La Canfora.
Doug Marrone remains positioned to be given a “very strong look” by the Jaguars in their coaching search, La Canfora reports. The Jags have interviewed five outside coaches thus far but obviously know more about Marrone given his work with the team as the offensive line coach and interim HC the past two seasons.

Coaching/FO Rumors: 1/8/17

January 8th, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Rory Parks

We’ve already heard a few coaching and front office rumors today, including news on an extension for Andy Reid, the future of John Dorsey, and the Bills’ continued search for a new head coach. We will round up a few more rumors on that front right here. Revisit this post for updates throughout the day, and also check out our NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker.

In addition to Anthony Lynn, the Rams are also interviewing Doug Marrone for their vacant head coaching position today, according to Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). Schrager tweets, however, that Marrone is still “very much in contention” for the Jaguars‘ head coaching job.
The 49ers will interview Seahawks co-directors of player personnel Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer for their vacant GM job next Monday, and they will interview Seattle’s assistant head coach Tom Cable for their vacant head coaching job next Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The 49ers are interviewing the Colts‘ vice president of football operations Jimmy Raye III for their GM job today, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets.

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