Jeff Fisher - Pro Football Rumors

Jeff Fisher To Coach In USFL

January 27th, 2022 at 7:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The latest spring football experiment will involve a few former NFL coaches. The United States Football League’s second effort will feature former Titans and Rams HC Jeff Fisher as one of its coaches.

Fisher, 63, will coach the Michigan Panthers in the rebooting league, which is set to begin play April 16. Fisher has not coached since the Rams fired him late in the 2016 season.

Fisher was also linked to a job with the second XFL iteration but did not end up coaching in that 2020 winter/spring effort. The veteran sideline leader coached the Oilers and Titans for 17 seasons and lasted five years with the Rams, steering two franchises that ended up relocating. The Titans made the playoffs six times under Fisher, but the Rams did not rebound from their lengthy swoon during his time in St. Louis and Los Angeles. The former AFC champion HC is the NFL’s 12th-winningest coach, with 173 wins.

Former Chiefs HC Todd Haley, ex-Chargers HC Mike Riley and longtime NFL assistant Kirby Wilson will also be head coaches in this eight-team league. This USFL will play all its games at multiple sites in Birmingham, Ala.

This Date In Transactions History: Rams Fire Jeff Fisher

December 12th, 2021 at 1:33pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2016, the Rams moved on from Jeff Fisher. The decision came on the heels of a brutal loss to the Falcons, one that tied Fisher for the most losses of any NFL head coach in league history.

Fisher’s 165th L tied Dan Reeves for the all-time record, though Reeves had 190 career wins vs. Fisher’s 173. Across 22 years of coaching, Fisher made the playoffs just six times, and none of those postseason appearances came in St. Louis or Los Angeles.

“Making a decision such as this – especially during the season – is one of the most difficult in sports,” Rams owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement. “I have great respect for Jeff as a coach, person, father and friend. He has worked tirelessly despite some challenging circumstances. He played an integral role in helping this team make history in returning the NFL to Los Angeles, and we always will be grateful for his commitment and dedication to our organization. However, this is the right time to make a change as our performance has not lived up to my or our fans’ expectations. We all are focused on improving as an organization and building a team that makes Los Angeles proud. Our mission is to celebrate a Super Bowl title with our fans in Los Angeles. Today is the first step to bringing us closer to that goal.”

The Rams installed special teams coordinator John Fassel as their interim head coach before installing Sean McVay — Washington’s young offensive coordinator — as their next HC. McVay’s Rams nearly achieved Kroenke’s mission in 2018, before falling to the Patriots in the championship game.

Despite the ups and downs over the last four years-and-change, the Rams are undeniably in a better place today. The Rams have reached the playoffs in three of the last four years and they’re currently on track to go 4-for-5 with a Wild Card berth.

Cowboys To Focus On Coaches With NFL Experience

January 6th, 2020 at 8:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys will focus their search on coaches with extensive NFL experience, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen. That would rule out several candidates from the college ranks, including former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, Baylor’s Matt Rhule and Florida’s Dan Mullen.

Over the weekend, the Cowboys interviewed former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, two men with lengthy resumes in the pro ranks. They also took the long-expected step of formally announcing that Jason Garrett would not return to the team in 2020.

Also of note – the Cowboys spoke with former Rams and Titans head coach Jeff Fisher via phone, according to Mortensen, but it’s not clear if he’ll be considered for the vacancy. Fisher famously boasts a near .500 record in the regular season (173-165-1) with a 5-6 record postseason and his three-year layoff from coaching may be a barrier. Still, Mortensen notes that Fisher is held in high regard by owner Jerry Jones and team vice president Stephen Jones. When we last heard Fisher’s name, it was in connection with the XFL.

Jeff Fisher Talked To XFL?

April 19th, 2019 at 10:53am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Buckle up everybody, Jeff Fisher could be back on a sideline soon. A mini Twitter controversy erupted when Fisher himself chimed in to refute a report that he says jumped the gun. It all started when Jason La Canfora tweeted he was “hearing Jeff Fisher is in line to coach Houston of the XFL.”

Fisher then responded with a tweet of his own, saying “false news that I am headed to XFL Houston. Maybe get better sources?” La Canfora stood by his reporting, saying in a second tweet that Fisher “absolutely talked to XFL about the Houston opening, he remains their top choice for that job and the job is still vacant.”

Fisher had previously been consulting for the now-defunct Alliance of American Football, so he clearly is open to the idea of working with an alternative pro league. Fisher has been the butt of many jokes from NFL fans, and has struggled to get back into the league since the Rams fired him toward the end of the 2016 season. Recently, Fisher indicated he would only come back to be a head coach and wasn’t interested in being a coordinator.

At 173-165-1 for his career, Fisher has the 12th-most wins in NFL history. That being said, Fisher hasn’t taken a team to the playoffs since the 2008 season when he was with the Titans. He’s also explored broadcasting opportunities the past couple of seasons, and was rumored to be joining FOX last July. Fisher specifically said “XFL Houston” in his tweet, so it’s possible he’s hinting that he could be joining the XFL in a different city.

In other XFL news, the league has hired Jonathan Hayes to coach its St. Louis franchise, according to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. The St. Louis team will play in the same stadium the Rams used to play in, so Hayes will be coaching in Fisher’s old stomping grounds. Hayes spent the past 16 seasons on Marvin Lewis’ staff coaching the tight ends with the Bengals, but was swept out when Lewis was fired after this past season.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Anthem, Fisher, Jets

July 19th, 2018 at 9:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins (perhaps unintentionally) became the first team to publicly wade into the national anthem protest debate, as the club listed “proper anthem conduct” as a section under actions considered “conduct detrimental to the club,” reports Rob Maadi of the Associated Press. Miami later clarified that the NFL required clubs to stipulate their anthem policy before training camp, so the Dolphins — who open camp on Friday — were forced to list their policy somewhere. Now that the NFL and NFLPA have announced the league’s anthem stance, which would have fined the clubs of players who did not “show respect” while the anthem was performed, is on hold for the time being, the Dolphins’ actions won’t have much of an effect.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

FOX may aim to hire former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher as a game analyst, but it doesn’t sound as though Fisher will call a full slate. “I don’t think 15-16 games in the fall is something I wanna do right now because I still have that desire to get back on the sideline,” Fisher said, per SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Fisher isn’t going to find a coaching job at this point in the offseason, so it’s unclear why a 16-game schedule would affect his plans to return to the coaching ranks. Nevertheless, Fisher appears likely to re-appear during the 2019 hiring cycle, although it’s anyone’s guess as to whether any NFL clubs will express interest after he posted a 31-45-1 record with the Rams.
Former Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant wasn’t selected in last week’s supplemental draft, but he did eventually land with the Jets, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) has now provided the terms of Bryant’s rookie contract. Bryant will earn the league minimum after inking a three-year deal worth $1.73MM, and also received a $20K signing bonus and a $70K overall guarantee. Certainly, that contract won’t tie Bryant to New York’s roster, but he could force his way onto the club with a standout training camp and/or preseason performance.
In case you missed it, new Bears wideout Allen Robinson won’t start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, a good sign after he missed the 2017 season with a torn ACL.

FOX May Hire Jeff Fisher As Analyst

July 11th, 2018 at 4:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Jeff Fisher recently said that he is still eyeing an NFL head coaching job, though he does not want to work as a coordinator or assistant in the interim. In keeping with that, Fisher could stay involved in the football world as an analyst. FOX Sports is talking to Fisher about serving as one of its NFL game analysts this season, sources tell Michael McCarthy of the Sporting News.

Fisher was not seriously considered for any head coaching vacancies this offseason, even though he was reportedly eyeing jobs with the Colts, Browns, and Bears. The Bears hired Matt Nagy, the Colts went with Frank Reich, and the Browns retained Hue Jackson despite speculation that his job was in jeopardy. Fisher has connections throughout the NFL, but those contacts did not yield an interview this year.

Fisher boasts 22 years of head coaching experience, but he has five 8-8 seasons and four 7-9 seasons (plus one 7-8-1 campaign) on his record. Those numbers largely overshadow his successes, including his multiple playoff teams in Tennessee.

In his nearly five year run with the Rams, Fisher went 31-45-1 with no playoff appearances. He had better success with the Titans, though they reached the Super Bowl just once in his 17 years at the helm. Overall, Fisher owns a career 173-165-1 regular season record.

It’s not immediately clear whether Fisher would serve as a color commentator for FOX or as a studio analyst.

Latest On Jeff Fisher

May 30th, 2018 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

Jeff Fisher has been out of the coaching world since being fired by the Rams in 2016. Apparently, he has had opportunities to come back to the sidelines as an assistant coach, but he is holding out for another head coaching gig.

“I’ve had opportunities to stay in it, but I don’t see myself coming back and coordinating,” Fisher told SiriusXM. “As we all know, success in the National Football League is built on a number of different things. And it starts with the quarterback and you’ve got to stay healthy and you’ve got to hit things running and you’ve got to have a good staff, all those things. So getting out for a year or two, I don’t think that should, by any teams, eliminate somebody.”

At 173-165-1, Fisher has the 12th-most wins in NFL history. However, a Fisher-led team has not made the playoffs since 2008 when he was with the Titans.

You can never say never on Fisher’s candidacy, but he would not be the most exciting hire for a team. Fisher has had five 8-8 seasons and four 7-9 seasons (plus one 7-8-1 campaign) as head coach, numbers that have largely overshadowed his success in Tennessee. In his nearly five year run with the Rams, Fisher went 31-45-1 with no playoff appearances.

Fisher says that he has been contacted by networks for broadcasting opportunities over the last couple of years, but he declined because he did not believe that former rivals like Seahawks coach Pete Carroll would give him information in pre-production meetings. But, if Fisher does not get the head coaching opportunity he’s after, he says he’ll reconsider television.

Fisher, who has the 12th-most wins in NFL history, celebrated his 60th birthday this past winter.

Jeff Fisher On Rams’ Success, Jared Goff, Coaching Record

December 23rd, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jeff Fisher‘s name has resurfaced recently as coaching changes are set to commence. The multi-decade sideline veteran wants another chance as a head coach. Fisher is eager to “salvage his legacy” and has already begun contacting potential staff members in the event he does receive the keys to a third NFL franchise.

The former Rams and Oilers/Titans leader said during a radio interview he had “a lot to do with” assembling the roster Sean McVay has on the cusp of an NFC West championship.

“I have no regrets whatsoever,” Fisher said on Nashville’s 104.5-FM (via Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News). “I am a huge fan of the Rams players. They’re basically — I don’t want to say my players — but I had a lot to do with that roster. Left them in pretty good shape, and Sean, as he has shown in a short period of time, is an outstanding young coach, and he’s got the offense going, which was needed.”

The core of this Rams roster — Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Trumaine Johnson and Co. — arrived during Fisher and Les Snead‘s four-plus-year run together. However, the veteran coach couldn’t steer the Rams into the playoffs. They are likely to snap a 13-year drought. Fisher traced some of his struggles back to Sam Bradford‘s ACL tears in 2013 and ’14, when the team ended up going 7-9 and 6-10, respectively.

“We were making progress and the team was deprived,” Fisher said. “It was deprived of talent. So we started building. The next year, our quarterback tears his ACL. The next year, our quarterback tears his ACL again.”

A Fisher-led team has not made the playoffs since the 2008 Titans. That drought — an eight-season hiatus — helped tie Fisher with Dan Reeves for the most losses in NFL history by a coach. The Rams fired him before he could potentially set the record. At 173-165-1, Fisher has the 12th-most wins in NFL history.

“My perspective is different because I went through it and I know exactly what I went through,” Fisher said. “I get a kick out of people (saying), ‘Oh, you just tied Dan Reeves for most losses in the history of the National Football League.’ Well, I’m a few wins away from being in the top 10. So, where do you want to emphasize? What’s your point?

“Two different franchises, five different cities, six different stadiums. Not an easy thing to do. The Chargers moved from San Diego to Orange County and started 0-4 (this season). Relocation is huge. And I’m not making excuses.”

Lastly, Fisher addressed Goff’s progress under McVay. Fisher kept fellow 2017 breakout performer Case Keenum in over Goff for several games last season, one that did not go well for Goff — or just about any Rams offensive player involved a league-worst attack — but said he kept the No. 1 pick on the bench for protection purposes.

“All through it, I was thinking about the best interests of the franchise, not myself,” Fisher said. “If I was worried about myself, I probably would have started him from day one and said, ‘Hey, this guy is going to be a better player.’ That was his rookie year, so we could chalk (struggles) up to a rookie year, but no, I wanted to do what was best for Jared.“

Extra Points: Fisher, Sherman, Packers

December 22nd, 2017 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Jeff Fisher may have his eye on the Browns, Colts, and Bears vacancies, but does any NFL team want him? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders aloud if Fisher could be back as an NFL head coach. Fans have scoffed at the idea that Fisher – he of many 7-9 and 8-8 seasons – could get another chance, but Florio rightly notes that it only takes one owner to side with Fisher’s experience over the potential of a younger candidate. Conversely, Florio wonders if the fan backlash that prevented Greg Schiano from joining the University of Tennessee could scare an owner away from an unpopular choice like Fisher.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

The Raiders, Bengals, Buccaneers, Titans, and Bears are the teams that will have the most cap flexibility this offseason, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. If the Raiders want to make a splash, they can create up to $91MM in cap room by slashing the roster while only taking on $12.6MM in dead money. The Packers missed the top five cut, but they’re roughly in the same category as the others – they can free up $73MM with $29MM in leftover obligations.
CFL’s Montreal Alouettes announce the hiring of Mike Sherman as the team’s new head coach. Sherman coached the Packers from 2000 to 2005
The Chiefs worked out punter Taylor Symmank on Friday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Jeff Fisher Eyeing Browns, Colts, Bears?

December 19th, 2017 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

Are you ready for the return of Jeff Fisher? The former Titans and Rams head coach is looking to get back in the NFL and it sounds like he has his eye on a trio of potential openings. Fisher sees himself as a fit for the Browns, Colts, and Bears, should those jobs become available, according to Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (Twitter link).

Despite 22 years of head coaching experience, Fisher would not be a particularly sexy hire for any NFL team. He’s had five 8-8 seasons and four 7-9 seasons (plus one 7-8-1 campaign) as head coach, a stat that seemingly overshadows his successful playoff teams in Tennessee.

Fisher’s second act with the Rams did not go as planned, but he remains extremely well connected in league circles and it would not be surprising to see him at least land an interview or two. Depending on how things go from there, Fisher could be running things on the sidelines once again.

In his nearly five year run with the Rams, Fisher went 31-45-1 with no playoff appearances. He had better success with the Titans, though they reached the Super Bowl just once in his 17 years at the helm. Overall, Fisher owns a career 173-165-1 regular season record.

No one would be surprised if the Colts and Bears part ways with Chuck Pagano and John Fox, respectively. The Browns have pledged to bring Hue Jackson back for another season, but new GM John Dorsey has sidestepped questions about Jackson’s job security.