Jim Tomsula - Pro Football Rumors

Coach Rumors: Bears, Jets, Falcons, 49ers

January 13th, 2015 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

Two days after after coaching his final game for the Broncos, and one day after formally parting ways with the team, John Fox has an interview lined up with another club, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, who reports that the veteran coach will meet with the Bears. While Mortensen cautions that Fox isn’t a lock for the Chicago opening, he appears to be a strong candidate, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it’s the job Fox wants.

Per Mortensen, the Bears have been impressed with candidates Todd Bowles, Dan Quinn, Adam Gase, and Teryl Austin, but Bowles is considered a favorite for the Falcons, while the 49ers are reportedly making a push for Gase, and Quinn has a handful of suitors.

With six head coaching positions still available around the NFL, we could see plenty of movement this week, with multiple teams making hires. Here are the latest updates on those vacancies:

The Jets and Falcons appear to be emerging as the finalists for Bowles, the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. One source tells Florio that Bowles is “very likely” to land in New York, while another source believes he prefers Atlanta. Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Bowles, who has second interviews scheduled with both clubs, will now meet with the Jets first, rather than the Falcons, which could be a sign that New York is the current frontrunner to hire him. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Bowles will meet with Mike Maccagnan, who has yet to be officially announced as the Jets’ new general manager.
As Seth Walder of the New York Daily News details, Seahawks defensive coordinator Quinn has long been viewed as the Jets‘ top choice, but the team is exploring other options, with Quinn potentially tied up for the next several weeks. In Florio’s previously-linked piece, the PFT scribe notes that Quinn’s interest in the Jets may not be as strong as previously believed.
Peter King of The MMQB.com agrees that the Jets‘ focus appears to be shifting from Quinn to Bowles, and speculates that the Seahawks DC has another position lined up — perhaps with the Falcons, who seem to be targeting Quinn and Bowles. Weighing in on the other open positions, King says he continues to hear Jack Del Rio over Tony Sparano as the top candidate for the Raiders, and that the 49ers‘ choice may come down to Gase, Vic Fangio, or Jim Tomsula.
Despite the fact that Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has said he intends to stay in Baltimore, the Broncos will seek permission to interview him for their head coaching opening, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Washington would like to wrap up its defensive coordinator interviews within the next couple days and make a hire by week’s end, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. The club is speaking to Raheem Morris about the position today.
New Bills coach Rex Ryan will retain special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).

Coach Rumors: Fox, Bowles, Browns, Morris

January 12th, 2015 at 8:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve already posted one roundup of the latest news on the coaching front, but even more items have surfaced. Let’s dive in…

Correcting an earlier report, ESPN’s Adam Schefter says (via Twitter) that the Jets have not in fact requested an interview with ex-Broncos coach John Fox. That doesn’t mean a request won’t be made at some point soon, but as of yet, New York hasn’t been in contact with Fox.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is set to have a busy week — he’ll meet for a second time with the Falcons and Jets on Wednesday, and now the Bears are seeking a second interview with Bowles sometime this week, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times. Bowles first interviewed with Chicago on Thursday, on what was new general manager Ryan Pace’s first day.
The Browns have requested permission to interview two Cowboys offensive assistants — OC/offensive line coach Bill Callahan, and passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, tweets Schefter. Callahan, who doesn’t call the plays in Dallas (Linehan’s duty), has a relationship with Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine. The Browns tried to hire Callahan last year but Jerry Jones blocked the move, per Schefter (Twitter link). According to Schefter, the Jaguars have also requested to meet with Callahan, but Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union speculates that Jacksonille wants Callahan for its line coach position, not as an OC.
We heard earlier that Raheem Morris would interview for the Washington defensive coordinator job sometime this week, and John Keim of ESPN.com reports that the meeting will take place on Tuesday (Twitter link).
Before the news broke that Adam Gase was the frontrunner for the 49ers head coaching job, league insiders believed that defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was the favorite for the gig, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Meanwhile, if Gase does secure the San Francisco position, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle doesn’t believe that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will stick around (via Twitter).

Coach Notes: Bills, Gase, 49ers, Tomsula

January 1st, 2015 at 7:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears‘ coaching position is not among the most attractive open positions in the NFL this offseason, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Chicago job ranks well behind the 49ers and Falcons, and just barely ahead of the Jets and Raiders, according to a poll of 16 NFL executives and coaches, which was conducted before Doug Marrone opted out of his contract with the Bills. Speaking of those Bills, we have an update on their coaching search to kick off our latest round of coaching-related notes, so let’s dive in….

The Bills have become the latest team to request an interview with Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Gase, who already has interviews scheduled with the 49ers, Falcons, and Bears, becomes the first candidate solidly linked to Buffalo, though Frank Reich, Jim Schwartz, and Bill Cowher have been cited as potential targets as well.
Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula hasn’t yet officially met with the 49ers to discuss the team’s head coaching position, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who tweets that the Niners brass is conducting a round of meetings on the road.
As the 49ers search for their next head coach, the team will likely prioritize candidates that fit in with GM Trent Baalke‘s vision for a power running game and a dominating defense, writes Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. That means that defensive-minded coaches may have an advantage during the interview process.
The Eagles‘ dismissal of Tom Gamble shows that Chip Kelly doesn’t have complete authority in Philadelphia, writes Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who wonders how the decision will affect the head coach’s future with the franchise.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Allen, Wayne, Eagles, Bears

December 31st, 2014 at 9:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Washington GM Bruce Allen held his year-end press conference today and was put in a position where he more or less had to defend his job, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. At the presser, Allen defended the signing of free agent defensive end Jason Hatcher and putting the franchise tag on linebacker Brian Orakpo. Orakpo was given the franchise tag despite a serious injury history and Hatcher was given a lucrative deal despite mild production prior to his walk year. Here’s more from around the league in our New Year’s Eve edition of Extra Points..

If pressed for a decision, Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne says he’d come back for 2015, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells writes. “If I had to answer that question today, I’d say I’ll be back… as long as the Colts would have me,” he said on his weekly radio show on WNDE-1260 AM in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
The Eagles released Tom Gamble, their vice president of player personnel, earlier today. The move adds weight to speculation that coach Chip Kelly and general manager Howie Roseman have not seen eye to eye over the last year, ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan writes.
The Bears have requested to interview five GM candidates, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter): Chris Ballard (Chiefs), Lake Dawson (Titans), Eric DeCosta (Ravens), Brian Gaine (Texans), and Ryan Pace (Saints).
Colts backup Matt Hasselbeck isn’t under contract for 2015, but he’s also not thinking about retirement, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Neither he nor the Colts have discussed a return just yet, but he sounds very open to the idea.
The Buccaneers like Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but they could have competition for his services, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. A source says that Koetter is held in high regard by two other head coaching candidates: Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and San Francisco defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looked ahead at what’s in store for the Titans this offseason.
Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson declined a plea bargain on an October arrest, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Johnson becomes a free agent in early March and has said that he will seek a multi-year deal.

Volin’s Latest: McDaniels, 49ers, Reich, Jets

December 30th, 2014 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

As reports continue to trickle in on the NFL’s five head coaching openings, as well as the GM vacancies in Chicago and New York, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe explores the rumor mill and passes along a handful of interesting tidbits in his latest column. Here are the highlights:

One league source tells Volin that without Jon Gruden or Jim Harbaugh in the mix for any of the current openings, there’s a “dearth of superstar candidates.” The source expects most teams to hire candidates with previous head coaching experience.
Volin hears from one source the Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will be “very careful” about which opportunities he pursues. The source predicts that the Falcons will be the only club McDaniels seriously considers, given his relationship with general manager Thomas Dimitroff and the presence of a solid, risk-free quarterback in Matt Ryan.
An internal promotion remains a strong possibility for the 49ers, despite the fact that the team is reaching out to several outside candidates. Volin hears that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a likelier candidate than defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.
According to Volin, Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich is the “most serious” candidate for the Jets‘ head coaching vacancy in the early stages of that search. Reich is also expected to be a top candidate for the Bills if Doug Marrone decides to opt out of his contract, though Marrone is considered likely to stay in Buffalo.
One source predicts to Volin that Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin isn’t yet completely safe, in spite of owner Stephen Ross‘ comments earlier this month.
Former Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland could get a few interviews this offseason, but he has nothing lined up at the moment, says Volin.

49ers Notes: Beckham, Tomsula, Harbaugh

December 29th, 2014 at 10:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers liked Odell Beckham Jr. quite a bit in the 2014 draft, but GM Trent Baalke says the price was just too rich for his blood, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. “He’s a heck of talent,” Baalke said. “He was graded as a heck of a talent by our scouts, by our coaches, by all parties. But what it would have taken to make that move would have cost us our first-, our second- and one of our third-round picks and maybe something on top of that. So, in essence, you would have been giving up (cornerback) Jimmie Ward, you would have been giving up (center) Marcus Martin or (linebacker) Chris Borland and you would have given up (running back) Carlos Hyde, plus somebody else. So you would have given up three young quality players to get one. And that was decision that collectively we weren’t willing to make.” Tonight’s look at the Niners..

The 49ers will be interviewing their defensive line coach, Jim Tomsula, for the head coaching opening, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Baalke said the 49ers will spend “seven to ten days interviewing” candidates to be team’s next head coach, tweets Lindsay Jones of USA Today.
Baalke says he will have control of the 53-man roster with the new head coach, according to Christian Gin of Examiner (on Twitter). He went on to say that at least one NFL team contacted him about some possible trade for Jim Harbaugh.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Bears, Giants, Eagles

December 28th, 2014 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Once Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers inevitably part ways at some point this week, the club will need to begin its search to find his replacement as head coach. Appearing on FOX Sports, Jay Glazer (Twitter link via his colleague, Mike Garafolo) listed several candidates that San Francisco will likely interview: Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, Jim Tomsula, Teryl Austin, Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, and interestingly, UCLA head coach Jim Mora. Mora, who’s held head coaching positions with both the Falcons and Seahawks, was also mentioned as an NCAA coach likely to jump to the NFL by Albert Breer of NFL.com on Daniel Jeremiah’s Move the Sticks podcast two weeks ago. Here’s more from the NFC…

Bears assistant coaches believe they will believe they will be fired after today’s game, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes that “wholesale changes” could be coming to Chicago. In the same vein, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune examined what the future holds for the Bears, who are expected to fire head coach Marc Trestman and possibly GM Phil Emery.
Tom Coughlin hasn’t been made aware of his status for 2015, but the expectation is that he will return to coach the Giants next year, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been unequivocal in explaining that he won’t give New York a deal when it a comes to negotiations, and today he offered an even stronger, and quotable, declaration of his feelings. “Do you give discounts?” he asked Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link). “Do you get discounts when you go to Macy’s?”
Eagles FB/TE James Casey is due $4MM next season, and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter) doubts that he’ll return to Philly next season. Per Berman, Casey signed on with the Eagles in the hopes of getting extensive time on offense, but he’s become more of a special teams player.
49ers linebacker Dan Skuta is a free agent at season’s end, and Cam Inman of the Mercury News believes (Twitter link) that he’ll follow current San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to his next stop.

Coaching, GM Notes: 49ers, Sparano, Jets, Saints

December 22nd, 2014 at 3:04pm CST by Rob DiRe

Saints‘ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been disappointing this season, and with the team eliminated from playoff contention in a historically lackluster division, Ryan’s job could be in jeopardy, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN. The Saints’ players, however, expect their coach back next year, including defensive backs Kenny Vaccaro and Keenan Lewis.

“Rob will be here,” Vaccaro said. “Rob’s my guy. I love Rob. I’ll fight for Rob every game. I’m a Rob guy, so there’s no point even asking me about Rob. He’ll ride with me until the end.”

“I want him back. I’m gonna ride with him 100, no matter what the situation is. A great coordinator,” said Lewis. “You can’t just blame him when things go wrong.”

Here some other organizational notes as we approach the end of this NFL regular season:

The 49ers are already vetting potential head coaches, and could look to a division rival to find their man, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. In the video clip associated with that Bleacher Report article, Cole puts the spotlight on Seahawks‘ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as a top option to replace Jim Harbaugh. Cole also believes the team could target Patriots‘ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The top in-house candidate is defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.
Tony Sparano has gone 3-8 as interim head coach of the Raiders, and while he isn’t expected to be the team’s first choice, he is a legitimate candidate to be the head coach in 2015, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. Harbaugh is thought to be the team’s number one option, but if he decides to take a different job either in the NFL or with the University of Michigan, Williamson believes that Sparano will be among a group of coaches considered for the job.
Williamson also notes that among other coaching candidates to emerge for the Raiders will be Broncos‘ defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Del Rio has previous head coaching experience with the Jaguars.
After hiring Charlie Casserly as a consultant, Jason La Canfora has made a connection between the potential general manager opening with the Jets and Texans‘ scouting director Mike Maccagnan (via Twitter). He believes Maccagnan has a strong relationship with Casserly. La Canfora also highlights Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles as a coaching candidate due to his relationship with Casserly from their time together in Washington (via Twitter).

La Canfora’s Latest: 49ers, Saints, RGIII

November 30th, 2014 at 10:36am CST by Rory Parks

It is almost a foregone conclusion that 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh will not be prowling the San Francisco sidelines after the 2014 season. Although much of the talk concerning the 49ers’ head coaching situation has centered around Harbaugh’s next destination, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports examines how the team might go about replacing its successful but polarizing general.

Although Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase would be a logical external candidate, La Canfora writes that the 49ers plan to thoroughly evaluate their internal options and that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula would be at the top of the team’s list. Both men have done an exceptional job during their tenure with the club, and 2014 might represent their high-water mark as coaches, given that the 49ers’ defense has thrived in the midst of injuries to some of its best players.

Tomsula is a personal favorite of owner Jed York, and both he and Fangio are expected to receive interest from other clubs looking to fill head coaching positions. However, the team would like to keep as much of its talented defensive staff in place as possible, particularly since Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Greg Roman are expected to follow Harbaugh wherever he goes. Hiring Tomsula or Fangio would also mesh with San Francisco’s preferred operating procedure, as it would be out of character for the team to attempt to attract a big-name, big-money coach from outside the organization.

Let’s take a look at some other relevant issues that La Canfora has touched on this morning:

La Canfora writes that there is a growing rift between Saints head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, and that the team is expected to find a new defensive coordinator–which would be its fifth in Payton’s nine-year tenure–after the season. Citing an unnamed source, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweets that La Canfora’s report is “very accurate,” although Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that he has not heard about the friction between Payton and Ryan.
La Canfora tweets that he expects “substantial change” on the Saints and 49ers rosters after this season given the teams’ high salary cap numbers and large salaries.
If Washington were to try to trade quarterback Robert Griffin III after the season, La Canfora writes that the team is unlikely to get more than a third round pick for him.
We learned earlier today that the Ravens are expected to reward Justin Forsett with a multiyear deal after this season, but La Canfora notes that Forsett’s contract prevents him from signing an in-season extension if Baltimore were inclined to lock him up sooner. As former agent Joel Corry tweets, Forsett’s age (30) will limit the size of his contract, despite his “low mileage.”
Although the Colts have stated they do not have interest in bringing Ray Rice aboard, La Canfora wonders if the team’s need at running back and Rice’s relationship with head coach Chuck Pagano will be enough for them to change their stance.

Latest On Jim Harbaugh, 49ers

November 28th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Even before last night’s ugly home loss against the Seahawks, the future of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was very much up in the air, with many observers around the league believing someone else will be coaching the club in 2015. Following yesterday’s loss, Harbaugh’s seat seems to be even hotter. Niners CEO Jed York tweeted after the game that his team’s performance “wasn’t acceptable,” and apologized to fans for the showing, prompting speculation that Harbaugh might not even last until season’s end. While I don’t think a move involving Harbaugh is imminent, there’s certainly a sense of unease in San Francisco, where the Niners’ 7-5 record makes it an uphill battle to a playoff spot.

Here’s more on Harbaugh and the 49ers:

While the notion of firing Harbaugh with several games left in the season “seems beyond ludicrous on the surface,” there’s a strong sense in league circles that the front office is looking forward to Harbaugh’s exit, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As such, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the club parts ways with Harbaugh and promotes Jim Tomsula to head coach to try to make a last-ditch run to the postseason. Still, with just four games left on the 2014 schedule, it seems more likely that the team will play out the year with Harbaugh and then try to see if they can trade him in the offseason to a team in need of a new coach.
As something of an aside, Florio notes in the aforementioned piece that multiple league insiders believe Tomsula has the inside track to succeed Harbaugh as the Niners’ next head coach.
The daughter of Niners general manager Trent Baalke tweeted after last night’s game that offensive coordinator Greg Roman “can take a hike,” though she has since deleted the tweet. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link) acknowledges that replacing Roman is one major move the team could make, but says there’s no indication Harbaugh is looking to make a change.
Asked after last night’s loss if it was time to reevaluate the offense and make major changes, Harbaugh replied, “We always do that. We’ll do that again. We’ll evaluate it. I don’t know what you refer to with major changes” (link via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).
For what it’s worth, Harbaugh had no reaction to York’s tweet, writes Maiocco at CSNBayArea.com.
Prior to last night’s game, Florio wrote in a separate PFT piece that the 49ers’ silence on Harbaugh’s future has been deafening. With little support from the San Francisco front office, the question is now where Harbaugh will wind up — per Florio, many expect him to stay in the Bay Area, or at least on the West Coast, and the Raiders are viewed as the most likely landing spot.

Zach Links contributed to this post.