HEADLINES

Kelly Skipper

Coaching Notes: 49ers, Rams, Bears, Bills

January 18th, 2017 at 2:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The fact that Kyle Shanahan is the only head coaching possibility remaining in the 49ers’ once-deep pool of candidates gives him significant leverage, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Along with helping the 49ers pick their next general manager, which he’ll do next week, Shanahan is expected to become the highest-paid rookie head coach of all-time, according to Florio. Moreover, Shanahan – not his GM – will likely have final say over the roster and draft in San Francisco.

One problem the 49ers have encountered during their head coaching search is the amount of influence that CEO Jed York’s right-hand man, Paraag Marathe, has over football matters, relays Florio. While it won’t bother Shanahan enough to avoid taking the job, Marathe’s presence could become an issue down the line, Florio suggests.

In the improbable event Shanahan turns the Niners down, it would be catastrophic for a franchise whose reputation has been in serious decline since it parted with Jim Harbaugh a couple years ago, observes CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. The 49ers have fired their post-Harbaugh head coaches, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, after one season apiece and a combined 7-25 record. And those two were not coveted around the NFL when the 49ers hired them. Rather, the team had to settle in each case, and things could get even worse this year if Shanahan stays in Atlanta and San Fran has to go back to the drawing board as February approaches.

In other coaching news…

  • The possibility of longtime NFL assistant Aaron Kromer serving as Rams head coach Sean McVay‘s offensive coordinator is “getting stronger,” tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. McVay wants someone with an O-line background to fill the role, and Kromer has plenty of experience in that regard. He has overseen the lines in Oakland, New Orleans and Buffalo, and has also been an offensive coordinator in Chicago.
  • The Bears will hire Curtis Modkins as their running backs coach, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll replace Stan Drayton, who left after Chicago’s season ended to take a job at the University of Texas. Modkins, who was the aforementioned Chip Kelly‘s offensive coordinator in San Francisco in 2016, has also coached running backs in Kansas City, Arizona and Detroit.
  • The Bills have named Kelly Skipper their running backs coach, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Skipper previously held those roles in Oakland and Jacksonville, two places where he worked under then-offensive coordinator Greg Olson. The connection is notable because Olson is the only known candidate for the Bills’ O-coordinator job.

AFC South Notes: Colts, Chudzinski, Jaguars

January 27th, 2015 at 6:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance added a pair of big names as endorsers this week, hiring NBA star Kevin Durant and Texans star J.J. Watt, as Darren Rovell of ESPN.com writes. Watt, who had 20.5 sacks and five touchdowns this season, is known for his humanitarian endeavors and the endorsement deal will have a tie-in with his personal charity. More from the AFC South..

  • The new deal that Rob Chudzinski signed to remain with the Colts is only for one year, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Still, Chudzinski, who was named associate head coach, is the probable heir apparent to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton if Hamilton leaves next year, says Rapoport.
  • Devin McCourty is the sort of impact free agent who would be an ideal fit for the Jaguars, but Jacksonville may not get a chance to make a play for the Pats safety, who is a franchise tag candidate, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Earlier this afternoon, I took a look at McCourty and other AFC East players who could be tagged this offseason.
  • After interviewing him earlier today, the Jaguars have hired Kelly Skipper as their new running backs coach, parting ways with Terry Richardson, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.

Coach Notes: Broncos, Phillips, Schwartz, Jets

January 27th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

As our offensive/defensive coordinator search tracker shows, hirings of OCs and DCs have slowed down a little in the last few days — the teams that headed into this past weekend with job openings on either side of the ball have yet to name their new coordinators, and in some cases those clubs may wait until after the Super Bowl to announce any official decisions.

Still, that doesn’t mean there’s no forward movement on any coordinator searches. An update out of Denver headlines our latest round-up of coaching-related items, so let’s dive right in….

  • Former head coach Wade Phillips is in Denver today to interview for the Broncos‘ defensive coordinator position, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who notes that Phillips coached the team way back when John Elway and Gary Kubiak were players.
  • While Phillips is a viable candidate for the DC job in Denver, the Broncos‘ top choice still appears to be Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports tweets that one potential scenario would see Phillips getting the job for 2015, then transitioning to a senior assistant role in 2016 when Joseph is freed from his contract in Cincinnati.
  • Former Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz confirmed that he’s being selective about the next job he takes, as Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun writes. “I saw the opening up in Buffalo as a good opportunity, so I took it,” Schwartz said. “But no, right now, I can’t see myself doing anything else. Coaching is something I love, something I have a passion about. Another opportunity will present itself. I’m not too concerned.” Schwartz reportedly had two years remaining on his contract in Buffalo when the team let him go, which is perhaps contributing to his patient approach to finding another job.
  • Titans assistant receivers coach Kevin Patullo will be the new quarterbacks coach for the Jets, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Patullo previously worked with new Jets OC Chan Gailey in Buffalo.
  • Former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is currently considering multiple options, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The 49ers reportedly have an offer out to Fewell, and the Bengals could be in the mix as well, though Raanan writes that Washington may have the edge.
  • The Jaguars have fired running backs coach Terry Richardson and are interviewing former Raiders running backs coach Kelly Skipper for the newly-opened job, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Skipper worked with new Jags OC Greg Olson in Oakland.
  • Speaking of the Jaguars, their current defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker is drawing interest from other teams, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • Earlier today, we learned that Rob Chudzinski, an offensive coordinator target for both the Rams and 49ers, would stick with the Colts and receive a new title.