Marc Trestman - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching Notes: Johnson, Falcons, Kubiak, Harbaugh

January 24th, 2015 at 10:49am CST by Ben Levine

Following a career that featured stops with the Giants and Jets, former NFL linebacker Pepper Johnson is returning to New York. The 50-year-old will be joining Todd Bowles staff as the Jets‘ defensive line coach, the team announced.

Johnson was on the Patriots coaching staff for 14 seasons, which included stints as the team’s linebacker and defensive line coach. He spent last season as the Bills defensive line coach.

Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the league…

Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets that the Falcons have interest in coach Raheem Morris, and NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports (via Twitter) that Washington has granted Atlanta permission to interview their defensive backs coach.
Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun that he “had a blast” as the Ravens offensive coordinator. The 53-year-old is also fond of his replacement in Baltimore, former Bears head coach Marc Trestman. “I think Marc will be a really good fit for Joe [Flacco]. Marc has a good personality. Joe is a mild-mannered guy, but he’s a fiery competitor on the field. I think he and Marc will do very well together.”
Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press had some interesting notes on Jim Harbaugh‘s contract with Michigan. If the coach were to leave his contract early, he’d owe the school a prorated portion of his $2MM signing bonus. The contract also calls for flexibility should the total amount eventually fall below market value.

Ravens Hire Marc Trestman As OC

January 20th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

3:31pm: It’ll be a three-year agreement for Trestman and the Ravens, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

2:31pm: Marc Trestman, who was let go by the Bears at season’s end, has become the third 2014 head coach today to land a new job with another team. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Trestman will replace Gary Kubiak in Baltimore, having been hired as the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator.

Despite a nightmarish season in Chicago which saw Jay Cutler under fire from critics and resulted in Trestman losing his job, the Bears’ offense actually ranked in the top half of the league in DVOA, finishing 14th after placing sixth in 2013. The offense never fully came together and produced consistently in 2014, but Trestman had success with Cutler and Josh McCown the year before, and Chicago’s poor defensive play played a larger part in the team’s overall struggles than the offense did.

After being fired by the Bears, Trestman reportedly interviewed with the Jaguars and Browns, and was mentioned as a possible target for a couple other clubs in the market for an offensive coordinator. While his disappointing stint with the Bears didn’t earn him interviews for other head coaching jobs, the 59-year-old still has a strong resumé as an offensive coach, having previously acted as the offensive coordinator for the Browns, 49ers, Cardinals, and Raiders.

Once it became clear that Kubiak was headed to Denver to become the Broncos’ new head coach, the Ravens reportedly identified Adam Gase and Rick Dennison as potential offensive coordinator candidates. However, Dennison followed Kubiak to the Broncos to become the new OC in Denver. As for Gase, a report earlier this week indicated that he was likely to land with either the Ravens or Jaguars, so perhaps Baltimore’s hiring of Trestman opens the door for Gase to land in Jacksonville — he still has multiple suitors though.

Besides Trestman, former Bills head coach Doug Marrone and ex-Raiders head coach Dennis Allen have also found new jobs today, reaching agreements with the Jaguars and Saints respectively, in assistant roles.

Raiders Hire Bill Musgrave As OC

January 19th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a couple weeks of speculation, Jack Del Rio is finally solidifying his coaching staff. The Raiders have hired Bill Musgrave as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced on Twitter. The NFL Network’s Michael Silver was the first to break the news (via Twitter).

Musgrave’s coaching career began with Oakland in 1997, when he served as the team’s quarterbacks coach. Since then, the 47-year-old has bounced around the league, including stints as the Jaguars and Vikings offensive coordinator. This past season, he served as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach. Besides the Oakland connection, the hiring is also a reunion for Del Rio and Musgrave, as the two coached together in Jacksonville.

The team had previously expressed interest in Broncos coordinator Adam Gase, but those plans may have changed following his interview with the Ravens this evening. The team also reportedly pursued Marc Trestman, with recent reports suggesting that Trestman was going to be in for an interview later this week. However, ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson tweets that there is a “lot of disappointment” surrounding the organization’s inability to add Trestman, so the former Bears coach may have rejected the opportunity in Oakland.

The Raiders haven’t officially parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Olson, but the coach has consistently been mentioned in the rumor mill over the past month. It can be presumed that the 51-year-old will likely be released from his contract instead of accepting a demotion, though that’s only my speculation.

West Notes: Manning, Trestman, Lynch

January 18th, 2015 at 10:18am CST by Rory Parks

We heard earlier this morning that current Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will accept the Broncos‘ head coaching job if and when it is offered to him, and there are a number of items related to the Broncos’ head coaching search to pass on, along with several notes from other clubs in the league’s west divisions. Let’s take a look:

Citing colleague Ian Rapoport, NFL.com’s Conor Orr writes that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is still undecided about his future, and even though many believe his return to Denver is a foregone conclusion, Rapoport wonders if Denver’s recent activity has laid the foundation for the team to hit the reset button. After all, as Orr writes, “John Elway was concerned about the team’s toughness after a loss to St. Louis earlier in the season and wondered if his team had gotten as good as they possibly could with the current staff and roster.” Manning still has a month to make up his mind before taking a physical that will lock in his $19MM salary for next year.
Benjamin Hochman and Mike Klis of the Denver Post wonder if the Broncos would be better off if Manning were to hang up the spikes right now (spoiler alert: the answer is “no”).
Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com asked former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer how Kubiak and Manning will overcome the conflicts between Manning’s abilities and Kubiak’s style of play-calling, and Plummer describes how the two men could make it work.
Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com looks at a few standouts from yesterday’s East-West Shrine Classic that could be of interest to the Chargers.
Citing Rapoport, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes that the Raiders, as expected, will interview Marc Trestman for their offensive coordinator vacancy within the next several days.
Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times believes the Seahawks should retain Marshawn Lynch for at least one more season.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes that former Youngstown State head coach Eric Wolford is set to become the 49ers‘ assistant offensive line coach.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Broncos, Wallace, Jets

January 16th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing reporters at Jack Del Rio‘s introductory press conference today, Raiders owner Mark Davis announced that CFO Marc Badain had been named team president, and indicated that Del Rio “has all the resources he needs” to go out and hire assistant coaches (Twitter links via Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer). And it appears that Del Rio has taken advantage of those resources to land his first offensive assistant — Michael Silver of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders will hire Falcons assistant Mike Tice to coach their offensive line. The Falcons had previously been reluctant to grant Tice permission to speak to the Raiders, but were convinced to change their stance after Tice pleaded his case, tweets Silver. Oakland is also expected to formally contact Marc Trestman soon about the team’s offensive coordinator position, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).

Here’s more from across the AFC, as the week winds down and we look forward to championship weekend:

The Broncos have concluded their head coaching interview with Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph, the club announced today (via Twitter). Having now adhered to the Rooney Rule, Denver is free to hire Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak if this Sunday’s meeting between the two sides goes well. With Teryl Austin and Doug Marrone having canceled their interviews, Kubiak is the only candidate currently scheduled to meet with the team.
Speaking today to reporters, including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), Dolphins owner Stephen Ross indicated that he doesn’t think “anyone really knows” whether wide receiver Mike Wallace will be back with the team for the 2015 season. Wallace will count for $12.1MM against the cap in 2015, a significant figure, though not as high as 2014’s $17.25MM cap hit.
With the status of players like Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas uncertain heading into the offseason, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton recognizes that he may not be the Broncos‘ No. 1 priority among free-agents-to-be, but he has “made it clear” that he wants to remain with the team, as he tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has started making changes to the team’s front office, parting ways with senior director of college scouting Terry Bradway and director of college scouting Jeff Bauer, the team announced in a press release. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), personnel executive Rod Graves isn’t expected to return either. Mehta reports (via Twitter) that Maccagnan would like to hire Rams scout Brian Heimerdinger – whom he worked with in Houston – to the Jets’ front office. The new GM is also set to hire former Jaguars GM Gene Smith, as had been previously reported, tweets Mehta.
The Jets would like to talk to former Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo about the same position in New York, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel, who is still a year away from becoming eligible for a contract extension, has changed agent, signing with Eugene Parker of Relativity Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.

West Notes: Broncos, Kaepernick, Rams

January 15th, 2015 at 9:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Despite this year’s disappointing exit, Broncos CEO Joe Ellis still believes that Denver is a top contender and choice destination for prospective coaches. “We’ve got a lot of work to do but we have a good roster, we have depth and talent,” team president and chief executive officer Joe Ellis told The Associated Press. “And we get some of the injured guys back, Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall, who wasn’t 100 percent healthy last Sunday, so we should be optimistic. “And I think our fans should be optimistic about where we go next year.” More from the West divisions..

Colin Kaepernick is the last vestige of the Harbaugh Era in San Francisco and Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com wonders if his time with the 49ers could be in jeopardy. While the seven-year, $126MM deal makes him the face of the franchise on the surface, there is only about $13MM guaranteed in actuality.
Kaepernick is excited to see Jim Tomsula get the nod as 49ers head coach, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.
Cardale Jones going back to school leaves one less quarterback option for the Rams in this year’s draft, writes ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. St. Louis is looking for a QB and the likes of Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston figure to be out of their reach.
Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is considered one of the top candidates for a head-coaching job but he is unavailable for first interviews until Seattle’s season ends. In the interim, he insists that he’s focused on the task at hand, as NFL.com’s Dan Wesseling writes.
Raiders wide receiver James Jones told Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) that he’d be elated to have Marc Trestman as offensive coordinator.

Coaching Notes: Marrone, 49ers, LeBeau

January 14th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Bills coach Doug Marrone is interviewing with the Jaguars, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union. Marrone hasn’t landed a head coaching gig since he left Buffalo and he’s ostensibly interviewing for the Jags’ offensive coordinator opening. Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson, Dallas offensive line coach Bill Callahan, Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn, and Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Olson are also considered candidates for the opening. More coaching news..

Vic Fangio is not expected to stay in place as the 49ers‘ defensive coordinator under new coach Jim Tomsula, a league source tells Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter).
Jason Tarver is in line to join the 49ers‘ as their defensive coordinator, according to Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (on Twitter). Former Bears head coach Marc Trestman, meanwhile, is a possibility for the offensive coordinator job.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians plans to promote an assistant to fill the team’s vacancy at defensive coordinator, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. Meanwhile, he hopes to hire Dick LeBeau as a senior assistant.
It sounds like Teryl Austin is planning to bring Ravens linebackers coach Ted Monachino with him as defensive coordinator if he gets the Falcons job, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).

Coach Notes: Quinn, Bears, Cowboys, Bills

January 14th, 2015 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

Teams considering waiting for Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to become available are wary about the possibility that, despite what they’re saying, the Dolphins could hire Quinn to replace Joe Philbin, given the presence of Mike Tannenbaum, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Prior to joining the Dolphins’ front office in an official capacity, Tannenbaum was Quinn’s agent, and according to La Canfora, that connection concerned the Jets to some degree.

However, a source tells La Canfora that there’s no chance Miami will hire Quinn if he’s available next month — if another team wants to wait on him, that club should have a shot at him (Twitter link). That team isn’t likely to be the 49ers though, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who tweets that San Francisco hasn’t talked about Quinn in several days. All signs are pointing to Adam Gase for the 49ers, per Cole.

Let’s check in on a few more coaching-related items….

John Fox‘s interview with the Bears is happening today, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Meanwhile, a source tells Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune that Kyle Shanahan will be one of Fox’s top offensive coordinator choices if he lands the Bears’ job.
According to La Canfora (Twitter link), the Falcons “love” Josh McDaniels, but the Patriots offensive coordinator still seems unlikely to leave New England.
Scott Linehan‘s deal with the Cowboys hasn’t been completed yet, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He’s waiting for his deal to get done before considering taking interviews and the sense is that it will be finalized soon (link). Linehan currently serves as Dallas’ passing game coordinator.
It’s not clear yet if Cowboys offensive coordinator Bill Callahan will return to the Cowboys, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News, who says that eight teams have expressed interest in Callahan. With Linehan now handling the offensive playcalls in Dallas, it’s unlikely that Callahan will be back, in George’s view.
Tony Sparano won’t be staying with the Raiders now that he didn’t get the team’s head coaching job, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link) hears from sources that Jack Del Rio, who is expected to become Oakland’s coach, has been recruiting Marc Trestman for his offensive staff.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports joined Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on PFT Live to discuss the events that led to the divorce of John Fox and the Broncos. Glazer explains that the breakup, while shocking on the outside, has actually been a long time coming. Glazer sensed back at last year’s Senior Bowl that it would be a “one and done” for Fox, unless he could win a Super Bowl this season.
Former Jets defensive line coach Karl Dunbar is joining Rex Ryan on the Bills‘ staff, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jordan Raanan of NJ.com adds (via Twitter) that Pepper Johnson has been told there’s a spot for him on Ryan’s coaching staff if the Giants‘ defensive coordinator position doesn’t pan out for him. Speaking of Ryan, he said today at his introductory press conference that it’s not true that he preferred the Falcons and 49ers jobs to the Bills position, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Coach Notes: Meyer, Browns, Fangio, Raiders

January 13th, 2015 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

Wins over Alabama and Oregon in the NCAA’s first College Football Playoff created plenty of buzz for Urban Meyer, but the Buckeyes head coach quickly dismissed any speculation that his success at Ohio State would result in a jump to the NFL this offseason. “Not right now. I have a commitment to Ohio State and these players,” Meyer said when asked about the possibility of an NFL job, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

Let’s check in on several coaching situations from around the league, as a handful of teams look to hire new head coaches and/or coordinators….

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links) provide an update on the Browns‘ hunt for an offensive coordinator, with Rapoport noting that Marc Trestman interviews tomorrow and Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo meets with the team on Friday. Per Schefter, the Browns have also requested permission to talk to Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn about the position.
Raheem Morris‘ meeting with Washington about the team’s defensive coordinator vacancy is expected to be the last of the club’s interviews, tweets Rapoport, who believes either Morris or Joe Barry will land the job.
Michael Silver of NFL Network (Twitter links) hears that the word in coaching circles is that 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio may want to leave the team unless he (or Mike Shanahan) is hired as the head coach. In that case, writes Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, the Raiders should kick the tires on Fangio as a potential head coaching candidate.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who is working on a new deal of his own, says defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has told him he wants to stay with the team, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Per Archer, talks on new contracts for the team’s coaches are ongoing.
In a tweet, Kawakami also suggests keeping an eye on Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, who has multiple options, and would likely be Jim Tomsula‘s top choice for defensive coordinator if he lands the 49ers‘ head coaching job.
If Todd Bowles is hired as a head coach, he’d like to take Cardinals linebackers coach Mike Caldwell with him as a defensive coordinator, tweets Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910.
The Giants are interested in talking to former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen about their defensive coordinator position, says Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, adding that it’s not clear whether an interview has been scheduled yet.

AFC Coaching Notes: McDaniels, Kubiak, Jets

January 10th, 2015 at 4:34pm CST by Rob DiRe

We have already looked at some of the NFC’s biggest coaching stories, and to follow up here are some of the most important AFC rumors:

The early game today features a pair of offensive minds that could have head coaching opportunities this offseason, in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, writes Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). McDaniels has drawn interest from the Falcons and 49ers, while Kubiak has ties to both the Jets and Bears.
Kubiak has not interviewed yet, choosing to wait until the team’s season is over. However, even if Baltimore is eliminated, Kubiak may not interview for a head coaching job. He loves the Ravens and has friends with the organization, reports Rapoport (via Twitter).
As former Jets head coach Rex Ryan interviews for potential head coaching jobs, one question teams are curious about is who he plans to bring in as an offensive coordinator. Ryan is pitching a potential union with former Bears coach Marc Trestman, reports Rapoport (via Twitter).
Trestman and Raiders quarterback coach John DeFilippo are in the running to replace Kyle Shanahan as the Browns‘ offensive coordinator, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Fowler writes that the most important qualities Cleveland is looking for in an offensive coordinator are the ability to work with Johnny Manziel and scheme flexibility in case the team moves on from its young quarterback.
The Browns have also asked for permission to interview Raiders assistant coach Al Saunders, who has experience as an offensive coordinator and head coach during his 30 years in the NFL, reports Steve Corkran of the San Jose Mercury News.
If former Bills coach Doug Marrone cannot land another head coaching job this year, he would likely be welcome to join the Texans’ staff as a consultant, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Twitter). Marrone is close with Texans coach Bill O’Brien.
The Jets could be waiting for Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, but owner Woody Johnson should be worried about his ability to get the in-demand Seahawks assistant, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. If the Jets wait on Quinn and loses him to another suitor, it could leave the team in a bad spot.