Mike Maccagnan - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Barrett, Jets, Reed

January 24th, 2016 at 9:52am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins have hired Danny Barrett as their new running backs coach, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Barrett, 54, most recently served as the interim head coach at the University of Central Florida, but he has a varied background, having acted as a collegiate positional coach and as the head coach of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Now for some more notes from the league’s East divisions:

Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the Jets will not look to retain free agent linebacker Demario Davis, regardless of what the team does in the draft.
In a full-length post, Cimini observes that Jets GM Mike Maccagnan is about to face his second major test. In his first year as GM, Maccagnan was armed with a great deal of cap space to supplement his roster, but in 2016, he not only has less cap space to work with, but six of the team’s eight highest cap charges belong to players who will be at least 31 next season (a statistic that does not yet includ 33-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick). Maccagnan will now have to make his team younger without sacrificing wins, one of the toughest things to do in professional sports.
Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com wonders if Washington should pursue a contract extension with Jordan Reed, noting that although the tight end is set to earn just $685K in 2016–the last year of his current deal–it may make more sense long-term to lock him up now, despite his injury history.
The Giants will of course run Ben McAdoo‘s West Coast offense in 2016, but who the offensive play-caller will be remains up in the air. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, McAdoo himself is the most qualified, but he may prefer to get his head out of the play chart to better concentrate on the entire game. New York’s offensive coordinator, Mike Sullivan, and quarterbacks coach, Frank Cignetti, both have play-calling experience.
Despite his recent injuries, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo thinks he’ll be fine for the foreseeable future. “There’s no question, I will be able to play for awhile,” Romo told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Romo, 36 in April, will reportedly undergo a CT scan this week to determine if he needs surgery on his collarbone.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Front Office Notes: Jets, Giants, Titans, Lions

January 16th, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan filled his season-ending press conference with “generalities and overall nothingness,” writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Still, the executive did elaborate on several topics, including free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“We’d like very much to get him back… We’ll see how this thing works out.”

“Bryce [Petty] has made a lot of progress. We’re kind of excited to have another offseason with him… With Geno [Smith], he’s under contract. We like the progress he’s made.”

Maccagnan also noted that “it’s not impossible” to keep all of their top defensive linemen, including Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison and Leonard Williams.

Let’s check out some more notes from the league’s front offices…

Giants general manager Jerry Reese understands that it’s his job to improve the roster, and he said he puts it on himself if the team doesn’t perform well. “At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility,” he said (via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News). “If somebody doesn’t get it right, if somebody doesn’t pan out, it’s the GM’s responsibility.”
While candidates have been interviewing for the Titans head coach vacancy, ownership has made it clear that they have no desire to sell the team, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Lions have fired senior personnel executive Scott McEwen, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The former Director of College Scouting was the longest tenured scout in the organization.
According to Schefter (on Twitter), the Lions have hired Kyle O’Brien as their Director of Player Personnel.

Extra Points: Jets, Saints, Pats, Bucs

December 18th, 2015 at 8:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The playoff-contending Jets (8-5) are one of the surprises of the NFL this year after finishing the 2014 campaign 4-12 and undergoing major offseason changes. As ESPN’s John Clayton writes, plenty of credit goes to first-year general manager Mike Maccagnan. The former Texans executive was at the helm of a makeover last winter and spring that saw the Jets bring in rookie head coach Todd Bowles, spend over $179MM on free agents (Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine, Marcus Gilchrist and James Carpenter being the most expensive additions), and acquire two key offensive cogs – quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and receiver Brandon Marshall – for a mere late-round pick apiece.

While Maccagnan’s methods have paid off this season, the organization is cognizant that it has plenty of long-term work to do, per Clayton. The Jets have 10 starters in their 30s, so they need to stockpile youth. In terms of finding a young, high-impact player, Maccagnan’s draft history with the Jets got off to an excellent start last spring with his inaugural selection, first-round defensive end Leonard Williams.

As far as the upcoming offseason goes, Clayton expects the Jets to give raises to Fitzpatrick and running back Chris Ivory, slap the franchise tag on D-line stalwart Muhammad Wilkerson, and free up cap space by releasing Cromartie.

Elsewhere around the league…

As long as either Tom Benson or his wife is in charge of the Saints, Mickey Loomis is likely to remain the team’s general manager, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. Head coach Sean Payton is under contract for two more years, but his status going forward is less clear than Loomis’. Payton could look for another job in the offseason, and Woodbery doesn’t expect Loomis to stand in Payton’s way if he wants to seek work someplace else. However, Woodbery does believe the Loomis-led Saints would require significant compensation from any hypothetical team that tries to hire Payton.
The stellar play of Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler means he’ll cash in eventually, and Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald took a look at how much the 25-year-old could make in the coming seasons. Howe thinks the Pats will give Butler a first-round tender as a restricted free agent after next season, which would cost just under $4MM. Then, as Butler pushes closer to unrestricted free agency in 2018, he could end up with a four-year deal in the $36MM range. He might not get that money in New England, though, as the club has decisions to make on a slew of important players other than Butler in the coming offseasons and won’t be able to retain all of them.
The Buccaneers have drafted a combined one defensive player over the last two years (fourth-round linebacker Kwon Alexander last spring), but that should change in 2016, opines Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Tribune. Stroud looks for the Bucs to upgrade at cornerback and add outside pass-rushing help to a defense that ranks 28th in quarterback rating against (100.5) and has forced just one turnover over Tampa’s last four games.

Jets GM On Fitzpatrick, Smith, Richardson

November 18th, 2015 at 6:13pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, Jets GM Mike Maccagnan addressed reporters for the first time since training camp. Here’s a look at the highlights of the 20-minute chat, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

The GM said that veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has a place in the team’s future plans. Maccagnan said he’s “very happy” with the 32-year-old, who will be a free agent after the season. He raved about Fitzpatrick’s intangibles, adding, “I think he has a lot of good football left in him.” Fitzpatrick, who is earning $3.25MM this year, is scheduled to hit free agency after this season. He’s likely due for a raise based on the way he has played this season as the Jets’ starter.
Where does that leave Geno Smith? Maccagnan was non-committal when asked about the West Virginia product and declined to say whether he considers him to be a potential starter for Gang Green. “The jury is still out, but not in a bad way,” Maccagnan said of Smith’s future. For his part, Cimini said that he isn’t buying that, and noted that Jets brass has been around Smith every day for seven months, so they likely know what they have in the QB.
When asked about defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, the GM wasn’t willing to say much. “I’d say for the record, Mo has done a very good job and we’re very happy with what he’s done so far,” Maccagnan said. Cimini feels that all signs point to Wilkerson being slapped with the franchise tag at season’s end.
Things have “been positive” with Sheldon Richardson, the GM says, but he indicated that he still wants to see how the defensive end conducts himself going forward. Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that Richardson still may be disciplined by the NFL for his off-field behavior, but it likely won’t happen until the offseason.

AFC East Notes: Wilkerson, Collins, Bills

May 6th, 2015 at 9:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets GM Mike Maccagnan told ESPN 98.7FM that he’d “like to keep” Muhammad Wilkerson in the organization and added that the drafting of Leonard Williams “doesn’t really impact Mo,” according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Maccagnan added that Wilkerson’s name “comes up periodically” in talks with other teams, but he’s not shopping him (link).
Bills coach Rex Ryan did his best to downplay his interaction with LSU tackle La’el Collins earlier this week, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. “I did have dinner with him. That’s really the extent of it,” the normally verbose coach told reporters.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) spoke to multiple players regarding the Wells Report and found that there’s a general indifference towards it because the Patriots won the Super Bowl and that’s not going to be stripped from them.
Alex Carrington‘s one-year deal with the Bills calls for him to earn a $745K base and an $80K signing bonus, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He’ll count for $665K against the cap thanks to the minimum salary benefit.

Jets GM On Revis, Milliner, Wilkerson

March 19th, 2015 at 10:01pm CST by Zachary Links

In a chat with reporters on Thursday, Jets GM Mike Maccagnan defended the hefty contract that he gave to cornerback Darrelle Revis this offseason, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Maccagnan pointed to Champ Bailey as an example of a cornerback who played at an elite level in his later years, illustrating that Revis could be capable of doing the same.

“Champ was able to play at a very high level well into his 30s,” Maccagnan said. “I kind of see Darrelle as the same status. He’s playing at a very high level, and we thought he’d be able to play at that level for a number of years going forward, so we thought it was worth the financial investment we made.”

Here’s more from Maccagnan’s chat with the press

When asked, Maccagnan wouldn’t guarantee cornerback Dee Milliner a spot on the opening-day roster. In was reported on Wednesday that Milliner has picked up trade interest from teams and the Jets, who have added three talented cornerbacks this offseason, don’t exactly need him. For his part, Cimini isn’t reading much into that and just sees that comment as GM-speak. The Jets, he writes, have no plans of trading the former first-round pick and they couldn’t get much of value for him anyway until he proves that he is healthy and productive.
Maccagnan reiterated that he would like to extend Muhammad Wilkerson, who is entering the final year of his contract, but there is no timetable for a deal.
Maccagnan said he had no problem throwing around big money for three cornerbacks (Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine) because he felt it was one of the strongest positions in free agency. At the same time, he explained made the Brandon Marshall trade, in part, because he didn’t like the value at the wide receiver position in free agency.

AFC Links: Browns, Phillips, Williams, Jets

January 23rd, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Rob DiRe

New Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo did not study quarterback Johnny Manziel before accepting the position in Cleveland, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m going to be flat out honest with you because it’s the only way I know how to be. I have not. I’ve not watched the games from last year with Johnny. Obviously, I studied Johnny coming out of college and spent some time with Johnny,” said DeFilippo. “I wouldn’t say it was a lot of time, but I spent some time with Johnny. He flew out to Oakland and spent a day with him. Can you get an overview on a guy in one day? No, but you can get a grasp of what he thinks and how he’s feeling and those things. I got along with Johnny when we met with him, but I can’t tell you that I’ve watched the games yet. No, I have not.”

This could mean DeFilippo is not convinced that Manziel will be the quarterback of the future in Cleveland. That point is only further confirmed when he admitted during his pressure that the quarterback situation is still in flux. “We’re not sure if our starting quarterback is in the building right now or not,” said DeFilippo. “If he is that’s great. If he’s not, that’s great too.”

Here are some more links from around the AFC:

The Browns are pursuing former journeyman quarterback Steve Walsh to be their new quarterbacks coach, writes Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1. Walsh has been coaching high school football for the past six years, but has turned down a number of opportunities to coach at a higher level.
The Broncos are still looking for a defensive coordinator, and one possibility could be former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, writes Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). Phillips served as the Texans defensive coordinator for three years under new Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, and the two could reunite in Denver.
The Broncos have not hired a defensive coordinator, but they have hired Bill Kollar as their defensive line coach, according to USA Today. Kollar spent the last six years coaching the defensive line for the Texans.
The Jets have a pressing need a cornerback, and new GM Mike Maccagnan will have a number of options to improve the position, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. He writes they could go after Antonio Cromartie or Byron Maxwell in free agency, but an intriguing prospect in the draft could be Quinten Rollins of the University of Miami (Ohio).
Bills star pass rusher Mario Williams will be playing for a new defensive coordinator for the sixth straight year, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com. With head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, the defense will switching back to a 3-4 base. Williams is excited to play outside linebacker. “I look forward to it,” he said. “So hopefully if (Ryan) hears this, this is my call-in: Will Linebacker. So hopefully it works out.”
Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis is still recovering from a torn Achilles that forced him to miss all of 2014, but there is no guarantee he will be back in time for next season’s training camp, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “He’s still in recovery,” said general manager Ryan Grigson. “He’s a freak and you hope that he has an athletic genetic freak type of recovery so that he’s ready day one of training camp. But that information is not clear yet or a timeline is not there because it’s a tough injury. Hopefully in a couple months from now, we’ll be able to have some information on that.”

GM: Jets Will Be “Very Active” In Free Agency

January 21st, 2015 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan was introduced to local media today along with new head coach Todd Bowles, but before Maccagnan met with a full room of reporters, he sat down for a one-on-one interview for the club’s official website. Asked during that conversation about his approach to free agency, Maccagnan indicated that he expects the team to be “very active” this March.

“We definitely have a lot of cap space,” Maccagnan said. “Our goal is to look at all avenues possible in free agency. I don’t want to give away our philosophy in terms of how we’re going to attack free agency, but our goal is to ideally fill some of our needs via free agency, which will allow us to be a little more flexible in the draft in terms of looking for the best player available — building through the draft is ideally what I’d like to do, but we’ll be very active in free agency.”

After the Jets decided to part ways with John Idzik at season’s end, there was speculation that the team would try to bring aboard an anti-Idzik — someone who had strong personnel background rather than a cap specialist. Maccagnan certainly fits that bill, and it appears his approach to free agency will differ from Idzik’s as well. The ex-Jets GM sat on approximately $20MM in cap space in 2014, despite the team having multiple needs that could have been addressed in free agency, particularly at the cornerback position.

Early estimates have the Jets heading into the 2015 offseason with between $40MM and $50MM in cap room, so while Maccagnan won’t necessarily pursue star players, the club should have plenty of flexibility to consider an array of options when free agency opens on March 10.

AFC Links: Gase, Broncos, Jags, Browns, Jets

January 14th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

With one team (the Bills) having introduced their new head coach today, and two more clubs (Jets, Raiders) closing in on their targets, there are four head coaching jobs still available, and it appeared coming into today that the 49ers were moving toward locking up Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. However, nothing’s done between Gase and the Niners yet, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, who tweets that the Broncos OC met with John Elway to discuss Denver’s head coaching vacancy today. Per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links), it wasn’t a formal interview, but if there’s mutual interest between the two sides, that formal interview could still happen.

As we wait to see whether or not Gase sticks with the Broncos, let’s round up a few other notes from around the AFC….

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter links) have updates on a pair of offensive coordinator searches. Per Rapoport, Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson will interview for the same role with the Jaguars, while Cabot reports that the Browns will speak to their tight ends coach Brian Angelichio about their offensive coordinator opening.
Steve Smith had a nice bounceback season in his first year in Baltimore in 2014, and remains under team control for 2015, but the Ravens want him to take a little time to decide whether or not he wants to continue his playing career, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. John Harbaugh said yesterday that the team would like Smith, who turns 36 this year, to take three weeks to see how he feels.
Texans GM Rick Smith praised new Jets GM Mike Maccagnan, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. “He has been a valued and trusted confidant over the years and is an outstanding talent evaluator,” the GM said. Maccagnan previously served as Houston’s college scouting director.
Maccagnan and the team’s new head coach (now known to be Todd Bowles) will each report directly to owner Woody Johnson, tweets Mehta. Maccagnan, meanwhile, will have final say over the 53-man roster. The setup in Buffalo will be similar, according to Mehta (Twitter links) — new head coach Rex Ryan will report directly to owner Terry Pegula, but GM Doug Whaley has final say on the 53-man roster.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com gave his thoughts on Maccagnan yesterday, prior to the Jets‘ hiring of Bowles as its head coach. While there are question marks about Maccagnan, Cimini is glad to see that the team didn’t hire a bean counter like predecessor John Idzik. Maccagnan is a football man with roots in player evaluation, rather than a cap guru.
In his second offseason as the Browns‘ general manager, Ray Farmer will have plenty of notable free agent situations to address, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, who identifies six unrestricted FAs and three restricted FAs that will be priorities in Cleveland.

Jets Hire Mike Maccagnan As GM

January 13th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Rory Parks

TUESDAY, 6:00pm: The Jets announced (via Twitter) that Maccagnan has been named as the team’s new GM.

SUNDAY, 9:48am: The Jets are expected to name former Texans college scouting director Mike Maccagnan as their next GM, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com, citing colleague Ian Rapoport. Maccagnan has been meeting with owner Woody Johnson over the past three days.

As Patra writes, Maccagnan is viewed as a very good talent evaluator, though the drafts in which he participated while with Houston yielded some mixed results. As PFR’s Zach Links wrote last week, the consensus among front office executives around the league is that Maccagnan is not ready to be an NFL general manager, but clearly the Jets feel differently. Charley Casserly, who served as a GM for Washington and the Texans in his career, has been Johnson’s most influential consultant in the hiring process, and he doubtlessly endorsed Maccagnan’s candidacy. Casserly and Maccagnan have developed a strong relationship over the past several decades, as Casserly hired Maccagnan while with Washington and Houston.

Maccagnan’s first task will be to find a new head coach to replace the recently-fired Rex Ryan, who was named as the Bills head coach this morning. As PFR’s Luke Adams wrote several days ago, Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has emerged as the favorite for the position, but Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will receive strong consideration and the team remains “intrigued” by Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

Maccagnan will also be tasked with finding the team’s quarterback of the future. Geno Smith has disappointed and Michael Vick is nearing the end of his career, but the Jets do hold the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, which may net them a chance to select one of the year’s top two quarterback prospects, Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston.