Mike Maccagnan - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Canty, Ravens, Jets, Bills, Dolphins

January 11th, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

Ravens defensive lineman Chris Canty is considering retirement following the team’s 35-31 loss to the Patriots yesterday, reports Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. The 32-year old veteran has one year remaining on his contract.

“I love being a part of the National Football League, but obviously, there’s another side to it,” said Canty. “You have to think about your future. You have to think, ‘Can your body take the pounding going through a regular season and being able to stay healthy?’ The last couple of years I’ve been pretty banged up, so it’s a situation where I’ll take some time away from the game, spend some time with my family and make a decision when we have to make a decision.”

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

The Ravens could lose defensive backs coach Steve Spagnuolo, who is a candidate for the Giants’ defensive coordinator opening, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Zrebiec notes that the offensive coaching staff should stay in tact.
The Jets are still looking to fill their head coaching vacancy, and the team has targeted Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that as long as Jets owner Woody Johnson is content waiting for Quinn to become available, he will be the team’s next head coach (via Twitter). Quinn will join new Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan in this rebuilding project.
Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has not decided whether he would be interested in staying with the team, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). Schwartz will meet with Rex Ryan once his deal is finalized.
Dolphins’ wide receiver Brian Hartline is under contract for 2015, but it isn’t certain the team will bring him back, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “I understand there’s a business side,” Hartline said. “So when there is transition, you have to find out if you’re part of that transition or you’re not. Because of that, there’s probably a little bit of unrest that’s new to me that I haven’t experienced before.” Hartline would like to remain with the team.

Jets Targeting Mike Maccagnan, Dan Quinn

January 9th, 2015 at 10:58pm CST by Luke Adams

10:58pm: The Jets aren’t expected to make any hires this weekend, tweets Mehta.

7:31pm: Now that the Bears have hired Ryan Pace as their general manager, the Jets are the league’s lone team searching for both a GM and a head coach, but it appears the club has its sights set on a pair of top targets. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan has emerged as the favorite for the Jets’ GM vacancy, while Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is the frontrunner for the head coaching position.

While former Bills head coach Doug Marrone was initially viewed as the top candidate to replace Rex Ryan in New York, Marrone isn’t one of the team’s preferred options at this point, a source tells Costello. Instead, Quinn, Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable are the most serious contenders, having had the best interviews of New York’s candidates so far.

Quinn was busy during Seattle’s bye week, speaking to the Falcons, Bills, Bears, and 49ers as well, so the Jets will have competition for the coveted defensive coordinator. However, the team’s interest in Quinn is mutual, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that the Seahawks DC has told friends that New York is his top choice.

As for Maccagnan, both Costello and Mehta indicate that the GM hopeful is meeting with Jets owner Woody Johnson and the club’s front office brass for dinner tonight. Maccagnan is the only candidate to receive a second interview with the Jets to date, and Mehta writes that Johnson, team president Neil Glat, and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf have made the Texans executive their top target.

If Maccagnan is tabbed as John Idzik‘s successor, the Jets may bring aboard a veteran contract negotiator and cap expert to complement his skill set. According to Mehta, if Quinn were to land a head coaching job, he would like his new team to add former Buccaneers GM (and current ESPN analyst) Mark Domenik to the front office — the Jets have reached out to Domenik about a possible role, per Mehta.

Although a front office hiring or two could happen soon, the Jets won’t get the chance to speak to Quinn again until the Seahawks are eliminated from the postseason or win the NFC title game. Assuming Seattle defeats the Panthers this weekend, as is expected, that means the Jets would have to wait until at least January 18 to talk to or hire the Seahawks coordinator.

Jets Links: Ryan, Shanahan, Maccagnan

January 9th, 2015 at 11:43am CST by Ben Levine

One of Rex Ryan‘s former players believes the coach can succeed elsewhere. Linebacker Bart Scott played under the head coach for four seasons, and the current CBS analyst believes Ryan could flourish in Atlanta.

“I think the Falcons are the best situation for Rex to go into,” Scott said (via ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure). “Come on, you’re talking about fixing the defense. I’m sure people see how Matt Ryan has played. He hasn’t had the defense to get him the ball back.

“Rex Ryan is a head coach/defensive coordinator. Let Rex run the show and start dialing up plays to knock Drew Brees out. Look at his history playing against Cam Newton. Rex knows how to keep Cam in the box. And Tampa Bay? Please. That would be like Homecoming.”

Scott also suggested that Ryan could hypothetically lure some of his former players to the organization.

“I think a quick fix for that Atlanta defense is David Harris is up for free agency, and Rex has the ability to bring a guy like that over. He has the ability to bring a guy like Calvin Pace over who knows the system and lives in Atlanta.

“…But then Rex probably has the ability as well to bring a guy like Antonio Cromartie to come over opposite Desmond Trufant and slide right in and get instant experience within the defense overnight.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the Jets organization, including their hunt for a new coach and general manager…

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News believes the Jets need an “innovative and creative offensive mind” who can develop young quarterbacks (via Twitter). The writer suggests Kyle Shanahan as an ideal playcaller for the team.
Following news that the organization would be bringing back Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan for a second GM interview, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that it wouldn’t be surprising if Maccagnan is hired this weekend.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini examines the candidacy of Maccagnan, stating that the Texans executive is “most comfortable in a background role.” This has led some to wonder whether he’d be able to handle the pressure in New York, but Cimini counters that Maccagnan “has the ability to work well with people and isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong,” an attribute that was lacking from the team’s previous general manager.
Brian Costello of the New York Post cites a source who says it would be a “travesty” if Maccagnan is not offered the position.
Many members of the Seahawks are under the mindset that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will accept a head coaching position this offseason. His players aren’t bitter, however, and they believe their coach will succeed in any situation, including with the Jets. “I think he’d be fantastic,” Richard Sherman told Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. “Obviously, you’re not always getting a great team, so it takes some time to develop…But he’ll be fantastic.”

AFC Notes: Jets, Hali, Allen, Chiefs

January 8th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are bringing back Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan for a second interview, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who notes (via Twitter) that Maccagnan is the team’s first GM candidate to get a second interview. That second interview will take place on Friday, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, adding that the Jets are impressed with Maccagnan. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News throws some cold water on Maccagnan’s candidacy though, tweeting that the overwhelming feeling he gets from front office executives around the league is that the Texans exec isn’t ready to be an NFL GM. More out of the AFC..

Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star has a radical plan for the Chiefs‘ offseason. Step one: cutting Tamba Hali. Hali is a model teammate and employee and still productive, but he had just six sacks in 2014, his lowest total since 2008. The Chiefs, he argues, would be better off with the $9MM in cap space they’d get by cutting Hali.
Cornerback Cortez Allen inked a $26MM contract extension with the Steelers at the start of the 2014 season, then had a disappointing year in which he was demoted multiple times. As Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review details, Allen is “highly confident” that he can fix his issues and bounce back in 2015.
Free agent linebacker Erin Henderson is working out for the Chiefs, tweets Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. Henderson played well for the Vikings in 2013, but was released by the team and didn’t find a new team in 2014 due to off-field concerns.
The Browns are looking for their sixth offensive coordinator in six seasons and the 13th in 17 seasons. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal looks at the potential candidates for the job.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Coach/GM Notes: Falcons, Bears, Jets, Eagles

January 7th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Luke Adams

According to our head coaching search tracker, there are eight candidates involved in the Falcons‘ hunt for Mike Smith‘s replacement, and if no new names are added to that list, the team’s first round of interviews should conclude tomorrow after a meeting with Todd Bowles. So it makes sense that Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests today (via Twitter) that Atlanta intends to bring in its finalists for a second round of interviews. According to Rapoport, Rex Ryan will be among those finalists, though it’s not clear yet who will join him.

Here are a few more items from around the league related to coaches and front offices:

Coaching:

Todd Bowles and Frank Reich completed their interviews with the Jets today, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Bowles’ next visit will be with the Bears.
A Tuesday report indicated that the Bears would likely meet with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position after hiring a new general manager, but despite Shanahan’s past success with Jay Cutler (and Brandon Marshall), he’s not currently on Chicago’s list of candidates, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We’ll have to see if anything changes on that front after the team makes its GM hire.
After sitting in on the Raiders‘ interview with Shanahan, John Madden is expected to be in attendance for Tony Sparano‘s meeting with the club as well, tweets Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com.
In the wake of Perry Fewell‘s dismissal, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com offers a few suggestions for the Giants to consider for their defensive coordinator job, including Bills defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, who Graziano thinks could be among New York’s top candidates.

Front office:

The Bears confirmed that they interviewed Chris Ballard and Ryan Pace for their GM vacancy, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
Jon Robinson‘s interview with the Jets will take place tomorrow, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
The Jets announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve lined up an interview with Buccaneers personnel executive Jon Robinson for their general manager position. The club also confirmed the candidates they’ve spoken to so far: Chris Grier (Dolphins), Trent Kirchner (Seahawks), Bill Kuharich (Browns), Mike Maccagnan (Texans), Rick Mueller (Eagles), and their own Rod Graves.
The Jaguars have granted pro director Chris Polian permission to interview with the Eagles for their GM job, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (via Twitter).
The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL on minority hiring issues, has filed a complaint with the league over Washington‘s general manager search, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Washington spoke to Jets executive Rod Graves about the GM job, but didn’t run the request for permission by the league, and seemed to do it only as a formality while working out an agreement with Scot McCloughan, so as to abide by the Rooney Rule.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins appear to have evaded a Rooney Rule violation by changing the role of recently-hired Mike Tannenbaum, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains. The club has altered Tannenbaum’s and Dennis Hickey‘s duties since first announcing the hiring, so that Tannenbaum doesn’t qualify as a GM-type hire, meaning the club wouldn’t have needed to meet the Rooney Rule.

Front Office Notes: Jets, Saints, Bears

January 5th, 2015 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

As the first full week of 2015 gets underway, we have updates on two teams hunting for a new general manager, as well as a pair of clubs whose front offices may be undergoing some changes. Here’s the latest:

Although the Jets would like to speak to Saints executive Ryan Pace about their general manager position, it’s unlikely that Pace will elect to interview for the opening, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As Rapoport explains (Twitter link), Pace – a favorite of Sean Payton – assumed more day-to-day duties with the Saints in 2014 as GM Mickey Loomis worked more with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. Rapoport adds that Pace’s role will only increase, and that he could be in line for a promotion.
A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Loomis “remains entrenched” as the Saints‘ GM, with no need to elevate anyone in the front office to handle any of his duties. However, Florio agrees that it appears as if Pace will stay put in New Orleans for now.
Texans director of scouting Mike Maccagnan will have his interview with the Jets for their GM vacancy today, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Speaking to one veteran front office executive who called the head coach/GM marriage “the most underrated dynamic in the business,” Mehta writes in a Daily News piece that the Jets should ensure they create an equal partnership when they hire a new coach and GM.
Within the same piece, Mehta reports, via sources, that Seahawks personnel executive Trent Kirchner likely won’t be paired with Dan Quinn as a GM/head coach duo, since Quinn’s preference would be to work with a “more seasoned” front office executive.
The Bears will interview Titans executive Lake Dawson on Tuesday and Chiefs exec Chris Ballard on Wednesday this week, says Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Washington has reached out to personnel man Scot McCloughan about becoming a top executive in the team’s front office, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). McCloughan, a former 49ers general manager, most recently worked for the Seahawks.

East Notes: Jets, Fitzgerald, Phillips

January 4th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Rory Parks

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that all signs are pointing to Doug Marrone as the next head coach of the Jets. La Canfora notes that many of the candidates that New York is interviewing for its general manager position have strong ties to Marrone, including top candidate Mike Maccagnan. Maccagnan once signed Marrone to quarterback the London Monarchs of the now extinct World League of American Football in 1991, and the two men have developed a close personal relationship since then.

Other GM candidates like Rick Mueller, Bill Kuharich, and Ryan Pace also have ties to Marrone. Jets owner Woody Johnson would like to announce his new GM and head coach no later than the end of this week, and some believe the Jets could be the first team to do so. At the moment, the smart money appears to be on a Maccagnan/Marrone pairing in New York.

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

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News believes that if the Jets end up hiring Marrone, “Jets fans will have every right to believe the thing was fixed fight from the beginning.” The “thing,” of course, is Marrone’s opting out of his contract with the Bills. If he is subsequently hired by New York, it will appear as though he had a back-door agreement with Charley Casserly, who is acting as Johnson’s primary adviser in the hiring process (Twitter link to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who described in a full-length piece how Marrone alienated members of the Bills administration during his two years in Buffalo).
After being snubbed by Bill Polian, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that Bills owner Terry Pegula is still interested in hiring a “football czar” as he focuses in the short term on finding a new head coach.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that, even though the Larry Fitzgerald-to-the-Patriots rumors have swirled for the past several seasons, those rumblings might have some legs this offseason.
Rich Tandler of CSN Washington.com notes that Wade Phillips‘ age (68) has some wondering if Washington should opt for a younger candidate to fill its vacant defensive coordinator position, but Tandler believes Phillips’ recent pedigree suggests that his age should not be a major consideration.
We learned earlier today that the Raiders have requested permission to interview Cowboys‘ passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that Dallas is also in danger of losing defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. The contracts of both men expire at the end of this season, and Rapoport tweets that Marinelli may be wooed by the Buccaneers if talks with the Cowboys do not progress.
Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that the Cowboys also stand to lose offensive coordinator Bill Callahan, whose contract is also set to expire at season’s end.
Mark Eckel of NJ.com provides a list of five candidates the Eagles should consider in filling their GM position.

New Year’s Roundup: Jets, Coaches, Colston

January 1st, 2015 at 8:55pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are moving very quickly in their search for a new GM, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. The team interviewed Browns personnel executive Bill Kuharich in New Jersey this morning and is currently interviewing Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner. Citing a league source, Costello also tweets that New York plans to interview Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan and Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller on Sunday or Monday. Costello reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets would like to hire a GM before making a decision on a new head coach, but they of course must stay active in the head coaching market lest they lose a top candidate to another club. According to another tweet from Costello, one of the most significant questions the Jets are asking GM candidates is what coaches they would like to work with.

As much of the country fixates on the Sugar Bowl, let’s take a look at a few other notes from around the league:

John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes a couple of early patterns in the Bears‘ search for a new head coach and GM, pointing out that the early coaching candidates “have a preponderance of winning in their immediate pasts” and that the team is not concerned whether their new coach has more of an offensive or defensive pedigree.
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times examines the most important early decisions the Bears‘ new GM must make, which include determinations on the respective futures of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and how to handle the looming free agency of Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte, both of whom are entering the final year of their current contracts.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Washington, seeking to fill its newly-vacant defensive coordinator position, is setting up interviews with 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, 49ers DB coach Ed Donatell, and Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry.
Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com looks at some of the Eagles‘ potential cap casualties, including James Casey, Trent Cole, and Cary Williams.
With a new mega-deal in his near future, Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant is focused on Sunday’s playoff game against the Lions, not his next contract, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Byrant said, “I’m just going to keep working. I can’t worry about the contract.”
Saints wide receiver Marques Colston knows his future in New Orleans is up in the air, and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that, although Colston would like to stay with the only team he has ever known, he may be released or asked to take a pay cut with two years remaining on his current contract. If asked to take a reduction in pay, Colston said his relationship with Drew Brees and Sean Payton would play a role in his decision.
Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to request an interview with Titans tight ends coach Mike Mularkey for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

Jets Interested In Doug Marrone

January 1st, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Rob DiRe

From the moment Bills‘ head coach Doug Marrone opted out of his contract, he has been linked to another vacant job within the division, with the rival Jets. As Zach Links reported on the fallout from his decision, key parts of the story were the Jets immediately being expected to schedule an interview with Marrone, as well as a report that the coach does not believe in quarterback Geno Smith.

There is mutual interest between the two parties, according to Brian Costello and Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, and an interview will be scheduled shortly. They noted that Marrone is originally from the Bronx and was an offensive line coach for the Jets under Herm Edwards for four seasons before taking the head coaching job at Syracuse.

Marrone could be a perfect fit for the team, writes Steve Serby of the New York Post. He is a disciplinarian and a no-nonsense guy, according to Serby, and his decision to bench first-round pick EJ Manuel in favor of Kyle Orton almost propelled the team into the playoffs, while Rex Ryan refused to bench Smith, or wasn’t allowed to organizationally.

Serby compares him to a young Tom Coughlin, and notes that he has strong connections to both Coughlin and Saints’ head coach Sean Payton, with whom he built an offensive line good enough to help that team win a Super Bowl.

Jets’ owner Woody Johnson’s consultant Charlie Casserly reportedly loves Marrone, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Casserly has been raving about the former Bills’ coach since he took the job at Syracuse in 2009, according to Cimini’s source.

“He was totally infatuated with him,” the source said. “You have to know Charley: When he gets on something, he’s a pit bull. I know he’s got Woody [Johnson] all lathered up.”

The Jets are still searching for their next general manager as well, but could hire Marrone immediately. The team has already satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn on Wednesday. If they were to hire Marrone first, he would likely have a say in who the team hires as a general manager to work with him.

Hiring a coach before a general manager puts the power structure of the organization in a very awkward position, according to Cimini. He writes that under that scenario, both of these new hires will likely report directly to the owner, and the system of checks and balances will be out of sorts.

“You might as well take a gun, aim at your foot and shoot twice,” said one longtime NFL personnel executive. “That would be absolutely stupid. As soon as you hire a coach, you have to understand that the GM would no longer be a GM. He’d be an MG. How do you have checks and balances? It seems to me that Woody is making this up as he goes along.”

Costello and Cannizzaro connect Marrone to two possible general manager candidates in Mike Maccagnan and Rick Mueller, both of whom have worked with Marrone before, as a player with the World League’s London Monarchs and as a coach with the Saints, respectively.

The Jets still have a number of interviews scheduled, including three in Seattle on Friday. They will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, offensive line coach Tom Cable, and pro personnel director Trent Kirchner.

Extra Points: Chargers, Goodell, Peterson

December 30th, 2014 at 10:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Eric Weddle, a Pro Bowler at free safety, is the Chargers‘ only starting defensive back under contract for 2015. He badly wants to see fellow safety Marcus Gilchrist and cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Shareece Wright return to San Diego next year, Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego writes. “Hopefully we’re not starting with three new guys,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get them all back because they all played extremely well this year. We’re a tightly-knit group, and we played well with each other. So, hopefully, they can figure it all out and get them back.” More from around the NFL..

Michael Freeman of Bleacher Report sat down with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss 2014, a year he’d probably like to forget.
Joel Corry of CBSSports.com looked at notable players who cashed in on performance bonuses in 2014, including Elvis Dumervil of the Ravens.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer‘s comments earlier today on Adrian Peterson were rather non-committal, notes Michael Rand of the Star-Tribune.
The Jets have received permission to interview Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan, Browns personnel executive Bill Kuharich, and Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller for their GM spot, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). All three men, along with Trent Kirchner, will interview in the next five days.
Penn State offensive tackle Donovan Smith has decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and will enter the draft, according to a press release from the Nittany Lions. Smith’s 31 career starts are tied for second-highest on the 2014 squad. The announcement comes as a surprise since Smith has had very little draft buzz surrounding him.