Teryl Austin - Pro Football Rumors

Bengals Fire DC Teryl Austin

November 12th, 2018 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. For now, head coach Marvin Lewis will assume the Bengals’ defensive coordinator responsibilities, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

On Sunday, the Bengals suffered a 51-14 loss at the hands of the Saints. Even without wide receiver Cameron Meredith, the Saints went off for 509 offensive yards and 44 unanswered points after the game was knotted up at 7-7. This was the third straight game in which the Bengals allowed over 500 yards and Austin has been blamed for the defense’s shortcomings.

For the last two years, Austin has been in the mix for head coaching jobs around the league. This year, he pushed for the Lions to promote him from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jim Caldwell was fired, but the team was dead set on hiring Matt Patricia. When that became apparent to Austin, he hooked on with the Bengals to serve under Lewis.

Now, Austin’s time in Cincinnati is up after just one year. And, fair or not, Austin is now even further away from getting his big break as a head coach.

The Bengals are now 5-4, meaning that their playoff hopes are alive, though they have some ground to make up if they hope to beat out the 6-2-1 Steelers for the AFC North crown.

Bengals Hire Teryl Austin As DC

January 8th, 2018 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals have made up their minds on a defensive coordinator. On Monday, they officially announced the hiring of Teryl Austin.

Austin will take over Paul Guenther‘s post now that he is moving on to become the Raiders’ DC. Although the Raiders were interested in Austin for a job alongside Guenther, the Lions’ defensive boss of the past four seasons with migrate to Cincinnati.

Austin and the Bengals were in talks about this job on Sunday night, and those discussions quickly led to an agreement.

The Bengals were also interested in Vic Fangio, so this removes an avenue for the veteran defensive leader whom the Bears want to retain. As for Austin, this will be his second DC job. After overseeing the Cardinals, Seahawks and Ravens’ secondaries, he led the Lions’ defense from 2014-17.

Although Austin’s units did not finish as top-tier groups after his first season, when they finished second in total defense, the 52-year-old coach received steady interest over the past few offseasons. He participated in 12 HC interviews, including his most recent with the Lions last week. And though Detroit’s Jim Caldwell successor hasn’t been decided, Austin taking his name out of consideration provides a fairly clear indication the franchise was looking elsewhere for its next head coach. Matt Patricia is viewed as the clubhouse leader.

Guenther had served as Cincinnati’s DC since 2014. The Bengals ranked as the league’s No. 18-ranked defense (16th in points allowed).

Raiders Eyeing Teryl Austin

January 8th, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are looking to soup up their staff. Head coach Jon Gruden has set his sights on Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and hopes to hire him as the team’s assistant head coach/defensive backs coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Austin is also being chased by the Bengals, who are hoping to have him replace Paul Guenther as their defensive coordinator. Instead, Austin could follow Guenther to Oakland and work alongside him. Austin would not have as much autonomy with the Raiders, but he would have the opportunity to work with a better defense on the whole. He might also be able to finagle a high-paying four-year deal like the ones given to Guenther, offensive coordinator Greg Olson, and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia.

Austin also interviewed for the Lions’ head coaching vacancy, but he is not expected to come away with the job. Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is reportedly the favorite in Detroit and he’ll likely look to bring in his own people. It seems unlikely that Austin will not be back with the Lions in 2018, but he has plenty of options elsewhere in the NFL.

Bengals Negotiating DC Deal With Teryl Austin

January 7th, 2018 at 9:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

A sought-after name on the HC interview circuit in recent offseasons, Teryl Austin may be backing off those pursuits for the time being.

While he interviewed for the Lions’ HC job, the Bengals are negotiating with Austin to become their next defensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, adding the deal is not yet finalized but that could be imminent.

The Bengals interviewed Austin on Friday; he’s the only candidate the franchise has interviewed thus far in the process. The Lions blocked Austin from interviewing with the Packers but did not stand in the way of their DC speaking with Cincinnati representatives.

Rapoport notes (via Twitter) Austin is not yet eliminated for the Lions’ HC job, but he’s likely headed to western Ohio if he doesn’t get that job. Matt Patricia‘s viewed as the Detroit favorite.

The 52-year-old assistant’s been the Lions’ DC for the past four seasons. Prior to that, he spent three seasons in command of the Ravens’ secondary. Austin, who also oversaw the Seahawks’ and Cardinals’ secondaries during the 2000s, conducted a whopping 12 HC interviews over the past three offseasons. He spoke with the Rams and Chargers last season only to see those teams move in different directions.

Austin’s Lions defenses have not been top-tier units over the past three seasons. Statistically, they topped out at No. 18 in 2015 and ’16 in total defense before dropping to 27th in that category this season. In 2014, though, the Lions finished second in total defense to put Austin on the HC map.

The Bengals had hoped to keep Paul Guenther in charge of their defense, but he plans to join Jon Gruden’s staff in Oakland. Cincinnati also sought Bears DC Vic Fangio, but it appears Bengals brass is ready to hire Austin.

Lions Block Teryl Austin From Packers

January 5th, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Request denied. The Lions will not allow Teryl Austin to interview with the Packers for their defensive coordinator vacancy, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

This week, the Lions permitted Austin to interview with the Bengals, so this could be a move to stifle a divisional rival. Alternatively, this could be a sign that the Lions are now giving serious consideration to promoting Austin to head coach. The Lions met with Austin this week to discuss the position, making him one of seven known candidates for the gig.

This is the second time today that the Packers have been shut down when trying to poach talent from another team in the NFC North. On Friday morning, the Vikings denied their request to interview executive George Paton.

Packers Want To Interview Teryl Austin

January 5th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

[UPDATE: The Lions have denied the Packers’ request]

The Packers are seeking to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for their vacant defensive coordinator position, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The team will also their own secondary coach Darren Perry for the same job.

Austin figures to be a popular name this offseason. In early December, the Fritz Pollard Alliance listed him as one of four excellent minority candidates for head coaching jobs. The Lions met with Austin this week to discuss their own head coaching vacancy and the Bengals are meeting with Austin on Friday to about their DC opening.

Austin interviewed for a dozen head coaching positions over the past three seasons, but has not yet been given his shot. If he is unable to land a head coaching job this offseason, he may look to build his DC resume elsewhere. The Packers would give Austin the opportunity to hook on with a potential contender and make the Lions regret overlooking him.

Bengals To Interview Lions’ Teryl Austin

January 4th, 2018 at 7:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals will interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for their open DC position on Friday, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Austin is also a contender for Detroit’s vacant head coaching job, and interviewed for the role earlier this week. Speculatively, the fact that’s taking a meeting with Cincinnati could mean that Austin has already been ruled out of the Lions’ search, but there have been no reports to that effect. Austin is one of seven candidates for the Lions’ top gig, a list that also includes Detroit offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.

The Bengals may need a new defensive coordinator given that incumbent Paul Guenther‘s contract has expired. While head coach Marvin Lewis indicated Cincinnati would like to retain Guenther, the veteran DC is expected to interview for a position on Oakland’s Jon Gruden-led staff.

Austin has garnered a whopping 12 head coaching interviews over the past three seasons, but hasn’t yet been able to garner a job. Most recently, Austin met with the Rams and Chargers regarding their vacancies in 2017, but those positions went to Sean McVay and Anthony Lynn, respectively. Detroit’s defensive play-caller since 2014, Austin led the Lions to a No. 18 ranking in defensive DVOA a season ago.

Lions To Interview Teryl Austin For HC Job

January 1st, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teryl Austin has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and has shown up on other teams’ radars as an HC candidate.

Now that the Lions have a vacancy, they will interview their DC for the job, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Austin will meet with Lions brass on Tuesday, Anderson reports.

The Lions fired Jim Caldwell on Monday morning, and the two have been on the same staff for most of this decade. Caldwell brought Austin over from the Ravens once the Lions hired him in 2014. Austin’s Detroit future will surely be in doubt after Caldwell’s dismissal, but the Lions will evaluate the 52-year-old Austin soon.

Austin’s defense finished this season ranked 27th, however, a drop from 2016’s performance. He figures to have competition from candidates coming off stronger seasons leading their respective units.

Ravens DC Dean Pees Announces Retirement

January 1st, 2018 at 11:02am CST by Micah Powell

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees was expect to retire. On Monday, Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley confirmed the news to reporters (Twitter link).

In 2010, Pees joined Baltimore as the team’s linebackers coach and was elevated to defensive coordinator in 2012. In his first year on the job, Pees helped the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers in linebacker Ray Lewis’ final season with the team. In 2017, Pees’ unit allowed the sixth-fewest points and generated a league-high 34 takeaways.

On Sunday, cornerback Brandon Carr commented on Pees’ possible retirement, saying, “His fingerprints are all across this defense. Just the years that he’s been here, you’ve seen the shutouts and big-game defenses that we’ve had from his play-calling. So without him, moving forward, if it happens that way, we’re going to miss him.”

The Ravens have typically hired from within, and Mosley voiced his support for Don Martindale, who has been with the Ravens since 2012 as inside linebackers and linebackers coach. Should they go outside the organization, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora mentions that Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin would be a name to watch, assuming he does not land a head-coaching gig (Twitter link).

Pollard Alliance Releases HC, GM Candidates

December 8th, 2017 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Fritz Pollard Alliance met with the NFL this week and submitted names of suggested GM and head coaching candidates. The list, which is distributed to teams each year, recommends minority candidates for openings around the league.

This year’s candidates for GM jobs are Joey Clinkscales (Raiders), Alonzo Highsmith (Packers), Ray Farmer (Rams consultant), Will McClay (Cowboys), and Doug Williams (Redskins), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The head coaching candidates are Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Vikings DC George Edwards, Panthers DC Steve Wilks, and Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Farmer has ten years of front office experience under his belt, including two as the Browns’ GM. The team went 10-22 under his watch, so wouldn’t necessarily be an exciting choice for a team this offseason. The other four suggested candidates would be first-time GMs, if hired.

Austin has been considered a bonafide head coaching candidate for some time, but he has been left in a holding pattern. In the 2016 offseason, Austin opined that two of his four interviews were done solely to satisfy the Rooney Rule. This past year, he interviewed with the Rams and Chargers.

Absent from the list is former Bills GM Doug Whaley, who received a potentially bogus interview with the Browns this week.