Tom Brady

Bucs Re-Sign C Ryan Jensen

March 13th, 2022 at 10:49pm CST by Ely Allen

The Brady effect has started already and it is strong. Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen was poised for quite the pay day on the free agent market this week, but, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Jensen has agreed to a three-year, $39MM deal returning him to Tampa Bay.

Drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Jensen was released, signed to the practice squad, and then eventually promoted to full-time starter over the first four years of his career. After one season as the starting center in Baltimore, Jensen signed a four-year, $42MM contract with the Buccaneers that made him the highest-paid center in the NFL at the time. The new deal makes Jensen the second-highest-paid center in the NFL now behind only Frank Ragnow, who averages $13.5MM per year. Jensen’s new contract has a guaranteed amount of $23MM at signing, with a potential $3.3MM of incentives.

Jensen’s efforts in Tampa Bay last year were rewarded with a Pro Bowl appearance. He didn’t have his best season according to Pro Football Focus, who graded him out as the league’s 14th-best center. But Jensen hasn’t missed a game in five straight seasons and he should be able to replace the leadership on the offensive line lost with the retirement of Ali Marpet. Who knows? The return of Jensen and quarterback Tom Brady may have some influence in bringing back right guard Alex Cappa, set to hit free agency this week, and maybe even Marpet, who retired at 28-years-old.

Regardless of what else may come in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers and Brady will be happy to see the return of their Pro Bowl center. Center-quarterback chemistry is an important dynamic on an NFL offense and, some may remember, Jensen already knows just the right techniques to keep his butt sweat-free, just the way his quarterback prefers it.

Tom Brady Coming Out Of Retirement, Will Rejoin Bucs

March 13th, 2022 at 6:18pm CST by Ely Allen

It looks like the Buccaneers’ quarterback questions have been answered for now. Get comfortable, Kyle Trask, you’ve got a bit longer to wait. After 40 days of retirement, Tom Brady has announced he will return for his 23rd season of NFL football in a tweet this evening. He announced he has unfinished business in Tampa after the team lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs last year to the eventual-Super Bowl Champion Rams.

Rumors of a Brady unretirement had persisted since his February 1st announcement. Brady even hinted at the possibility of a Favre-like return, coming back just in time for training camp. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, made it very clear that they had no intention of allowing Brady to play elsewhere for the 2022 NFL Season. It turns out, they have nothing to worry about for now. Brady cited his love for his teammates in his unretirement announcement.

Some details will need to be hashed out as Brady still had four years on his contract, with all years after 2022 being voided upon his retirement. Past that, Tampa Bay has several offensive pieces set to become unrestricted free agents including center Ryan Jensen, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard, and running backs Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones II, and Giovani Bernard. If they are going to attempt another glory run, these loose ends will need to be tied up.

In response to the news, no one is more happy to see the quarterback return than Rams’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey who was set to spend eternity as the last person to have Tom Brady throw a touchdown on them. On the other hand, no one is less happy to see the quarterback return than the unfortunate big-spender who just dropped $518,000 at an auction in a bid to receive Tom Brady’s final touchdown ball. Looks like there will be many other balls getting thrown past many other defensive backs before Brady retires again.

NFC South Notes: Wirfs, Trask, Saints, Gilmore

March 6th, 2022 at 6:51pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers cruised on Super Wild Card Weekend to a mostly stress-free victory over the Eagles in January. While they were all smiles on the field, in the locker room, Pro Bowl right tackle Tristan Wirfs was preparing himself for a lengthy recovery. Wirfs left the game early in the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury and, soon after, found out that he had suffered two torn ligaments, including one off the bone, and was initially thought to need surgery to repair his ankle.

Well, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, a second opinion informed Wirfs that surgery was not necessary and, after receiving an injection in the ankle, he’s made progress in his recovery and is expected to avoid surgery altogether.

Here are some other notes from the NFC South, starting with another note from central Florida:

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, head coach Bruce Arians has announced that quarterback Kyle Trask will be given a legitimate chance to replace Tom Brady in training camp. With the retirement of Brady leaving the position behind center wide open for the taking, the second-year player out of the nearby University of Florida will attempt to show his worth as the team’s second-round pick from last year. Veteran Blaine Gabbert spent the 2021 season as Brady’s primary backup, but he is heading back to the free agent market, unless Arians and company decide to bring him back. As of right now, Trask is the only active quarterback on contract in Tampa Bay. It has yet to be seen whom his competition will be.
On Monday, news dropped that the University of Alabama’s director of sports science, Dr. Matt Rhea, is expected to join the staff in New Orleans, according to Josh Pate of CBS Sports. Rhea has worked with the Tide for two years after a similar stint on staff with the Indiana Hoosiers. He also brings with him 13 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach.
The Panthers acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore via a trade with the Patriots last season. After overcoming an early quad injury to start the season, Gilmore put forth an impressive performance in eight games for Carolina. The Panthers would love to bring Gilmore back on a new deal, but, with Gilmore expected to draw offers up to $14MM, he is expected to test free agency, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Dolphins GM Talks Watson, Payton/Brady Rumors, Howard

March 3rd, 2022 at 5:05pm CST by Ben Levine

THURSDAY: Set to pursue a media gig, Payton indicated to veteran NFL reporter Jason Cole (via Twitter) he would “probably not” have been interested in this Dolphins setup had he been given the chance to speak with the team. Once Payton lands with a network, the subject of his next coaching stop figures to come up fairly frequently.

WEDNESDAY: It’s already been a busy offseason for the Dolphins. The team hired a new head coach in Mike McDaniel, dealt with the fallout of former HC Brian Flores‘ lawsuit, and brushed off continued rumors regarding their quarterback position.

While speaking with reporters today, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier addressed many of the major story lines surrounding the organization. Most notably, the GM acknowledged that “the door is shut” on acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Texans. The organization has been continually connected to Watson over the past year, but the team’s decision makers seem focused on moving forward with Tua Tagovailoa.

Grier also addressed a recent report that indicated the organization pursued Sean Payton as their head coach and Tom Brady as their starting quarterback. While the GM discussed the team’s brief pursuit of the coach (which we detail below), he said the Dolphins “never had a conversation” with the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

The Dolphins general manager provided a handful of additional thoughts on the state of the Dolphins, which we’ve compiled below (h/t to Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com):

More on the Dolphins’ commitment to Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback:

“Mike and the staff have come in to do a lot of work, studied a lot of Tua and they feel good about his developmental upside, what he can be and then the fit in the offense. I think we’re good with Tua.”

On the Dolphins pursuit of Payton:

“[We called the Saints] to see if he is done with football or does he want to coach. … They told us no, they weren’t going to grant permission. So that was it.

“We stopped to see if he would have interest at all. So, I don’t even know if he would have interest.”

On cornerback Xavien Howard, who is seeking a new contract following back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons:

“My anticipation is that Xavien will be here next year. We made the promise to him — after the season, we’ll make the adjustment … just to be truthful with him and do it, that’s the right thing to do.”

On impending free agents Mike Gesicki and Emmanuel Ogbah:

“Mike knows how I feel about him. I drafted him and have had separate conversations with Mike. We’ve had limited talks with his agents.”

“As it got to the end of the season with free agency, both of those guys get to this point, they want to be able to see what their options are. They both told us they want to be back in Miami. They both love it here, they want to be back. We’ll see what happens.”

On Flores’ class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams (including the Dolphins):

“(At) some point when it’s done [i can discuss], maybe in the future, but I can’t comment on this right now.

Buccaneers Uninterested In Allowing Tom Brady To Play Elsewhere In 2022

March 1st, 2022 at 5:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady unretirement speculation has persisted since he announced his NFL exit, and the quarterback icon remains on the Buccaneers’ roster. The Bucs are interested in Brady returning; they are not open to accommodating any wishes the future Hall of Famer might have about playing elsewhere this season.

Bruce Arians said Tuesday the Bucs would not release Brady or trade him to another team this year, calling such moves “bad business” for his team, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. Brady is under contract for 2022, due to the Bucs extension he signed last year.

Brady has hinted at a Brett Favre-style return, potentially around the time training camps open. The Packers traded Favre to the Jets for a conditional draft choice after he backtracked on retirement No. 1 in 2008. That pick ended up settling in the 2009 third round. The Jets let Favre sign with the Vikings as a free agent in 2009, following his second retirement. Arians said it would require something outlandish — “five No. 1s, maybe” — for Tampa Bay to entertain trading Brady, who has not requested a trade, Jason Licht said, via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.

The Bucs taking this course of action would shelve the 22-year veteran this season. Brady had long hoped to play through at least his age-45 season, and he opened the door to more seasons after the Bucs won Super Bowl LV. Despite bringing its entire core back, Tampa Bay could not advance past the divisional round this season — one that may or may not have featured a significant Brady-Arians disconnect. While Arians attempted to shoot down those rumors, Brady has been connected to unretiring and maneuvering his way to a third team.

As for Brady unretiring and playing for the Bucs, Arians made sure to confirm that door remains open. The team has been connected to big names since Brady’s retirement — from Russell Wilson to Deshaun Watson — but the fourth-year Bucs HC would welcome Brady back.

“That door is never closed,” Arians said. “Whenever Tom wants to come back, he’s back. … If Tom wants to come back, we’ll have plenty of money for him.”

That would take some doing, given the team’s immediate need at quarterback and host of 2021 starters set for free agency. The Bucs have barely $2MM in cap space. By placing Brady on their reserve/retired list after June 1, however, the Bucs can move $24MM of his dead-money charge to 2023. It seems that is where this is headed, for the time being.

Bucs Notes: Brady, Arians, AB

February 20th, 2022 at 10:12am CST by Rory Parks

Over the past week, Mike Sando of The Athletic and former player (and current FOX Sports Radio host) Rich Ohrnberger both reported that recently-retired (?) Buccaneers QB Tom Brady had grown frustrated with some of the team’s coaching. Ohrnberger specifically delineated issues that Brady had with HC Bruce Arians, and he added to that narrative with a series of tweets on Saturday night. Per Ohrnberger, not only did Arians take a figurative red pen to the game plans that Brady and OC Byron Leftwich would devise together, but Brady and Leftwich also had significant disagreements, particularly with respect to the run game.

Ohrnberger further noted that there is a feeling of resentment towards Arians in the building, because he has a “much lighter work schedule” than others players/coaches. In his own Twitter thread, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times adamantly refuted Ohrnberger’s reporting, saying that Arians — now 69 and with a history of health problems, including a recent Achilles injury — accepted his post on the condition that he would not be heavily involved in the game-planning, and that he did not take a red pen to anything. Stroud added that Arians’ work schedule was lighter by design, thereby implying that no one within the organization resents him for it. In fact, Stroud says he has not heard anything from any player or assistant to lend credence to Ohrnbeger’s report:

Now for more out of Tampa, beginning (of course) with additional Brady-related items:

Arians himself fired back at Ohrnberger’s original reports on the matter (via Stroud in a full-length piece), though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes this is a classic example of protesting too much. In Florio’s estimation, Ohrnberger — who played with Brady for three years in New England and who enjoys a close friendship with Buccaneers assistant coach A.Q. Shipley — has plenty of credibility here, and Florio is inclined to believe Ohrnberger’s take on the Brady/Arians rift.
And if Ohrnberger is, in fact, accurate, then that would obviously add more ballast to the rumors that Brady actually wants to play in 2022 and that he is simply trying to finagle his way out of Tampa. Indeed, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes, longtime Brady teammates Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman believe Brady will be back, though Volin suggests it will be with a different team despite what he classifies as a “great relationship” between Brady and the Bucs. Volin adds that Brady may also want to buy into an NFL ownership group, and he names the Raiders and Dolphins as possibilities in that regard.
Bucs receiver Mike Evans is on the team’s side when it comes to the divorce between Tampa Bay and fellow wideout Antonio Brown. In a recent interview with Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Sports, Evans detailed the moments leading up to Brown’s famous midgame exit in the Bucs’ Week 16 matchup with the Jets, and he indicated Brown’s departure was spurred by his lack of targets. “You know, he was saying he wanted the rock, and I mean, rightfully so,” Evans said. “But like, yo, come in the game, AB. … They’re calling for us, because me and him are both on the pitch count, because we’re both coming back from injury. And so I’m trying to get him to come in the game. And he doesn’t come. So I go back on the drive. I do my two plays. I come out. And then I see [Arians] still trying to get him to come in the game. And they had like a falling out somehow. And AB goes off. … So I’m telling him, please don’t go out like this. And they’re calling me to come back in the game. So I just left him alone like, all right.”
Now for one from the non-drama department. Per Greg Auman of The Athletic, the Bucs are promoting Tim Atkins from quality control coach to defensive and special teams assistant (Twitter link). Atkins was on DC Todd Bowles‘ staff with the Jets and has spent the last three seasons on the Bucs’ staff.

Latest On Tom Brady’s Retirement Decision, Buccaneers’ Plan At QB

February 19th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Ben Levine

When Tom Brady announced his retirement, he cited a desire to focus his “time and energy on other things that require [his] attention,” including his family and business ventures. However, there might be more to his decision. According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, the future Hall of Fame quarterback had “grown frustrated with some of the Buccaneers’ coaching.”

Meanwhile, former player (and current FOX Sports Radio host) Rich Ohrnberger tweeted that Brady and head coach Bruce Arians had issues seeing “eye-to-eye” regarding the offensive game planning. According to Ohrnberger, Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich would spend mornings working on the week’s game plan. Arians, meanwhile, would be rehabbing his Achilles injury, and the HC would later enter the offensive meeting and “take the red pen” to his OC’s and QB’s draft. Leftwich and Brady both felt “undermined,” leading to “tension” in the locker room.

Brady’s intensity, desire for perfection, and stubbornness has often led to tension with coaches. While he obviously shared the same championship-focused vision as Bill Belichick in New England, there were continuous rumors of issues between the two, rumors that seemed to be (partly) confirmed when Brady ultimately left the Patriots.

This reported tension with Arians has only fueled the fire regarding a potential Brady return. Either way, as Sando writes, his tenure in Tampa Bay is absolutely done, and the organization now has to figure out their QB situation moving forward. We heard recently that the front office could have their eye on big names like Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson. NFL Network’s James Palmer reports (via Twitter) that the organization isn’t interested in pursuing a QB via the draft, mostly because the team is encouraged by the development of 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask.

Tom Brady Has Not Ruled Out Playing In 2022; Bucs Interested In Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson

February 13th, 2022 at 8:23am CST by Rory Parks

You didn’t really think that there wouldn’t be any Tom Brady “un-retirement” stories, did you? Less than two weeks after the legendary passer confirmed he would be hanging up the cleats, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report that the Buccaneers are leaving the door open to a Brady return, and that Brady himself is not ruling out the possibility.

Brady, 44, when discussing the prospect of playing in 2022 on his own podcast six days ago, said, “[y]ou never say never. At the same time I know that I’m very, I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now” (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

It’s understandable that any retired player, let alone a player who has enjoyed the type of career that Brady has, would start to feel the itch to return to the field as summer draws to a close and the nation starts to turn its attention to Week 1 of the NFL season. Even assuming Brady gets that itch, however, Pelissero and Rapoport hear from sources close to the seven-time Super Bowl champion that chances of a return are “remote.” Still, the Bucs are willing to do whatever it takes to bring him back for his age-45 season, and they have made that clear to him.

Florio, in the same piece linked above, speculates that Brady’s retirement announcement could be his way of engineering a graceful exit from Tampa. After all, although the team was able to retain all of its starters from its Super Bowl LV run, tough decisions were always going to have to be made in 2022. As we recently pointed out, nearly half of the Bucs’ starting lineup in 2021 is eligible for free agency in March, and even without that contingent on the payroll, the club is projected to be barely $5MM under the cap. It could be that Brady realizes his chances of playing through his age-45 campaign — as he had long indicated he planned to do — and still going out on top with an eighth Super Bowl ring would be better elsewhere.

Indeed, no matter how badly the Bucs may want him back, they are going to have to turn their attention to other options at some point. Pelissero and Rapoport write that Tampa Bay is doing “extensive homework” on embattled Texans QB Deshaun Watson and are expected to explore a trade for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. The team has also been connected to 49ers signal-caller (and former Brady protégé) Jimmy Garoppolo. If/when the Bucs make a move to replace Brady with a starting-caliber passer, it will obviously be impractical for them to keep Brady rostered.

At present, the Bucs have not made a roster move with respect to Brady and are projected to carry a $32MM dead money charge for him in 2022 if they move him off the roster. If they designate him a post-June 1 release, they could push $24MM of that total to 2023, and if they place him on the reserve/retired list after June 1, they would be able to accomplish the same thing while still retaining his 2022 rights should he decide he wants to keep playing but for another team. Or, as Florio adds in a separate piece, the team could just keep him on the roster all year, which would result in a $10.545MM cap charge — just $2.545MM more than what the post-June 1 2022 dead money charge would be — and which would allow him to return to the team at any time should he so choose. Presumably, that option would only be in play if Tampa Bay does not replace Brady with a high-level starter.

Interestingly, Florio posits that if Brady does want to play for another club in 2022, that club would be his hometown Niners. Brady reportedly wanted to play for San Francisco before signing with the Bucs two years ago, and with the 49ers boasting a roster that came up just shy of a Super Bowl appearance this year, it stands to reason that HC Kyle Shanahan would be willing to delay the Trey Lance era for one more season if it means giving Brady a chance to get that roster to the promised land. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times agrees that Brady’s preferred destination, should all of this speculation coalesce into something more concrete, would be San Francisco (Twitter link).

NFC South Notes: Pickett, Bucs, Falcons

February 11th, 2022 at 5:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers have received substandard quarterback play for several years and still have Sam Darnold‘s fully guaranteed fifth-year option ($18.9MM) on their books going forward. While Carolina will undoubtedly be linked to veteran passers — potentially Deshaun Watson for a second straight offseason — the team may have early interest in Pitt prospect Kenny Pickett. The Panthers are believed to be high on Pickett, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who notes multiple evaluators do not believe the ACC talent will make it past Carolina’s No. 6 overall pick. Panthers owner David Tepper was previously a minority Steelers owner and, per JLC, is a Pitt booster, connecting some dots here. Tepper was believed to be behind the Panthers’ aggressive Watson interest last year, before the Texans QB’s legal issues surfaced. Based on that and the team’s push for Matthew Stafford last year, it can be assumed the owner will endorse a splashy QB addition. Although this year’s crop of prospects is not viewed especially well, Pickett impressed at the Senior Bowl and would give the Panthers a low-cost starter amid the Darnold deal.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

Tristan Wirfs could not finish the Buccaneers‘ wild-card win and missed their divisional-round Rams matchup, halting a quality run of durability to start his career. Tampa Bay’s All-Pro right tackle is moving toward taking care of his recent ankle issue. Wirfs plans to undergo surgery, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (subscription required). Although Bruce Arians said a non-surgical option exists (via Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith), the standout blocker suffered a rather severe ankle injury. The former first-round pick tore two ligaments, one ripping off the bone completely, Howe adds. Wirfs said he will undoubtedly be ready for training camp.
The Bucs have not made a roster move regarding Tom Brady yet, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, despite the all-time great announcing his retirement last week. The team has $32MM in dead money associated with its two-year quarterback. A post-June 1 placement on the reserve-retired list would defray $24MM of that total to 2023. The Saints and Panthers did this with Drew Brees and Luke Kuechly, respectively, over the past two offseasons. The Bucs doing this would also mean they would retain Brady’s rights for 2022, entitling them to compensation if the ageless passer decides he wants to play again but for another team. Should the Bucs release Brady after June 1, he would be free to sign with any team.
Falcons director of pro personnel Steve Sabo is leaving the team. Sabo spent the past 12 years with the Falcons, working in various roles. Previous GM Thomas Dimitroff hired Sabo, but he stayed on in Terry Fontenot‘s first year. Sabo previously served as the Falcons’ college scouting director.
The Panthers made a change in their front office recently as well. They are promoting cap guru Samir Suleiman to a newly created position of VP of football administration, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Suleiman previously worked as Carolina’s salary cap manager.

Brian Flores Sues NFL, Dolphins, Giants, Broncos

February 1st, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos — on Tuesday, alleging racial discrimination, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports. The Dolphins’ decision to fire him after three seasons, along with the Giants and Broncos choosing other candidates in 2022 and 2019, respectively, are at the root of this suit, which he filed in New York.

The Dolphins stunned most by firing Flores after back-to-back winning seasons, but the 2019 season — one in which the team was connected to tanking for the 2020 No. 1 overall pick — comes up frequently in Flores’ suit. The since-fired HC alleges Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him an additional $100K for each loss that season and that GM Chris Grier informed Flores that Ross was mad when the team’s wins down the stretch that season compromised its 2020 draft position. The Ross allegations are particularly explosive, and the Dolphins owner came up in another part of this lawsuit as well.

Miami likely fielded the NFL’s worst roster in 2019, having gutted it at the start of a rebuild, but Flores went 5-11 to push the team’s 2020 draft slot down to No. 5. The Dolphins were connected to Tua Tagovailoa for over a year, but they had changed course and wanted Joe Burrow after his record-setting Heisman campaign. Instead, the Bengals landed the LSU superstar and rebuffed the Dolphins’ attempt to trade up from No. 5.

Flores also alleged Ross wanted Flores to recruit a “prominent quarterback” at the end of the 2019 season — before free agency, which would have violated the NFL’s tampering rules. This, per Flores, included a meeting on a yacht before the legal tampering period. When Flores refused to go through with this meeting, he claims he was met with “treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with.” The Dolphins cited collaboration issues as part of the reason they fired Flores last month.

The unnamed quarterback is believed to be Tom Brady, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). The Dolphins were linked to Brady, whom Flores spent over a decade with in New England, but were not believed to be among the finalists for the future Hall of Fame passer by the time the tampering period began.

The Giants hired Brian Daboll over Flores, who called his interview process with the team “a sham” meant to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates teams interview two minority candidates for HC positions. Flores, who spoke with the Giants before they hired GM Joe Schoen and later interviewed with Schoen and Co. in person, cites Bill Belichick texts about his pursuit of the job in his suit. In the messages, Belichick claimed that he had “Buffalo and NYG that you are their guy.” Flores’ former boss later texted his apologies for misunderstanding the situation. The suit claims Flores’ in-person meeting with the Giants came after they had already decided to hire Daboll, via the New York Post.

Flores also alleges members of the Broncos’ interview contingent, including former GM John Elway, arrived for his 2019 HC interview an hour late and hungover. The Broncos ended up hiring Vic Fangio to replace Vance Joseph that year, leading Flores to Miami. Calling Flores’ account “blatantly false,” the Broncos detailed their 2019 interview process with Flores (via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, on Twitter). The Dolphins and Giants have also rejected Flores’ claims.

Flores conducted a second interview with the Texans on Monday, and the Saints did go through with their interview Tuesday at the Senior Bowl, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett tweets. This lawsuit certainly complicates Flores’ chances of landing a job this year. His suit against the NFL aims, among other matters, for the league to increase the number of Black coordinators, incentivize the hiring and retention of Black GMs, HCs and coordinators and provide transparency of the salaries attached to GMs, HCs and coordinators.

“God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals,” Flores said. “In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.”

The NFL called Flores’ claims meritless in a swiftly released statement. The league changed its Rooney Rule multiple times during Flores’ Miami tenure but currently features just one team employing a Black head coach. Two others — Washington and the Jets — employ minority HCs.

“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the NFL said in a statement, via Rapoport (on Twitter). “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”

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