HEADLINES

Tom Cable

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.

Coach Updates: Cowher, Quinn, Jets, Raiders

January 2nd, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after Doug Marrone opted out of his contract with the Bills, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was mentioned as a potential target for Buffalo, but appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cowher took himself out of the running for the Bills’ job or any other head coaching openings.

“I’m in a really good place. I really enjoy my job at CBS,” Cowher said. “You’re not going to see me on the sidelines. I enjoy it, you miss it, but not enough to get back.”

Here are a few more coaching-related tidbits that have trickled in since our last round-up:

  • Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has a jam-packed schedule today and tomorrow, according to Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Schefter reports that Quinn interviewed for the Jets‘ head coaching job this morning, and will speak to the Bears tonight, the Falcons tomorrow morning, and the Bills tomorrow night.
  • In addition to interviewing Quinn, the Jets also completed their interview with Seahawks assistant Tom Cable today, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur interviewed with the Raiders today, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Shurmur is the second candidate to interview with the club, following Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
  • While the 49ers and Falcons were able to schedule interviews with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels within this week’s allotted window, the Bills were not, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean Buffalo couldn’t try to speak to McDaniels later on, but the team may not want to wait.
  • A pair of potential candidates cited early in the process for the two Bay Area teams have yet to set up interviews — Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweets that the Raiders haven’t requested permission to speak to Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio yet, while Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle says (via Twitter) that the 49ers have yet to set anything up with Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
  • The Buccaneers interviewed current 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman for Tampa Bay’s OC position today, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that Vic Fangio‘s interview for the 49ers‘ head coaching position lasted more than six hours and was “very impressive.”
  • Michael C. Wright and Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com have the details on the coaching recommendations made by the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel.

Coach Notes: Saints, Kelly, 49ers, Jets

January 2nd, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are making some changes to the coaching staff underneath head coach Sean Payton, as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweets (via these links). New Orleans is parting ways with wide receivers coach Henry Ellard, tight end coach Terry Malone, and defensive backs coach Andre Curtis.

The question now is whether the team will retain defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who is highly respected around the league and in the Saints’ locker room despite the team’s recent struggles. Rapoport personally wouldn’t be surprised to see the Saints keep him and build around his scheme.

Let’s check in on a few more coaching situations around the league….

  • Despite speculation that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly may be unhappy in Philadelphia following Tom Gamble’s dismissal, John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link) hears that Kelly isn’t going anywhere. Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com tweets that a move is likely forthcoming, but it won’t involve the departure of Kelly or GM Howie Roseman.
  • The 49ers will interview Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels tomorrow, a source tells Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • The Jets‘ contingent of Woody Johnson and consultants Ron Wolf and Charley Casserly will meet with Tom Cable today, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). The former Raiders head coach currently serves as the Seahawks’ offensive line and assistant head coach.
  • A source familiar with the Bears’ coaching search told Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times the team remains steadfast in its desire to find a GM before their next coach, but the Bears couldn’t miss their permitted opportunities to meet with Adam Gase and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn this week.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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.

Coach Rumors: Raiders, Jets, Ryan, Holmgren

December 30th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Black Monday wasn’t quite as eventful around the NFL in 2014 as it has been in some recent years, with only three head coaches being handed their walking papers. Still, with the Raiders on the lookout for a more permanent head coach, and the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh agreeing to part ways, that makes a total of five teams currently conducting coaching searches. That should make for an interesting few weeks, as those clubs – the Jets, Falcons, Bears, Raiders, and Niners – eye several of the same candidates. Here are the latest coaching-related rumblings from across the league:

  • Current 49ers assistant and former Browns and Jets head coach Eric Mangini is scheduled to interview with the Raiders for the club’s head coaching job, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). In his five seasons in New York and Cleveland, Mangini recorded a 33-47 overall record, earning one playoff berth with the Jets. In addition to Mangini, Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will also interview for the Raiders’ position, according to Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com (Twitter link).
  • Garafolo has more details on the Raiders‘ head coaching hunt, reporting that the team actually offered more money to Harbaugh than the University of Michigan did, extending a proposal that would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid head coach (Twitter video link).
  • In addition to setting up an interview with Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the Jets have also requested permission to speak to Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Seahawks assistant head coach Tom Cable, Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, and Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
  • While former Jets head coach Rex Ryan intends to explore potential head coaching opportunities, he’s meeting with ESPN executives today for a possible role with the network, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). It sounds as if TV would be Ryan’s second choice after a head coaching job, but it may depend on what opportunities are available for him.
  • Speaking to Dave Mahler of KJR in Seattle (Twitter link), former Packers and Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren said he’s “gotten a couple of inquiries” from teams searching for a head coach, though he didn’t identify the clubs. According to Mahler (via Twitter), Holmgren said he’s “mulling things over” when it comes to current coaching opportunities.
  • The Buccaneers currently have an opening at offensive coordinator, and the team is interested in Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Atlanta has kept Koetter on board for now, after firing head coach Mike Smith yesterday, but if the team parts ways with its OC, the Bucs will almost certainly be in touch.

Marshawn Lynch Mulling Retirement?

November 30th, 2014 at 9:09am CST by Rory Parks

Although it is difficult to put much stock in the ruminations of enigmatic running back Marshawn Lynch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that sources close to Lynch say that he is considering hanging up the spikes after this season. Of course, it is widely believed that Lynch is currently playing his last season with the Seahawks, but it would be something of a surprise if 2014 were his last season in the league.

As Rapoport notes, however, Lynch did consider retirement last year, as he reportedly told two teammates that he might call it quits if Seattle won the Super Bowl. Although the Seahawks did, in fact, bring home their first championship, Lynch returned to the team after a training camp holdout and a subsequent pay increase.

Lynch’s health is undoubtedly weighing heavily on his mind at the moment, and it will likely be what drives his ultimate decision to either stay in the league or to retire. Lynch has dealt with back pain throughout the past four seasons, and the cartilage in his spinal cord has become compressed thanks in no small part to what makes him great: his violent running style and his ability to stay on his feet amidst a barrage of tacklers. If the pain becomes too great for him to continue running that way, he may choose to retire rather than play without his trademark relentlessness.

Rapoport adds that Lynch has developed a strong relationship with Seattle offensive line coach Tom Cable, and if Cable gets another shot as a head coach in 2015–and there may be interest, as Rapoport tweets–Lynch could follow him to his new home. If that does not happen, then expect another offseason rife with stories concerning the future of one of the league’s most fascinating players.

Seahawks Notes: Tate, Free Agents, Cable

January 28th, 2014 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Media Day is in the books, and after rounding up a few Broncos-related notes earlier in the afternoon, we’ll now turn our attention to their NFC opponents. Here’s the latest on the Seahawks:

  • Golden Tate will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this winter after catching a team-high 64 balls for the Seahawks. But while he should draw some interest around the league, Tate would like to return to Seattle, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I would really like to stay,” Tate said. “It’s a great city, a great group of guys. From top to bottom, I can’t say enough great things about Seattle…. I really would like to stay here, but we’ll see. Only time will tell.”
  • Tate, defensive end Michael Bennett, and cornerback Walter Thurmond are among the Seahawks who could greatly improve their free agent value with a big game this Sunday, writes Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, adding that there are a few Broncos in a similar position.
  • Asked if he’d like to be an NFL head coach again, Seahawks offensive line coach and assistant head coach Tom Cable replied, “I would, and I will be,” according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com (Twitter link). Cable previously coached the Raiders to a 17-27 record from 2008 to 2010.