Wade Phillips - Pro Football Rumors

West Notes: Rams, Phillips, Suggs, Carr

December 20th, 2019 at 9:18pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Rams have obviously been having a disappointing season, as they enter the final two weeks of the season with their playoff chances hanging by a thread the year after making a Super Bowl run. Anytime a team fails to meet expectations there’s the possibility for major changes, and it sounds like that could be the case in Los Angeles. Wade Phillips might be nearing the end of his time with the team, as Alex Marvez of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets that he’s “hearing there’s a chance” Phillips doesn’t return for the 2020 season. Phillips, 72, has been the Rams’ defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, and was part of head coach Sean McVay’s inaugural staff.

The former Cowboys head coach has been coaching in the league since all the way back in 1976. Before joining forces with McVay he was the defensive coordinator in Denver, overseeing their vaunted ‘No Fly Zone’ secondary which won a Super Bowl in 2015. Marvez adds that Phillips is in the final year of his contract, and that if he were to depart then linebackers coach Joe Barry would be a “strong replacement candidate.” The Rams’ defense has had some notable meltdowns this season, like when they gave up 44 points to the Cowboys last week or 45 to the Ravens a month back, but they’ve also played quite well at times. The secondary has been better since trading for Jalen Ramsey, and they’ve given up 17 or fewer points in six of their last eight games. If Phillips does get the boot or chooses to leave on his own, he’d likely draw some interest from teams in search of a veteran assistant, perhaps to be paired with a young offensive-minded head coach.

Here’s more from out West:

Terrell Suggs initially said he’d only play for the Ravens after he was cut by the Cardinals, but when he was claimed by the Chiefs it was immediately reported that he’d be joining Kansas City. What changed? Apparently all it took was a short call with Andy Reid. “I was really uncertain about my future last week, but I talked to Coach and it was a brief conversation and I was like, ‘OK,”’ the veteran pass-rusher said earlier this week, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I asked Coach, ‘I just learned the hard way that a player like me just [doesn’t] fit in anywhere.’ He was like, ‘Trust me, you’ll fit in here.'” Suggs spent the first 16 years of his career with Baltimore before signing in Arizona this past offseason. Now, he’ll be joining one of the Ravens’ main AFC rivals with a chance at a potential final playoff run.
Raiders safety Karl Joseph was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury early last month, and now we have more details. Joseph had a “partial case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot,” according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (Twitter link). Tafur also reports that he’ll be good to go in April when offseason programs start across the league. The Raiders declined Joseph’s fifth-year option, so the former first-round pick will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Joseph started the first nine games of this season, and has said he wants to be back with the Raiders. He was receiving average marks from Pro Football Focus before going down.
Speaking of the Raiders, there will be a lot of talk about Derek Carr this offseason. The Raiders are set to move to Las Vegas for 2020, and it’s not quite settled as to who will be their quarterback when they play their first game there. Jon Gruden has been publicly supportive of Carr, but “there is a significant disconnect between the coach and the quarterback,” writes Michael Lombardi of The Athletic. Lombardi writes that he believes the Raiders will hold onto Carr, while also drafting a quarterback next April. He speculates that Gruden might look to trade Carr, finding a partner willing to take on Carr’s relatively affordable contract. It’s often hard to tell what Gruden is really thinking as he’s often publicly said one thing while doing another during his short time back in the league, but it’s certainly plausible that he decides to move on from Carr, one of the last holdovers from the pre-Gruden Raiders.

Latest On Broncos/Wade Phillips Split

January 24th, 2017 at 12:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos and Wade Phillips could not agree on terms to bring back the DC for a third season in Denver, re-routing the veteran assistant to his 10th NFL franchise. Conflicting reports have attempted to illuminate some reasons why the architect of the league’s top defense the past two years will be overseeing the Rams’ unit in 2017.

A report earlier this week indicated Phillips played a role in pitting the Broncos’ defense against their offense, dividing the locker room and alleging the DC was responsible for a similar situation on the 2013 Texans. Phillips himself shot back (Twitter link) and denied any such claim, something which All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris (via Twitter) backed up.

The somewhat surprising split after Phillips helped guide the Broncos to their third Super Bowl championship a year ago may have occurred for several reasons, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk describes it as an amicable breakup. Phillips’ daughter lives in Los Angeles, leading Phillips to the understandable desire to want to relocate there if given the opportunity. But 2016 negotiations for a second Phillips contract in Denver featured a chasm between the sides on terms.

Phillips, per Florio, wanted to be the highest-paid defensive coordinator in football after playing a key role in leading a defensively powered Super Bowl team. The Broncos, though, resisted, and NFL veteran of more than 30 years entered this season on an expiring contract. Denver’s pass defense finished with a top-10 all-time DVOA in 2016 en route to ending up as the top DVOA total defense for a second straight year, and the 69-year-old coach became a sought-after commodity on the open market. He drew interest from the Browns, Redskins and Rams before deciding to move west.

Denver’s new DC, Joe Woods, was also drawing interest as a possible coordinator candidate, Florio notes. The Broncos did not want to lose a potential rising talent to another team, so they promoted Woods to fill Phillips’ spot shortly after he left. The team could have blocked the 46-year-old Woods from interviewing elsewhere — something that wasn’t rumored prior to him being promoted — but chose to promote him instead of denying him an opportunity. Current Broncos HC Vance Joseph experienced this two years ago, when the Bengals denied their then-defensive backs coach permission to become the Denver DC in 2015, leading to Phillips’ return to Colorado.

Latest On Broncos Coaching Staff

January 13th, 2017 at 9:32am CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos coaching staff looks a whole lot different than it did 48 hours ago. On Wednesday, the organization announced that they had hired former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as their new head coach. Last night saw two more changes. Former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips joined the Rams while the Broncos were finalizing a deal with new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

Defensive backs coach Joe Woods is considered the favorite to be promoted to the defensive coordinator position, although he still has some competition for the gig. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos will also be interviewing Reggie Herring for the opening. Herring spent the past two seasons as the team’s linebackers coach, and he handled some defensive play-calling duties earlier this season. Herring has also served as the linebackers coach for the Texans, Cowboys, and Bears.

As we wrap our head around all of these coaching moves, let’s take a look at some additional changes in Denver…

While McCoy seems to be in the driver’s seat for the offensive coordinator gig, Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post notes (via Twitter) that the organization still plans on interviewing Bill Musgrave today. The long-time coach spent the past two seasons as the Raiders offensive coordinator.
The Broncos have parted ways with tight ends coach Brian Pariani, according to Troy Renck of ABC Denver7 (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports that offensive line coach Clancy Barone also won’t be back. Finally, Klis reports (via Twitter) that Joseph notified special teams assistant Tony Coaxum and offensive line assistant Jim Cregg that they also wouldn’t be retained for next season.
Joseph acknowledged that Phillips is “one of [his] football dads,” but he also admitted that Woods was “ready to be a coordinator,” as ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold passes along (via Twitter). Wolfe tweets that the Broncos loved Phillips, but the organization saw higher potential in Woods.
Jason La Canfora tweets that general manager John Elway was in favor of changes to the Broncos coaching staff even if former head coach Gary Kubiak stuck around. Klis adds (via Twitter) that Joseph wanted “sweeping changes” when it came to his new staff.

Rams To Hire Wade Phillips As DC

January 12th, 2017 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams hired the youngest head coach in NFL history and will supplement him with one of the most experienced coordinators in football. Wade Phillips agreed to become Los Angeles’ next defensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The first of the two teams to relocate to Los Angeles moved swiftly on a busy NFL day in its second-biggest market. Phillips drew interest from the Redskins and Browns and to some degree the Broncos but will head west to run Sean McVay‘s defense, although he did not officially interview for any position. Phillips will relocate to L.A. after further elevating his stature in the game following a memorable two-year stint in Denver.

A McVay hire meant the Rams were going to push for Phillips, whom the 30-year-old head coach sought as his DC. Phillips will be 70 next season but proved to be a coveted free agent after his two-year contract with the Broncos expired. The nomadic DC and former head coach took the Broncos’ defense to a higher level, turning a talented group into one of the premier units in modern NFL history. Denver ranked first in DVOA in both 2015 and ’16 under Phillips and put together dominant defensive displays to win the AFC title game and Super Bowl 50.

The Broncos and Phillips couldn’t come to terms on an extension last summer, and the team is thought to be considering secondary coach Joe Woods for the now-vacant DC job, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Woods coached with new HC Vance Joseph in Houston, along with Phillips. This will be the NFL veteran assistant’s ninth DC job, the first coming back in 1981 with the Saints. McVay was born in 1986, creating an interesting dynamic for a Los Angeles defense that ranked ninth this season.

It remains to be seen if Phillips will continue Gregg Williams‘ 4-3 scheme or use the 3-4 he utilized in Denver. Phillips turned a Broncos team that previously worked out of a base 4-3 set into a 3-4, but the Rams employing probably the league’s best defensive tackle in Aaron Donald could point to the team staying in its usual alignment.

This will also mean the Super Bowl 50 champions will be without all three of the top sideline decision-makers from that season less than a year after the championship. The Broncos are amid a search for their next OC as well.

Redskins To Interview Wade Phillips?

January 12th, 2017 at 7:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:37pm: Renck now reports the longtime DC is going to Washington to visit family instead of officially interviewing with the Redskins. While he adds Phillips is a sought-after candidate, an interview with the Redskins has not been scheduled.

6:46pm: The competition for Wade Phillips‘ 2017 services has heated up, and his previous employer has fallen behind — perhaps by choice. Phillips will interview for the Redskins’ defensive coordinator job on Friday, Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (on Twitter). The 69-year-old DC has an obvious connection there; his son Wes Phillips is Washington’s tight ends coach.

The Rams still have interest, Renck reports, especially now that the team hired Sean McVay as HC. McVay wants Phillips as his DC, we heard earlier today. The Browns also expressed interest in Phillips before hiring Gregg Williams.

This comes as the Broncos hired defensive-based Vance Joseph as their next head coach. Joseph may be shifting in a different direction, despite calling Phillips a mentor from their time together with the Texans. The new Denver coach said today (via Nick Groke of the Denver Post) Phillips “is a free agent; he’s free to go where he wants to go” but did not mention any other names for the Broncos’ DC job. Defensive backs coach Joe Woods is considered a key candidate to become the Broncos’ next DC, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports. Phillips’ two-year Broncos contract expired after the season.

The Redskins have already interviewed Gus Bradley, Mike Pettine and Steve Wilks for their DC job, with Wilks instead receiving a promotion to become the Panthers’ head coach following Sean McDermott’s Bills defection. Washington attempted to interview Bengals DC Paul Guenther but was denied.

Phillips’ Broncos defenses finished as the No. 1 DVOA units in each of the past two years, with his 2015 Super Bowl group being one of the best defenses in memory.

If Hired By Rams, McVay Wants Phillips As DC

January 11th, 2017 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Things are heating up between the Rams and Sean McVay, so much so that the youngster is already thinking about his potential staff. If hired by L.A., McVay’s top option for defensive coordinator is Wade Phillips, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Phillips has served as the Broncos’ DC for the last two years. Although he has been largely successful in Denver, the team is apparently allowing his contract to lapse. As shown in our Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker, Phillips was contacted about the Browns’ vacancy before the job was given to Gregg Williams and other teams have also been linked to him. No matter what, Wade won’t be out of work for long.

The Rams did alright in terms of defensive DVOA last year, finishing 15th in the NFL. The Rams also have some tremendous players on that side of the ball, including linemen Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn.

Redskins Interviewed Mike Pettine For DC

January 9th, 2017 at 6:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Time to add another name to the list of Redskins defensive coordinator candidates. The team announced that they interviewed former NFL head coach Mike Pettine for the open position on Monday.

Pettine was the head coach of the Browns from 2014 through 2015, compiling a 10-22 record. Prior to his tenure in Cleveland, Pettine served as the defensive coordinator for the Bills and Jets. The 50-year-old had plenty of success during his stints in New York and Buffalo. As Stephen Czarda of Redskins.com notes, Pettine’s Jets defenses were responsible for an “NFL-low 71.0 quarterback rating, completion percentage (52.6 percent) and passing yards (186.3 per game)” during his four seasons with the organization. During his one season in Buffalo, Pettine helped the defense move from 22nd in yards allowed to 10th.

Former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley is reportedly the Redskins’ main target for the gig. This isn’t very surprising considering the coach’s connection to many members of the Redskins organization. Bradley previously worked with general manager Scot McCloughan in Seattle, and he worked alongside head coach Jay Gruden and president Bruce Allen in Tampa Bay.

As our coordinator tracker shows, the Redskins are also set to interview Panthers associate head coach/defensive backs coach Steve Wilks. The team was denied permission to interview Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. ESPN.com’s John Keim reports that there hasn’t been any contact between the Redskins and Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

The Redskins fired former defensive coordinator Joe Barry last week. The team finished towards the bottom of the league in yards allowed during Barry’s two seasons in Washington.

AFC Coaching Notes: Broncos, Browns, Jaguars

January 7th, 2017 at 10:22am CST by Ben Levine

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is set to interview with the Broncos today, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Denver gig is the job that Shanahan “identifies with.” The reporter notes that the coordinator is also intrigued by the Jaguars head coaching position.

In a separate tweet, Rapoport notes that Shanahan will “be picky and patient” as he decides which opportunity he wants to pursue. As our head coaching tracker shows, the 37-year-old is also set to meet with the Rams and 49ers.

Let’s take a look at some other coaching notes coming out of the AFC…

Chiefs’ special teams coordinator Dave Toub interviewed for the Broncos head coaching gig this morning, and Mike Klis of Denver7 writes that the coach impressed the organization during the four-hour meeting.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is considered a favorite for the Broncos head coaching gig. If he ends up getting the position, Albert Breer of MMQB.com tweets that former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy could be an option as Denver’s new offensive coordinator.
After firing Ray Horton yesterday, the Browns have started searching for a new defensive coordinator. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets that the organization reached out to former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley regarding the opening. ESPN’s Pat McManamon writes that the team also approached Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
We learned yesterday that Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is in “prime position” to get the Browns defensive coordinator gig, and Toni Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweets that Williams would bring at least three additional Rams coaches to Cleveland (assuming he gets the job).
Fortunately for the Browns, it appears that at least one coach will be staying put. Cabot tweets that running backs coach Kirby Wilson isn’t expected to go elsewhere. The longtime coach is a “longtime friend” of Browns head coach Hue Jackson.

Browns To Fire DC Ray Horton

January 6th, 2017 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Ray Horton is out as defensive coordinator in Cleveland, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News (on Twitter). Already, the search is on for his replacement. Gregg Williams has been offered the job and Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been contacted about the vacancy.

The Browns were a dumpster fire on both sides of the ball this year, but head coach Hue Jackson apparently feels that the team will need a philosophical change on defense. This year, the Browns finished next-to-last in defensive DVOA and they would have been dead last if it weren’t for the Lions’ awful ratings.

Williams is currently in the midst of his second stint as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. After coach Jeff Fisher was canned, the Rams informed all assistants that they were free to seek other jobs. Williams, naturally, isn’t just waiting around to see if the next head coach in L.A. wants to keep him on board. However, the Cleveland job might not be the gig he has his eye on. There are better situations out there from a personnel standpoint, including the Redskins gig.

Phillips has enjoyed great success in Denver, but he is on an expiring contract and unlikely to return. Phillips would be a splashy hire for a Browns team desperately seeking advancement in 2017.

Coaching/FO News & Rumors: 1/5/17

January 5th, 2017 at 6:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints will have a significantly different coaching staff next year, as the team parted with assistants Joe Vitt (assistant head coach/linebackers), Bill Johnson (defensive line), Greg McMahon (special teams coordinator), Stan Kwan (assistant special teams) and James Willis (assistant linebackers) on Thursday, according to Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). These changes are a sign that head coach Sean Payton isn’t going anywhere, observes Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Vitt is the longest-tenured staff member to go, having served with the club since 2006. He filled in as New Orleans’ interim head coach when the NFL suspended Payton for the entire 2012 season because of the Bountygate scandal.

Let’s check in on more of the latest coaching- and front office-related happenings:

49ers: With vacancies at general manager and head coach, the Niners are set to to interview a couple members of the Carolina organization. Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will meet with the 49ers next week, per FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager (Twitter links). Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable will also discuss the 49ers’ head coaching opening with the team next week, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
Bills: Buffalo still has not submitted an official request to interview Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, per Tim McManus of ESPN.com. There has been follow-through after the initial contact between the two sides, he adds (Twitter link).
Broncos: Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, whose contract is expiring, is unlikely to return to Denver, reports Marvez. If Dolphins D-coordinator Vance Joseph becomes the Broncos’ head coach, Denver’s defensive backs coach, Joe Woods, would likely succeed Phillips (Twitter links).
Chargers: Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith interviewed with the Bolts on Thursday, becoming the first candidate to do so, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The aforementioned Sean McDermott will follow him Friday, relays Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. The club has also requested permission to interview Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn, according to Rapoport (Twitter links here).
Rams: Los Angeles’ previously reported interview with Anthony Lynn will go down on Sunday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
Redskins: In addition to bouncing defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the Redskins also canned defensive line coach Robb Akey and defensive backs coach Perry Fewell on Thursday, via James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Panthers secondary coach Steve Wilks is a name to watch as the Redskins look for Barry’s successor, Rapoport tweets. Wilks has a history with Josh Norman dating back to their time together in Carolina.
Bookmark PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker for an up-to-date primer on who’s interviewing where.

Zach Links contributed to this post.