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2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-11-25 (11:40am CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/25

January 15th, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals around the NFL:

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Liam Coen In Contention To Land Jaguars’ HC Position?

January 15th, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars are one of five teams currently seeking out a head coaching hire. A long list of candidates have been connected to the position, but an early contender may have emerged.

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is meeting today with Jacksonville. No other team has requested an interview to this point, something which makes him stand out compared to more in-demand HC candidates. He will remain a candidate to monitor closely in this situation, however.

Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Coen is “believed to be a top name to watch” regarding Jacksonville’s head coaching gig. To no surprise, Doug Pederson was dismissed after the 2024 campaign, his third in Duval County. The former Eagles Super Bowl winner comes from an offensive background, and teams often move in a different direction in that regard when replacing coaches. A number of candidates on the Jags’ radar are offensive coordinators, though, so Coen is one of many staffers whose success on that side of the ball could make him attractive as the team looks to maximize quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s potential.

From 2018-23, Coen alternated between Sean McVay‘s Rams staff and time at Kentucky. That period gave him offensive coordinator experience at the college and NFL levels (although he did not call plays in Los Angeles). The 39-year-old took charge of the Buccaneers’ offense this season, and his success in that endeavor has not gone unnoticed. Tampa Bay ranked top-four in the NFL in passing and rushing yards per game in 2024, and it was reported in December Coen would likely be involved in this year’s head coaching carousel.

Jacksonville is one of the long list of suitors for Lions OC Ben Johnson, who is believed to be intrigued by the prospect of taking over the Jaguars. Johnson has several other potential landing spots, of course, and the Raiders have recently emerged as the top option in that regard. Especially if Johnson ends up being unavailable for the Jaguars (in spite of their predicted “aggressive pursuit,”), Coen could be a target for a second interview when the team narrows down its list of finalists. As Schultz notes, Jacksonville’s search process is far from finished at this point.

Via PFR’s head coaching search tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand with the Jaguars:

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/14/25

January 14th, 2025 at 10:18pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Once the regular season ends, teams that are eliminated from the playoffs can sign players – typically young members of their practice squads – to reserve/futures contracts. Teams that lose in the playoffs are also eligible to sign such deals. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts from around the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Holley is a former Western Michigan Bronco who started his professional career with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 2022. He then signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts for the 2023 season and played a key role in their 2024 Grey Cup championship. Holley led all CFL interior defensive linemen with 8.0 sacks, drawing attention from multiple NFL teams before signing with the Browns, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Steward was an undrafted rookie out of Troy in 2024 who spent the year on the Bears’ practice squad. He was pursued by multiple teams once the regular season ended, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, but ultimately chose to stay within the NFC North with the Vikings.

Titans Setting Up Second GM Interviews

January 14th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 14: The Titans’ second round of interviews will take place in person today, tomorrow and Thursday, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports’ reports. Once all six candidates have been met with, it would come as no surprise if a decision were to be made in relatively short order. Tennessee may well be the first of the three GM-needy teams to move forward with a hire during the 2025 hiring cycle.

JANUARY 13: Needing a GM for the second time in three years, the Titans are moving fast. Less than a week after firing Ran Carthon, Tennessee is setting up second interviews. One of those involves a candidate the team met with in 2023 as well.

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham met with Titans brass two years ago, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the Ryan Poles lieutenant is in line for a second interview this time around. Joining Cunningham in advancing to this stage will be Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi and Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek.

We may not be at the finalist stage yet, though third interviews are virtually unheard of. Still, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray and Colts AGM Ed Dodds are also expected to receive second interviews. Ditto Jon-Eric Sullivan, per Pelissero. While this process is moving swiftly, the Titans still have several candidates in the race.

This batch of candidates includes some who are still in consideration for the Jets and Raiders’ GM gigs. Spytek, a Tom Brady college teammate, is on the Raiders’ radar early. Borgonzi is a Long Island native who has interviewed with the Jets. Sullivan interviewed for the Jets’ job as well. Beyond these three, none of the Titans’ set of second interviewees has been connected to one of the other available jobs. Though, the Raiders have not made official requests yet.

Cunningham would join the Bears’ HC search committee once he is no longer connected to leaving, but for now, the fourth-year Chicago staffer is in limbo. The Bears gave Cunningham an extension after he lost out to Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job. The Titans strongly considered Cunningham in 2023, giving him a second interview during the pursuit Carthon eventually won. Cunningham is also believed to have turned down the Cardinals’ GM job that year, with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort winning. Titans brass circling back with another second interview bodes well for Cunningham’s status this year.

Dodds has been on GM carousels previously and has been in the AFC South for seven seasons now. The Colts hired Dodds shortly after Chris Ballard took over in 2017. Dodds interviewed for the Chargers, Panthers and Raiders jobs last year. Gray met with the Bolts and Raiders but declined a Patriots interview request, joining others in doing so as the Patriots looked to satisfy the Rooney Rule for a job most correctly figured would go to Eliot Wolf.

Borgonzi was part of last year’s GM carousel as well, meeting about the Commanders job, but this year marks the first time he has met with multiple teams in the same offseason. The Chiefs have lost Ballard and Brandt Tilis from their front office during Andy Reid‘s tenure. Considering Kansas City’s success over the past several years, it would surprise if Borgonzi was not in the mix for the Jets and Titans’ jobs until the end. Both the Bucs’ assistant GMs, Spytek and Mike Greenberg, are on this year’s GM carousel. Greenberg has interviewed with the Jets. Spytek has been with the Bucs for nearly 10 seasons, two in his current role.

The Titans are giving Chad Brinker significant power, with the team’s former assistant GM — after having usurped Carthon — now president of football operations. That will affect the team’s next GM considerably, significantly affecting this search. Sullivan’s resume should be important here, as he and Brinker worked together for nearly 15 years in Green Bay. Sullivan has been with the Packers since 2004, learning under Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst. Brinker featured the same background upon arriving in Nashville.

Via PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how the Titans’ process looks nearly a week in:

Raiders Request GM Interview With Jon-Eric Sullivan, To Meet With John Spytek

January 14th, 2025 at 9:48am CST by Adam La Rose

The Raiders have begun the process of seeking out candidates for their general manager vacancy. To no surprise, two of the names on the team’s radar are among the top options in this year’s hiring cycle.

Jon-Eric Sullivan has received an interview request, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Packers’ director of player personnel also received a slip from the Jets as part of their ongoing search. More notably, Sullivan is also among the apparent finalists for the Titans’ GM gig. A second interview with Tennessee is on tap, something which is also the case with a number of other in-demand candidates.

Another name heavily connected to the Titans is that of Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek. He too has a second interview lined up, but the Raiders have arranged a meeting of their own. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times report Spytek will interview with Vegas as part of the team’s first round of meetings with candidates.

As a result of Spytek’s connection to Tom Brady given their time spent together at Michigan and again in Tampa Bay, he was floated as a potential candidate for the Raiders’ GM position. To no surprise, then, he has found himself in demand from two of the three teams seeking out a major front office hire. Up to this point, the Jets’ wide-ranging search process has not included contact with Spytek.

Having moved on from both head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, the Raiders have a pair of major organizational decisions looming. Brady – along with veteran headhunter Jed Hughes – will be key figures in the process of filling those vacancies. Owner Mark Davis does not plan on repeating his ‘Patriot Way’ approach from the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler era, so it will be interesting to see which new direction the franchise moves in on the sidelines and in the front office.

2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team

January 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.

Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to $255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure between $265MM-$275MM.

As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.

Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:

  • San Francisco 49ers: $50.01MM
  • Cleveland Browns: $41.95MM
  • New England Patriots: $34.86MM
  • Las Vegas Raiders: $33.57MM
  • Detroit Lions: $23.73MM
  • Washington Commanders: $19.83MM
  • Dallas Cowboys: $18.84MM
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: $15.89MM
  • Green Bay Packers: $15.11MM
  • Tennessee Titans: $14.72MM
  • Arizona Cardinals: $11.38MM
  • Indianapolis Colts: $10.1MM
  • Seattle Seahawks: $8.42MM
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: $6.83MM
  • Philadelphia Eagles: $6.81MM
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6.63MM
  • Atlanta Falcons: $6.07MM
  • Minnesota Vikings: $5.94MM
  • Cincinnati Bengals: $5.94MM
  • Chicago Bears: $5.08MM
  • Los Angeles Chargers: $4.89MM
  • Houston Texans: $4.81MM
  • Kansas City Chiefs: $3.15MM
  • Miami Dolphins: $3MM
  • New Orleans Saints: $2.93MM
  • Los Angeles Rams: $2.75MM
  • Baltimore Ravens: $2.14MM
  • Denver Broncos: $1.91MM
  • Buffalo Bills: $1.34MM
  • New York Giants: $1.17MM
  • Carolina Panthers: $490K
  • New York Jets: $346K

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/25

January 11th, 2025 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions and more standard gameday practice squad elevations for the wild-card round of the playoffs:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

As a member of the practice squad this year, Clifford, the second-year passer out of Penn State, was elevated twice. As a member of the active roster, he will be able to serve as Green Bay’s emergency third quarterback, which could be beneficial after starter Jordan Love was knocked out of the team’s Week 18 loss with an elbow injury on his throwing arm, and his backup, Malik Willis, was dealing with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. Both players had two full practices this week and carry no injury designation, but the team will be taking no chances.

Raiders Hire Headhunter For HC/GM Search; Pete Carroll Among Top HC Candidates

January 10th, 2025 at 5:37pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Raiders were already looking for a new head coach, and after firing Tom Telesco, they’re looking for a new general manager as well.

The team has brought in headhunter Jed Hughes of consulting firm Korn Ferry to join their search process, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Hughes coached in college and the NFL for almost 20 years and has since helped multiple teams hire coaches and executives, including the Packers and the 49ers. He will join Tom Brady as a key voice in the direction of the Raiders this offseason.

Hughes’ NFL experience includes a two-year stint as the Vikings’ defensive backs coach under Bud Grant in 1982 and 1983, giving him a connection with one of the Raiders’ head coach candidates. Grant retired after the 1983 season, but returned to Minnesota in 1985 and hired Pete Carroll in Hughes’ former position.

Carroll is a serious candidate for the HC job in Las Vegas, according to Vincent Bonsignore Las Vegas Review-Journal. He has already interviewed for the same job with the Bears. Carroll stepped down as the Seahawks’ head coach last year, but remained with the team as an advisor.

Brady has plenty of his own connections around the league, including a relationship with Buccaneers general manager John Spytek, according to Jones. Spytek was Brady’s teammate at Michigan in 1999 and later helped bring the quarterback to Tampa Bay as the team’s vice president of player personnel. The Buccaneers then won Super Bowl LV in Brady’s first year.

Brady isn’t the only Raiders minority owner who could impact the team’s ability to attract top candidates. Egon Durban, CEO of investment firm Silver Lake, purchased 7.5% of the team in December, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The persuasive power of Brady’s reputation and Durban’s financial resources could be a key factor in a crowded coaching market this offseason.

Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr., Jamel Dean Expected To Play In Wild-Card Round

January 10th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the Buccaneers prepare for their wild-card matchup, they are set to have a pair of key defensive starters back in the lineup. Tampa Bay’s secondary figures to receive two notable boosts in time for Sunday.

Head coach Todd Bowles said on Friday that safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and cornerback Jamel Dean are set to play this week (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Both players were listed as full participants for today, and they are officially listed as questionable. Their respective returns to the lineup will be significant.

Winfield suffered a knee sprain one month ago, and it quickly became clear he would miss notable time. The All-Pro had already been sidelined by an ankle and foot sprain earlier in the season, and his absence was one of the factors influencing Tampa Bay’s underwhelming performance in many defensive categories this year. The Bucs elected not to place Winfield on injured reserve, though, and despite not being able to play in the waning stages of the regular season he will be back for the playoffs.

Dean was limited to 12 games this season as a result of his hamstring injury. The 28-year-old landed on injured reserve as a result, but at the first opportunity to do so he was activated. Dean managed a run of six straight games upon returning to the lineup, but he was absent for Tampa Bay’s regular season finale because of a knee injury. Considering the Bucs finished the season ranked 29th against the pass in 2024, having as many available options in the secondary as possible will be a welcomed sight.

By virtue of winning the NFC South, Tampa Bay is set to host Washington Sunday night. The Buccaneers’ offense will be leaned on after the unit finished top-four in the NFL in both points and yards per game this season. The team’s defense will welcome Winfield and Dean back into the picture, though, while attempting to generate a postseason run.

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