The GM's, Coach's, Carousel

Report: Adrian Wilson in, Trent Baalke out as Jaguars G.M.



Well, this is interesting.

Long-time Cardinals reporter Mike Jurecki reports that Cardinals executive Adrian Wilson will become the next General Manager of the Jaguars. This necessarily means that current G.M. Trent Baalke won’t be.


Jurecki adds that Byron Leftwich will become the head coach of the Jaguars.

A league source tells PFT that Leftwich basically gave the Jaguars an ultimatum: It’s me or Trent.

It’s a stunning move, but it underscores the concerns many had about owner Shad Khan’s decision to keep Baalke around. As one league source explains it to PFT, multiple candidates refused to even interview for the Jacksonville job if Baalke was going to remain in place as the General Manager.

If this ultimately happens, it at least shows that Khan has the flexibility to admit a mistake and pivot away from it. Still, the far better approach is to not make mistakes.

Dysfunctional teams indeed do dysfunctional things. Whether recognizing that a dysfunctional thing was done and undoing it constitutes proof that the broader dysfunction is disappearing remains to be seen.

PFT

 

The Jaguars have added a surprise candidate to their head coaching search.

According to multiple reports, Jacksonville sent a private plane to Denver to pick up former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio for an interview this week.


Fangio spent the last three years as the Broncos’ head coach, compiling a 19-30 record. Fangio never had a winning record with the Broncos. The closest he came was going 7-9 in his first season. The Broncos went 5-11 in 2020 and 7-10 in 2021.

Fangio and Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke spent 2011-2016 together with San Francisco. Fangio was the team’s defensive coordinator under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the Jaguars were trying to finalize a deal with Buccaneers offensive coordinator — and former Jacksonville first-round pick — Byron Leftwich. But now it appears the team’s coaching search is still wide open.

 

Dan Quinn will remain with Cowboys



Head coaching jobs are starting to get filled around the league, but Dan Quinn won’t be taking any of them.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Quinn has informed teams that he will be staying with the Cowboys as their defensive coordinator. Quinn turned the Dallas defense around in his first year with the team and similar success in 2022 should keep him in the mix for a second shot at being a head coach.


Quinn interviewed with the Bears, Broncos, Dolphins, Giants, and Vikings while declining a chance to interview with the Jaguars. He was seen as a finalist for the Bears and Broncos jobs, but those teams are respectively set to hire Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore also drew head coaching interest, but there’s been no word that he’s closing in on a job so the band looks like it will be staying together on the coaching front in Dallas barring any new developments.

PFT

 

The Denver Broncos have selected Nathaniel Hackett as the 18th head coach in club history.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday morning that the Broncos are finalizing a deal with Hackett to make him their new head coach, per sources informed of the situation.

Hackett's hire is the first of nine head coach openings to be filled this offseason.

The Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator was a hot candidate this cycle. Talks heated up with Denver on Wednesday night as Hackett planned to interview for the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching job Thursday. The Broncos made sure that interview didn't happen.

Hackett, 42, has spent the past three seasons as the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, helping Aaron Rodgers win what is expected to be back-to-back MVPs.

The Packers have the second-most offensive TDs (160) and the fewest giveaways (37) in the NFL since Hackett became the OC in 2019.

While Rodgers and Matt LaFleur received most of the credit outside the Packers facility for Green Bay's potent offense, both have raved about the job Hackett has done preparing the team each week.


Green Bay hopes to fill its now vacant OC role from within, with quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy the prime candidate to take over.

Denver, meanwhile, will now look to build a staff around Hackett. Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Ejiro Evero is considered a leading candidate for defensive coordinator, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. The Broncos will also request to interview Green Bay's run game coordinator, Adam Stenavich, to be their new offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added.

A former linebacker at UC Davis, Hackett spent his early career as a college assistant before leaping to the pros as an offensive quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Jon Gruden in 2006. After returning to college to be Syracuse's passing game coordinator and offensive coordinator, Hackett followed Doug Marrone to the Buffalo Bills as the OC.

Hackett spent two seasons as the Bills OC, then traveled to Jacksonville with Marrone first as QBs coach (2015-2016) and then got the coordinator job when Marrone was promoted to head coach (2016-2018).

As the OC, Hackett didn't call plays in Green Bay, but is considered innovative and energetic, and can relate to players, which will serve him well as a first-time head coach.

Hackett has been endorsed by Rodgers multiple times for head coaching jobs. The connection between the new coach and QB will launch a new round of Rodgers-to-Denver rumors. If the MVP QB decides to force his way out of Green Bay with a trade demand, the Broncos make a lot of sense as a landing spot. Denver has a playoff-caliber roster, with weapons galore on offense and a burgeoning secondary, outside needing a quarterback.

Under former coach Vic Fangio, the defense remained one of the best in the NFL, but the offense couldn't get off the ground due to inconsistent quarterback play. Hackett's task as the first coaching hire under general manager George Paton will be to inject life into that offense regardless of who the next quarterback might be.

NFL.com

 

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is stealing from his younger brother.

The Ravens announced Thursday night they are hiring University of Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to take over their defensive coordinator position following the departure of Wink Martindale earlier this month.


Macdonald left the Ravens and the elder Harbaugh brother to join Jim Harbaugh at Michigan last year. Macdonald had been a part of the Ravens’ coaching staff since beginning with the team as a coaching intern in 2014 prior to his departure last year. With Martindale now leaving, Macdonald returns to Baltimore to lead their defensive effort. Macdonald had been the Ravens linebackers coach for three seasons before his one-year with the Wolverines.

“Mike is one of us – a Raven through and through,” John Harbaugh said in a team statement. “During his initial seven seasons with us, it was evident that his leadership, intelligence and passion would earn him the opportunity to be a defensive coordinator in the NFL.

“Mike has continuously proven himself, including when he led one of the country’s best defenses at Michigan last year. He is a proven play-caller who knows our system well. He also fully understands the standard of playing defense in Baltimore.”

Michigan won the Big Ten title last season and made the four-team playoff before losing to Georgia in the semi-finals. The Wolverines defense allowed over 100 fewer yards per game last year than they had in 2020 after Macdonald took over the unit.

PFT

 

New York Giants assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will interview for the Minnesota Vikings’ head coaching vacancy this weekend.

 

Art Rooney II: G.M. Kevin Colbert will step down after the 2022 draft



Earlier this month, NFL Media reported that longtime Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert planned to step down after the 2022 draft.

But the team did not comment on that news until Friday.


According to multiple reporters, Steelers owner Art Rooney II confirmed that Colbert will step down in the spring — though there is mutual interest from Colbert and the team for him to remain with the organization in a reduced capacity.

Rooney also mentioned that Pittsburgh has already interviewed its vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan along with pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt to be the team’s next G.M. But the club will also interview external candidates for the role. However, Rooney noted that the organization will not be changing its structure so any external hire would have to fit into that.

Rooney noted Pittsburgh is not rushing to replace Colbert, as he’ll continue to run things through the draft.

Khan generated some outside interest from the Bears during this hiring cycle. Hunt interviewed with the Raiders for their G.M. opening earlier this week.

PFT

 

Daboll to the Giants

 

"We interviewed several people who are incredible coaches and all of whom are going to enjoy much more success in this league in their current positions and as a head coach," said Schoen. "With that said, we – me and ownership – all felt Brian is the right person to serve as our head coach.

"Over the last four years, I have observed first-hand Brian's strengths as a leader – he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard working. Brian's genuine and engaging personality is refreshing. He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential. I am thrilled to partner with Brian and welcome he and his family to this side of the state."

 

Josh McCown reportedly is the favorite to become the next Texans coach



It looks like the Texans really are going to do it.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that former NFL quarterback Josh McCown is the favorite to become next head coach of the Texans.


McCown is getting a second interview, a clear indication that a former player with no college or pro coaching experience could indeed go straight from playing to serving as an NFL head coach.

McClain notes that McCown has “earned a lot of respect as a future coaching candidate during his long NFL career.” The key word, in our view, is future. As in, after serving for a period of time as an assistant coach, working his way up the ladder and learning the inner workings of what to do and what not to do when ultimately doing the job.

Could McCown eventually figure out how to be a head coach by being a head coach? Sure. (It worked for Jerry Jones as a woefully unqualified G.M.) But that doesn’t make McCown one of the currently most qualified people to get one of the six open head-coaching jobs in the current cycle. The supply of qualified head-coaching candidates far outweighs demand. There definitely are more people who are better suited to getting the job than McCown or any other former player who has never coached.

To show how unconventional the move would (will) be consider this. The Saints need a coach. Will they interview Drew Brees for the currently vacant job in New Orleans? Did the Chargers interview Philip Rivers last year? Have Peyton Manning or Eli Manning ever been considered seriously as potential head coaches, with zero apprenticeship?

Is anyone clamoring for Tom Brady to make a decision as to playing so that the Dolphins, Texans, Jaguars, Raiders, Vikings, or Saints could interview him to become their head coach? How about Ben Roethlisberger? Is anyone thinking about interviewing him?

Regardless of whatever potential the Texans subjectively think McCown may possess, every name listed above has significantly more NFL playing experience than him. So if McCown’s extensive roster experience justifies considering him to be a head coach with no actual coaching experience, why aren’t some of these other guys getting chased to become coaches, too?

It tends to prove that this one is sufficiently outside the box to, as Myles Simmons would say, stay there.

Yes, the Texans can do whatever they want. Owner Cal McNair, still firmly under Jack Easterby’s Jafarian spell, will do whatever Easterby suggests. G.M. Nick Caserio, who was able to serve as the shadow coach during 2021 games, directing David Culley like a puppet via a shared headset, will get to continue to be the coach without being the coach.

And maybe, just maybe, it will work. The question is whether it should be given a chance to work. The question is whether others who are more deserving to get one of the few available chances to be NFL head coaches should be ignored.

Consider this. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has as many years of experience as an NFL assistant coach (16) as McCown had as a player. For the second straight year, Bieniemy can’t even get an interview for the Houston job. McCown is on interview No. 3.

As explained regarding the curious ongoing inability of Bieniemy to get the opportunity he has earned, no one has been willing to make the bet that Bieniemy is ready to jump from coordinator to head coach. But the Texans aren’t even willing to sit down with Bieniemy in an effort to determine whether he’s ready to become a head coach.

Again, the Texans can do whatever they want. And the rest of us can point out that what they’re about to do crosses the line from unconventional to unfair to the many candidates, regardless of race, who have greater objective credentials and who have earned the opportunity to show that they can do the job.

McCown, who nevertheless may become a great coach, simply hasn’t earned the opportunity to try to do it. Many others have. One of them should be the next coach of the Texans.

PFT

 

Report: Colts to interview Joe Cullen for defensive coordinator



The Colts will be talking to an assistant from another AFC South team as they look for a new defensive coordinator.

Albert Breer of SI.com reports that the team is set to interview Joe Cullen on Saturday. Cullen was the defensive coordinator for the Jaguars this season and remains under contract to the team for the time being.


Cullen was a defensive line coach for the Jags earlier in his career and has also been a position coach for the Browns, Buccaneers, and Ravens. He interviewed with the Ravens for their coordinator opening before Baltimore hired Mike Macdonald.

The Colts need a new defensive coordinator because Matt Eberflus was hired as the head coach of the Bears this week.

 

The writers that continue to point towards Bienemy are ignoring the complications that his past bring into the equation.

There’s more to it than being qualified.

 

Vikings interviewed Jim Harbaugh on Saturday night



The interview has happened. What happens next remains to be seen.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Vikings interviewed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Saturday night.


Harbaugh, who led Michigan to the college football semifinals in 2021, previously spent four years as head coach of the 49ers, taking San Francisco to a Super Bowl in his second season. As a source familiar with Harbaugh’s thinking told PFT a couple of weeks ago, Harbaugh wants to get back to a Super Bowl and win one. At 58, he knows he only has so many more chances.

The Vikings last went to the Super Bowl 45 years ago, losing for the fourth time in eight title games. If, as ownership has said, the Vikings intend to contend for championships, Harbaugh seems like a viable option to try to make it happen.

PFT

 

Bears hire Ian Cunningham as assistant G.M.



The Bears are hiring Ian Cunningham as their assistant General Manager, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. Cunningham takes over as the right-hand man for Ryan Poles, who was hired Tuesday as the team’s new General Manager.

Cunningham is leaving the Eagles, where he was the director of player personnel.


He joined the Eagles in 2017, first serving as the director of college scouting. He was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2019 and director of player personnel in 2021.

He previously spent 2008-16 with the Ravens, first as a player personnel assistant and then as an area scout.

Cunningham, like Poles, is a former offensive lineman. He started 31 games for the University of Virginia. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008 but didn’t make the final roster and turned to the personnel side.

PFT

 

Packers promoting Adam Stenavich to offensive coordinator

Green Bay is looking within to replace Nathaniel Hackett.

Packers offensive line coach/run game coordinator Adam Stenavich is being promoted to offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Saturday night, per sources.

Stenavich's promotion comes after Hackett was hired to become the new Broncos head coach on Jan. 27, and the news will have a ripple effect for other coaching vacancies around the league.

Hackett was looking to bring Stenavich along in Denver, according to Rapoport. Pelissero reports Hackett will now make a run at Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten to become the OC in Denver.

Rapoport adds that Packers quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator Luke Getsy is now clear to become the new Bears OC, a move expected to be official soon.

Stenavich, 38, joined the Packers as an OL coach in 2019 once Matt LaFleur was hired as head coach. A native of Marshfield, Wis., Stenavich began his NFL coaching career in 2017 with the San Francisco 49ers and bounced around different practice squads as an offensive tackle from 2006 to 2010.

NFL.com

 

Bears interested in Alan Williams for defensive coordinator



Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is looking to his previous team for a defensive coordinator.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Colts safeties coach Alan Williams is a leading candidate to follow Eberflus to Chicago.


Williams and Eberflus both joined the Colts in 2018 and helped the team make the playoffs twice in the last four seasons. Williams spent the previous four seasons as the defensive backs coach in Detroit and has previous coordinator experience with the Vikings.

There’s been talk of other Colts defensive assistants making the jump to Chicago with Eberflus and the team is expected to hire Packers quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator Luke Getsy as their offensive coordinator.

PFT

 

Kevin O’Connell to interview with Jaguars, is finalist for Vikings job



Kevin O’Connell didn’t land the Broncos’ head coaching job after being considered a finalist, but he still has other options. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Vikings have requested to interview O’Connell for their head coaching vacancy. He’s considered a “key candidate” in Jacksonville’s search, as Rapoport put it.

The Jaguars hope to interview O’Connell in person as early as Monday if the Rams lose to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. If they advance to the Super Bowl, they’ll have to wait a bit longer to speak with him.

Additionally, Tom Pelissero has reported that O’Connell is a finalist for the Vikings’ job, as well as a top candidate for the Texans’ opening. So as of this moment, he still has his suitors after missing out on the Broncos.

O’Connell has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator since 2020 after previously holding the same position in Washington. He and the Rams have had plenty of success on offense this season, ranking seventh in scoring and ninth in total yards.

YAHOO

 

The Raiders have their next head coach: Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, is finalizing his agreement to become the Raiders’ head coach, according to multiple reports. That happened simultaneously with Dave Ziegler agreeing to become the Raiders’ GM.


PFT first reported on January 22 and the Raiders were looking to make a run at McDaniels, and that Ziegler would come with him.

The longtime top assistant to Bill Belichick with the Patriots, McDaniels has been the Patriots’ offensive coordinator since 2012 and was also an assistant in New England from 2001 to 2008. He had a brief stint as head coach of the Broncos in 2009 and 2010 and also spent a season as offensive coordinator of the Rams in 2011.

McDaniels came so close to becoming the head coach in Indianapolis in 2018 that the Colts actually announced he had been hired, but McDaniels withdrew from the position and decided to stay in New England. He hasn’t been as hot a head-coaching candidate since then, but the Raiders think he’s the right fit.

PFT

 

The Raiders appear to have their new general manager, and his identity is the strongest sign yet that they also have decided on their new head coach.

The Raiders are planning to hire Dave Ziegler away from the Patriots as G.M., according to NFL Network.


That makes it highly likely that they’ll hire Josh McDaniels as head coach. It has been widely believed that Ziegler and McDaniels, currently the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, would go somewhere together as a GM-coach duo.

The Raiders have been in need of a new GM since firing Mike Mayock after their playoff loss. Jon Gruden, who was fired during the season for offensive emails, largely built the current roster, and McDaniels and Ziegler will get to work on revamping that roster and trying to improve on the Raiders’ 10-7 record in 2021.

 

I cannot come up with any logical reason why McDaniels wants to hitch his last shot at being a HC to Mark Davis and Derek Carr while having to play Mahomes and Herbert 2x a year each.