| NFC NORTH |
| GREEN BAYRob Demovsky of ESPN.com with the biggest priority for eliminated Green Bay: Biggest offseason priority: Find more pass rush. Whether that’s on defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to blitz more — the Packers had one of the lowest blitz rates in the NFL — or on general manager Brian Gutekunst to find better rushers, they need to generate more consistent pressure on quarterbacks. Gutekunst might need to use another high pick on an edge rusher, but they will have to be more productive than what 2023 first-rounder Lukas Van Ness has been so far. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASAlbert Breer of SI.com has the clout to get this nugget from the horse’s mouth: • Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy’s contract expires Tuesday. And I do feel like he’s a bit annoyed that it’s gotten to this point. As he should be. But apparently they did talk to McCarthy – and now they won’t be. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Add the Cowboys to the list of teams in the market for a new head coach. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Mike McCarthy will not return for a sixth season in Dallas. McCarthy’s contract is up on Tuesday and he had been talking with the team about a new deal, but one did not come together. Per the report, the length of the contract was the obstacle to coming to an agreement and that was something PFT flagged as a potential sticking point when the two sides got to the negotiating table. McCarthy was 49-35 during his time with the Cowboys. He had three straight 12-win seasons from 2021-2023, but only won one playoff game over that span and the Cowboys slumped to 7-10 amid a number of injuries during the 2024 season. The Cowboys had blocked McCarthy from interviewing with the Bears about their coaching vacancy, but McCarthy will now be free to meet with them or any other team interested in giving him his third chance to run the show in the NFL. |
| PHILADELPHIAThe Eagles had an injury setback while beating the Packers. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com on the injury to LB NAKOBE DEAN: If the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl, it appears they’re going to have to do it without linebacker Nakobe Dean. The Eagles fear Dean’s knee injury is going to keep him out for the rest of the playoffs, according to NFL Network. Dean is set for an MRI today to get a full diagnosis, but the injury looked bad and the Eagles quickly ruled him out of Sunday’s game against the Packers. Dean started 15 games and was second on the team with 128 tackles during the regular season. He’ll be a big loss to their defense as they prepare for a divisional round game against the winner of tonight’s game between the Vikings and Rams.– – -Just because most players (heck, every other player) don’t read books on the sidelines, it doesn’t mean that WR A.J. BROWN was unfocused. Maybe, just the opposite. Tim McManus of ESPN.com: – Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was spotted reading a book on the sideline during the second half of Philadelphia’s 22-10 wild-card-round win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and that generated some questions. What was the book? Why was he reading it during the game? Was it a sign of frustration because he had just one catch for 10 yards on three targets? Brown answered them one by one after the victory. The book is “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, written to “train your mind for extraordinary performance and the best possible life.” Brown said he brings the book to every game; this is just the first time cameras caught him reading it, he said. He has highlighted passages that he said help bring him a sense of peace. And no, he wasn’t reading it because he was discontented. “I wasn’t frustrated at all. I figured that’s what y’all probably thought,” Brown said. “Why do you always think I be frustrated? Dang. I like to read.” Brown went on to social media to further explain why reading during games works for him. “I use it to refocus and lock in despite what may transpire in the game good or bad,” he wrote. “People tend to create controversy when they don’t know the truth.” The workweek was not without its challenges. Brown was limited Wednesday and missed Thursday’s practice as he managed a knee issue. He acknowledged he entered the game against the Packers “banged up” but spoke optimistically about the injury afterward, saying, “I definitely feel like I’m turning the corner. I came out of the game healthy.” With Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missing the past two games because of a concussion and both Brown and DeVonta Smith (back tightness) sidelined for parts of the week, the passing game struggled to get into rhythm against the Pack. At one point, Hurts went 90 minutes between completed passes. He managed only 39 yards on just 6-of-13 passing heading into the latter stages of the third quarter before going 3-of-3 for 61 yards on a scoring drive, which was capped by a stiff-arm-fueled 24-yard catch and run for a touchdown by tight end Dallas Goedert. “I’m pretty sure he wishes he could get some plays back. I’m sure we all can say that,” Brown said of Hurts. “But for the most part, he handled the game. He didn’t have any turnovers. We got the win, most importantly.” The Eagles will host the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend. It’s safe to say Brown will have a copy of the book at the ready. “I’ve never seen him read [on the sideline]; I’ve seen the book in his hands,” Hurts said. “Everybody has a different thing and finds their flow in different ways. That’s how he chooses to do it.” |
| WASHINGTONNo punts, no turnovers – again. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Prior to this season, no rookie quarterback in NFL history had ever led his team to a game with no turnovers and no punts. This season, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has done it three times. Daniels and the Commanders never punted and never turned the ball over in Sunday night’s 23-20 win over the Buccaneers, making it the third time they’ve done that with Daniels as their starting quarterback. The Commanders also never turned it over or punted in Week 2 or Week 3, against the Giants and Bengals. Teams going a full game without a turnover or punt is extremely rare: There have only been 42 such games in the NFL since 1950. But those games were a lot more common this season, as Daniels and the Commanders did it three times, Jared Goff and the Lions did it three times, Joe Burrow and the Bengals did it once and Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins did it once. Goff’s Lions and Daniels’ Commanders will meet on Saturday night in a game between two of the quarterbacks who, between them, have 17 percent of the no-turnover, no-punt games in NFL history. (Goff and the Lions also did it once in 2022.) Expect some offensive fireworks. The Commanders had seven full possessions and a one play kneeldown on Sunday. Two TDs, three FGs and they were stopped twice on fourth down. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYQB BAKER MAYFIELD is bummed out by some “dumb stuff” that occurred Sunday night. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said that the team can be proud of how they grew together and fought over the course of the 2024 season, but those feelings took a back seat to less positive ones on Sunday night. The Bucs went into the fourth quarter of their home game against the Commanders with a 17-13 lead, but they could not hold onto the advantage. A botched handoff with wide receiver Jalen McMillan resulted in a fumble that set up a Commanders touchdown and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal after a rushed snap helped stymie a promising drive later in the fourth quarter. That field goal tied the game, but the Bucs would not see the ball for the final 4:41 of the game as Washington drove for a game-winning field goal. The defense’s inability to get a stop took a backseat to the offensive blunders when Mayfield recapped what went down at his postgame press conference. “Just some dumb stuff today that cost the team,” Mayfield said. “It’s going to wear on me for a while.” The Commanders never turned the ball over and they never punted over the course of Sunday night’s win. That made the Bucs’ miscues stand out even more on a night that brought an earlier start to the offseason than anyone in Tampa was hoping to see. |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCONick Wagoner of ESPN.com on who might be the next 49ers defensive coordinator: Now the the team is searching for its fourth defensive coordinator in as many years. Of the previous three, only DeMeco Ryans held the job for more than one season before he became the head coach of the Houston Texans. Steve Wilks was one and done after the 49ers made the Super Bowl last season. Unlike Wilks, Shanahan would like to retain Sorensen in a different role. According to Shanahan, the choice to move on was as much about the options available as it was the defense’s 2024 performance. Unlike the past two years when the Niners had advanced deep into the playoffs and many of the top potential coordinators had already been hired elsewhere, they’re on equal footing with the opportunity to hire just about any of the available options this time around. “It was a real tough decision,” Shanahan said. “I love Nick as a person and I love him as a coach… But just where we’re at, really as a team, where I think we need to go. There are a lot of big decisions ahead for us. And as hard as it is for me to come to this conclusion, I feel there are some options out there that can end up being a better option in the situation that we’re in for our team.” That many candidates come with experience in the job is appealing to Shanahan. He turned to Sorensen because of his familiarity with the 4-3 scheme that Shanahan prefers, but also had never been a defensive coordinator before. This year’s crop of candidates includes coaches who check both boxes. Headlining that list is Robert Saleh, who held the 49ers coordinator post from 2017-2020 before becoming the New York Jets head coach. Saleh runs Shanahan’s preferred scheme, knows the key defensive leaders still on the roster and has proved adept at altering the defense when injuries or other factors have made it necessary. He interviewed for the job on Thursday and a reunion is possible, if not likely. The complicating factor with Saleh is that he has head coaching interviews lined up with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders. If he emerges as a top candidate for either job and those searches drag on, it will make it difficult for Shanahan and the Niners to wait as other coaches are hired. Jeff Ulbrich, who replaced Saleh as the interim coach of the Jets and whom the Niners attempted to hire last year, could also be available depending on how things play out in New York. Ulbrich is a San Jose native who played linebacker for the 49ers for 10 years and also runs the scheme Shanahan prefers. While Saleh and Ulbrich are considered top candidates, another name worth keeping a close eye on is former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen. Allen has extensive experience, working eight years as a defensive coordinator in Denver and New Orleans, almost six seasons as a head coach with the Saints and Raiders and another year as the Saints senior defensive assistant. Shanahan has long respected Allen, as most recently evident in the fits Allen’s defense gave Shanahan’s offense in a Nov. 2022 victory in which the 49ers managed just 13 points on 4.7 yards per play against Allen’s Saints. New Orleans fired Allen this season with eight games left but he has another year on his contract, which means he could take the year off to regroup while still being paid if he wanted to. But on an appearance on the “Unbreakable with Jay Glazer” podcast, Allen indicated he will have opportunities to continue coaching and would likely pursue those. Allen has been linked to the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator vacancy and is considered a possibility to be Ben Johnson’s defensive coordinator should he take a head coaching job somewhere. That means the Niners would have competition for Allen’s services if they want to pursue him. Brandon Staley, who joined the 49ers as assistant head coach last offseason, is the only known in-house candidate. Shanahan said he plans to interview Staley again. Among the other well-known names who have experience and could draw interest: former Indianapolis Colts coordinator Gus Bradley, former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham (if he becomes available). Detroit Lions defensive passing game coordinator Deshea Townsend has also interviewed already. “I think having the experience of going through this before, building things before, I think is definitely a bonus for me,” Shanahan said. “It helps me with some stuff… But again, you don’t want to put just any handcuffs on your decision. You’re going to always try to figure out the best one. So, you’ve got ideas going into that but just being so early I’m going to have an opportunity to talk to a number of guys too, so we’ll see what that leads us to.” One of the biggest questions in this search is whether Shanahan strays from the defensive principles he’s favored since he took over in 2017. That includes heavy doses of zone coverage, infrequent blitzing and mostly four-man fronts. Since 2017, the 49ers have played zone coverage on 61.2% of opponent drop backs, the highest rate in the league. Along with that, they’ve blitzed at the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL (22.4%). While Shanahan has been loyal to that scheme in recent coordinator searches, he is more open-minded this time around, which could open the door for someone like Staley, a Vic Fangio disciple who prefers more multiple looks, to make a push for the job. More than anything, though, the defensive struggles in 2024 showed Shanahan that whoever his next coordinator is needs to have the ability to adapt when injuries or other issues take hold. “I love the scheme that we’ve had here,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s one of the hardest things to go to when you’ve got the right guys in the right spots… I’m not saying you’ve got to change schemes, but you have to have the ability, the history and the knowledge of how to change some stuff up when you’re in some certain situations. And I think that we do need that more going forward.” |
| SEATTLEKlint Kubiak is a candidate for OC in Seattle. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Klint Kubiak will kick off the week with a pair of interviews for offensive coordinator vacancies. Kubiak is interviewing with the Browns on Monday and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he will move on to a meeting with the Seahawks on Tuesday. The Seahawks fired Ryan Grubb after one season in Seattle. Kubiak spent the 2024 season running the Saints’ offense and also had a one-year stint as a coordinator with the Vikings in 2021. He worked for the Broncos and 49ers between those jobs and had a previous stint with the Broncos when his father Gary was the head coach in Denver. Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown have also been linked with the opening on Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks staff. |
| AFC WEST |
| LAS VEGASVinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on what is going on with the Raiders. The dismissals of coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco should leave no doubt over the power Tom Brady wields within the Raiders organization. As recently as last week, there was a feeling inside the team’s headquarters that owner Mark Davis would give Pierce and Telesco another year to right the ship. Davis had reservations about moving on from the two after their first full season in charge, even if they posted a 4-13 record. But Brady, who purchased five percent of the Raiders in October, felt a total reset was needed. He nudged Davis into firing Telesco and Pierce and is expected the lead the charge when it comes to finding their replacements. “This is Tom’s show now,” a person with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal. Davis, who has said he wants Brady to have a “huge” voice in the Raiders’ football operations, will still make the final call. But he has immense trust in Brady, who he has cultivated a personal and professional relationship with the last few years. Brady is also a minority owner in the Aces, whom Davis bought in 2021. For now, Brady’s job as Fox’s lead NFL analyst means he will be more of an advisor than a hands-on, day-to-day leader. But the seven-time Super Bowl champion has Davis’ ear. Davis, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation, has far fewer people advising him this search than in previous ones. That means Brady’s voice carries a lot of weight. The Raiders enlisted Jed Hughes from the search firm Korn Ferry to organize things. The Raiders interviewed three candidates for their coaching position Friday: Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Davis and Brady were both involved. The team plans to conduct at least three more interviews, though that list is expected to expand in the coming days. Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll will be in Las Vegas on Monday. Former Jets coach Robert Saleh will talk to the Raiders on Thursday. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who helped his team beat the Steelers 28-14 on Saturday, will interview with the team at a date to be determined. The Raiders haven’t requested to speak with any general manager candidates yet. Changing perceptionsBrady’s presence and the clean slate he provided by firing Telesco have made the Raiders job more attractive to potential coaches. That’s apparent given Johnson and Carroll are both showing interest. Carroll, 73, is a Super Bowl champion. Johnson, who led the NFL’s highest-scoring offense this season, has multiple suitors. Other teams on the coaching market, like the Bears and Jaguars, have better quarterback situations than the Raiders. But Johnson, 38, still accepted the club’s interview request because of Brady’s allure and the chance to have a say in the general manager hire. What about the GM opening?The Raiders plan to be flexible when it comes to their general manager job. They’re willing to consider a package deal if their top coaching candidates have preferred front office leaders in mind. For instance, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew could be an appealing partner for Johnson or Glenn. Same with Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark, who worked with both coaches in Detroit before moving to Washington in February. Carroll, who had a significant say in personnel decisions in Seattle, could be seeking a similar partnership to the one he had with Seahawks general manager John Schneider. The two made the playoffs 10 times in 14 seasons together before Carroll was removed following the 2023 campaign. Here are the known candidates per Bonsignore with the addition of Vance Joseph: The Raiders have requested permission to interview Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for their vacant coaching position, an NFL source confirmed. Joseph, 52, has been Denver’s defensive coordinator since 2023. The Broncos gave up the third-fewest points in the NFL this season and ranked first in sacks. The team reached the postseason for the first time since Super Bowl 50, losing 31-7 to the Bills at Buffalo on Sunday. Joseph previously had an 11-21 record as Denver’s coach from 2017-18. He has also been a defensive coordinator with the Dolphins and Cardinals. Joseph is the Raiders’ seventh known coaching candidate. The team interviewed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Friday. The Raiders are scheduled to talk to former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on Monday and former Jets coach Robert Saleh on Thursday. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSBill Barnwell of ESPN.com on QB JUSTIN HERBERT after Saturday’s clunker: Herbert’s disappointing day should call attention to his performance this season, which was more solid than great. He ranked 18th in first-down rate and 24th in success rate as a passer. Yes, he had a spectacular interception rate, but that was partially offset by a spike in his sack rate, which jumped to a career-high 8%. Some of that is the interior of the offensive line struggling, but he has two excellent tackles and ran his way into some sacks, including the one that led to his early-season ankle injury. Interception totals are subject to more variance from year to year than just about any other quarterback metric, and throwing three picks in a full campaign is always going to have a significant dollop of luck involved. Facing the league’s easiest schedule, Herbert finished 11th in QBR, which is fine, but that’s two spots below Arizona’s Kyler Murray. It takes about 10 seconds of watching Herbert to know he’s capable of being a transcendent player. Getting him to be that player every week is tougher. Under Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the plan was unsurprisingly to lean more heavily into the run, suggesting that a functional run game would help unlock Herbert. Well, we’re still waiting to find out, because the Chargers weren’t good running the football. They ranked 23rd in yards per carry (4.1) and 24th in success rate on carries by their running backs. After J.K. Dobbins topped 130 yards in both Weeks 1 and 2, no L.A. back topped 100 yards in a single game the rest of the way. The Chargers went relatively cheap at the position, but they weren’t creating big opportunities, either. The scheme generated 3.9 expected yards per carry on their rush attempts by backs, which also ranked 24th. If Roman is running an offense and the team can’t run the ball, the wrong guy might be in charge. Roman’s passing attack has never been the most spectacular or diverse, and it’s telling that Lamar Jackson has grown significantly as a passer in Baltimore since Roman was replaced by Todd Monken in 2023. Throughout this game, the Chargers didn’t have great answers for what the Texans were doing. They weren’t able to handle the defensive line games up front. Their execution wasn’t good enough across the board, and they funneled too many targets toward Stingley. The ultimate example was the fourth-and-2 play they ran in the third quarter, when McConkey was doubled and Herbert had to go to Johnston, who was one-on-one against Stingley. Johnston somehow ran his route short of the sticks, and after he was tackled by Stingley for a 1-yard gain, his catch attempt was ruled incomplete on review. This team has to come back with more around Herbert in 2025. With nearly $77 million in cap space, the Chargers have room to work with, and McConkey established himself as a star to build around. This offense was forced to throw too many targets to Johnston and Dissly, who struggled to catch the ball. There’s nothing wrong with using bigger personnel or relying on running the rock, but offenses have to be effective using those concepts. Again, too much of the burden fell on Herbert in a key game. And as was the case in the loss to the Jaguars two years ago, Herbert was found wanting. We know what he’s capable of, but five years into his career, we’re still waiting for the circumstances to be right around him to truly unlock his potential. The beatdown in Houston may have been the last game for OLB KHALIL MACK. Grant Gordon of NFL.com: Not much is missing from Khalil Mack’s résumé when it comes to individual accomplishments. Postseason success has eluded the former AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, however. Mack felt the sting of a fifth playoff loss in as many appearances on Saturday in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans, and that might well be his last crack at postseason success. Mack, who is set to be a free agent for the first time in his career, said Sunday that he’s contemplating retirement. “Man, it’s a lot of different thoughts in my head right now,” he said, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “I can’t really speak on a definitive decision in terms of what I’m going to do because I don’t know if I’m going to play football moving forward, so there’s some things I got to talk through with my wife, spend some time with my kids and try not to make a rash decision after a loss.” Mack’s résumé is a rather remarkable one, as he boasts nine Pro Bowl selections in 11 seasons. He’s a three-time All-Pro, a member of the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team and won his aforementioned DPOY accolade in 2016. He’s posted 107.5 career sacks, having tallied double-digit single-season tallies with each of the three teams he’s played for: the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears and Chargers. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old, he’s been to the postseason with all three clubs, as well, but come up short of a playoff win each time. Mack had two sacks and six tackles during the Bolts’ loss on Saturday. He took a pay cut last offseason to remain with the Chargers and believes there is a bright future ahead for the franchise. He’s just not sure he’ll be part of it when it comes to fruition. “As long as Justin Herbert is your quarterback. You got Derwin James and all these guys that love the game of football. And Jim Harbaugh coaching?” Mack said. “You know you always have a chance to win. Yeah, that’s a no-brainer.” Fresh off a playoff loss is hardly an ideal time to make pronouncements on what’s ahead. Mack didn’t, but as the offseason unfolds, the future of one of the finest pass rushers over the last decade is now uncertain. |
| AFC NORTH |
| PITTSBURGHMike Sando of The Athletic with a balanced look at The Tomlin Paradox: 1. Is Mike Tomlin holding back the Steelers? Is it the other way around? How about both? During their first 10 seasons under Tomlin (2007-16), the Steelers ranked tied for fifth with eight postseason victories. They are one of eight teams without a playoff victory since then, a span of eight seasons. Also on the list after the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night for their first playoff victory in nearly two decades: the Arizona Cardinals (nine-year drought), Carolina Panthers (nine), Denver Broncos (nine), Chicago Bears (14), Jets (14), Las Vegas Raiders (22) and Miami Dolphins (24). Not the type of company the Steelers are accustomed to keeping. Tomlin kept winning, but stopped contending What happened? During those first 10 seasons under Tomlin, the Steelers had a Hall of Fame owner (Dan Rooney), a proven general manager (Kevin Colbert), an upper-tier quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) and a top coach (Tomlin) at the same time. Rooney died before the 2017 season. Roethlisberger missed almost all of the 2019 season due to injury and wasn’t the same upon his return. He played two more years and retired. Colbert also retired after the 2021 season. Tomlin remained as the last pillar from those peak years. Remove him and the organization might collapse. Leave him in place and you might be signing up for more of the same, unless the Steelers can find an upper-tier quarterback. Everything changes then. What are the odds they find one picking 21st in the order this April, one spot later than where they selected Kenny Pickett three years ago? The chances might be low even if they were picking earlier. “They play a risk-averse brand, and they let the defense do it for them,” a coach from another team said. “What does that get you? Playoff entrance and a first-round loss. Then you criticize Tomlin and say he’s holding them back. But that’s how it is with every other team that drafts a quarterback in the first round that does not pan out.” Despite missing on Pickett in 2022, the Steelers under Tomlin are the only NFL team to exceed its regular-season Vegas win total in each of the past five seasons, per Pro Football Reference. This explains how Pittsburgh’s regular-season winning percentage over the past eight seasons (.614) approximates the win rate (.644) during those first 10. The postseason results prove it’s a mirage. This paradox is a testament to Tomlin and the frustration of his tenure. It’s how a case can be made that Tomlin raises the Steelers’ floor while lowering their ceiling. “They are successful because they don’t change, and they can’t win a playoff game because they don’t change,” an opposing coach said. An exec from another team praised Tomlin as a leader while questioning staff-related decisions, from carrying Matt Canada as offensive coordinator for three seasons (2021-23) to playing a straightforward brand of ball overall. “When is the last time we have praised their game planning or design?” this exec asked. Retired NFL quarterback Alex Smith suggested on ESPN that the Steelers were running an analog offense in a digital age, while sitting back on defense. Pittsburgh also showed no urgency in the fourth quarter against Baltimore, saving its timeouts until the final two minutes while trailing by two touchdowns for a full quarter. The Steelers went quietly at the end of this game, same as they went quietly in plummeting from 10-3 to 10-7. They ranked 30th in offensive EPA per play and 25th on the defensive side over the final four games of the regular season. They allowed 300 yards rushing against the Ravens on Saturday before a Lamar Jackson kneeldown brought the total to 299. This was the sixth consecutive playoff defeat in which the Steelers trailed by at least 21 points. Their opponents in those postseason matchups outscored Pittsburgh by a combined 73-0 in the first quarter. These were total surrenders, not hard-fought battles. Who within the Steelers will ask the tough questions of the empowered head coach? Not the late Dan Rooney or the retired Colbert. Perhaps it will be owner Art Rooney II, himself a 2025 semifinalist for the Hall of Fame. “I don’t think the Tomlin trade happens yet, but at some point, it might,” an exec from another team said. “Everybody will disappear for a few days, but then somebody is going to ask about staff changes, and if Tomlin bows up, that is when there could be problems. That’s what happened with Pete Carroll in Seattle last year.” Carroll, like Tomlin, reached two Super Bowls, winning one, in the first five years of his tenure. He kept winning during the regular season, but after going 9-5 in the playoffs over his first seven seasons in Seattle, Carroll had only one playoff victory to show for his final seven with the team. All-time NFL wins leader Don Shula once went eight consecutive seasons without a playoff victory during his legendary 26-year coaching run with Miami. He was 53, as Tomlin will be next season, when the streak ended with a trip to the Super Bowl after the 1982 season. The Dolphins drafted Dan Marino in 1983. Shula remained through his age-65 season, reaching one more Super Bowl, but he had only three playoff victories over his final 10 seasons. Frustrated by the drought, the Dolphins forced out Shula after he refused to make sweeping staff changes. Miami owns three playoff victories under nine coaches (excluding interim ones) in three decades since Shula reluctantly retired. That includes zero since 2000. The Steelers do not aspire to that, either, but is the status quo acceptable? That is the Tomlin paradox, nearly a decade in the making.– – -Contradictions from WR GEORGE PICKENS. Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com: Steelers wideout George Pickens was the game’s leading receiver, as he caught five passes for 87 yards and a 36-yard touchdown. Following the game, he was asked if he has seen signs of growth from the offense during his time with the Steelers. “Yeah, I’ve seen signs of growth for sure,” Pickens said. “From past — first year I’ve been here, just way more growth, for sure.” However, when Pickens was asked if those signs of growth have him feeling optimistic going forward, he offered a surprising response: “Uh, nah.” Part of a larger take on Tomlin from Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com: So, is Tomlin overachieving or underachieving? I’d argue the former. He is making this roster better. We’ve seen star front-seven defenders such as T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward be coached by him, but consider how players who have been brought in by the Steelers have performed relative to their performances elsewhere. Minkah Fitzpatrick had been benched by the Dolphins as a slot corner, and Tomlin & Co. moved him to free safety, where he has been a perennial Pro Bowler. Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were both better in Pittsburgh in 2024 than they were for other teams in 2023. Players such as wideout Mike Williams and cornerback Donte Jackson, unwanted by their former clubs, played meaningful roles for Pittsburgh this season. If the Tomlin Era is over, it will be his doing says Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com: The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their sixth straight playoff game under coach Mike Tomlin on Saturday, going one-and-done in the postseason for the fourth time in five years. Despite calls for a potential leadership change, however, the team has no plans to move on from Tomlin, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tomlin, 52, led the Steelers to a 10-7 record in 2024, extending his record streak of 18 straight non-losing seasons as a head coach. Yet Pittsburgh lost its last five games under Tomlin’s watch, including Saturday’s 28-14 loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens. The former Super Bowl champion, who’s also the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, is signed through the 2027 season, inking a three-year contract extension prior to this year, per the Gazette. He hasn’t led a playoff victory since 2016, however, when Pittsburgh fell to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game. The Steelers, who previously employed Bill Cowher, Tomlin’s predecessor, for 15 seasons, recently rejected one team’s trade inquiry regarding Tomlin, according to ESPN. The longtime coach holds a 183-107-2 record atop the Steelers’ staff, as well as an 8-11 career record in the postseason. “[The] Steelers will apparently attempt to fix their recurring problems with solutions that don’t involve their 18-year head coach,” Gerry Dulac wrote Sunday. “What those solutions are remains to be seen.” |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDIt’s clear the Patriots had a good idea of where they wanted to go when they fired Jarod Mayo as coach. Mike Vrabel, experienced as a playoff caliber head coach and steeped in Patriots culture, was a natural and logical choice. But the NFL, goaded by elements in the media, doesn’t seem to like it when a team knows its mind. They are expected to act like they changed coaches with no idea of what they want to do and interview a wide and diverse cast of candidates. The Patriots complied with the letter of the NFL’s mandates on the subject, but as Albert Breer of SI.com points out there are those who were irate with the process. The New England Patriots’ hire of Mike Vrabel is fantastic. But it’ll only work if key people in the organization accompany it with a long look in the mirror. On the surface, New England’s “process” for landing Vrabel didn’t seem like much of a process at all. They brought in two Rooney Rule candidates (and that’s not a shot at Pep Hamilton or Byron Leftwich), since rules prohibit teams from satisfying the rule with coaches working for other teams until Jan. 20. They interviewed other guys, including Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, over Zoom. Then, they hired Vrabel. In between, presumably in hearing the temperature rise on their sidestepping of the Rooney Rule, the Patriots also put in a request for Lions DC Aaron Glenn—more than 48 hours after putting one in for Johnson. So imagine Detroit’s surprise when the notification from the league on Glenn arrived Wednesday, separate from the slip for Johnson. If it looks to you like the Patriots have rabbit ears, you should follow that instinct. This feels a lot like 83-year-old owner Robert Kraft doesn’t like the way he’s been perceived the past few months, and really didn’t like the way he was perceived last week, reaching for a public relations win and a sudden change in narrative. Now, I’ll say it again: I think Vrabel is a home run hire. But in today’s NFL, it takes a lot more than one person to turn around a franchise that’s in the decrepit state the Patriots have fallen into the past couple of years, a state where they’d even feel the need to rush a process to beat out the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and New York Jets for a coach who played for them. Bill Belichick had his way of doing business, of course, for 24 years. He essentially was the team’s analytics and sport science department. He employed small coaching and personnel staffs, prioritizing trust and cohesion over volume of resources. He was also, to borrow a phrase, one of one, capable of doing all the work that a dozen folks might account for in another organization It wound up costing the Patriots in a lot of ways the past few years. Slowly, EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf started modernizing the operation last year, which is one reason I think the Krafts stuck with him after ousting Jerod Mayo (we’ll see, in time, what Vrabel’s arrival means for Wolf’s fate). And all of that needs to be accelerated now. It’ll also be interesting to see where Vrabel lands on all this. The Titans ran an old-school shop when he was the head coach there. And then he went to the Cleveland Browns, who are on the newer-age side, giving a pretty good side-by-side comparison of one versus the other. To give Vrabel the best shot of actually turning around a team that’s not remotely close to contention now, he’ll have to figure that out, as will the people around him. That’ll require, again, that cold, hard look in the mirror. That the Patriots rushed through the process, and waived the right to take a look at how everyone else does business to hire someone familiar, isn’t the best sign that it’ll happen. But the Krafts are smart enough to figure out how to do that on their own. We’ll see whether they have the stomach to go through with it. Nobody was upset with the Patriots direct process last year when they hired Mayo without a diverse search.- – -Vrabel will play the role Dan Quinn has for the Commanders – motivation, organization, culture, defense. But who is going to be Kliff Kingsbury in the development of QB DRAKE MAYE. Some names have emerged per Adam London of NESN.com: There’s already buzz about a potential high-profile reunion in New England, but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer highlighted a more under-the-radar candidate in a column published Monday morning. According to Breer, Browns pass game specialist Tommy Rees “is of interest” to the Patriots. Rees, a former Notre Dame quarterback, started his coaching journey immediately after his playing career fizzled out in 2014. After quick stints with Northwestern and the then-San Diego Chargers, Rees served as the offensive coordinator for his alma mater and Alabama between 2020 and 2023. This season marked his first in Cleveland, where he was challenged to work with four different starting quarterbacks throughout the campaign. It’s tough to imagine Rees will land the offensive coordinator gig under new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, as old friend Josh McDaniels and Josh McCown feel like more probable candidates. But Vrabel has experience working with Rees, so we shouldn’t be surprised if the 32-year-old joins New England’s staff in some capacity. Henry McKenna of FoxSports.com on the task facing Vrabel: The New England Patriots, apparently, are not in the business of developing coaches. They hired Mike Vrabel on Sunday morning to replace Jerod Mayo, whose tenure as New England’s coach lasted shorter than one calendar year. The appeal with Vrabel is simple: He is what the Patriots hoped Mayo might someday be. Vrabel is ready-made for playoff-level coaching, but his new team is almost as far from playoff level as a roster can get. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he decided to fire Mayo because the team “regressed” over the year, with an upset over the Bengals in Week 1 but then failing to post a respectable win past that point. “I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said Monday. “He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first. And now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully, championships.” There are the expectations. Laid out. Get New England back to the playoffs. And the Super Bowl. That’s what having Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for two decades will do to an organization. Those guys set the sites as high as two men can in the NFL. How quickly does Kraft expect Vrabel to make a playoff run? Because this team isn’t close. At no point this season did New England look like it had the requisite talent to make the playoffs. While quarterback Drake Maye is as promising as any rookie in this year’s class, he also struggled to close out games, with a handful of late turnovers that essentially ended his team’s hopes of winning. He needed help: on the offensive line, at receiver, on the defensive line, at linebacker. That was obvious. But the solution isn’t clear-cut. New England had trouble acquiring talent last year, with a whiff on a free-agency flirtation with Calvin Ridley and another miss in trade talks with the 49ers regarding Brandon Aiyuk. The Patriots wanted to upgrade at receiver. They were ready to spend picks and cash. And still, they couldn’t land one. This year will be another tough market for weapons. If the Bengals extend or franchise tag Tee Higgins, then it’s grim. Receivers Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper and Tyler Lockett (a potential cap casualty) should be available — but they’re all in the WR2 phase of their careers, at best. The Patriots’ best bet to land a WR1 would be in the trade market. But is Deebo Samuel worth the risk after a series of unproductive seasons? How about Michael Pittman? Would the Seahawks even trade DK Metcalf? It’s the same problem at tackle, with the Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley scheduled to hit free agency — but not likely to make it there because of an imminent franchise tag. You can work down the list, and it’s not pretty. It’s not where you’d normally want to put tens of millions of dollars. But the Patriots, who have around $120 million in cap space, will have to take some risks in free agency (which they were unwilling to do last year). Vrabel’s reputation around the league is solid, and with Maye putting up good tape, the two of them should be able to attract a better free-agent class than New England did last year. But that’s not saying much. Is Mike Vrabel a solid fit for Patriots head coach?If Vrabel and Maye hope to win quickly, and impress Kraft, the Patriots will need to do what Mayo got in trouble for saying last offseason: Burn some cash. New England will want to rebuild in the draft, which is Kraft’s preferred method. But the owner also showed his impatience this year. Developing through the draft takes time, particularly if the 2024 draft class is as big of a group of busts as it seems — outside of Maye, of course. Worse still, Mayo’s final act as coach was to beat the Bills in Week 18, which sent New England from picking No. 1 overall to No. 4 in the 2025 draft. That’s a gulf worth roughly a future first-round and future second-round pick in a trade. And it’s likely the Patriots would’ve tried to make exactly that move by dealing Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders to the highest bidder. When FOX Sports spoke with Patriots VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf before Week 18, he said the team didn’t quite get the “internal development” it had hoped for out of the 2024 draft class. That’s where Vrabel needs to shine. His staff needs to elevate players like receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, whom the scouting department thought was “plug and play” yet managed just 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. That’s a typical single-game stat line for Ladd McConkey, whom the Chargers took in the spot from which New England traded down. You can’t fault a team for wanting to accrue picks in the draft, which can be such a crapshoot. It’s just that, except for Maye, the Patriots’ 2024 draft class has yet to produce. Rookie offensive linemen Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace didn’t yet look ready to contribute. Nor did Polk or Javon Baker, a fellow rookie receiver. The Patriots picked those four players in rounds 2 through 4. The volume approach has yet to bear fruit. To fix the problems, Vrabel will need to do basically everything Mayo could not: hire a coaching staff capable of making a roster look better than it is; develop internal talent for the long term; recruit external talent in a tough offseason. And it wouldn’t hurt if the staff turned Maye into a top-10 QB. That’s a long to-do list. That’s a lofty to-do list. Vrabel is inheriting a house without walls, without a kitchen, without a bathroom. All he has is a frame (and, yes, that’s Maye in this metaphor). Kraft seems to be saying he wants to live in that home by September. If that’s true, Vrabel is in trouble. |
