The new 14-team playoff ended up putting Chicago (8-8) and Indianapolis (11-5) into the playoffs with the 12-4 Saints and 13-3 Bills losing byes.

So, Chicago at New Orleans and Indianapolis at Buffalo are the creations to the playoff schedule.

– – –

Here, from ProFootballTalk.com, are the coaching and GM announcements from Monday:

Denver: John Elway announced on January 4 that he will remain president of football operations and that the team will hire a new General Manager.

Jacksonville: Fired General Manager Dave Caldwell in late November. Fired head coach Doug Marrone on January 4. Reportedly interested in former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer.

Los Angeles Chargers: Fired head coach Anthony Lynn on January 4.

New York Jets: Fired head coach Adam Gase on January 3. Requested interview with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Requested interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Requested interview with Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

Peter King filed his before Anthony Lynn made it six openings:

Five coach vacancies, assuming Doug Marrone gets word in Jacksonville today. One club official on a team with a vacancy told me over the weekend, “There may only be five.” The Jets, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston and Jacksonville. Anthony Lynn may have saved his job with a season-ending four-game winning streak with the Chargers. Urban Meyer’s the hot name in Jacksonville. He reminds me of another college hotshot: Nick Saban.

Tyler Sullivan of CBSSports.com ranks the jobs 1 to 6 and they are actually a pretty good group:

The head coaching carousel is in full swing in the NFL now that the 2020 regular season is in the rearview mirror. Following the conclusion of Sunday’s action, we’ve already seen a number of head coaches get the axe, including Adam Gase with the Jets, Doug Marrone with the Jaguars, and Anthony Lynn with the Chargers. When you add those gigs with the other head coaching jobs throughout the league that were already vacant, it makes for a rather interesting collection of destinations.

Which one is the best? We’re here to sort that out. Below, we’re going to rank the current openings across the league from best to worst and cover why each may be considered better than the other. Of course, there will be a number of factors at play here (ex. cap space, quarterback situation, draft capital, etc.) and every candidate from Eric Bieniemy to Brian Daboll to Pat Fitzgerald will lay out all of these variables as they come to a decision in the next chapter of their coaching careers.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

The reason why Jacksonville takes the cake for the top spot on this list starts and ends with Trevor Lawrence. Once the Jaguars secured the No. 1 overall pick and clinched the opportunity to select the Clemson phenom with it, they were going to be looked at as one of the top job openings in the NFL.

However, not only does a coach get to work with Lawrence — who is viewed as the most polished quarterback to come out of college since Andrew Luck — out of the gate, but Jacksonville also provides a blank slate. The club is projected to have the most amount of cap space in the NFL this offseason and they have an additional first-rounder to go along with the No. 1 overall pick thanks to the Jalen Ramsey trade last year. Jacksonville also has two second-rounders this spring to further deepen its draft cupboard.

What all these assets equate to is flexibility. Whoever signs on as the next head coach of the Jags will be able to help build a roster that is tailor-made to fit Lawrence’s skillset and set him up for success out of the shoot. That also isn’t even mentioning that the AFC South is a very winnable division and should be going forward.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

You’ll see a theme here quite early that quarterbacks move the needle in these head-coaching destination rankings. Justin Herbert just put together arguably the greatest rookie season by a quarterback in league history and seems poised for stardom after being selected with the No. 6 overall pick last spring. Not only would a head coaching candidate get to work with Herbert as he continues his ascent, but they would adopt a club that has the eighth-most amount of cap space this offseason and a roster that could make a turnaround rather quickly, already boasting stars likes Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, and others.

Unlike Jacksonville, the Chargers don’t have a massive haul of extra picks at the ready this offseason, but do own the No. 13 overall selection to go along with their own second, third, and fourth. One possible knock that could give a candidate pause, however, is facing the Chiefs twice a year in the AFC West, making winning a division title that much more difficult.

Living in L.A. ain’t too shabby, either.

3. New York Jets

Jets fans may still be a bit bummed after missing out on the No. 1 pick and Trevor Lawrence after their two-win surge at the end of the season, but this is still an attractive situation. Similar to the Jaguars, New York has a ton of capital to revamp the roster. Along with the No. 2 overall pick, the Jets also own Seattle’s first- and third-rounders thanks to the Jamal Adams trade. Joe Douglas’ club also has the second-most amount of cap space this spring, only looking up at Jacksonville. This means New York can add talent in a variety of ways to make them more competitive going forward.

One thing that will need to be sorted out — and what most candidates will likely want to know — is the future of Sam Darnold. If the Jets are intent on keeping him, that does play a factor. If they are looking to move off of him and draft the likes of Justin Fields with the No. 2 pick, that’s also something that needs to be highlighted as this major decision comes at the most important position on the roster. If the Jets do move on from Darnold, that only creates even more assets to help jumpstart this rebuild under the new regime. 

4. Houston Texans

While Jacksonville and L.A. had a quarterback as a driving factor in why they were at the top of this list, Houston landing at No. 4 is solely because of Deshaun Watson. He is one of the only bright spots that the Texans have currently, but — because Watson is so great — he could help hide a few of Houston’s blemishes for a head coach.

While most may not have recognized it because of the Texans’ record, Watson put together a career season in 2020. His 4,823 passing yards were not only a career best, but also led the league. His 70.2 completion percentage, 33 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions were also the best of his still-young career. If a new head coach can come in and create a strong culture, Watson is a perfect building block and should be able to help lift up a roster that is lacking some talent at key spots for the time being.

The knocks on Houston, however, are the lack of draft capital and cap space. They don’t own their own 2021 first-rounder (No. 3 overall) due to the Laremy Tunsil trade and also don’t have a second this year. The Texans also rank in the bottom 10 of the league in projected cap space this offseason, which further puts them behind the eight ball of building a stable roster for 2021. A candidate would need to be thinking about a multi-year rebuild here to seriously get the Texans back on track.

5. Detroit Lions

The question surrounding the Lions is simply how ownership wants to approach these next few seasons. They could continue to build around Matthew Stafford — signed through 2022 — or look to trade him and go into a total rebuild. If they are simply looking for a culture change and want to keep this core together, that could change the scope of candidates that they are looking for.

Detroit does own the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft so it is in range to get one of the young quarterback prospects if it so chooses. That high selection is a key piece going forward regardless as whoever they pick should be an instant-impact type of talent. In terms of cap space, the Lions are in the bottom half of the league for 2021, which does hurt their chances of revamping the roster quickly.

6. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have a few things working against them for making the organization a super attractive destination. They have an aging quarterback in Matt Ryan, who has a dead-cap hit of nearly $50 million next season making him nearly impossible to trade. They also have the third-fewest amount of cap space in the league, so bringing in talent through the open market isn’t likely as they’ll be outbid at essentially every corner. They do have the No. 4 overall pick this year so they could take a quarterback to mold behind Ryan over the next few seasons, but this is another spot where you are talking about a multi-year rebuild with less than stellar cap flexibility.

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

Dan Graziano thinks that QB AARON RODGERS has everything he needs:

The myth: Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have a great supporting cast.

Rodgers is an unquestioned superstar — a guaranteed Hall of Famer and the likely 2020 MVP winner in the middle of one of his best seasons. But the narrative around him seems to be that he could somehow be even better if the Packers would build a better team around him. This chorus grew louder than ever this offseason, after Green Bay took quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of a draft loaded with wide receiver talent. And now, part of the case for Rodgers over Patrick Mahomes for MVP seems to be that he’s doing what he’s doing without help.

Why it’s wrong: So many reasons. The Packers have actually built a pretty awesome infrastructure around Rodgers. Davante Adams has been nothing less than the best wide receiver in the league this season, and Aaron Jones has turned into one of the most reliable running backs in the league. The Packers’ offensive line ranks first in pass block win rate and run block win rate. Rodgers’ receivers lead the league in average yards of separation and average maximum speed on catches. Second-year head coach and playcaller Matt LaFleur is helping Rodgers with schemes that rely heavily on pre-snap motion and play-action. Green Bay is running play-action on 32% of its plays — the highest such figure in Rodgers’ career.

If you want to say Rodgers is having a better year than Mahomes, fine. But the idea that he’s carrying the Packers by himself just isn’t supported by facts.

MINNESOTA

Gary Kubiak may be stepping aside as OC.  Chad Graff of The Athletic:

Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is leaning towards retiring this offseason, a source tells The Athletic’s Chad Graff, confirming multiple media reports.

Kubiak, 59, joined the Vikings in 2019 as assistant head coach. He was also the head coach of the Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Broncos from 2015 to 2016, helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50.

Minnesota finished the 2020 season 7-9 and third in the NFC North. The Vikings and head coach Mike Zimmer will be searching for their sixth offensive coordinator in six years.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles managed to repulse a lot of the NFL by favoring the WFT over the NYG.  Peter King:

Phenom rookie Jalen Hurts would have two or three more shots to win the game. But out came . . . Nate Sudfeld, who had not played in a football game in 105 weeks.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson had hinted he might play Sudfeld in this game that meant nothing to the team but draft seeding. He said he thought Sudfeld “deserved an opportunity to get some snaps.” Sudfeld looked like a nerve-wracked JV backup thrust into a varsity state title game, turning it over twice and being sacked twice in his first 11 snaps.

“I personally could not have done what Philadelphia did,” Cris Collinsworth said on NBC.

Normally, I’m a you-gotta-do-what’s-in-your-team’s-best-interests guy. But there was something about this that I thought broke the honor code among teams. Down 13 in the fourth quarter, up 17, with nothing at stake, do what you want. Fine. But in a three-point game with a dangerous mobile QB who’d already run for two touchdowns in the game, with another team on the edge of its seat, dreaming of a playoff berth, and Nate Sudfeld? I hated it. Everything about it felt wrong. “A big middle finger to the New York Giants,” Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders tweeted.

Ninety miles to the northeast, Giantworld revolted. “This is why we don’t like the Eagles,” Eli Manning tweeted.

Washington 20, Philadelphia 14. WFT wins the NFC East at 7-9. Fifteen minutes after the game, I got veteran Giants DB Logan Ryan on the phone. I’d hoped he’d come out with barrels blazing. “Wish I could give you the explosive stuff you wanted,” Ryan said a few minutes before midnight. “There will be a lot of opinions about whether they were trying to win. You want to play the game to win, but I don’t play for the Eagles, I don’t coach for the Eagles. It’s their team. Winning six games doesn’t give us much right to get pissed off about this. We didn’t play consistent enough all year to earn it.”

What Ryan wanted to talk about: “Honestly, my hat’s off to us and to the league for getting this done this year, getting these games played. To play competitive with no fans, no practice, virtual meetings, no coaches in one game, no quarterbacks in one game . . . This is the toughest time Americans have faced, and we got through it.”

And, Ryan said: “Give credit to Washington. Ron Rivera, what he’s been through, and Alex Smith, his journey. Wow.”

Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com:

Pederson actively made his team worse in the second half of a competitive game. Even though he had dropped hints throughout the week of his plans, like telling Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels during their production meeting that he wanted to see what Nate Sudfeld had, it still didn’t have to go down like this.

The first obvious sign was not taking the points at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles had fourth-and-goal from the 4, down 17-14. Washington’s offense was stagnant coming out of halftime, registering two three-and-outs and a first-play interception on its third second-half drive. After failing to get into the end zone on five attempts from inside the 10-yard-line, the play here was to kick the chip-shot field goal and tie a game that still had 17 minutes left to play. Even the analytics say so!

I shudder to think what depths Pederson would have gone had Jalen Hurts actually completed that fourth-down touchdown pass. Nevertheless, it was the Sudfeld Show after that, and he displayed a level of play deserving of the Arena Football League.

“Yes, I was coaching to win, yes that was my decision solely,” Pederson said after the game. “Nate has obviously been here for four years and I felt that he deserved an opportunity to get some snaps. Listen, if there is anything out there that thinks that I was not trying to win the game, you know, (tight end Zach) Ertz is out there, (defensive end) Brandon Graham is out there, (cornerback) Darius Slay is out there. All our top guys are still on the field at the end, so we were going to win the game.

“Pretty simple, the plan this week was to get Nate some time and I felt it was the time to get him in the game.”

Sudfeld committed two turnovers within his first five plays on the field. He finished the game 5-for-12 for 32 yards while being sacked on two other drop-backs. Sudfeld has been with the Eagles and Pederson since 2017. He’s a 27-year-old quarterback. What he brings to the team, at this point, should be known.

And because it should be known, I believe Pederson did know. And what he understood was that Sudfeld gave the Eagles their best opportunity to lose. Coaches aren’t supposed to be in on the tanking insofar as in-game decisions, so pulling a more capable quarterback in the fourth quarter of a one-score ballgame is as blatant as it gets.

No, this isn’t like resting key starters before the game. The Chiefs were not intentionally trying to lose the game against the Chargers by resting Patrick Mahomes, Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill. Were they trying their best to win the game? Of course not, but we as football fans understand, they weighed the risk of injury in what amounts to a meaningless game for the purposes of repeating as Super Bowl champions and decided that some players earned a 0% risk and others could go out there and play.

Did the Steelers try to throw their game against the Browns? After all, it was a divisional game where Pittsburgh could have built off their comeback win in Week 16 against Indianapolis, potentially get the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and knock out the hated Browns from playoff contention.

Again, Mike Tomlin did not field his most competitive team. However, he made decisions on his team’s makeup based on competitive reasons. He’d rather win next week (coincidentally against the Browns) with a healthy-ish roster than win in Week 17 with a roster that may be banged-up by the wild-card weekend.

The fact is, the decisions of Reid and Tomlin and every other coach in their right mind in late-season games over decades have been rooted in competition. Live to fight another day. Don’t shoot all your bullets. Choose your axiom.

The closest thing to in-game tanking that comes to mind is the 2014 Week 17 game between the 2-13 Buccaneers and 6-9 Saints. The Bucs built a 20-7 halftime lead and then Lovie Smith pulled receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David and others for the second half. The Bucs maintained that lead into the fourth quarter before the Saints mounted a comeback.

And up 20-14 with 5:33 left to play in the game, on third-and-5 near midfield, quarterback Josh McCown attempted his first pass of the second half that was intercepted. (See! Even they were still trying to win at this point.) That gave the Saints a short field to score the go-ahead touchdown and ultimately win the game. At 2-14, the Bucs held the tiebreaker for the No. 1 overall pick over the Titans and wound up selecting Jameis Winston.

I want to avoid phrases like protecting the integrity of the game. I’m not that guy. But Pederson engaged in coaching behavior that made his team worse in moments where we learn from an early age it’s Go Time.

I do not believe Pederson went into the game trying to lose. I believe his attitude shifted in the second half to being more than OK with losing. He achieved a certain comfortability with losing during the course of a game that should be abhorrent to anyone who values competition. And he did so without readying his players like a coach might by announcing he’s resting starters earlier in the week.

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY

Peter King on QB TOM BRADY’s 2020:

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay quarterback

One year ago today, in an AFC Wild-Card game, Tennessee stunned the Patriots 20-13, and Brady looked like a man who knew he was finished in New England. But not finished period. “I think a lot of other people who are great at what they do—great artists or great actors or great businessmen—don’t have to stop doing what they love. I know there’s football still in here,” he said. Eleven weeks later, he was a Buc. At 43, there were some hiccups on the way, but he piloted Tampa to an 11-5 record and the fifth seed in the NFC tournament, and he finished third in the league in passing yards (4,633). Only once in his career (2007) has he thrown for more TDs than his 40 this year. Not bad for the 16th-highest-paid quarterback in football.

NFC WEST

SEATTLE

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com says the tale that the Seahawks defense is terrible is old news:

The myth: Seattle’s defense is terrible.

This was the book on the Seahawks for much of this season. Following a Week 10 loss to the Rams that dropped their record to 6-3, the Seahawks were giving up 448.3 yards per game — on pace for 7,172. The NFL record is 7,042 by the 2012 Saints. If you play fantasy football, you knew almost all season that you should start any player who was playing the Seahawks. It was basically guaranteed points.

Why it’s wrong: Because the Seahawks fixed a few things. They got star safety Jamal Adams back from injury in Week 9, and from then through Week 16 they had the league’s third-best scoring defense and ranked ninth in defensive efficiency. Adams makes a difference, and Seattle players would tell you the trade deadline acquisition of defensive end Carlos Dunlap did too (though our stats tell us Dunlap has been one of the league’s worst edge defenders in pass rush win rate since he got to Seattle).

This was a defense with some youth and new faces in new places that might have needed some time for everyone to get used to one another and improve communication, but the Seahawks have settled down big time in the second half of the season.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

2021 starts with some legal problems for RB JOSH JACOBS per Michael Baca ofNFL.com:

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence early Monday morning in Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.

Police officers responded to a single-vehicle collision near the Airport Connector and Sunset Road at approximately 4:42 a.m. PT, according to an incident report obtained by NFL.com. An investigation revealed that the driver, later identified as 22-year-old Joshua Jacobs, was impaired, per the report.

Jacobs sustained minor injuries from the crash and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Jacobs was then transported to the Clark County Detention Center where he was booked on a DUI charge.

Jacobs’ attorneys said in a statement Monday, obtained by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, that they intend to enter a not guilty plea on Jacobs’ behalf if he is officially charged.

“No complaint has been filed against our client and there are no blood test results to support a suggestion of impairment,” the statement read. “We intend to enter a not guilty plea on behalf of Mr. Jacobs if he is ever charged.”

The Raiders’ season ended with a 32-31 win over the Broncos in Denver on Sunday. Jacobs played in 15 games this season, totaling 1,065 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

The Athletic on the firing of Coach Anthony Lynn:

The Chargers fired coach Anthony Lynn on Monday after the team missed the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

“As we all know, this is a results-driven business and, simply put, the results of the past two years have fallen short of expectations,” owner Dean Spanos said in a statement.

Lynn, 52, went 33-31 in four seasons with the Chargers, making a postseason appearance in 2018 but going 12-20 combined over the last two years.

The Chargers ended the 2020 season 7-9 after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Chargers have a league-high 16 losses in games decided by eight points or fewer over the last two seasons, though they won three such games in a row starting in Week 14. Los Angeles had repeated issues on special teams despite Lynn taking over the unit.

Why the decision was made

Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer: One segment of Spanos’ statement was most telling: “We have been innovative in many facets of our organization in recent years, and we need to carry that over to our entire operation.”

Lynn is a great leader. He relates to his players and motivates them as well as any coach in the NFL. But he is simply not innovative. He was stubbornly committed to an inefficient running game all season despite Justin Herbert’s ascendence. He was too often conservative with fourth-down decisions. Lynn’s game and time management this season did not help, either.

What this means for Tom Telesco

Popper: Telesco is 60-68 since taking over as Chargers general manager in 2012. He has two playoff wins in eight seasons. He is the longest-tenured GM to never have appeared in a conference championship game. And he will now be hiring a third head coach. Telesco drafting Herbert bought him some time, but he needs to start producing results. If the Chargers are not in postseason contention in 2021, Telesco should be in danger of losing his job.

What the Chargers should look for in their next head coach

Popper: The Chargers need a forward-thinking coach who will capitalize on Herbert’s talents as a passer and make aggressive decisions. Establishing and employing an efficient and explosive passing game is the best way to achieve sustainable success in today’s NFL. That must the priority in this coaching search. I would start with Bills OC Brian Daboll, who went to high school with Telesco in Western New York.

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI

The Athletic on the retention of Zach Taylor for another season:

The Cincinnati Bengals will retain head coach Zac Taylor, owner Mike Brown said Monday, bringing him back for a third season with the team.

“We remain bullish on the foundation Zac is building, and we look forward to next year giving our fans the winning results we all want,” Brown said in a statement.

Taylor, 37, was hired in February of 2019 after serving as the Rams’ quarterbacks coach. He is 6-25-1 through two seasons in Cincinnati, with a 4-11-1 campaign in 2020 capped by Sunday’s 38-3 loss to the Ravens.

The Bengals finished the season in the bottom five in total offense (319.8 yards per game), yards per play (4.92), and scoring (19.4 points per game).

“We are not discouraged, but instead feel motivated and confident that next year will reap the benefits of the work that has been done to date,” Brown said. “We must capitalize on the opportunities in front of us. Next year we will earn our stripes.”

Why the Bengals are bringing Taylor back

Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals senior writer: Brown and the Bengals ownership felt Taylor didn’t have good enough players to pass judgment on his team’s 4-11-1 record. The injury to Joe Burrow leads the way, but toss in a deluge of major injuries leaving them without much firepower and that gave Taylor the benefit of the doubt to remain. He gets another year to show proof of concept on his vision.

Dominant wins against Tennessee and Pittsburgh, along with how good Burrow looked when healthy, also provided the foundation of Brown’s hope. Loyalty and patience will always be stockpiled here.

Could Taylor make staff changes?

Dehner Jr.: Yes. And he has. We already know embattled offensive line coach Jim Turner will move on. A smattering of position coaches are also being let go. The big question of this week would be the status of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. His group finished in the bottom half of the league in every major category the last two years and bottom quarter in most, including points allowed and DVOA. Brown citing injury and lack of players suggests Anarumo gets a pass also. No official word has come yet, but signs point to him staying put.

Is this the right move for Burrow’s development?

Jay Morrison, Bengals beat writer: Most likely. I can’t definitely say “yes” because Taylor hasn’t yet proven himself as a play caller or head coach, while Burrow has proven his ability to pick up a new system at warp speed despite not having an offseason or preseason games. Who’s to say starting over would set him back?

But the key voice here is Burrow’s, and he has thrown his support behind Taylor and his scheme every step of the way. Burrow obviously isn’t a guy who would throw a coach under the bus, but there are subtle tells and throwaway phrases when a player is just towing the company line. And we’ve never seen any of that from Burrow. If he’s all in on Taylor, everyone else should be as well.

CLEVELAND

Peter King with Coach Kevin Stefanski:

Kevin Stefanski. The Browns coach on:

• Feeling Cleveland’s excitement. “Pre-pandemic I felt it loud and clear as I went around the city when I moved here in January. I felt the love everywhere I went. Now that we’re all just kind of going from the house to work each day, you don’t get a sense of it as much. You can feel that 12,000 strong in the stands, but I wish so badly that that building was packed. That’s not what this year is calling for though.”

• Facing the season of the curveball. “I’m just being myself. I have a bunch of eyeballs staring back at me from our players, to my staff, to the organization. With all those curveballs we’ve faced, they wanna see how I respond to them. And I want them to know that we’re confidently gonna work to get this job done. This is the season of the curveball. You have to be able to hit it. I just credit our players. We’ve been thrown curveballs since April. We’ve changed the schedule, and we’ve been on Zoom. Then we’re in the building, then practice is cancelled. Then this guy’s out and this coach is out. Honestly, the guys haven’t blinked. That just speaks to the resilience of this football team. I think it speaks to the character of the guys we have.”

• What he told his players after clinching the playoff spot. “Told them I’m proud of them. They fight.”

• Why getting passed over for Freddie Kitchens last year doesn’t gnaw at him. “Because I went back to the Vikings working for Coach [Mike] Zimmer and had a great year. Worked with Gary Kubiak for a season and it made me a better coach. Whenever you’re up for something you don’t get of course there’s disappointment. But I think it all worked out.”

• Hoping to get ace offensive line coach Bill Callahan back for the Steelers games. “You know, he’s sick. So he’s not feeling great. Our wide receiver coach also had it. He went through a similar sickness, like two and a half, three days, where they were not feeling good at all. And then they kinda come out of it. If he can work from home, that’d be great. If he needs to just focus on rest and recovery, that’s the most important thing.”

AFC SOUTH

JACKSONVILLE

Urban Meyer is looking for a cash grab from the Khans.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

It’s become the worst-kept secret in NFL circles that the Jaguars coaching job will go to Urban Meyer if he wants it. As of Sunday, the question was whether he wants it.

If he wants it, he’ll want to be paid for it. Handsomely.

A league source tells PFT that Meyer is looking for $12 million per year.

That’s not a crazy number, given the manner in which the market is going. The Panthers gave Matt Rhule nearly $9 million per year when he made the jump from Baylor to Carolina last year. And plenty of NFL coaches are getting paid in the eight figures annually.

With Meyer, the question is whether his success at Ohio State and Florida will translate to the NFL. If, as it appears, the Jaguars believe it will, it’s a fair price given the broader realities of the industry, especially as gambling promises to goose revenue to unprecedented levels, and beyond.

A quick thought from Pete Prisco on Meyer and the Jags:

@PriscoCBS

How does he coach when he can’t get every recruit he wants? He leaves mess behind when he’s gone. Look at the crap that went on at Florida

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

Bills punter was Peter King’s Special Teams Player of the Week:

Corey Bojorquez, punter, Buffalo. Might have had the punt of the year late in the first quarter, and it came at the worst time possible for the Dolphins’ sputtering offense, and helped knock Miami out of the playoffs. Late in the first quarter, Miami up 3-0, Bojorquez booted from his own 45. The third-year punter from New Mexico angled to his right a high, deep punt, and it bounced and traveled out at the half-yard line. Miami, playing it ultra-safe with wobbly QB Tua Tagovailoa, went three-and-out and punted. Buffalo took over at midfield and drove for the go-ahead TD. Buffalo scored three more touchdowns before halftime and the rout was on—started by a simple, perfectly placed punt.

Last year, Bojorquez ranked 30^th in the NFL in both net and gross punting.

This year, he’s jumped all the way to 1^st with his 50.8 average, 5^th in net at 44.0.  He had 4 punts on Sunday to get to 41 on the year and needed 3 of them to reach the minimum of 40 punts required for qualification.

– – –

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com on the 2020 version of QB JOSH ALLEN:

The myth: Josh Allen can’t beat defenses from the pocket.

Allen had a fine 2019 season, but the book on him was that he was at least as big of a threat to beat teams with his legs as with his arm. Last season, he ranked 21st in the league in Total QBR (53.7), 22nd in touchdown passes (16) and 30th in completion percentage (62.1%) on throws from inside the pocket.

Why it’s wrong: Because Allen is a different quarterback in 2020. Through Week 16, he had more dropbacks in the pocket than he did last season (470 to 419) and ranked first in the league in QBR (87.1), seventh in touchdown passes (26) and first in completion percentage (72.9%) on throws from inside the pocket. The jump Allen took from Year 2 to Year 3 is one of the stories of the entire season.

MIAMI

Peter King on QB TUA TAGAVIALOA – 3^rd at best among rookie QBs:

Tua Tagovailoa. No idea what happened to the dynamic running/throwing threat picked fifth overall by Miami last April. Watched most of his last two games—at Vegas, at Buffalo—and until Miami was getting throttled in Buffalo at halftime, I kept asking two questions: Why is he throwing horizontally so much? And why is he so careful? Seeing the contrast between the three rookie quarterbacks has been eye-opening. Joe Burrow in Cincinnati and Justin Herbert in Los Angels look like four-year vets almost right away—sure of themselves, totally unafraid of choosing the deep options. Tagovailoa looks like he has training wheels on at times. The Dolphins drafted a mobile and instinctive quarterback; they should enter next season giving him more chances to take.

A harsher take from Pete Prisco:

@PriscoCBS

Think what you think. See what you want. He has been below average at best. If your eyes tell you he’s in the same class with Burrow and Herbert right now, you have no idea what you are seeing.

NEW YORK JETS

Christopher Johnson defers to GM Joe Douglas.  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

The Jets are again entering an offseason of change, and the man at the top of the organization expects it to be the last for some time.

Jets CEO Christopher Johnson was understandably upset by his team’s lack of success in 2020, a season in which New York spent most of it considered as the league’s worst team. A late two-game winning streak lifted them out of the unenviable seat and also cost the Jets the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, but after firing coach Adam Gase in one of the least surprising moves of the last half-decade (if not more), it’s time for Johnson’s franchise to find the right person to lead their turnaround.

Instead of targeting a coach considered to have an elite mind for one side of the football, the Jets are focusing on a greater trait in their next coach. Johnson wants his team to identify and hire a “leader.”

“I don’t much like the term ‘CEO,’ but it does describe what we’re looking for,” Johnson said, via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. “We’re looking for someone who’ll coach the entire team, end to end.”

The Jets lacked such a coach in the last two seasons, and that reality combined with personnel deficiencies and failed free-agent signings left them in a difficult situation. The pressure only increased on Gase as the season progressed, including the coach handing off play-calling duties before taking them back, and the ultimate product simply wasn’t good enough to continue with the status quo.

“No one likes losing,” quarterback Sam Darnold said, via The Athletic’s Connor Hughes. “Quite frankly, I’m tired of it.”

Also tired of it is Johnson, who echoed Darnold’s words.

“I am sick of losing,” Johnson said. “I am so tired of this.”

The questions about the Jets don’t end at head coach. Darnold is also in an uncertain position, with New York’s draft position creating multiple paths to follow going forward. The Jets could trade Darnold and select a quarterback at No. 2 overall — Ohio State’s Justin Fields, perhaps — or keep Darnold and run it back, while shipping out the No. 2 pick for a king’s ransom. They could spend the pick on another position, too.

Darnold expressed a desire to continue his career in New York, even though that decision is largely out of his hands at this point. It rests on the desk of general manager Joe Douglas, whom Johnson said is “the GM we’ve been searching for for years.”

“I’m a huge fan of Sam,” Johnson said. “I think he’s a great QB. I think he has wonderful talent and drive and leadership. I don’t think the book has been written on Sam. He has a very big future. And I personally hope it’s on this team.

“That’s what I told him after the game: I hope he is a Jet going forward. But that decision will be made by Joe Douglas and our new coach. That’s about as definitive as I can get on Sam.”

Douglas will be tested in the weeks and months ahead, though, first in his ability to identify and hire the right head coach for the franchise, and then in assembling a team better than the one that finished 2-14.

Regardless, the grace period for Douglas’ Jets won’t extend much longer beyond the 2021 season, the first for whichever new head coach they select. After Cleveland and Tampa Bay both qualified for the playoffs in the last two weeks, the NFL’s longest postseason drought now belongs to the Jets at 10 years.

“The weight of 10 years out of the playoffs, 50 years away from the Super Bowl, that frankly weighs very heavily on my shoulders,” Johnson said. “And it should. It spurs us on to get this coaching hire right.”

We won’t know for some time whether the Jets’ selection ends up being the correct one. But the attempt to turn the franchise around begins now.

THIS AND THAT

REHAB WITH SABAN

Steve Sarkisian is the latest coach to re-build his career through a stint in Tuscaloosa.  Two NFL head coaches in 2020 are rumored to be in line to replace him:

Alabama coach Nick Saban is considering former Jets coach Adam Gase and Texans coach Bill O’Brien among the options for the Crimson Tide’s soon-to-be-vacant offensive coordinator role, a source told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

Saban will be looking to replace Steve Sarkisian, who was hired to be Texas’ head coach on Saturday.

The Jets fired Gase on Sunday after finishing the 2020 season 2-14. The Texans fired O’Brien in October after starting the season 0-4.

Saban’s connections to Gase and O’Brien

Bruce Feldman, national college football insider: Gase was a graduate assistant under Saban at LSU and first connected with Saban in the 1990s when the former Jets coach was a student at Michigan State, where he worked with another former Tide offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll.

O’Brien, a Bill Belichick protege, is connected to Saban through the Patriots coach. The 51-year-old O’Brien was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, Duke and for New England before becoming the head coach at Penn State.

What Saban’s recent hires tell us

Aaron Suttles, Alabama beat writer: He doesn’t care about Hot Board lists or names bounded around on message boards.

He always keeps a mental list of candidates for jobs should they ever come open. Sometimes they’re guys he’s worked with, sometimes it is a guy who was recommended by someone he trusts.

Looking back, the public wasn’t overly thrilled with the Sarkisian hire, and that worked out better than anyone could have dreamed.