| Troy Vincent is looking to add facemask penalties to the review process. Facemask penalties could be subject to replay assistance next season, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters on Wednesday during the December League Meeting.Facemask penalties, which currently are not subject for review, have been under scrutiny this season following a number of notable missed calls, particularly during prime-time games.Officials appeared to miss a facemask call in the fourth quarter of Monday’s Bengals-Cowboys game when a Dallas defender grabbed Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow’s facemask and twisted his helmet on a strip sack. Earlier this season, an apparent facemask call was missed when a Rams defender grabbed Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s helmet on the final drive of Minnesota’s eventual loss to Los Angeles.Vincent on Wednesday acknowledged that the position of refs and the speed of the game can make officiating facemask calls difficult in real time on the playing field, which is why an assist from New York could be beneficial.“Concerning yes, because that’s a big miss — that’s a big foul,” Vincent said. “We would like to consider — or for the membership to consider — putting that foul category that we can see, putting that on the field to help because there is a frustration. We believe that is one category that we can potentially get right.”The league historically has been hesitant to have subjective plays be reviewable — pass interference was reviewable for only the 2019 season — and the NFL has never allowed replay to determine there was a penalty when one was not called on the field.Making facemask fouls, which carry a 15-yard penalty, reviewable would change that precedent.“The membership really has to decide what they want that standard to be,” Vincent said on Wednesday. “That is do you want some of those things that are subjective, objective, do you want to include those? That’s why you always hear us say ‘crawl, walk, jog.’ … This year the facemask seemed like the obvious; that keeps showing up. A few years past it was maybe the roughing the passer, the low contact.“That appetite will have to come from the membership. The committee will discuss where we as a unit feel like we can assist. What is that appetite? This year we started off just with hits to that head and neck area. I think we’ve been pretty good with that. Now you may expand to the facemask and you leave the lower extremity alone. That will have to come from the membership.”While he did not discuss the potential for facemask penalties to be reviewable, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that replay assistance was discussed in detail during Wednesday’s meetings.“We’re looking to expand that,” Goodell said. “We’re going to go to the committee with ways that we can do that. Fouls that may not be within their authority today, we hope they’ll be in their authority by next season.”In addition, Vincent cited hits on a defenseless player, tripping, the fair catch, an illegal batted ball, an illegal double-team block, illegal formations on kickoffs and taunting as other areas that warrant consideration for replay assist.Among the other topics discussed by Vincent and Goodell on Wednesday:Vincent was emphatic about the league’s desire to eliminate low blocks that could lead to serious injuries. “The low block below the knee needs to be removed from the game,” Vincent said. “You look at high school, you look at college, too. Every block should be above the knee, but below the neck. All the work that we’ve done for the head and neck area, all the things that we’ve taken out of the game, this is the right time for us to remove the low block out of the game. Be consistent with high school. Be consistent with college. Every block should be above the knee and below the neck.”The league will consider changes to the onside kick after dramatically overhauling the kickoff rule on a one-year basis. “We need to look at that. That’s a dead play,” Vincent said of the onside kick’s low success rate. “That is a ceremonial play. Very low recovery rate. When we look at the kickoff and maybe where the touchback area should be during the offseason, we need to revisit the onside kick.” Options include giving the team an opportunity to run one play to gain a certain number of yards to keep possession. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASBill Barnwell of ESPN.com tells Jerry Jones what to do: Dallas Cowboys (5-8)1. Undo the 2024 offseason. Not the CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott contracts, of course, but every other move the Cowboys made hasn’t panned out. Ezekiel Elliott has been a replacement-level back and seen his yards per carry fall for the fourth consecutive season. Coordinator Mike Zimmer hasn’t built a reliable run defense. While his patented double-mug looks still lead to pressures on third downs, Dallas has the league’s worst first- and second-down defense. Eric Kendricks excelled under Zimmer in Minnesota and was a great player for a long time, but he’s not an NFL-caliber linebacker anymore. Teams exploit his lack of range on a weekly basis.The Cowboys have to upgrade those spots. So Elliott and Kendricks, the two veteran free agents they signed during their all-in spring, probably are going to move on. Zimmer’s tenure with the team will also likely end after one season. And in fact, he’s not the only coach walking out the door …2. Move on from Mike McCarthy. The former Packers coach won 12 games in each of the three seasons he had a healthy Prescott, but his teams struggled in 2020 and 2024 even before Prescott went down with season-ending injuries. McCarthy modernized his offense when he was hired, but some of his changes were fleeting; the Cowboys are back down to 29th in motion rate at the snap this season, as an example.He sold himself to the Cowboys as an analytics-reformed thinker, but that didn’t happen in practice based on the comments he made to announcers about wanting to hit carry totals in the second half and his late-game management. He was better than he was at his worst in Green Bay, but the bar is a lot higher in Dallas. He isn’t a bad coach, but he’s not making the team drastically better in 2025. There is someone out there who can do that.3. Offer Ben Johnson five years and $125 million to take over as coach. I wanted to argue that the Cowboys should hire Bill Belichick, who would have taken over in the hopes of immediately fixing the defense and left the offense to someone else. With Belichick taking the job at the University of North Carolina, though, Dallas might instead need to take a bigger swing to fix its offense.Johnson’s work as the offensive coordinator in Detroit has been impeccable. While he won’t be able to bring that dominant O-line and some of the playmakers with him, consider how many of the people who touch the ball there were regarded before they got to Johnson. Amon-Ra St. Brown was a fourth-round pick. David Montgomery was a running back who had averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry in his four seasons with Chicago. Wideouts Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond were cut by Tennessee. And Jared Goff, now an MVP candidate, had essentially been benched for John Wolford in a playoff game and was salary ballast in the Matthew Stafford trade. They’ve all gotten better under Johnson.The problem for the Cowboys is they need to find ways to get better that don’t involve adding significant talent or spending tons of money, owing to their roster construction. They couldn’t advance past the divisional round with Prescott, Lamb and Micah Parsons making about $60 million per year. They’ll be making more than double that figure once Parsons signs his offseason extension (more on that in a minute). The Cowboys need all three of those stars to stay healthy and play well, but they also need someone who can help produce useful players on cost-controlled deals in secondary roles throughout the lineup beyond that big three.The Cowboys can’t subvert the salary cap, and they can’t buy first-round picks, but spending on coaches is uncapped. Paying Johnson this much would represent a significant investment and probably make every other team in the league angry, but coaches as a whole are underpaid. This franchise is valued as being worth more than $10 billion by Forbes. If this move succeeds, Johnson would be a bargain. If it fails, the Cowboys won’t miss the money.4. Allow Brandin Cooks to leave and expect to move on from Zack Martin and (potentially) Terence Steele. Cooks is a free agent ain 2025, and the combination of injuries and age have slowed down the well-traveled veteran wideout. He isn’t horribly overpaid on his current $8 million salary, but that’s a position the team will want to address by signing a replacement or adding a tight end to follow the leaguewide trend of more 12 and 13 personnel packages. The trade for Jonathan Mingo suggests he will be a regular next season, but I’d like to see them go after at least one veteran to replace Cooks.The right side of the offensive line needs to be replaced, too. It’s unclear whether Martin will retire after battling an ankle injury in 2024. If the seven-time All-Pro guard wants to return, the Cowboys should bring him back, but they have to prepare for a world where he isn’t his usual self or isn’t on the field at all. They are usually content to target offensive linemen in the draft, so I expect their draft in this scenario will consist of defensive front seven players and offensive linemen.Steele was a pleasant surprise earlier in his career, but he hasn’t been the same player since tearing his ACL and MCL in 2022. He has allowed 10.5 sacks this season, tied for second most by any lineman per NFL Next Gen Stats, and has a $13.3 million base salary next year. I don’t think Dallas can bring him back without a pay cut, even if means facing some semblance of uncertainty at tackle.5. Bring back DeMarcus Lawrence on a one-year deal and sign Parsons to a record-setting extension. The Cowboys clearly have been preparing for life after Lawrence with some of their picks over the past few seasons, but 2022 second-rounder Sam Williams missed all of this season with a torn ACL and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown needs surgery after a knee injury in Monday’s loss to the Bengals. There’s just not as much surefire pass-rush depth as the team was hoping, which would justify a one-year deal for Lawrence. The 32-year-old’s price would have to come down from $10 million after an injury-hit season.A massive deal for Parsons, who’s entering his fifth-year option in 2025, is inevitable. The star pass rusher is already in line for a jump from $3 million base salary in 2024 to a $24 million in 2025, but the Cowboys shouldn’t want to play the franchise tag game with their most talented player. After letting the Lamb and Prescott deals hang over the franchise for most of the offseason, they should break from tradition and get Parsons’ deal done in March.He will understandably want to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, and it would be a surprise if this contract didn’t grant him that title. With Justin Jefferson signing a four-year, $140-million deal ($35 million average annual value) last offseason, Parsons should expect to top that figure. Five years and $185 million ($37 million AAV) is probably where the team should hope to get the contract done, although I’m sure he will look to become the first $40 million non-quarterback. |
| PHILADELPHIAThe Eagles say the air is cleared on the matter of QB JALEN HURTS and WR A.J. BROWN. Tim McManus of ESPN.com: Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver A.J. Brown addressed the speculation surrounding their relationship Wednesday, with both indicating it isn’t fractured, as teammate Brandon Graham suggested earlier this week.“BG was just being BG,” Brown said at his locker Wednesday. “He’s emotional. In that case, he just misspoke. Me and Jalen are good.”Hurts echoed Brown’s sentiment, saying that Graham, one of the most respected players on the team, “spoke out of place. He knows that.”The drama started following the Eagles’ 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers, marking their ninth consecutive victory. The passing game was not up to their standards, as Hurts finished 14-of-21 for 108 yards with a pair of touchdowns.Brown, who wasn’t targeted until late in the second quarter despite flashing open on a couple of occasions, slammed his helmet on the sideline following a three-and-out and expressed frustration after the game.When asked where improvement was needed on offense, Brown tersely responded, “Passing.” Some, including Graham, interpreted it as Brown pointing the finger toward Hurts.During his weekly radio show Monday, Graham said of Hurts and Brown: “They were friends before this, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But it’s the business side that we have to make sure the personal doesn’t get in the way of the business.”That set off a media firestorm locally and nationally.“I think that’s what the world did,” Brown said. “They perceived what I said about passing and felt like it was an attack on Jalen, and that’s what [Graham] did. Me and Jalen’s relationship is personal.”Brown added that he highlighted the passing game’s shortcomings for a specific reason.“Because we went to the Super Bowl [during the 2022 season] and lost. We tried again the next year. It was a [10-1] record [in 2023] and there was a landslide,” Brown said, referring to the Eagles losing five of their last six regular-season games before bowing out in the wild-card round. “And here we go again. It’s something that we can correct right now while we have the opportunity.”The Eagles are 11-2 and currently hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Their winning streak coincided with the decision to lean more into their ground attack, led by Saquon Barkley, which has produced very good results. The Eagles are tops in the league with over 190 rushing yards per game, fueling Barkley’s MVP bid as well as their winning streak.The flip side is that Philadelphia is last in the league in passing and has struggled to get into a rhythm — something the key figures on the team say they’re working hard to change.Coach Nick Sirianni said he spoke with the parties involved and addressed what transpired this week during Wednesday’s team meeting.The hope now is the focus can turn away from all the relationship talk to the formidable Pittsburgh Steelers, whom they will host this week.“We are moving on,” tackle Jordan Mailata said. “It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, not the A.J. Brown and Jalen show. It is the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it.” |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCORB ISAAC GUERENDO isn’t going to let a sprained ankle shut him down, even on a short week. Or so says ESPN.com:San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo plans to play Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams despite his sprained foot, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Guerendo, who is listed as questionable, insists he “feels good,” sources said.The 49ers (6-7) also have defensive end Nick Bosa (left hip, oblique) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) listed as questionable for an NFC West matchup they likely need to win to get back in the playoff hunt. The Niners ruled out left tackle Trent Williams (left ankle), safety Malik Mustapha (chest, shoulder) and guard Ben Bartch (high ankle sprain) on Wednesday.Guerendo assumed the starting running back job following injuries to Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. He rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns and chipped in two receptions for 50 yards Sunday against the Chicago Bears before exiting with his foot injury.The rookie running back did not practice Monday or Tuesday but was upgraded to limited in Wednesday’s walk-through.If Guerendo were limited, Patrick Taylor Jr. would be next in line for work out of the backfield with practice squad back Ke’Shawn Vaughn and recently added Israel Abanikanda also available as options.Before departing against the Bears, Guerendo etched himself into the 49ers record books with his successful first start. He became the fourth player in franchise history to have 100-plus scrimmage yards and at least two touchdowns in his first start, joining Carlos Hyde (2015), Earl Cooper (1980) and Hugh McElhenny (1952). |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYAdam Teicher of ESPN.com on the tight upcoming schedule for the Chiefs: The Chiefs will be one of four NFL teams embarking Sunday on a stretch of schedule that will have them playing three games in 11 days. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City teammates aren’t looking forward to it.“All you can do is focus on the game and the practice that you had that day,” Mahomes said. “I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch by tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and you prepare. The coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice hard as anybody, but they know how to kind of dial it back when we need it.“It is not a good feeling. I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year [when the Chiefs lost on the holiday to the Las Vegas Raiders], but you never want to play this many games in this short of time. It’s just not great for your body. But at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.”The Chiefs will play the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday, followed by a Saturday game against the Houston Texans and then a Wednesday game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That third game will be played on Christmas Day.The Texans, Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are the other teams with the three-games-in-11-days stretch.“That’s a unique situation,” coach Andy Reid said. “You just have to manage it. It is what it is. You make the best of it. One thing is you’ve got to get guys ready for a game, give them the chance to do whatever you present to them. So, I help them out now. We’ve got a normal week right here. So, we’ve got to take care of business.” We should add that all four teams will have the same schedule, so when the Chiefs get to Christmas with the Steelers, they will be on the same rest as Pittsburgh. Then, for Week 18, a mini-bye before the season finale at Denver with three or four more days rest than the Broncos (who don’t know if their Week 17 game will be on Saturday or Sunday).- – -Scott Kacsmar points out how QB PATRICK MAHOMES has been rising to the occasion. @ScottKacsmarPatrick Mahomes has converted 10 straight game-winning drive opportunities since New Year’s Eve 2023. Mahomes has 7 game-winning drives this season with four weeks to get past the NFL season record of eight shared by QBs KIRK COUSINS (2022) and MATTHEW STAFFORD (2016). |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIJoe Burrow is unhappy that so many details became public about the robbery at his home. Ben Baby of ESPN.com: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, in his first public comments since his home was broken into during Monday night’s game, spoke Wednesday about the degree to which he felt his privacy was violated.Before answering questions during his usual midweek news conference, Burrow issued a statement addressing the burglary that occurred at his Cincinnati-area home while the Bengals were on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys.“I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share,” said Burrow, who implied he was not going to answer any specific questions about the incident.But in his limited comments on the situation, Burrow agreed that one of the more frustrating parts was the amount of information that is now part of the public discourse.According to an incident report obtained by ABC News, the break-in was initially reported by model Olivia Ponton, who contacted police after she saw a shattered bedroom window upon arriving at Burrow’s home. A local television station also acquired footage via aerial drones.Burrow has gone through great lengths during his career to protect his privacy. But the Pro Bowl quarterback, who is among the league’s richest and most popular players, acknowledged that even though he understands the attention is part of the job, it doesn’t make things any easier.“We live a public life,” Burrow said. “One of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy, and that has been difficult for me to deal with my entire career.”The break-in, which is being investigated as a felony, is one of many similar incidents involving high-profile athletes. In November, a source told ABC News that the NFL and other leagues were briefed by the FBI about targeted burglaries involving notable names such as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.Burrow declined to comment when asked how he felt about his safety moving forward.When the Bengals drafted Burrow first in 2020, that’s when he said he began to sequester his personal life from his professional life. Burrow acknowledged the break-in has made that more challenging.“It’s definitely been difficult this week, but for the most part, I’m pretty good at it, considering during the season, you don’t really have a personal life,” Burrow said. “It’s kind of all football. Obviously, things come up that you don’t expect, and when those come up you try to do your best to handle them quickly and be able to move on from it and focus on ball.”Even though the Bengals (5-8) are staring at a bleak playoff outlook heading into Sunday’s road game against the Tennessee Titans (3-10), Burrow is in the midst of a career year. He currently leads the NFL in passing yards (3,706), passing touchdowns (33) and is second in Total QBR (74.1), trailing only Buffalo’s Josh Allen.On top of the home burglary, Burrow is also dealing with a left knee injury he sustained in Monday’s 27-20 win at Dallas.Cincinnati held a walk-through Wednesday night. Had it been a practice, the team estimated Burrow would have been a limited participant. But after the session wrapped up, he said it wasn’t a major concern.“It’s getting better,” Burrow said. “I’ll be ready to go. In related news, QB TUA TAGOVIALOA of the Dolphins sends a challenge to the robbers. Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa revealed Wednesday that he hired security to guard his home after his car was broken into last year.Speaking to reporters after practice, Tagovailoa said: “[It was] a little too close for my comfort with my family being in the house. So we got personal security to take care of all of that. When we’re on the road, we’ve got someone with my wife, got someone also at the house, surveying the house.”Tua also noted that his security is armed, so he urged people to “think twice” if they were considering trying to burglarize his home. |
| CLEVELANDA vote of confidence from owner Jimmy Haslam per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com: Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said he is perplexed by his team’s 3-10 record but will evaluate its performance in totality after the season — including the outlook at quarterback.He also expressed support for coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry.“We went from 11-6 and making the playoffs to 3-10, so it’s a little perplexing what happened,” Haslam told ESPN as he departed the NFL owners meetings Wednesday.Asked whether he has the right players in place with Stefanski and Berry, Haslam added: “I do. We do. We’re very supportive.”Berry and Stefanski signed contract extensions before the 2024 season and have made the playoffs together in 2020 and 2023.The primary issue for Cleveland is the quarterback position. Deshaun Watson is owed $92 million in guaranteed money over the next two years. He has struggled with injuries and poor play since the team acquired him from the Houston Texans and then signed him to a then-record deal in 2022. He’s currently rehabbing an Achilles tear suffered in Week 7.Cutting Watson would trigger dead salary cap hits well above $100 million.Jameis Winston has provided a spark with Watson sidelined, surpassing 300 passing yards in three of his six starts, but the Browns are 2-4 during that stretch.Asked about the outlook of the quarterback position, Haslam said it’s too early to make any decisions.“We need to get through the season and we will look at everything,” he told ESPN.The Browns are slated to have a top-10 pick in the NFL draft — their first selection in the first round since 2021 — which they could use on a quarterback. Signing a veteran signal-caller is also an option.But the team’s issues this season transcend the quarterback.Last year’s first-ranked total defense under coordinator Jim Schwartz has fallen to 21st overall this year. A once-elite rushing attack has fallen to 30th.While Haslam said the Browns have “a lot of needs as a team” and will need to prioritize them, he acknowledges the team has enough talent to avoid a full-scale rebuild. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| BELICHICKJeff Howe of The Athletic on why Bill Belichick took the head coaching job at North Carolina: Bill Belichick’s foray into college football drew plenty of double takes across the industry, but the logic behind his decision might have been as simple as it was surprising.“He’s a football coach,” a source close to Belichick said. “He’s going to coach somewhere.”After 49 seasons in the NFL, Belichick made a stark career change Wednesday when he accepted the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina.The 72-year-old’s pursuit of Don Shula’s wins record has been put on hold, perhaps permanently. Belichick needed 15 wins to surpass the NFL’s all-time mark of 347.The record meant a lot to Belichick, particularly in recent years when it appeared to be more attainable. So, why did he call off the chase?It’s perhaps more important to assess the situation from the opposite viewpoint.One NFL team with a coaching vacancy had already ruled out the idea of interviewing Belichick, according to a league source. Sources with a couple of other teams with potential head coach vacancies didn’t believe there’d be enough support within the building to hire Belichick. The New York Jets, who will be hiring a coach and general manager, were never considered a possibility due to their long-running shared animosity for each other.And among the seven coaching vacancies last year — excluding the New England Patriots, who fired Belichick — the architect of the greatest dynasty in league history only drew serious interest from the Atlanta Falcons. Several of those teams quickly dismissed the idea of interviewing Belichick, according to league sources. Some even expressed relief Belichick wouldn’t disrupt the organization’s power structure.Belichick, the most prepared figure in the NFL for so long, had to recognize a chilling reality: He’d once again be a long shot to get a job in the league’s upcoming hiring cycle. It’s common for coaches to put out feelers to gauge their attractiveness to organizations.“(Belichick) burned a lot of bridges over his career,” a high-ranking team executive said.Belichick still wanted to coach, though, so it was important for him to act. North Carolina, which employed his father in the 1950s, was the most high-profile program with an opening. Belichick turns 73 in April and couldn’t run the risk of being shut out of another hiring cycle.“If he wanted to coach again, he almost had to take this job,” another team executive said.Another longtime Belichick associate thought the move to UNC made sense for other reasons, too. Belichick will essentially have unilateral control over the program, which wouldn’t necessarily be the case if he had gotten another NFL opportunity. And a handful of Belichick’s closest friends — Nick Saban, Greg Schiano, Chip Kelly, Kirk Ferentz and Jedd Fisch — have enjoyed success at the college level. He can use them as resources as he acclimates to a different football world.Also consider that Belichick could have waited to see if there’d be openings with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants or Jacksonville Jaguars — among other teams — but they ultimately might not have been great fits. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones isn’t ceding control of his front office, and it’s too early to know what the upcoming power structure will look like within the Giants and Jaguars if more drastic changes are on the way.“There might be some owners who want (Belichick’s) structure and stability, but he is 72,” another longtime executive from a team that was involved in last year’s NFL hiring cycle said. “I think a lot of teams want to build something long-term, and he clearly has a capped timeline.”Belichick’s resume still stands alone. He is viewed by his peers as the greatest coach of his era, if not in history. And last season, even as the Patriots wallowed to a 4-13 record, a couple of personnel executives said Belichick’s defense still displayed some revolutionary concepts.But they had fair and objective criticisms about the way things ended with the Patriots, with their record worsening in each of his last two seasons and failing to win a playoff game over his final four years. Parting with quarterback Tom Brady was a head-scratcher, but the failure to find a suitable successor made the matter exponentially worse.Belichick’s push for organizational control has also been at the center of discussion with teams. One executive referred to the Patriots as a “unicorn” during the Belichick era, as he won three Super Bowls in his first five seasons, gained considerably more control after Scott Pioli’s departure in 2009 and was able to run the team how he saw fit. That’s not a common structure for much of the league.Plus, the model had deteriorated in Belichick’s later years with the Patriots. There was a push for more collaboration with the 2021 NFL Draft, but that collaboration fell apart in 2022, according to league sources. Patriots scouts were often frustrated by their lack of involvement after the annual combine — nearly two months before the draft — or their general inclusion in the building throughout the season.“I think people would be concerned about the culture in the building,” a fourth executive said. “(Belichick’s) culture worked when they were winning, but he got fired because they weren’t winning.”Of course, the culture also extends to the locker room. Modern-day players don’t relate to the old-school coaching approach the way they did 10 or even 20 years ago. As one of Belichick’s former players recently said, “It’s nice to go somewhere and not get told how much you suck every day.”That player was not alone in that sentiment. And adding to that, coaches and executives from other teams were turned off by Belichick’s public alienation of former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.Belichick has enjoyed unprecedented levels of success throughout his career. No one around the league would ever deny that.But while teams eye a long-term solution with their next head coach, they have a lot of fair questions about the way it fell apart in New England and whether Belichick would be the right fit within their organization. And even if Belichick did turn around an NFL team, his age limits his longevity.Naturally, the same questions will exist at North Carolina, but here’s the difference: UNC was offering a job, and it was anything but guaranteed the NFL would do the same. From his perspective as a longtime college writer, Stuart Mandel, also of The Athletic is quick to call the hire a disaster: Congratulations, North Carolina. You managed to hire someone completely unqualified to be your next football coach. You did that thing so many schools do where they try to win the press conference instead of win football games. It rarely works.I realize I may get excommunicated from the football world for daring to question the merits of a six-time Super Bowl champion coach. But let’s remove the name Bill Belichick and replace it with Coach X. Here is who North Carolina just hired:• Coach X has never coached a day in college football. He has never recruited an athlete. He has never had to deal with the transfer portal or NIL collectives. His dad was a college coach, at Navy, but that was 35 years ago.• Coach X is known for being grumpy and introverted, two traits that don’t often go hand in hand with wooing recruits, glad-handing donors and giving motivational talks to 18- to 22-year-olds.• Coach X made his first post on Instagram — which he referred to as Instaface at the time — on Sept. 4 of this year. He has since posted eight more times. He may not realize that many college athletes, particularly recruits, communicate primarily via social media.• And Coach X is 72 years old, just one year younger than the guy he’s replacing, Mack Brown, as well as his buddy Nick Saban, who got out of coaching this year at least in part because, as he said at the time, “When you get to 72 years old, it gets harder and harder to promise people you’re gonna be there for four or five more years.”But Coach X does have those Super Bowl rings. Which he’ll surely wear when he meets with recruits and potential transfers. Who will then say something to the effect of, “That’s great, but how much am I getting paid?”Unless Belichick can magically restore eligibility for Tom Brady, I fail to see how this will end well. I’ve seen this movie so many times before: Big-name NFL coach comes to town vowing to turn the program into an NFL organization in college.Bill Callahan and his master plan to scrap Nebraska’s famed triple-option offense for the West Coast offense.Charlie Weis and his “decided schematic advantage” at Notre Dame.Herm Edwards and his vaunted “new leadership model” at Arizona State.Lovie Smith, with no discernible plan of any kind at Illinois.Inevitably, school and coach soon realize that what works in the NFL doesn’t necessarily work in college. (And vice versa.) And yet … they just keep falling for it.Belichick has spent time this year at Washington, where his son, Steve, is the defensive coordinator. He’s clearly put a lot of thought into how he would run his own college program, as evidenced by his comments earlier this week on Pat McAfee’s show.“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” he said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level.”No question, player development is crucial to success as a college coach. But is he under the impression the current top programs aren’t already doing this exact thing? It’s delusional to think Belichick will show up, flash his rings and suddenly North Carolina will start producing more high-end NFL players than Georgia or Ohio State.You need to do something else to distinguish yourself in this era.The college coaching landscape is currently in a bridge process, following the exits of national championship coaches Saban, Brown and Jim Harbaugh. Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney are the only ones left. As the next generation begins establishing itself, two specific archetypes are emerging.The young/youngish high-energy guys: Smart, Dan Lanning, Steve Sarkisian, Kenny Dillingham, Deion Sanders, Spencer Danielson, Matt Campbell, Marcus Freeman, Shane Beamer, Eli Drinkwitz, Rhett Lashlee, Jon Sumrall, Fran Brown.And the career college guy who just wins: Curt Cignetti, Jeff Monken, Chris Klieman, Lance Leipold (this season notwithstanding).Belichick is so far from fitting within either of those groups it’s hard to think of any close comparison. It may actually be Coach Prime, who, though he came from Jackson State, has filled his staff with NFL coaches and welcomes all manner of NFL guests.But he and Belichick fall on polar opposite ends of the personality spectrum.Nailing a coaching hire is hard, and it can be futile trying to predict which guys will succeed and which guys will fail. Like many, I thought Scott Frost would lead Nebraska to glory, and that Lincoln Riley would be contending for national championships by now at USC. Whereas I doubted Sarkisian was the guy to do that at Texas or that Josh Heupel would become Tennessee’s best coach in two decades.But there have been a few over the years I felt were obvious disasters from the moment they were announced — Weis and Les Miles at Kansas, Edwards at Arizona State, Mike Riley at Nebraska and Karl Dorrell at Colorado come to mind.I hereby add UNC/Belichick to that distinguished class of regrettable hires. Check back in two to three years. John Talty of CBSSports.com seems surprised that Belichick, at age 72, only signed a 3-year deal. North Carolina made a significant financial commitment to lure legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill.UNC and the 72-year old Belichick agreed to a five-year deal, the school announced. Terms of the deal have been reported at $10 million annually. That would be a big jump from the $5 million UNC paid Mack Brown, a national championship-winning coach, in his final season at the school.Only seven coaches in FBS made over $10 million in 2024, a group that does not even include Ohio State coach Ryan Day or LSU coach Brian Kelly.Initial reporting from The Athletic had Belichick’s contract running at three years and $30 million, a stunningly low length of time that perplexed sources. A five-year deal would be standard. Schools dole out contracts of five years, perhaps six if the coach is particularly desirable, for recruiting purposes. Purdue recently gave new coach Barry Odom a six-year contract, for instance.The legendary eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach has never coached in college football before committing to take over UNC’s program. The former New England Patriots coach has reportedly been interested in a succession plan that would eventually pass the job to his son, Steve, who currently serves as Jedd Fisch’s defensive coordinator at Washington.Belichick, who worked with legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban while with the Cleveland Browns, won 333 games in 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. He was reportedly making $20 million annually as the New England Patriots’ coach before being let go following the 2023 season. He interviewed multiple times for the Atlanta Falcons opening that eventually went to Raheem Morris, but after he didn’t get an NFL coaching position last cycle, he has spent the 2024 season working in a variety of media roles including ESPN’s ManningCast.Belichick will replace the 73-year-old Brown who was fired after going 44-33 in six seasons at UNC. It was Brown’s second stint leading the UNC program after a successful run 1988-97 that included six bowl appearances. Jori Epstein of YahooSports.com with thoughts from NFL execs: In conversations with Yahoo Sports, two NFC executives and another AFC executive agreed: Belichick knew which pro teams with current or looming openings would consider him and in what context. Rather than go through a hiring cycle in which he would not reach an agreement with an NFL team, and thus return to media rather than coaching for another year, the 72-year-old found a deadline to test the waters sooner.The extended negotiations prodded some to wonder whether Belichick was trying to pressure an NFL team to confirm the degree of its interest in his services. But by Wednesday evening, when news broke that Belichick and the Tar Heels had reached agreement on their negotiations, league voices felt this was less a power play and more a reflection of power dynamics: NFL teams in need of coaches, if not all NFL teams, do not align with Belichick on his desired role in a program.That does not necessarily mean no teams were conditionally interested in the second-winningest coach in NFL history. It does mean that North Carolina offered a specific structure the NFL does not.Bill Belichick didn’t want to wait for another NFL hiring cycle to jump back into the coaching ranks. North Carolina provided him a unique opportunity. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)That confluence of challenge and freedom seemed to allure Belichick, voices across the NFL believed. The possibility of setting up for success his son, Steve Belichick, also allured a father returning to the campus on which his own father was once an assistant coach.Belichick has already accomplished plenty at the pro level. Sure, he could chase the 15 elusive wins that would move him past Don Shula for the winningest NFL coach of all time. But more growth potential exists in college for a man who has already won 333 combined NFL regular season and playoff games.“There’s an element of this that is fun and different and you can do it however you want,” one NFC executive told Yahoo Sports after news broke Wednesday afternoon. “He can be more of a change agent in college than he can in the NFL. He can go build something in a unique way and be like, ‘Oh, I helped revolutionize or change modern college football and how the programs are built.’Part of that vision includes hiring a staff that is expected to look familiar from Belichick’s Patriots days. Already, sports betting network VSiN announced that its host Michael Lombardi is leaving to become Belichick’s program general manager.But with the familiar colleagues comes a familiar power structure that Belichick seeks.“Full autonomy,” one NFC executive described it.That’s where Belichick’s vision for an NFL program at the college level falters. His description of high-caliber facilities and programs may indeed resemble an NFL program. But had Belichick returned to the NFL, it appears he would not have enjoyed the latitude to implement those programs that he is now expected to have.There was irony as Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones discussed Belichick on Tuesday.“Bill Belichick could run a major company very effectively,” Jones said on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “He’s just got that leadership ability as well as, in this case, no one knows more football or how to execute and use that to win a ballgame than Bill Belichick.”Also in this case: NFL team owners with job openings appear interested in a different (and usually more reduced) vision for their major companies.“We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative think,” athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win — today and in the future.”So for now, Belichick’s chance to become the winningest NFL head coach remains at bay while his chance to revolutionize a college program, if not an entire system, abounds.Belichick will head now to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and before long, also to Canton, Ohio.“I’m not in that loop in terms of what he’s doing with this next career path,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said earlier Wednesday afternoon. “But what he’s done for the NFL and the game, we all know where he’ll end up: in the Hall of Fame with the gold jacket.” |
| BEST FREE AGENT SIGNINGSNot every free agent signing works out, but Bradley Locker of ProFootballFocus.com has 20 that have been successful in 2024. The Vikings, Packers and Eagles have two in the top 10, the Dolphins have 3 in the top 20: With only four games left in the 2024 NFL regular season, the 14-team playoff field is beginning to take shape. It’s no coincidence that many of those squads made waves with their free-agent transactions this offseason.Considering there’s more than an ample sample size of evidence, below is a ranking of the best 20 free-agent acquisitions from this past offseason — which means that no re-signings are allowed (sorry, Leonard Williams).1. QB Sam Darnold, Minnesota VikingsWhen the Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, few viewed him as anything more than a temporary starter — a placeholder until J.J. McCarthy would take the reins. Instead, Darnold has finally played like the top-flight quarterback prospect that some never gave up on. Among qualifying quarterbacks, Darnold ranks fifth in PFF passing grade (84.4), sixth in PFF overall grade (86.4), second in big-time throw rate (6.9%) and fifth in wins above replacement (2.50). Darnold’s play is one of the foremost reasons the Vikings sit at 11-2 and as a legitimate contender in a year where many expected a rebuild.2. RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia EaglesThe Eagles invested almost $37.8 million in Barkley this offseason, but there have been absolutely zero regrets about doing so. In his first year in Kelly Green, Barkley has been among the NFL’s best running backs, ranking eighth in PFF rushing grade and ninth in PFF overall grade among qualifiers while amassing a league-best 1,623 rushing yards and 898 yards after contact. Barkley also ranks second at the position in PFF WAR, and his play has elevated a Philadelphia team that sits 11-2.3. RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore RavensWho says signing running backs on the wrong side of 30 is risky? Henry has looked like his vintage self in his first year playing alongside MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson, leading all qualified players at his position in PFF overall grade (91.9) while sitting in the top five in yards after contact, missed tackles forced, yards per carry and runs of 15-plus yards. He isn’t ranked ahead of Barkley only because he benefits from playing in a passing offense that ranks first in EPA per play, whereas Philadelphia slots 15th.4. QB Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh SteelersWhen the Steelers inked Wilson to a one-year, $1.2 million deal at the start of free agency, few expected anything more than average play on a one-year trial. But the actual results have been starkly different: Wilson’s 78.5 PFF passing grade ranks ninth among qualifying quarterbacks, and his 1.2% turnover-worthy play rate is the lowest in football. Wilson is offering Pittsburgh its best quarterback play in nearly six seasons, proving the catalyst for an offense that has improved to 16th in EPA per play in 2024.5. LB Zack Baun, Philadelphia EaglesTake a bow, Howie Roseman. Adding Barkley was the Eagles’ big-ticket move, but Baun has also turned into a spectacular signing. The former edge rusher has feasted in his first real season as an inside linebacker, leading the position in PFF overall grade (90.0), PFF coverage grade (91.7) and stops (59). That’s a likely first-team All-Pro signed for only $3.5 million.6. S Xavier McKinney, Green Bay PackersPaying safeties carries an innate concern, but everything has worked out swimmingly for McKinney in Green Bay. The ex-Giant slots second at the position in PF overall (88.0) and coverage (90.5) grades while having racked up seven interceptions and two pass breakups. McKinney’s emergence has fueled a Packers defense that’s 10th in EPA per play in Jeff Hafley’s first season.7. Edge Danielle Hunter, Houston TexansAt age 30, Hunter hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in his new abode. Working alongside Will Anderson Jr. in Houston, Hunter has been one of the NFL’s more underrated pass rushers, ranking seventh in pressures (54) while adding 70.7-plus PFF grades in both run defense and tackling. Altogether, Hunter’s 0.27 PFF WAR ranks fourth among edge defenders, and his 84.7 PFF overall grade is 10th among qualifiers.8. Edge Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota VikingsAfter a breakout 2023, Greenard has been arguably even better in 2024 in Minnesota. He has totaled a second-best 60 pressures to go along with nine sacks, 32 stops and two forced fumbles. Greenard has also compiled PFF pass-rushing and run-defense grades of at least 72.7, but his high missed tackle rate (27.1%) slots him just below Hunter despite equally impressive campaigns.9. G Kevin Zeitler, Detroit LionsHow does one of the NFL’s best offensive lines remain elite? Adding a player like Zeitler, who has slotted in seamlessly at right guard. In 2024, Zeitler has recorded career highs in PFF overall grade (90.0) and PFF run-blocking grade (88.7) while still posting a 97.8 pass-blocking efficiency. Zeitler sits as the third-best guard in PFF overall grade this year and is playing at a level transcendent to his one-year, $6 million contract.10. RB Josh Jacobs, Green Bay PackersIf this offseason is any indication, contending teams should continue to pay big costs for star running backs. Jacobs has flourished playing under run game maestro Matt LaFleur, ranking third in PFF overall grade (90.7), second in missed tackles forced (58), fifth in rushes of 10-plus yards (27) and third in total rushing yards (1,053). Jacobs’ battering presence in the run game has complemented Jordan Love and Green Bay’s passing offense, propelling the group to rank seventh in EPA per play.11. LB Bobby Wagner, Washington CommandersDespite heading east for the first time in his storied career — and although he’s played on a subpar defense — Wagner has proliferated his play. The 34-year-old slots third among qualified inside linebackers with an 83.3 PFF overall grade and a 90.3 PFF run-defense grade, all while accumulating grades of 80.5 or better in both tackling and pass rush. Wagner’s steadying veteran presence has helped the Commanders reach an 8-5 record and a likely wild-card spot.12. Dl Poona Ford, Los Angeles ChargersFord joined his third team in three seasons and has now fully broken out, playing at a level not seen since his first year in the NFL in 2018. His 83.1 PFF overall grade ranks fifth among interior defenders, and his 75.6 PFF run-defense grade slots seventh. Ford’s play on the inside has filled a long-standing gap in the Chargers’ defense, helping vault the unit to seventh in EPA per play.13. S Brandon Jones, Denver BroncosFew considered Jones heading to Denver as a splash move, but the Broncos’ $20 million investment has been extraordinarily worthwhile so far. Jones’ 79.8 PFF overall and 81.7 coverage grades are not only career bests, but also are top-eight marks among qualified safeties. His play on the backend next to Patrick Surtain II has rendered the Broncos one of the most fearsome defenses in football.14. S Kevin Byard, Chicago BearsChicago’s 2024 season quickly derailed, but that’s not the fault of Byard, who has bounced back to star form with his new squad. Byard has recorded 78.2-plus PFF grades in tackling, run defense and pass rushing while securing a solid 71.0 PFF coverage grade. His play has galvanized a Bears defense that places 11th in EPA per play despite Jaquan Brisker missing considerable time and a mediocre pass-rushing group.15. Dl Calais Campbell, Miami DolphinsLike Wagner, Campbell just keeps on chugging along, no matter which uniform he dons. In his 17th season, Campbell has recorded an 82.1 PFF overall grade — his best since 2019 — with an 82.3 PFF run-defense grade and an 11.8% pass-rush win rate. The 38-year-old ranks 12th at his position in PFF WAR and has helped solidify the Dolphins’ defensive line in its first year without Christian Wilkins, not to mention down Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips for most of the season.16. G John Simpson, New York JetsThere hasn’t been much to write home about for the Jets’ offense in 2024, but Simpson has been an undeniable silver lining. After signing a two-year, $12 million deal to head to the Big Apple, Simpson has turned in career-high PFF grades in run blocking (79.7) and pass blocking (77.4), allowing only 12 pressures and one sack this season. Simpson quietly ranks as the ninth-best guard in football (minimum 300 snaps) and offers stability on a team set to face countless questions this offseason.17. TE Jonnu Smith, Miami DolphinsDolphins general manager Chris Grier hit the jackpot twice with veteran additions this spring and summer. After performing at a mediocre level in Atlanta and New England, Smith has found a fountain of youth in Miami’s explosive passing attack, notching a career-high 83.9 PFF receiving grade and 2.06 yards per route run. All told, Smith’s 77.6 PFF overall grade ranks sixth among qualified tight ends — which is more than the Dolphins could have hoped when they signed him for $8.4 million over two years.18. CB Kristian Fulton, Los Angeles ChargersLike Ford, Fulton was another unsung Chargers defensive signing who has helped completely revamp the team’s defense. Fulton has posted a career-high 72.6 PFF overall grade, buoyed by a 69.4 PFF coverage grade. Moreover, Fulton is one of four cornerbacks with an 80.0-plus PFF run-defense grade and a 69.0-plus coverage mark. He and Tarheeb Still have become a lockdown cornerback duo for defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.19. C Aaron Brewer, Miami DolphinsGive it up for Chris Grier. In an offseason where several interior offensive linemen were rewarded with lucrative deals, Brewer’s may have been the best bang for the buck. His 76.2 PFF overall grade places fifth among qualified centers, and he’s displayed balanced blocking with 72.1-plus grades in both run blocking and pass protection. In fact, Brewer might be the only long-term staple of Miami’s offensive line, given Terron Armstead’s age.20. WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta FalconsSeveral receivers inked deals worth tens of millions this offseason, but Mooney’s currently figures to be the best investment. In his first season in Atlanta, he has generated a career-best 76.0 PFF receiving grade in addition to 1.97 yards per route run. Mooney sits in the 63rd percentile of PFF receiving grade against single coverage, turning into a legitimate WR2 for the Falcons next to Drake London. |
