| Ichiro, now a near-unanimous selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame, was apparently not much of a fan of the NFL. Manny Gomez of NJ.com: The latest addition to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ichiro Suzuki will be remembered as one of the greatest pure hitters in history. He’ll also be thought of as one of baseball’s most eccentric players ever. One exchange the former Yankees outfielder was recorded for history by legendary sports reporter Peter Gammons in a story written for The Athletic in May 2018. In it, Gammons retells a hilarious interaction with his coaches when he was a member of the Miami Marlins in 2017. Here’s an excerpt, via The Athletic: “One morning in spring training, 2017, he was in the coaches’ room looking at his cell phone text messages,” Gammons wrote. “Ichiro told the coaches about one message he had just received from a number he didn’t recognize. The guy said he’d gotten Ichiro’s number from Alex Rodriguez, and that he wanted to come meet him and study his stretching system. “‘What’s the guy’s name?’ asked one of the coaches. “Ichiro scrolled to the end of the text. ‘Some guy named Tom Brady. Who the f— is Tom Brady?’ After learning that Suzuki had been inducted into the Hall of Fame on a near-perfect ballot — one idiot decided not to vote for him — Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez confirmed Suzuki’s interaction with his coaches. “True story,” Rodriguez posted on X/Twitter with a laughing emoji.– – -The NFL has announced a list of finalists for it’s big awards. We wonder what the preseason odds were that QB PATRICK MAHOMES would be healthy the entire season and not even make Finalist? Here’s the full list of finalists (with the current betting favorite at Vegas Insider in bold): MVPJosh Allen, QB, Buffalo BillsSaquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia EaglesJoe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati BengalsJared Goff, QB, Detroit LionsLamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens Coach of the YearDan Campbell, Detroit LionsKevin O’Connell, Minnesota VikingsSean Payton, Denver BroncosDan Quinn, Washington CommandersAndy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs Assistant Coach of the YearJoe Brady, Buffalo BillsVic Fangio, Philadelphia EaglesBrian Flores, Minnesota VikingsAaron Glenn, Detroit LionsBen Johnson, Detroit Lions Comeback Player of the YearJoe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati BengalsSam Darnold, QB, Minnesota VikingsJ.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles ChargersChristian Gonzalez, CB, New England PatriotsDamar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills Defensive Player of the YearZack Baun, LB, Philadelphia EaglesMyles Garrett, DE, Cleveland BrownsTrey Hendrickson, DE, Cincinnati BengalsPat Surtain II, CB, Denver BroncosT.J. Watt, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Player of the YearSaquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia EaglesJoe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati BengalsJa’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati BengalsDerrick Henry, RB, Baltimore RavensLamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens Defensive Rookie of the YearCooper DeJean, DB, Philadelphia EaglesBraden Fiske, DE, Los Angeles RamsQuinyon Mitchell, CB, Philadelphia EaglesChop Robinson, LB, Miami DolphinsJared Verse, LB, Los Angeles Rams Offensive Rookie of the YearBrock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas RaidersJayden Daniels, QB, Washington CommandersMalik Nabers, WR, New York GiantsBo Nix, QB, Denver BroncosBrian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars |
| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITGM Brad Holmes says the Lions were prepared to lose their two coordinators. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Lions General Manager Brad Holmes says the coaching staff in Detroit will remain a strong one, despite losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the Jets. Holmes said he and head coach Dan Campbell are completely aligned in their vision for the future of the team, and Campbell will have the right coordinators in place to run systems that work for the players Holmes brings in. “We were prepared to lose those guys,” Holmes said of Johnson and Glenn. “Those guys are great coaches. We were lucky to have both of them this year. But I know Dan has been prepared for it, and I have full faith and trust in Dan to know we’re going to have the right people in place in those spots. He’s had to encounter that before, not at the coordinator level, but position coaches, and it’s always worked out.” Holmes said he has no doubt that the Lions will run schemes that work for quarterback Jared Goff and the rest of their players. “I feel very confident,” Holmes said. “With coordinators leaving, and if there’s tweaks to scheme, as long as Dan’s the head coach here and as long as I’m here, those are things that we talk about that are not going to change: It may be a scheme tweak here or there, but if a player’s going to come in here, he’s a Detroit Lion or he’s not. Same as the question of a coach coming here. I think Jared in particular, that’s something that’s at the forefront of Dan’s mind in terms of what’s going to be the best thing for him, so I have faith that everything will be good.” Holmes acknowledged that other assistants coaches may leave Detroit because the Lions have had so much success that other teams want to hire their staff away. “It’s hard to keep the good ones,” Holmes said. “When [other teams] want to poach guys from our program, you’ve got to be prepared for it.” Imagine that on the day Joe Biden was inaugurated, he had said, “When I leave office in four years, the Lions will be so respected that teams will take both of their coordinators for head coaching positions.” Benjamin Raven of MLive.com has an outline of the internal replacement candidates for Ben Johnson at OC: It sounds like those in-house options are the in-house favorites when the head coach talks about the lessons learned from the last time they went through this process. Campbell relieved his first offensive coordinator, Anthony Lynn, of play-calling duties midway through Year 1. He took over calling the plays and gave Johnson a bigger role as his passing game coordinator. Johnson eventually got the promotion after the season ended, and it has been off to the races for Jared Goff and the offense ever since. Campbell let someone else install and run his offense that season while he was in the weeds with general manager Brad Holmes constructing the regime’s first roster. He learned his lesson with that approach, and it won’t happen again. “I need to be part of the whole process,” Campbell said. “There was a number of things when that transition took place, ‘Hey, your offense, you call it, I’ll have some things I want.’ And then I’m with Brad because we’re getting ready for the draft, looking for players, free agency, and so you kind of allow all those things to happen, and it’s a blind spot. And it shouldn’t be because that’s my area of expertise, if you will. “I’m going to be involved no matter what because I think that’s best for our offense, but also Goff. This thing is set up for Goff to have success with our playmakers … I want to keep that in place. I want to keep our terminology in place. I want to make sure that Goff is comfortable because he’s playing at a high level.” Johnson deserves all the credit in the world. He developed into a masterful sequential play caller who tapped into his players’ strengths and styles. Johnson also had the right aggressive approach, which perfectly meshed with Campbell. But it’s worth remembering that this ship got pointed in the right direction when Campbell started calling plays that first season. It’s still his offense, and he’s making that known as the team heads into an offseason without Johnson. There are a handful of internal candidates to watch, whether Campbell wants to call plays again or not. Tanner Engstrand, the team’s passing game coordinator, has a track record similar to Johnson’s in Allen Park. He’s a survivor of the previous regime who has climbed the ladder, going from an offensive assistant and quality control coach to tight ends and then passing game coordinator, much like Johnson. Engstrand is a voice the players know well, and he knows what Campbell wants out of his office. He’s worked closely with Goff, and that’s something that could make him the leading in-house candidate. Goff said last season he’s able to go to Engstrand and ask him things and work through aspects of the passing game together since he stepped into that role. The Lions quarterback’s relationship with Johnson and input in the offense was key to his turnaround. “That’s important — that’s what Ben did a great job of, is working — those guys working together, and the system was kind of built from the ground up,” Campbell said. “And so, yeah, that’s huge; he’ll have a lot of input. What he says is going to have a — says a lot to me, I should say. Now, is it going to be the ultimate decision? No, it’s not, but what he says is going to mean a lot to me.” The Lions also have offensive line coach Hank Fraley, wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery and quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell as in-house names to watch. Brunell, Randle El and Fraley have been here since the beginning with Campbell and Goff. Montgomery feels like he’s been here since the start based on how well he fits in and works in Detroit, too, getting credit as head coach-ready. Fraley is beloved by the offensive line and has received interest, interviewing with the Seattle Seahawks for their offensive coordinator gig. On locker room cleanout day, the prevailing theme was O-linemen joking about tanking Fraley’s interviews because they couldn’t imagine playing for anyone else. Randle El has done wonders working with the receivers and has received outside interest for OC positions, as well. Montgomery feels like another rising star on this coaching staff, with his ability to command a room and lead an ultra-productive running back room. Brunell works as closely with Goff as possible on a day-to-day basis, and those results are hard to argue with. But when Campbell talks about his next offensive coordinator needing to have that relationship with Goff and complete buy-in of what they’re trying to do here, not to mention that the head coach plans to be heavily involved? Then it’s hard to not look at those internal options as the favorites to get the promotion. “But I think we’ve got guys on staff that I think are more than qualified and would be outstanding in those roles, but that does not mean that I’m not looking outside either,” Campbell said. “So, I want what I believe is going to be as close to what we have been as possible, and we don’t lose what we’re about and our identity. “We’re going to stay true to who we are, and if you’re somebody that doesn’t feel comfortable with that, then no, I don’t — this isn’t the job for you.” |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASThe writers of YahooSports.com assess who will be the next Dallas coach: Who will be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?Jori Epstein: The Cowboys seemed all but headed toward a Kellen Moore reunion until this week, when conversations with their recent offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer began. As of early Wednesday afternoon, a source characterized those conversations as “heating up.” What’s at play here between the two candidates? Each have familiarity with the Cowboys dynamic and extensive play-calling experience, Schottenheimer’s experience longer standing while Moore has the edge on calling plays each of the past six seasons compared to a four-year hiatus for Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer fits the dynamic coach archetype more than Moore, though multiple sources including an AFC general manager who interviewed Moore for a recent opening said they believe Moore’s personality would not be a concern for the Dallas opening. There’s reason to ask why the Cowboys would seriously chase a candidate in Schottenheimer who hasn’t generated any coaching interviews elsewhere. One source who worked with Schottenheimer at a previous stop chalked that up to Moore offering more intrigue than Schottenheimer, a coaching “lifer” and son of longtime head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Whichever way the Cowboys go, each has a deep knowledge of quarterback Dak Prescott that will be key. My prediction: If the Eagles lose this week, Moore swoops in to take it. If Eagles win, and Moore’s not available for three more weeks, Schottenheimer’s your guy. Charles Robinson: I still believe Kellen Moore is the primary pursuit, although the way Jerry Jones is handling this close to the vest — and primarily on his own — makes it more unpredictable than I expected at this point in the process. Both Jerry and Stephen Jones have long believed Kellen has the ability to be a quality head coach, despite him lacking the podium charisma that attracts the gaze of Cowboys ownership. Three points: I don’t think Jerry was ever fully over Moore leaving (essentially getting pushed out of) the Cowboys franchise the way he did; I think he values the relationship Moore has with Dak Prescott; and I think it’s been difficult for him to watch the success Moore has had coordinating the Eagles’ offense with a centerpiece running back and a QB who is a lesser passer than Prescott. The one complication in this hire — and it’s real — is that Philadelphia’s playoff run is forcing Jerry to wait on a move with Moore. And the longer he waits, the more likely someone else can catch Jerry’s eye. Charles McDonald: Whoever it is, it’s going to be someone that already has some stature and is well known to Jerry Jones — hence the Brian Schottenheimer interview, despite the fact that he was just on the fired staff of Mike McCarthy. That whittles it down to a few people in this year’s pool with the most likely names seeming like Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Considering Moore’s experience in the NFL he seems like a likely choice. However, Sanders has built a credible football program at Colorado including many former NFL-adjacent people including offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who used to coach the Giants and Browns. Regardless, hopefully whoever gets this job can make it to the postseason so the Cowboys can actually be a factor in relevant discussions around this time of year. Patrick Mahomes is right here to talk about! Nate Tice: Kellen Moore would be a hire that the Cowboys made in a roundabout way. But this is a franchise that has apparently decided to wage war with Occam’s razor. Moore already has years of experience as a coordinator despite being only 36 and is smart, likable, has a good relationship with Dak Prescott and, most importantly (especially, especially, especially in Dallas): He’s a known quantity to the Jones family. Although, there is a lot of smoke right now for Brian Schottenheimer right now, who is a candidate for the Cowboys’ job for many of the same reasons that Moore is a candidate for the Cowboys head coach spot: experience in the NFL and familiarity with Prescott and the Cowboys franchise. A Schottenheimer hire would echo Jason Garrett’s ascension from coordinator to head coach over a decade ago. Having said that, I still think Moore will be the hire in the end. Even if the path to finally promoting him to the head spot hasn’t been ideal. The Eagles’ deep playoff run has just put a delay on the proceedings. Frank Schwab: For as much as we’re all hoping for Jerry Jones to make some spicy hire that has us talking all offseason, Kellen Moore seems to be the most obvious hire. Jones is comfortable to him, which matters, and while he doesn’t have the head coaching experience that would probably be ideal for the Cowboys’ circus, he has been around the franchise as the offensive coordinator and knows that there are many parts of the job that have nothing to do with football. He also knows this franchise is looking for a quick rebound; it’s not a rebuild in any way. While something like a Deion Sanders hire is fun to talk about (and talk about, and talk about), Moore should be the favorite. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| NEW ORLEANSTwo of Sunday’s remaining OC’s are still candidates for the Saints coaching position. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: The Saints are planning for in-person interviews with Joe Brady and Kellen Moore next week, Ian Rapoport of ESPN reports. Snow in New Orleans slowed down the search process this season, postponing in-person interviews with Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Aaron Glenn and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. Glenn was hired by the Jets today. Former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy also is expected to interview at team headquarters this week. Brady, the Bills’ offensive coordinator, and Moore, the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, are coaching in the championship games. They still would be available to interview during the off week next week even if their teams make the Super Bowl since both had virtual interviews with the Saints. Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi has completed his in-person interview. |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYIf you read this from Scott Kacsmar, you would almost think that NFL officials are out to hinder the Chiefs, not give them undeserved aid: In the NFL since 2018, teams can expect to be penalized on average just over 100 times for around 850 yards in a full regular season. That’s basically six penalties per game for just over 50 yards on average. The 2024 Chiefs are enjoying their best penalty season yet in the last seven years, but before you go thinking that’s proof of a rigged conspiracy, you aren’t going to like any of the data we’re about to share. The Chiefs this year have been penalized 94 times for 829 yards. Their opponents have been penalized 107 times for 849 yards. That’s 13 more penalties on the opponent, but that’s also just for 20 more yards than the Chiefs. That’s 20 yards in 17 games, a minuscule difference that ranks as the 16th-best differential this year. However, that +20 differential is the first time in the last seven years the Chiefs have had less penalty yardage than their opponents. The truth is the Chiefs are one of the more heavily penalized teams in the NFL since 2018. The following table shows a variety of splits for 2018-24 for where the Chiefs rank in penalty yardage differential per game. The lower the rank, the more the Chiefs were penalized relative to their opponents relative to the rest of the NFL. Split KC Games PenYds DIFF/Game RkAll Games 135 -5.13 26Wins 106 -2.51 27Losses 29 -14.72 32Favored 116 -3.57 23Underdog 19 -14.68 32Playoffs 19 13.74 6Reg. Season 116 -8.22 31One-Score Games 77 -9.23 30Wins by 9+ Points 51 3.00 19Losses by 9+ Points 7 -19.29 322018 Chiefs 16 -16.94 312019 Chiefs 16 -11.56 272020 Chiefs 16 -9.94 272021 Chiefs 17 -0.82 172022 Chiefs 17 -6.12 252023 Chiefs 17 -14.18 312024 Chiefs 17 1.18 16 In all games played, the Chiefs are 26th in penalty differential per game since 2018. Another way to read that is that they are the seventh worst with penalties. If you only look at regular-season games since 2018, the Chiefs have the second-worst differential in penalty yards. It started poorly in 2018 when they were 31st, and they were 27th in their first Super Bowl season and 27th again in defending it in 2020. They were 17th in 2021 before a younger team fell to 25th in 2022, then back to 31st in 2023 (the initial Swift year) before finishing 16th this year. You can also see that the Chiefs are 27th in penalties in their wins and dead last in games they lost, were an underdog, or lost by multiple scores. The only split where they come out looking good is the playoffs, but that’s also the least reliable column in the table because of sample size issues. Three teams haven’t played a playoff game since 2018, and several have only played in one or a couple. The Chiefs are 16-3 in the playoffs in that time, so they have way more games than most teams and those numbers aren’t very comparable because of the sample sizes. Meanwhile, take a wild guess which franchise has had the best penalty yardage advantage since 2018. Yep, it’s the Bengals (+8.47 yards/game), a fan base that has pushed the Chiefs’ officiating conspiracy as much as anyone. People just simply haven’t dug into the numbers or aren’t aware of how penalty-prone the Chiefs have been over the years in a variety of ways. Sure, they’ll be aware that Mahomes has the most interceptions negated by penalty since 2018 by a wide margin, but that’s because he’s very good at drawing teams offsides for free plays or at spotting holding to the receiver he targets. He also had the most touchdowns negated by penalty in 2018-23: Even in the last two years, the Chiefs have really struggled with offensive holding penalties, especially with right tackle Jawaan Taylor, the NFL’s most penalized player since 2023 (35 penalties). The 2024 Chiefs have 31 offensive holding penalties, tied with Miami for the most in the league. The Chiefs had a league-high 30 offensive holding penalties during last year’s Super Bowl run, which lasted 21 games, but the Chiefs still ranked No. 2 in penalties per game. The 2020 Chiefs also led the NFL with 1.37 offensive holding penalties per game (26 total). When you show people the penalty numbers like this, their instinct is to change the argument to judgment calls like Saturday’s roughing of the passer, which helped lead to a field goal for the Chiefs. Okay. Mahomes has drawn a roughing of the passer penalty 31 times in his career. That’s 0.237 calls per career game, which ranks 15th among quarterbacks since 2009. But that’s also directly behind Jimmy Garoppolo (0.238) and well behind his backup, Carson Wentz (0.309), who ranks No. 4. Mahomes has a career-high six roughing-the-passer penalties in 2024, but he’s never led the league in that statistic. Josh Allen has twice in 2020 (11) and 2023 (7), and he ranks No. 3 with 0.311 such calls per game in his career. Allen also gets 31.6% of his roughing penalties on third down, which is higher than Mahomes (29.0%). Quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees had just over 40% of their roughing calls come on third down, so Mahomes ranks relatively low there too on high-leverage calls to extend drives. Before you know it, people get desperate and cling to the idea that it’s not about total penalties or an offsides call in the first quarter. What about the huge judgment call like 4th-and-16 against the Bengals in Week 2? It must be that kind of play that the Chiefs are constantly getting away with, right? Well, first of all, that call was correct. But let’s just go with it. Mahomes has led 29 game-winning drives already in his career. I looked at all 29 to see what the penalty count was. It’s +5 for the Chiefs with 14 calls for and 9 calls against. That’s not a very compelling case for 29 games. If we limit it to only judgment calls and ignore things that are fairly binary like an offsides or false start, then it’s +3 for the Chiefs (8 for, 5 against). Again, not a frequent thing and none of them were ever as significant as 4th-and-16 in Week 2 against the Bengals, a call itself that only came after the Chiefs’ 4th-and-6 conversion was negated by illegal use of hands on the offensive line. As shown in our table above, even in games decided by one score, the Chiefs rank 30th in penalty-yardage differential per game. That’s not good. That’s the third-worst mark in the league. Others have dug into this look at penalties in tight moments and using a win probability metric. Nothing suggests any conspiracy to help the Chiefs with significant calls. Finally, there’s the last resort where you just argue it’s the “no calls” that the Chiefs get away with where the refs don’t penalize them for holding or whatever. It’s a dead argument since no one can really quantify the impact of “no calls” as you’d have to dig through every play with a fine-tooth comb, looking for penalties at all angles and thinking you know how to apply them better than every crew. It’s a fool’s errand to even think you could try quantifying that for all 32 teams. But if anyone can provide verifiable data that shows the Chiefs have a significant advantage with penalties, I’d love to see it, because so far there is nothing there. All the data shows is that the Chiefs are the best team at overcoming their penalties and winning games in a variety of ways. |
| LAS VEGASThe Raiders have gone ahead and hired John Spytek as their GM. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times describes why he was chosen. John Spytek was instrumental in a secret plan to bring Tom Brady to Tampa Bay, and his former Michigan teammate rewarded that decision by winning Super Bowl 55 with the Bucs. Now, Brady is hoping Spytek can do the same for the Raiders. Spytek will be hired as the Raiders general manager, reuniting the Bucs assistant GM with Brady, who is a minority owner of the Las Vegas club but a big voice in this decision. For the past nine seasons, Spytek played a significant role in the personnel decisions, both in the draft and free agency, by Bucs general manager Jason Licht. Spytek played only one season with Brady at Michigan as a scout squad defensive lineman. But he was a key figure in bringing Brady from the Patriots to the Bucs, tabbing the secret pursuit “Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson” after the mantra of the baseball movie, ‘If you build it, he will come.” Spytek assisted Licht in building a Bucs franchise that not only won four straight NFC South titles but is the only one in the NFC to reach the past five postseasons. Once he got to Tampa, Spytek spent many Tuesday afternoons going over the personnel of the opponent in private meetings with Brady and Rob McCartney, the Bucs director of player personnel. Brady called three games involving the Bucs and visited with Spytek and members of the team’s front office on the field before those games. The news of Spytek joining the Raiders came the same day the Bucs seemingly retained offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who turned down an invitation to interview in person Wednesday for the Jaguars head coaching job. Among the first jobs for Spytek will be hiring a head coach to replace Antonio Pierce, who was fired after a 4-13 season. We don’t think he’s planning Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson II with Brady returning to active duty. Bill Williamson of SilverAndBlack.com with some thoughts from Vegas (the DB added the RED highlight): He was the favorite all along: This isn’t a shocking hire. Spytek has been considered the favorite since early in the process. He likely would have been the choice that the Raiders were able to hire Ben Johnson as coach. The Raiders’ talked to give other candidates for the job, Jon-Eric Sullivan, Sheldon White, Brandon Brown, Chad Alexander and Lance Newmark. But Spytek was the guy all along. Tom Brady factor:Brady is a big reason why Spytek was the favorite and, ultimately, was the choice. They overlapped as players at Michigan in 1999 and were together in Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl together. There was a repot that some GM candidate could be concerned by Brady’s role in the front office. That clearly wasn’t the case with Spytek. Brady will have a big role as a voice in this franchise and Spytek is clearly comfortable with that. Who’s the coach?This is the next big question. The Raiders have reportedly interviewed or requested to interview eight candidates. Two are off the board as Johnson and now Aaron Glenn, who was hired by the Jets on Wednesday, secured other jobs. Here are other current known candidates: Pete CarrollVance JosephTodd MonkenRon RiveraRobert SalahSteve Spagnuolo There has been speculation that Carroll, a Super Bowl-winning coach with the Seattle Seahawks, is the favorite. Spytek’s hiring likely doesn’t change that. But if we could see the Raiders expand the search and interview other candidates. Keep an eye on Monken, who is the only known candidate, not to interview yet. He worked with Spytek in Tampa Bay and he coached Raiders’ star tight end Brock Bowers at Georgia. Not Coen:Early in the process, it seemed like a Spytek-Liam Coen combo could attract the Raiders. But Wednesday, Coen, a favorite to land the head-coaching job in Jacksonville, decided to stay in Tampa Bay as its offensive coordinator. Well respected:Spytek is known for being a smart, strong evaluator with a measured approach and a strong scouting eye. Rookie in gig:Spytek is the fifth general manager hired in the 13-year Mark Davis era. Spytek is a first-time general manager as were Reggie McKenzie, Mike Mayock and Dave Ziegler. Telesco was a second time GM hire. Davis familiarity:Davis interviewed Spytek in 2022 when Ziegler was hired. So, Spytek also had a feel for him in addition to his relationship with Brady. Mayfield model?Once the head coach is hired, the biggest question of the offseason will be who the Raiders’ quarterback will be in 2025. Spytek came from Tampa Bay when journeyman Baker Mayfield became a winning quarterback who the team extended with a big deal in 2024. That could perhaps make Spytek comfortable with going with a journeyman type quarterback such as Sam Darnold or Justin Fields in free agency, |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDTommy Rees may be the new OC in Cleveland, but he won’t be calling the plays. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com: Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski will reassume playcalling duties next season after relinquishing them midway through 2024. Stefanski made the announcement Thursday as he introduced Tommy Rees as the team’s new offensive coordinator. “I’m going to call plays, and I reserve the right to change my mind,” Stefanski said. Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, called plays during his first four seasons as the Browns coach. He gave up the playcalling duties to Ken Dorsey amid a 1-6 start to the season and days after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear. Rees, who served as Cleveland’s tight ends coach and pass game specialist in 2024, will be tasked with helping rebuild a scheme that was configured to bring Watson back to Pro Bowl form but failed. Cleveland ranked 28th in total offense and 32nd in scoring this season. Watson had the lowest Total QBR in the NFL before he sustained a season-ending injury for the second straight year. Watson underwent surgery earlier in the month after re-tearing his Achilles and will likely miss a significant portion of the 2025 season. Watson, who has played in 19 games since Cleveland traded three first-round picks for him, has two years remaining on the five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million deal he signed before the 2022 season. The Browns owe Watson $46 million in each of the next two seasons, and he has cap hits of $72.9 million in 2025 and 2026, the second highest in the NFL. Cleveland is expected to add multiple quarterbacks this offseason and will look at options in free agency and the draft, where the team holds the No. 2 pick. Rees declined to comment on former Alabama quarterback and draft prospect Jalen Milroe, whom he coached during the 2023 season as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Asked what attribute he wants in the Browns’ next quarterback, Rees said, “I’ve always started with the ability to make decisions and make the right decisions. … I want a decision-maker at the position.” |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEOn Wednesday morning, it was announced that Buccaneers OC Liam Coen was heading back to Tampa Bay and was no longer pursuing the Jaguars job. On Wednesday afternoon, owner Shad Khan bounced GM Trent Baalke. Michael Blinn of the New York Post: Owner Shad Khan announced Wednesday that he fired Trent Baalke with the franchise in the middle of a coaching search. “Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately,” Khan said in a statement. “Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons. “I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike.” Ethan Waugh will serve as the team’s interim GM and conduct coaching interviews as the Jaguars seek a replacement for Doug Pederson, who was fired at the end of the 2024 season. The Jaguars went 4-13. Rightly or wrongly, Baalke was widely perceived to be an impediment to any of the coaches he was trying to hire. Does his departure signal the re-start of the coaching search? Or will Coen double back? Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com with some good insight: Why did the Jacksonville Jaguars wait so long to fire general manager Trent Baalke? That’s a question many fans are asking in Jacksonville right now, wondering if it cost them a chance to land their desired head coach. The question is valid. The reality is that Baalke should have been fired a long time ago. For some reason, he continually seemed to thrive inside the building while others would get let go. The mess would happen and the guy who was a big reason for it would stay behind to try and clean it up — even if he didn’t take blame for any of it. I always thought owner Shad Khan was way too loyal to Baalke over the years, and especially this past season when what looked to be a playoff contender ended up with four victories. Yet when Doug Pederson was fired after the season, Khan kept Baalke around, which was not the right thing to do. Word was he needed him as a helping hand in the coaching-search process, but it also ended up being more of a detriment. Now, with coaches like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn opting for jobs elsewhere, Khan decided to fire Baalke Wednesday — although they say it was mutual — sending joy throughout Duval County. There was a lot of chatter in league circles to people I spoke with that Baalke was a major road block to some coaches wanting to come to Jacksonville. The disdain for Baalke before Wednesday’s decision in Jacksonville was at an all-time high — which is saying something because the fans and many in the local media thought he should have been gone a long time ago. Baalke stayed in large part because many who have been around him say he’s a pro at the politics game. Think about this: He once won a power struggle in San Francisco with Jim Harbaugh, getting him fired. Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the business, yet Baalke won. That’s talent. The reality is Baalke isn’t a terrible football man. If he were a scout or personnel director in your building, he’d be fine. Does he make all the right moves? Not even close. But he knows the scouting world. He did made a handful of horrible moves that put his job in jeopardy in recent years. His free-agent class from this past season was terrible, with Khan doling out big money for players who didn’t live up to the hype. Some actually were benched for young players who should have been backups. Baalke also had two No. 1 overall picks in his time as the team’s GM and would have had the fifth overall pick this year if he wasn’t let to. One of his No. 1 picks was used to take Trevor Lawrence and the other was used to take Travon Walker, who is a good player but he isn’t Aidan Hutchinson, who went second that year to the Detroit Lions. Premium picks like that should mean a good team. It didn’t. There were other questionable decisions, which is why the team hasn’t won much on his watch. That isn’t to say he didn’t have some hits that deserve praise, like 2024 first-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who will be a star. When Khan came out before the season and said this was the most talented team in Jaguars history, it was clearly something he was told by Baalke, although nobody admitted to that. Pederson said he didn’t tell Khan that, and why would he? If things went bad, it would be on his head, not Baalke’s. That’s playing the game 101 for the GM. So where do the Jaguars go now? For starters, they should hire an executive VP to oversee the football side of things. That person would report to Khan. The new general manager and coach would as well, with the coach likely having the most juice in the building. The leading candidate right now is believed to be former Jets coach Robert Saleh. He was the linebackers coach in Jacksonville from 2014-16 and Khan knows him well. The ownership situation would be much better in Jacksonville for Saleh than it was with meddling Woody Johnson in New York. Khan has taken a lot of criticism because his team hasn’t won much since he’s become the owner. In fact, they have the worst record in the league at 64-148 since he bought the team in 2012. But it’s not for a lack of trying. He will spend, which he did last year to give quarterback Trevor Lawrence, defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and corner Tyson Campbell contracts that make them among the highest-paid players at their positions. Their contracts totaled $493 million with $250 million guaranteed. Khan also got a new practice facility built and is spending a lot of his own money to get a new stadium. He also isn’t an owner who will tell the general manager or coach who to draft and who to sign. That makes it a great job. Khan also badly wants to win. The years of losing have worn on him, according to those around him. He craves a winner. The man made millions building bumpers for cars, so he’s smart and savvy when it comes to business. He just needs help with this football thing. The key if Saleh were to be the choice would be his offensive coordinator hire. Two names to watch are Mike LaFleur, the offensive coordinator of the Rams, who was with Saleh with the Jets before he was fired. And Adam Stenavich, the Green Bay run-game coordinator. Saleh was a consultant for the Packers this season after being fired, so there’s that connection. The Rams would have to allow LaFleur to leave, but Rams coach Sean McVay has done that in the past if guys have a chance to call plays, which LaFleur doesn’t do in Los Angeles. Making Lawrence right is the top priority for whoever is named the coach. The offense can’t just be horizontal like it’s been the past few years. With Thomas as the vertical threat, they have to drive the ball down the field. The new GM will have to improve the interior of the offensive line, the interior of the defensive line and find a corner. They have some contract decisions to make as well since they have their fair share of bloated ones, thanks to Baalke and some of his excesses. But there is a good nucleus. They have the quarterback, two good pass rushers, two solid tackles, a good corner in Campbell and the big-play receiver in Thomas. They need to fill in some key spots, but this isn’t a team that far off, provided Lawrence can be unleashed. In talking to people around the league, Lawrence was one of the star attractions about the job. I’d rather have the Jacksonville job with Lawrence than the Jets job with the quarterback uncertainty. So now that the Jaguars can move forward with a new plan, I will lay it out for them: 1. Hire an executive VP. 2. Hire the coach. 3. Hire the right general manager and not somebody who will battle the coach and make it an ego thing. 4. Fix Lawrence and make the offense his, not trying to fit him to an offense. 4. Get bigger. 5. Get tougher. 6. Make Thomas your Ja’Marr Chase-Justin Jefferson-type feature receiver. 7. Build the interior of the offensive line. 8. Get the right offensive line coach — always a key hire. 9. Keep special-teams coach Heath Farwell. He’s too good. If not him, bring home former Jaguars linebacker Brant Boyer, who was Saleh’s special teams coach with the Jets. 9. Trim the salary cap fat. 10. Learn how to take advantage of an owner who is more than willing to try and build a winner — even if it might not seem that way to those on the outside. The assets are there, the cash is there, the desire is there, but now it’s up to Khan to get the right people to make it work. Getting rid of Baalke was the first and right step to trying to make this team a winner. |
| TENNESSEEThe new general manager of the Titans is Mike Borgonzi, formerly the assistant GM of the Chiefs who was in his 16th season in the Kansas City organization. He’s originally from Massachusetts and was a fullback at Brown. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com on his introductory presser: The Titans introduced General Manager Mike Borgonzi at a press conference on Wednesday and it didn’t take long for Borgonzi to acknowledge the reality of the team’s current situation. Borgonzi said that he believes there’s some talent on the roster, but noted the Titans were a three-win team so there clearly wasn’t enough of it. That made for a natural segue to discussion about the quarterback spot because the decision to go all in on Will Levis in 2024 did not play off for the team. Levis remains under contract and Borgonzi said that he’ll factor into the team’s plans, but he won’t be the only part of their plans because Borgonzi knows that they need to be sure they have the right man for that job. “We’re keeping an open mind on this, but the quarterback is the most important position in sports,” Borgonzi said. “So you have to solidify the quarterback position. We’re going to turn over every rock, whether that’s free agency, draft or we have quarterbacks on the roster here. Will, we’re going to give him every opportunity to play and to compete. But we’re going to attack this thing. We’re going to be relentless attacking this until we find the answer.” The Titans have the first overall pick in this year’s draft and that usually leads to links to quarterbacks. Cam Ward and Shadeur Sanders are seen as the top choices this season, but Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said on Wednesday that the team won’t pass on a “generational talent” with the pick. Neither of those quarterbacks really fits that bill, but Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter might and that could lead the Titans to take a different approach at quarterback this offseason. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW YORK JETSCharles Robinson on the hiring of Glenn: Aaron Glenn is a quality hire, but the same questions loom for the JetsThe Jets found their newest head coach this week in Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was drafted by the team in the first round back in 1994. Glenn made two Pro Bowls and was named to the Jets’ all-time team back in 2003. The ties to the franchise and the community will make this a feel good story as he’s introduced and begins to put his imprint on the team. Glenn is a qualified hire who led the Lions defense to a high level of play and he deserves this opportunity beyond being a Jets legend, but this team still has many questions that may make the start of his regime a bit slow to get off the ground. The good news: The Jets do not have a bare cupboard in terms of talent, especially on defense. Quinnen Williams is one of the best overall defensive linemen in the league, Will McDonald turned into a strong pass rusher, and there’s big-time potential in the secondary, with Sauce Gardner still possessing real All-Pro talent, even after a down season. Glenn just coached a Lions defense that was able to finish seventh in success rate despite a slew of injuries that would have tanked most defenses. His tutelage on the defensive side should get that side of the ball up and running rather quickly, but the offense is its own beast. Aaron Rodgers, shockingly, is extremely undecided on his future and may not return to the Jets for what could be the final season of his career. Even if he does, the Jets need some insurance via a draft pick or another veteran just in case his play really falls off of a cliff. Finding a rookie may be difficult this year considering they own the seventh overall pick, but the Jets have time to figure that part out. They’ll also need to get a bit better along the offensive line, but they at least appear to have a franchise tackle in Olu Fashanu, who was sensational as a rookie. Depth will be important here as they may have to move on from veteran tackles who are on the downswing of their career. They have young stars at skill positions in running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, but those guys need some help as well — especially as the Jets decide what to do with veteran wide receiver Davante Adams. Next up for the Jets is finding a general manager and getting started on free agency, the draft and some big-time roster decisions. Those were going to be true no matter who took this job, but it does feel a little bit similar to where they were last year with Robert Saleh. A strong defensive mind to lead this group of players sounds good in theory, but the Jets have already seen what a strong defense with flimsy offensive support looks like: 7-10. Give this one some time because the Jets probably can’t put out all of their fires in one offseason. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| COACHING SCORECARDWith help from Liz Roscher of YahooSports.com, here’s where the coaching carousel has temporarily stopped with three of the seven openings filled: PATRIOTS – (replacing Jarod Mayo) Hired Mike Vrabel, former coach of the Titans on January 12 BEARS – (Matt Eberflus, interim Thomas Brown) Hired Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator on January 20 JETS – (Robert Saleh, interim Jeff Ulbricht) Hired Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator on January 22 JAGUARS – (Doug Pederson) Seemed to be down to Liam Coen, Robert Saleh and Patrick Graham. Then Coen withdrew and GM Trent Baalke was fired on January 22 SAINTS – (Dennis Allen) Still vacant, Joe Brady, Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore seem to be getting the most buzz. RAIDERS – (Antonio Pierce) Pushed hard for Ben Johnson, have hire GM John Spytek, names to keep an eye on include Steve Spagnuolo, Todd Monken and Pete Carroll. COWBOYS – (Mike McCarthy) Kellen Moore, but while they wait they did create buzz by interviewing holdover OC Brian Schottenheimer. |
| PRESEASON SCOREBOARDIf you were silly enough to bet $100 on the Commanders winning the Super Bowl this summer, you are now looking at $16,000 back. A $100 bet on the Chiefs would be worth $600 back, Eagles $1,300, Bills $1,600. Here are the full preseason odds worst to first, plus a note on whether the team exceeded the over-under win total based on odds at ProFootballReference.com. Teams in bold made playoffs, teams in green in Final Four. Under record, Red paid the under, Green the over: Tm SB Odds W/L O-U RecordNew England Patriots +30000 4.5 4-13Carolina Panthers +25000 5.5 5-12New York Giants +20000 6.5 3-14Denver Broncos +15000 5.5 10-7Las Vegas Raiders +15000 6.5 4-13Tennessee Titans +15000 6.5 3-14Washington Commanders +15000 6.5 12-5Arizona Cardinals +12500 7.0 8-9Minnesota Vikings +10000 6.5 14-3New Orleans Saints +10000 7.5 5-12Indianapolis Colts +8000 8.5 8-9Tampa Bay Buccaneers +8000 7.5 10-7Seattle Seahawks +6600 7.5 10-7Jacksonville Jaguars +5000 8.5 4-13Pittsburgh Steelers +5000 8.0 10-7Cleveland Browns +4000 8.5 3-14Los Angeles Chargers +4000 9.0 11-6Chicago Bears +3500 8.5 5-12Atlanta Falcons +3000 9.5 8-9Los Angeles Rams +3000 8.5 10-7Miami Dolphins +2500 10.0 8-9Dallas Cowboys +2000 10.0 7-10New York Jets +2000 9.5 5-12Buffalo Bills +1600 10.0 13-4Green Bay Packers +1600 10.0 11-6Houston Texans +1600 9.5 10-7Cincinnati Bengals +1300 10.5 9-8Detroit Lions +1200 10.5 15-2Philadelphia Eagles +1200 10.5 14-3Baltimore Ravens +1000 10.5 12-5San Francisco 49ers +600 11.5 6-11Kansas City Chiefs +500 11.5 15-2 So 16 hit the over, 16 under. Of the nine teams with the shortest preseason odds, seven went over. Of the seven teams with the longest preseason odds, only two went over. Moral of the story seems to be, bet good teams to go over; bad teams to go under. |
