NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

Despite the better performances in the postseason, the Packers move on from DC Joe Barry. Matt Schneidman and Dianna Russini of The Athletic throw out some names to replace him:

The Green Bay Packers need a new defensive coordinator after head coach Matt LaFleur’s decision Wednesday to fire Joe Barry after three seasons.

“We want to thank Joe for his commitment and contributions to our success the past three seasons,” LaFleur said in a statement. “These decisions are extremely difficult, and Joe is one of the best men I’ve had the opportunity to work with in this league.”

LaFleur must now find his next defensive play caller, a role he needs to nail the hiring for as he tries to best position the Packers for Super Bowl contention next season.

Here are 10 names that could be on LaFleur’s list.

Wink Martindale, free agent

Martindale and New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll just went through a messy breakup, as chronicled by The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Martindale spent the last two seasons as New York’s defensive coordinator and helped stifle Green Bay’s offense in each season. In 2022, the Giants beat the Packers 27-22 in London. The only points Green Bay scored in the second half came when the Giants took an intentional safety late in the fourth quarter. The Giants beat the Packers 24-22 this season in New Jersey. It was the only game over the final eight of the regular season in which quarterback Jordan Love turned the ball over multiple times.

“I think he’s one of the best in the business,” LaFleur said of Martindale, who turns 61 in May, before this season’s matchup in December. “I got a ton of respect for him.”

After the game, LaFleur lamented: “Offensively, I think there were a couple things where we messed up in protection that are inexcusable, quite frankly, just not IDing the structures. And that’s a credit to Wink and that defense, just in terms of just all the different looks they present to you. You’ve got to be on top of it at all times. They present a lot of different looks, and it causes confusion, and there were a couple situations where it really hurt us, where we had opportunities to get maybe some chunk plays that it didn’t happen.”

Jim Leonhard, Illinois senior analyst

Leonhard, 41, was reportedly LaFleur’s first choice for the job before he eventually hired Barry in 2021, but Leonhard stayed at Wisconsin as the Badgers’ defensive coordinator before becoming their interim head coach in 2022. He’s now a senior analyst at Illinois. Would LaFleur circle back to the guy who spurned him?

Ejiro Evero, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator

LaFleur reportedly chose Barry over Evero in 2021, and now Evero, 43, is getting head coach interviews as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator. If he doesn’t get a head job, the Panthers’ new head coach could still block Evero from interviewing with the Packers for a lateral job if Evero is retained as defensive coordinator. Evero was a defensive quality control coach with the Packers in 2016 and shared a staff with LaFleur in Los Angeles in 2017, when Evero was the Rams’ safeties coach and LaFleur was the offensive coordinator. The Denver Broncos tied for the No. 13 scoring defense in the league in 2022 with Evero as their defensive coordinator, and the Panthers ranked 29th in that department in 2023.

After the Packers beat the Panthers 33-30 in Week 16 but scored only 10 points in the second half, after scoring 23 in the first, LaFleur said, “Ejiro, I’ve got as much respect for him as anybody in this business, and he did a really good job of adjusting and kind of made our offense stall in the second half.”

Before the game, LaFleur was asked about Evero and gave a more expansive answer.

“He’s done a hell of a job,” LaFleur said. “You saw it a year ago in Denver, what he did there, and you see the carryover this year with a whole new group. I’ve got a lot of respect for Ejiro, just as a football coach. He’s a great communicator, he’s demanding, he holds guys accountable, and (I’ve) just got a ton of respect for what he’s been able to accomplish. You see it on tape. They’re very well coached, first of all. He’s got a really good scheme. Nice wrinkles to it. I think they play very competitive, really on all three levels, and you definitely see just how hard they play. It jumps off the tape, so I think they’re, what, third in total yards right now? I know they’re top-10 in a lot of categories. … I think he’s done a really, really good job.”

Shane Bowen, Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator

Bowen, 37, has called plays for Tennessee’s defense under former head coach Mike Vrabel since 2021. During that time, the Titans hold the following ranks:

Al Harris, Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach

Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland was named a first-team All-Pro this season under Harris after setting the NFL record for most pick sixes in a season. Since Harris became the Cowboys’ defensive backs coach in 2020, they rank tied for second in the NFL with 69 interceptions over that span. Oh, and Harris is also a Packers Hall of Famer from his eight years with the team from 2003 to 2010, a span that included a second-team All-Pro nod and two Pro Bowl honors.

Leslie Frazier, free agent

The former Minnesota Vikings head coach was the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022 before taking 2023 off from coaching. From 2017 to 2022, the Bills ranked third in the NFL in points allowed per game and second in takeaways. Frazier turns 65 in April.

Steve Belichick, New England Patriots outside linebackers coach

New England’s defensive play caller could follow his dad, Bill Belichick, to wherever his next head-coaching opportunity is, or he could stay with the Patriots under new head coach Jerod Mayo. Still, Belichick is a name worth considering anytime there’s a defensive staff opening.

Mike Caldwell, free agent

Caldwell, 52, spent the last two seasons as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator before being fired after Jacksonville collapsed and missed the playoffs this season. Over the past two seasons, the Jaguars ranked tied for 11th in points allowed per game (with the Packers), fifth in takeaways and 11th in defensive total EPA per snap.

Jack Del Rio, free agent

Del Rio, who turns 61 in April, was fired as the Commanders’ defensive coordinator this season after serving in that role since 2020 and was previously the head coach for the Raiders and Jaguars and the defensive coordinator for the Broncos.

Mike Zimmer, free agent

Zimmer hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2021, after being fired following eight seasons as the Vikings’ head coach. Before that, he was the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator for six seasons. He turns 68 this summer.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

The DB is always skeptical when a team changes coordinators, but keeps the head coach.  Here is Nick Siriani trying to explain why offensive coordinator Brian Johnson had to go when we thought Siriani was running the offense to start with.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

There was plenty of speculation about whether the Eagles would make a coaching change after their late-season collapse, but Nick Sirianni remains the head coach heading into next season.

Sirianni met with the media Wednesday for the first time since that decision was made and said that he feel he needs to “reprove” himself in his fourth season with the Eagles. Part of that process will include bringing in an outside voice as the offensive coordinator after dispatching Brian Johnson after one year as the offensive coordinator.

Sirianni said on Wednesday that the offense got “a little bit stale” during the 2023 season and that “this new person coming in is meant to take away the staleness” that contributed to six losses in the final seven games of the year. Given Sirianni’s offensive background has been the backbone of what the unit has done the last three years, a new voice is a significant change and he said the offense will wind up being “our scheme” even though he doesn’t know exactly “what that will look like yet.”

“We’re bringing in a guy to bring in new ideas, to do the things that he’s done in the past,” Sirianni said. “We’re going through an extensive search to get that right person. But it would be crazy not to add some of the things that we’ve done in the past here, as well. I don’t know if it’s going to be 95 percent this, 95 percent that — we’re not there yet. We’re working on getting the best guy in here for the job and a guy who has a vision, a guy who’s going to call the plays, a guy who’s going to be able to coach the quarterback in the same sense there. It’s just about getting the right guy, and then we’ll decide where that goes, but I’m hiring him to do a job and to be in charge of the offense.”

Former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and Texans offensive coordinator Jerrod Johnson have already met with the team about the opening and Sirianni’s answer suggests more meetings to come before the Eagles settle on where they want to go offensively in 2024.

If Jerrod Johnson is the Texans OC, what is Bobby Slowik?  Actually, Johnson is the QB coach.  Anthony Licciardi of SI.com has this on Johnson and QB C.J. STROUD:

That’s the challenge the Houston Texans will likely be faced with. After head coach DeMeco Ryans’ successful first year, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has made his rounds around the coaching carousel, interviewing with several teams. His would-be replacement, quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, has gotten offensive coordinator interviews with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Both potential promotions are well-deserved, and to be expected given the meteoric rise of No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud. Despite his draft capital, neither Houston nor Stroud were expected to compete this year. The Texans won a playoff game and Stroud is a near-lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

If Stroud’s 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns don’t get Johnson a raise, the relationships he’s helped cultivate will. In light of his interviews, Stroud spoke about his connection to Johnson, which dates back to his high school days in the Elite 11 competition.

“Jerrod’s one thing for me was like, ‘Be confident,’ Stroud said. “At that time, I wasn’t really the highest recruit. I wasn’t who I would become. Jerrod is someone I looked up to. When he was like, ‘Man, you need to be more confident,’ it changed my life.”

Stroud, of course, would go on to star for the Ohio State Buckeyes and compete for a national championship. He made an immediate impact on the passing offense once Justin Fields left for the NFL. He followed him to the professional ranks and has since outperformed him, despite the gap in experience.

Houston’s franchise quarterback was quick to credit Johnson for his ascension.

“From there, fast forward, and now I’m here with him my rookie year,” Stroud said. “It’s been just a blessing to work with him and, whatever happens, I’m excited for him, and he deserves everything coming for him. I’m super blessed to be able to work with him.”

Johnson, who spent a half-decade in the league as a practice squad quarterback, is now one of the hottest names on the assistant coaching market. With Stroud’s backing and the production to match, he’ll be a good-process hire whether it be in Houston or elsewhere.

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

After one year as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, Rick Stroud explains why OC Dave Canales appeals to the Panthers in their head coach search.

Dave Canales’ work resurrecting the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield the past two seasons may earn him the chance to launch the promising one belonging to Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick struggled as a rookie and could use the positive vibes from Canales, the Bucs’ first-year offensive coordinator who is interviewing in person today in Charlotte for the Panthers’ head coaching job.

It’s the second meeting with the Panthers for Canales, who interviewed virtually last week.

“This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Canales said last week when asked about becoming a head coach. “I have some stuff prepared that I’ve been thinking about for a couple years.

“I’m really fortunate to have been with Pete Carroll for 14 years (in college at Southern California and in the NFL with the Seahawks). His approach was grooming us for what the next thing is, to continue to expand our mind and be prepared when/if these opportunities come up.”

Carroll was fired by Seattle while Canales helped Mayfield rebuild his career and the Bucs returned to the playoffs after a third straight NFC South title.

This past Sunday, the Bucs lost 31-23 to the Lions in an NFC division-round game. Under Canales, however, Mayfield established himself as a productive starting quarterback by posting career highs in passing yards (4,044), touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3).

Canales, 42, may have an inside track to the Panthers job. Carolina hired Dan Morgan as their president of football operations/general manager. He and Canales spent eight seasons together in Seattle and have remained close.

Rams defensive coordinator and former Bucs coach Raheem Morris will also get a second interview today with the Panthers, and Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had one earlier in the week.

The Panthers may schedule a second interview with Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who did such a great job with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald also interviewed virtually with the Panthers but Baltimore hosts the AFC Championship Game this Sunday.

Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel is scheduled to interview Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

It would be a meteoric rise for Canales, who never was elevated beyond being the Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator during all those years under Carroll.

Joining the Bucs as offensive coordinator was an easy decision, though it was a tough transition to move his family from Seattle.

“That’s kind of the football part of it. The excitement of what could be and what could become of us,” Canales said during the season. “From the personal, family side of it, it was rough. Moving our family all the way across the country, about as far as you can get from Seattle, Washington, and my wife really holding it down for a couple weeks to where we can bring our kids. Then we had to find a school. Bopping in and out of hotels. …

“But as we just settled into Tampa and meeting the community and meeting the people here in this building, the parks, the baseball teams — all those things really become a special place for us. And then of course, a new offense. Starting a new offense, getting those words down, getting the mentality down the right way. Playing the football that I envisioned we could become.

“It’s been a crazy year for sure. But also I’m just so blessed, so fortunate.”

The positivity Canales brings to an organization is also something Morgan and the Panthers may covet after an embarrassing 2-15 season. Canales has said his faith enabled him to prosper during his first season with the Bucs.

“For me, it starts with my faith,” he said. “It’s about this amazing story that the Lord is telling. It’s about the timing of being here. It’s Baker, for this moment. And so for me, that allows me to rise above the pressure of you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. I know there’s high expectations every single week. Nothing is promised to us. But if I can just keep the big picture of just how amazing this moment is? Then it just dissolves and allows me to stay focused.”

But next up is a big name – Mike Vrabel.  Jeff Darlington tweets:

Sources: After Mike Vrabel meets with Falcons owner Arthur Blank at Blank’s home later today in the Atlanta area, he will fly to Carolina tonight to meet with the Panthers on Thursday.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

Thoughts from QB BROCK PURDY on the eve of his second NFC Championship Game.  Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

As San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy went back and watched his performance in Saturday night’s playoff win against the Green Bay Packers, he wanted to understand why he struggled. He didn’t, however, want to dwell on it.

With the Detroit Lions coming to town for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game showdown, Purdy isn’t too worried about what’s happened in the recent — or distant — past.

“It doesn’t matter if you played good or bad, like I don’t take really any of that with you the next week,” Purdy said. “It’s a new game. It’s a new scheme. It’s a new environment. Everything about it is new. It’s almost like you’ve got to clean the slate, learn from the mistakes, build off of the good things that you’ve done … I think that’s where the great ones really separate themselves from the others.”

This week, Purdy is preparing for his second NFC Championship Game start. He’s doing so on the heels of a rain-soaked performance against the Packers in which he struggled for most of the game before authoring his first fourth-quarter, winning touchdown drive of the season.

Purdy said Wednesday that he made some decisions early in the game that made him a little tentative as the game went on. Most notably, his second pass was thrown right to Packers safety Darnell Savage. Savage didn’t haul it in, though, and the Niners avoided an interception that could have gone for a touchdown.

The takeaway for Purdy moving forward is to be more cognizant of taking checkdowns when the big play isn’t there. He acknowledged Wednesday that he probably was looking for the big play too often against Green Bay.

“I wouldn’t put it all on just Brock,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Brock did some really good things and that would’ve been impossible to win the game without him.”

Indeed, it wasn’t until the Niners’ winning drive that it clicked for Purdy. Despite an erratic performance in the rain through the first three-plus quarters, Purdy went 6-of-7 for 47 yards and had two carries for 11 yards to set up running back Christian McCaffrey’s winning 6-yard touchdown run.

“That’s something that I have to be better at,” Purdy said. “That’s what I needed to do at the end of the game. I feel like we got to that point. I started doing that better. We were able to move the ball. So, that’s something that I learned for sure.”

Purdy’s late-game surge wasn’t enough for him to dodge another wave of criticism that has been lobbed his way. Still, as they have all season, the Niners continue to back their starting quarterback.

“I’m not really talking or focused on his critics,” receiver Brandon Aiyuk said. “I love playing football with him and he’s the reason I’m sitting here today feeling like I have an opportunity to play my best football because of a quarterback like him.”

For Purdy, this week represents something of a mulligan for the most difficult day of his young career. In last year’s NFC Championship Game, Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow in the first quarter of a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The injury knocked Purdy from the game and, when paired with fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson’s concussion, left the 49ers without a healthy quarterback for most of the game. Purdy had surgery on the elbow in March and returned for training camp before starting the first 16 games of the season. He was a healthy scratch for Week 18 because the Niners had already clinched the NFC’s top seed.

Now, Purdy and the Niners are back on the NFC title game stage for the third time in as many years and fourth time in the past five seasons. According to Purdy, breaking through to the Super Bowl after losing the past two NFC championships is of more importance than trying to atone for last year’s abbreviated performance.

“This is obviously where we wanted to get to as a team,” Purdy said. “Obviously, I’m excited that we’re here. Last year is last year. That was its own game. It hasn’t been anything that has bled into this year or this game. This is the 49ers against the Lions now … Not thinking about last year or anything … Obviously I got hurt last year and it sucked. That was part of the game. Going into this game, I’m healthy, feel good. I think for all of us, we’re obviously hungry and want to get to the next game after. We’ve got to handle business, take it one play at a time and allow everything to happen for a reason.”

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com on how good QB PATRICK MAHOMES has been in the postseason:

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hasn’t thrown an interception through two games of this year’s playoffs. He didn’t throw an interception in three postseason games last year, either. Which means he could set a new NFL record on Sunday.

If Mahomes doesn’t throw an interception against the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, he will become the first quarterback in NFL history to go six straight postseason games without an interception (with a minimum of 20 passes thrown in each game).

As great as Mahomes has been in the regular season through his first six years as the Chiefs’ starter, he’s been even better in the playoffs. He has just seven interceptions in his 16 career postseason games, and he has basically played another whole season’s worth of games in the postseason while putting up MVP-type numbers: In the postseason Mahomes has thrown 38 touchdown passes, totaled 4,561 yards, completed 66.8 percent of his passes and averaged 7.8 yards per attempt, with a passer rating of 106.7.

Mahomes still has a long way to go to achieve the kind of playoff longevity that Tom Brady had, but as of this point in his career, Mahomes has been a better playoff passer than any other quarterback in NFL history.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Despite a late push by Michigan, one national championship for his alma mater is enough for Jim Harbaugh.  Kris Rhim of ESPN.com:

Jim Harbaugh is leaving the national champion Michigan Wolverines to accept the head-coaching job with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.

Harbaugh has agreed to a five-year deal with the Chargers, sources told ESPN.

Harbaugh was considered among the Chargers’ most desirable candidates in this coaching cycle because of his success in both the college and professional levels. Since his head-coaching career began in 2006 at the University of San Diego, Harbaugh has had success at Stanford and Michigan, and in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.

There’s also Harbaugh’s Chargers connection: He played quarterback for the team for two seasons (1999-2000).

As a collegiate coach, Harbaugh has a 144-42 record, winning three Big Ten championships and Michigan’s first national title since 1997 this past season.

He was 86-25 at Michigan and restored college football’s winningest program to relevance after it slipped over several seasons under Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez following the retirement of national championship-winning coach Lloyd Carr.

The rival Ohio State Buckeyes had an eight-game winning streak against the Wolverines until Harbaugh helped them snap the streak in 2021, leading to their first of three straight Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances.

Following two straight losses in the semifinals, extending Harbaugh’s winless streak in bowl games to six, Michigan outlasted Alabama at the Rose Bowl this past season and pulled away from Washington to win the national championship with a school record 15-0 mark.

Despite the ultimate triumph, it was a season filled with adversity for Harbaugh, who served two three-game suspensions in 2023. He missed the first three games due to an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations in 2020, and he missed the final three games of the regular season following a sign-stealing scandal and the subsequent dismissal of staff member Connor Stalions.

Harbaugh spent four seasons (2011-2014) as the 49ers’ head coach, being named the NFL’s Coach of the Year in his first season. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother John.

Harbaugh left the 49ers with a 44-19-1 regular record.

The Chargers are scheduled to play the Ravens next season at SoFi Stadium, which now officially will be a matchup between John and Jim Harbaugh.

When Harbaugh took over the 49ers, he was rebuilding a team which had tumbled from the NFL’s elite and missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons.

He will have a similar challenge with the Chargers, who finished 5-12 this season and have three playoff wins since 2008. Another task for Harbaugh will be deciding the construction of the Chargers’ roster, as the team is projected to be $27.5 million over the league salary cap, according to ESPN’s roster management system.

Harbaugh and the Chargers had been linked since the offseason began. Still, one of the potential challenges for the Harbaugh-Chargers reunion was if owner Dean Spanos was willing to pay Harbaugh a competitive salary, one that would lure him away from Michigan and other NFL teams.

Ravens exec Joe Horitz, a man with Harbaugh ties, could be the new GM.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Chargers are bringing in Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz for a second interview for their General Manager job, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

Hortiz had his first interview with the team Jan. 13.

Hortiz has worked closely with Ravens coach John Harbaugh since 2019. Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, agreed to terms as the Chargers’ head coach Wednesday.

The Chargers fired General Manager Tom Telesco along with head coach Brandon Staley late in the regular season.

The team interviewed Giants assistant G.M. Brandon Brown for the G.M. job on Wednesday.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com with a long look at the hire:

The Harbaugh side

Two years ago, Harbaugh had an interview with the Vikings, lost out on the position to Kevin O’Connell and said “this is the last time” he would pursue an NFL position. Last year, he had a video meeting with the Broncos before taking his name out of the running for Denver’s job. This year, after winning a national championship, the lure of the NFL and the chance to win a Super Bowl was apparently too strong.

If Harbaugh was going to pursue an NFL job, the Chargers’ opening clearly seems like the sort of role that would best align with what he might look for in an opportunity. Even without considering the finished business at Michigan, he and the Chargers are a better match than the previous openings in Minnesota and Denver. I had reservations about the L.A. opening when I ranked it second among the likely openings earlier this offseason, but there were elements that should appeal to Harbaugh, especially in light of what happened during his first tenure in the league.

To start, there’s a franchise quarterback already in place. Harbaugh will inherit a 25-year-old budding star in Justin Herbert, albeit one who has yet to make the leap from very good quarterback to superstar. Just about everyone believes Herbert to be capable of making that jump, and I’m sure his new coach wouldn’t have taken this job unless he felt the same way.

From the coach’s perspective, the last time he had a quarterback this good to tutor would have been when he coached Andrew Luck at Stanford. When Harbaugh took over the 49ers job, he inherited Alex Smith and used a second-round pick on Colin Kaepernick. Smith started in 2011 before Kaepernick took the job over in 2012. The 49ers also traded for Blaine Gabbert after long-standing interest from the coach in the 2011 first-round pick, although Gabbert didn’t start a game for San Francisco until after Harbaugh had left for Michigan.

While there was speculation Harbaugh might take over a team like the Falcons and draft J.J. McCarthy, his quarterback from Michigan, the decision to lead the Chargers surely brings that train of thought to a close. Herbert hasn’t even started the new seasons on his five-year, $262.5 million extension, and the team wouldn’t be able to handle the $108.5 million in dead money on a trade. Harbaugh won’t be reuniting with his title-winning quarterback any time soon.

The other element that would likely be most valuable to Harbaugh is personnel control. He famously grew apart from general manager Trent Baalke during their shared tenure with the 49ers, leading to tension between the coach and both Baalke and the team’s ownership. After the team lost three straight games to fall to 7-7 in 2014, the organization told Harbaugh he wouldn’t be returning. He finished out the season, and while the 49ers characterized it as a parting of ways, Harbaugh believed he had been fired.

The 49ers chose Baalke over Harbaugh with disastrous results, as they cycled through Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly with dismal results before turning things over to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch in 2017. It was always going to be tough for Harbaugh to join an organization where an existing general manager had power as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah does in Minnesota and George Paton in Denver. Most teams in the NFL simply aren’t willing to hand one person control over both coaching and personnel, and two of the coaches who had been afforded both those responsibilities (Belichick and Pete Carroll) were fired earlier this month.

After the Chargers fired Tom Telesco in December, there is no general manager in the building for Los Angeles. The Bolts hired Harbaugh before picking their general manager, which seems telling. At the very least, whomever they hire to take over personnel duties will need to be comfortable with Harbaugh as the coach, while Harbaugh should have the ability to say whether he’ll feel in tune with whichever candidate team owner Dean Spanos has preferred. When push inevitably comes to shove down the line, though, Harbaugh’s status as a desired candidate and as the first of the two to join the organization suggests that the coach will get his way, not whoever eventually lands here as general manager.

Of the eight NFL head-coaching openings that came available this offseason, the Chargers’ might have been the only one that was going to offer some level of personnel control. The Titans and Seahawks had existing general managers who have assumed more power after their coaches were let go. The Commanders were about to hire a general manager. The Patriots, Raiders and Panthers have given a coach personnel control in recent years with disappointing results. The Falcons might have been willing to let a new coach make decisions over Terry Fontenot. But L.A. was the only franchise that had a clear opening and nothing standing in the way of a coach with significant power.

Harbaugh also lands in a destination where it will be easy to recruit. California doesn’t offer the same state income tax-free benefits that warm-weather states such as Texas and Florida do for players, but Los Angeles has been a highly desirable destination for free agents in every single major American sport for decades. Beyond big names, the Rams have been able to lure players to suit up for less than they would have likely gotten elsewhere. That can be a big name toward the end of his career — such as Clay Matthews or Bobby Wagner — or a lesser-known player such as Ahkello Witherspoon, who played for close to the minimum this season and produced excellent results for the Rams. Harbaugh should have no trouble selling players on L.A.

The Chargers’ side

While beating the Rams for hearts and minds in Los Angeles shouldn’t be Spanos’ primary goal, this has to feel like one of the few things the Chargers could do to draw attention. The Chargers have spent most of their time in Los Angeles as unwanted afterthoughts amid a steady run of success from Sean McVay and the Rams. The Bolts’ home games are typically overrun by fans of the opposition, who can both take a trip to a warm-weather destination to support their team while knowing they’ll likely be surrounded by more of their brethren than Chargers fans. People aren’t going to suddenly love this team because Harbaugh is around, but when Herbert didn’t move the needle, the only thing to swing long-term support toward the Chargers in Los Angeles might be a coach who consistently wins.

The expectation for Harbaugh should be that he’ll turn around the ship. In 2004, Harbaugh took over a University of San Diego team that had never won double-digit games and got them there in his second and third seasons at the helm. He then inherited a 1-11 Stanford team in 2007, got them to a winning record in Year 3 and went 12-1 in his fourth and final season with the school. And while it took him six years before he really challenged for a national title with Michigan, he acquired a 5-7 team from Brady Hoke and immediately got it to 10 wins, a mark the Wolverines hit in six of Harbaugh’s eight full seasons in Ann Arbor.

The most impressive turnaround might have been what he accomplished with the 49ers. After cap issues and subpar drafting finally sank the dynasty that began in the Bill Walsh era, they wandered through the wilderness for nearly a decade. They went 9-23 with Dennis Erickson, 18-37 with Mike Nolan and 18-22 with Mike Singletary, posting zero winning seasons in the process.

Singletary was fired late in the 2010 season, during a year in which the most memorable moment likely came in Week 5. Smith, the team’s No. 1 overall pick in 2005, had been under center for an 0-4 start. Amid an ugly performance against the Eagles, fans booed Smith off the field while chanting, “We want Carr,” in reference to journeyman backup David Carr, who hadn’t started a game since 2007. Smith eventually lost his job via injury to Troy Smith, who held the role before it went back to Alex Smith for the end of the season.

Alex Smith was a free agent, and it seemed like it was time for a clean break between the highly touted prospect and the 49ers.

Instead, while it didn’t happen until July because of the lockout, Harbaugh brought Smith back. He immediately morphed into a different quarterback. Smith cut his interception rate from 2.9% to a league-best 1.1% and topped a 60% completion rate and 7.0 yards per attempt for the first time in his pro career. A quarterback who had gone 19-31 across six pro seasons went 13-3. The same fans who were booing Smith off the field a year earlier roared for their quarterback as he went punch for punch with Drew Brees in one of the great playoff games in league history, culminating with a final-minute touchdown pass to Vernon Davis for a famous 49ers victory. The organization Smith described as “dysfunctional” and a locker room that had been “very separated” suddenly coalesced around Harbaugh.

A year later, Harbaugh made it to the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t with Smith under center. Kaepernick, a second-round pick out of Nevada, had come out of a pistol attack that didn’t look much like any NFL offense at the time. (The Chiefs used the pistol with Tyler Thigpen out of necessity because of injuries in 2008, but it didn’t stick.) Kaepernick was seen at the time as a raw prospect, a guy whose physical tools translated more to the NFL than his tape.

Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman instead built their offense around Kaepernick’s dual abilities as a passer and a runner, allowing him to work out of the pistol at the pro level. In a season in which Robert Griffin excelled with the zone-read and other zone concepts for Washington, Roman built a more gap-heavy quarterback run game for Kaepernick, who also posted gaudy numbers as a passer. Kaepernick’s 263-passing yard, 181-rushing yard performance against the Packers in the divisional round was one of the most dominant performances I’ve seen from a quarterback while covering the league, and he brought the 49ers within a drive of winning Super Bowl XLVII.

Beyond the quarterbacks, there were so many players who either improved on what they had previously done with the 49ers or excelled after arriving in San Francisco. Harbaugh got the most out of Alex Boone, Michael Crabtree, NaVorro Bowman, Chris Borland and Tarell Brown. Imports such as Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and Ahmad Brooks were better with the 49ers than they had been during their prior stops.

The Chargers have a class of players they’re hoping to see more from in 2024, including high draft picks Zion Johnson, Asante Samuel Jr. and Quentin Johnston. Harbaugh’s work in maximizing talent in San Francisco lends hope he can get everyone on the same page in Los Angeles.

In 2012, I wrote that Harbaugh might be the most valuable person in the NFL. In February 2014, when reports came out that the Browns were trying to trade for Harbaugh, given that he was making $5 million per year at the time, I suggested he was underpaid by half and worth two first-round picks in a deal. The Chargers are getting him for nothing more than a $1.5 million buyout. While allowing that things went south for Harbaugh in 2014, that’s an incredible opportunity for this franchise. I’d call it a buy-low deal, but can you really buy low on a contract for somebody who just won a championship?

What’s next for Harbaugh and the Chargers?

Here’s the part I find so fascinating. This was already going to be a transitional year for the Chargers roster, given that they’re $44 million over the projected salary cap without re-signing starters Austin Ekeler, Gerald Everett and Kenneth Murray. Some of those players won’t come back, and Corey Linsley might be forced to retire because of a medical condition. Khalil Mack and Keenan Allen have massive cap numbers and are on the wrong side of 30. Harbaugh will have to decide whether he wants to keep them with new contracts to reduce their cap hits or go younger at key positions.

The next big question for Harbaugh and the Chargers is who he hires as his coordinators. He sent one head-coaching candidate to the league from Michigan in Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who will be either get a head job somewhere or be blocked from following his old boss to Los Angeles by Baltimore. The more logical candidate is Macdonald successor Jesse Minter, who helped the Wolverines allow a nation-best 10.4 points per game this season.

Before Wednesday, Minter would have seemed like an obvious choice to join Harbaugh. A few hours before Harbaugh was hired, though, news broke that the Dolphins were parting ways with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio after just one season. Fangio is regarded as one of the best defensive coaches in all of football, and Miami led the league in defensive expected points added (EPA) per play over a 10-week span after Jalen Ramsey returned and before all of its edge rushers suffered injuries. Fangio didn’t seem to mesh with the locker room, however.

Reports have linked Fangio to the Eagles, where he would take over for Sean Desai and Matt Patricia. But what about a reunion with Harbaugh? Fangio was Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator in San Francisco, where the 49ers ranked in the top three in scoring defense in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Chargers ran a version of the Fangio defense under Brandon Staley and never seemed to get things sorted out, but the roster is already built to play this style, and perhaps Fangio would do a better job of coaching up that talent than Staley.

Harbaugh’s coordinator on the other side of the ball from his time in San Francisco is also available. Roman followed Harbaugh from Stanford to the 49ers, with whom he served as the O-coordinator for four seasons. Roman was one of several playcallers in San Francisco during that time frame, with Harbaugh overseeing the operation and having the right to overrule calls.

Roman has since gone on to call plays with the Bills and Ravens. In the latter stop, a Roman-authored offense that looked a lot like an expanded version of the attack he ran with Kaepernick in San Francisco helped Lamar Jackson to an MVP season in 2019. Roman’s offense seemed to run out of steam, and the move to replace him with Todd Monken as coordinator appears to have unlocked a new level as a passer from Jackson, who is expected to win his second MVP award this season.

The idea of installing Roman as the coordinator for Kaepernick in San Francisco, Jackson in Baltimore and Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo made sense, given how heavily they were going to feature as part of the run game in addition to what they offered as passers. Herbert can scramble and is tough as nails, but the Chargers probably don’t want their franchise quarterback running QB power five times per game. Chargers fans who have seen Jackson flourish in a more diverse passing attack after perhaps being stifled at times under Roman understandably don’t want that with Herbert.

I’d instead point out that Roman and Harbaugh coaxed what was to that point a career-altering year from Alex Smith in 2011. The 49ers used Smith as a runner at times, with that famous third-down sweep for a touchdown in the playoff win over the Saints as the most notable example, but they ran a more conventional passing attack with Smith than memory might serve. If Roman can do that with Smith, he (and Harbaugh) shouldn’t have any trouble building a coherent offense with Herbert’s array of talents.

On the other hand, the incumbent here should have a reasonable case. Coordinator Kellen Moore had the Chargers in the top quarter of the league in both EPA per play (fifth) and points scored per drive (seventh) during the first half of the season before injuries sank them in the second half of the campaign. Moore was a hot head-coaching candidate after his run with the Cowboys, and while Dak Prescott had arguably his best season after Mike McCarthy moved on from Moore last offseason, Moore was interviewed by the Chargers for their head-coaching role during this process.

Ownership also blocked Moore from interviewing with the Bears for their offensive coordinator role before Chicago hired Shane Waldron, a decision which seems telling about how they value the 34-year-old. Harbaugh, 60, isn’t going to be forced to take on an offensive coordinator he doesn’t want, but there’s a chance Moore sticks around with a new coach in Los Angeles next season.

While hiring Harbaugh has to be considered a victory for the Chargers after such a disappointing season, there’s a lot more work to be done here. The identity of the coordinators might tell us how aggressively he wants to rebuild the roster, while there are serious decisions to be made about veteran stalwarts over the weeks to come. The last time he took an NFL job, he endured a lockout before building an instant Super Bowl contender out of a 6-10 team that had been disappointing for a decade. Now, with a full offseason to work, Harbaugh will try to take a 5-12 team that has underwhelmed for even longer and repeat the feat. This should be fun.

AFC NORTH

CLEVELAND

Brian Johnson, disposed of as OC in Philadelphia, has an interview with the Browns.

@MaryKayCabot

Breaking: Former #Eagles OC Brian Johnson scheduled to interview today for the #Browns OC vacancy

Context from Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator in Philadelphia after spending two seasons as the team’s quarterbacks coach. The Eagles finished seventh in points scored and eighth in offensive yards during the regular season, but Johnson was dismissed after a 1-6 close to the season that saw the team get held under 20 points five times.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has called the offensive plays during his time with the team and there’s been no sign that he plans to alter that approach with a new coordinator, but final word on what things will look like in Cleveland will wait until they strike a deal with their new coordinator.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

A spirited defense of QB JOSH ALLEN from Scott Kacsmar:

Let me just eviscerate you real quick.

Bills have made the playoffs 5 years in a row — only Chiefs have done better.

It’s not Allen’s fault that Mahomes destroys his defense and he has to win shootouts.

He doesn’t have the luxury like Brady and Burrow when their defenses shut Mahomes down for a half or a whole SB.

When Allen delivered one of the most clutch performances in playoff history in 2021, his D/ST still found a way to blow it with 13 seconds left. That was his year, 12 TDs in 16 playoff drives.

Unlike Brady in 2018, who avoided a season-ending INT because Dee Ford was offsides, Allen didn’t get to see the ball in OT while Mahomes ended his season again.

If the Ravens beat KC, I bet it won’t because Lamar outdoes Mahomes in a shootout. It will because the Baltimore defense steps up. Lamar is 0-3 in the playoffs when the Ravens give up more than 13 points. He’d implode in those games the Bills played against KC.

Allen has done enough by any normal standards, but the problem is he never gets his defense to hold Mahomes below average. McDermott’s defense has failed him and that’s the change they need to make in Buffalo.

Kurt Warner has been having similar thoughts:

@kurt13warner

I’ve been thinking a lot about this whole @JoshAllenQB debate – and I know winning means something – but so does context!

Here’s a little – I played in 3 SBs – in each of them after the last significant drive we had on offense, I left the field with a lead or tie… I have a SB record of 1-2…

Imagine me not having to throw another pass in any of those games and being undefeated (2-0-1 – obviously would have played overtime & could have been 3-0)… how would my career be viewed differently??? Without doing anything different!

Context matters, although very seldom really considered… but can’t always be just as easy as he wasn’t good enough to win! Josh Allen has been great in playoffs – many times not needing to do anything else to win or tie in those games (and often times it’s been to best QB of the era as well) yet many want to say he hasn’t been good enough… maybe, maybe not, but context matters!

We would add, that in the game that made Warner a Super Bowl winner and perhaps pushed him over to the Hall of Fame, the opposing Titans saw WR Kevin Dyson tackled one-yard short of the winning TD as the game ended.

So three Super Bowls, one win when the opposition came up a yard short, a loss when Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal (that Tyler Bass did not) and a loss when Santonio Holmes of the Steelers made a fantastic catch.

Warner could be anywhere from no wins to three wins in SB play if three plays where he was not on the field went differently.

Tom Brady was 7-3 in Super Bowls.  The three losses were by 15 total points, one truly amazing when Eli Manning led the Giants to an amazing win in SB42.  Of his seven SB wins, the last two were both by more than one score.  In the other five, the Patriots led in regulation play by a total of 13 points.

7-3 is probably about right for Brady, but he really could have been anywhere from 9-1 to 3-7 or so.

MIAMI

Amidst Philadelphia rumors, the Dolphins and Vic Fangio part ways.  Christian Arnold of the New York Post:

Vic Fangio might already have a new defensive coordinator gig lined up after just exiting Miami.

The Dolphins announced Wednesday that they had “mutually agreed to part ways” with Fangio, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler reported that he was was the Eagles’ “top target” for their defensive vacancy with a deal expected.

The now-former Miami coach already has a connection with the Eagles organization after he worked as a consultant for two weeks as they prepared to face the Chiefs in last year’s Super Bowl.

Schefter reported that Fangio and the Eagles had an interest in working with one another in 2023, “but the timing didn’t work.”

It seems this time it will, with the Dolphins allowing Fangio to leave in order to be closer to his family in Pennsylvania, the NFL insider noted.

The Eagles let go of defensive coordinator Sean Desai on Sunday and quickly began searching for his replacement.

Now, it seems like they might have a match in Fangio.

“I want to thank Vic for his contributions in 2023. When we assessed the season, it became apparent that this was the best path forward for all parties involved,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said in a statement Wednesday. “Now, we turn our focus to 2024 and beyond with urgency as we identify the best candidate to lead our defense moving forward. We remain steadfastly committed to the development of our players and to building a winning team with sustained success.”

The Fangio-led Miami defense in 2023 allowed the 10th-fewest yards per game and ranked third in the NFL in sacks (56).

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on during the NFC Wild Card game

3

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on during the NFC wild card game.

Getty Images

But the injury-plagued Dolphins struggled during the stretch drive, allowing more than 400 yards of offense in four of the last six games of the regular season.

Fangio, 65, brings 37 years of coaching experience to wherever he ends up next.

His resume includes being AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year with the Bears in 2018.

After the Eagles let go of Desai, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported the team reached out to several available coaches to fill the role, including former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and ex-Falcons coach Ryan Nielsen.

However, Fangio now appears to be locked in as the choice to come in and right the ship after a disastrous 2023 for the Eagles’ defense.

The Eagles struggled, particularly in the final few games, which led to head coach Nick Sirianni taking away defensive play-calling from Desai.

Fangio is from the Scranton, PA area north of Philly.  As of 2019, his then 92-year-old mother Alice was still giving interviews.  So being close to family might have some truth here.

THIS AND THAT

BELICHICK?

Atlanta interviewed Bill Belichick twice – and has seemed to move on.  No one else has called.  Dan Wetzel of YahooSports.com asks what’s up with that?

Presumably, Bill Belichick didn’t work up a résumé after he parted ways with New England earlier this month.

That’s because, again presumably, his 302 regular-season victories, his 31 playoff victories, his 20 double-digit-win seasons, his 17 division titles, his nine Super Bowl appearances and his six Vince Lombardi Trophies don’t need to be bullet-pointed and uploaded on ZipRecruiter.

Or maybe they do.

Seven NFL teams (not including New England) had or still have an opening for a head coach: Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington. At least five more had to have had some kind of serious discussion about making a move: Chicago, Dallas, both New York teams and Philadelphia.

Thus far, only one — Atlanta — has bothered to formally interview arguably the greatest and most accomplished coach in NFL history.

The same bafflement extends to the currently unemployed Pete Carroll, who has nine double-digit-win seasons and a Super Bowl title himself … but apparently no team is asking if he’d like to chat? Snoop Dogg, of all people, said Carroll was trying to push for the Chargers job. That’s all we’ve heard, though.

With Belichick, perhaps there were informal, test-the-water inquiries. He isn’t running to social media (“facemask” or whatever his dad joke is) to post updates. However, NFL teams tend to announce whom they have interviewed, and other than the Falcons (who have spoken to Belichick twice), it has been crickets.

How is this possible?

Is there no country for old men?

There is no way Belichick doesn’t get hired somewhere? Right?

Did NFL team owners fall for the ridiculous argument (more later) that it was all Tom Brady in New England? Or are team presidents and general managers terrified of bringing in a bigger star and more forceful personality? Does Belichick need to go work a season on Sean McVay’s staff to become cool again?

Look, maybe Belichick isn’t your guy. Maybe you have concerns about his age (72 next season, same for the 72-year-old Carroll). Maybe it’s too recent to look past last season’s 4-13 Patriots. Maybe you just hated the guy when he was ruling the league and routinely beating everyone.

So what?

Who else on the market ever ruled the league and routinely beat everyone?

Give Atlanta credit. Belichick delivered the most crushing defeat in Falcons history, roaring back from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI. Falcons owner Arthur Blank isn’t holding it against him. If you couldn’t beat him, at least consider hiring him.

In a sign of how strange this all is, Dan Quinn, the current Cowboys defensive coordinator and then-Atlanta head coach who blew that Super Bowl to Belichick’s Patriots, has interviewed with the Chargers and Commanders and, per numerous media reports, is scheduled to talk with Carolina and Seattle.

Make that make sense.

No team has to hire Bill Belichick. It’s not like he’s infallible or without criticism or above pointed questions. Maybe he’s not the proper fit. Maybe he’ll fail. There’s never a guarantee. But for almost no one to even want to speak with him? Even if Belichick was brought in for a fake interview — you know you are hiring someone else — it could prove invaluable.

Have you ever heard this guy talk about football, coaching, strategy, leadership, motivation, team-building and so on? Have you seen his NFL Network appearances? Fortune 500 companies pay six figures for 45 minutes in the hope that he inspires the sales force to move more medical devices or life insurance plans.

You have an actual professional football franchise and can get him for an entire day, with the freedom to ask anything. Heck, just have him sit around and tell old Bill Parcells and Lawrence Taylor stories from his days defensive-coordinating the New York Giants to two Super Bowls. You got a better afternoon planned?

Yes, New England was terrible last season. Yes, Belichick’s inability to find a viable quarterback after Brady left — let alone wide receivers and other skill players — doomed him. But to turn that into proof that the Patriots’ two decades of excellence were solely the work of Brady is absurd. That’s cheap talk show stuff. They were a pair, just like all great coaches and quarterbacks.

Brady didn’t run those epic New England defenses. Brady didn’t rework the offense around different roster sets — a small-slot-receiver era, a two-tight-end era, a Randy Moss era, etc. Brady didn’t have Malcolm Butler prepared to jump the route. Brady didn’t change the way the game is played with aggressiveness on fourth down, the concept of the middle eight minutes or so on and so on.

Year after year, New England was the smartest, best-coached and most sound team in the league.

Yeah, the Patriots had Tom Brady. They also had Bill Belichick.

So why doesn’t anyone want to at least interview him?

THE OFFSEASON AHEAD

NFL insiders tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com what they expect to happen in the offseason:

The ripple effects of the 2024 NFL offseason are just beginning.

With 25% of the league’s head-coaching jobs changing hands — and only three of the eight vacant positions filled as of Wednesday morning — the crystal ball of big offseason questions remains extremely foggy. To use yet another metaphor, the league’s dominoes could still topple in any number of ways.

Where Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh and the other hot candidates land will have a major impact on the offseason quarterback carousel, for starters. The market for free agent quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield, and the presumably exiled Russell Wilson, could be closely tied to which coaches are hired by which teams.

But all of the unknown hasn’t stopped the chatter in league circles. The NFL team executives, scouts and personnel figures ESPN spoke to in recent days have thoughts about the biggest storylines, from quarterbacks and coaches changing addresses to which teams could rise and fall once the dust settles from the offseason.

We tackled eight of the biggest storylines and assessed some of the early buzz:

Russell Wilson will end up with the Raiders

After coach Sean Payton’s Week 17 benching of Wilson and because of the constraints of the quarterback’s contract, Wilson will most likely cook up deep balls for the third team of his NFL career. As we outlined previously, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and Minnesota are among teams on the radar. But one NFC executive sees another outlet.

“[The Raiders] need a vet, and they are one of Wilson’s original teams he wanted to go to,” said the exec, referring to Wilson’s wish list in 2021. “He’d stay in the [AFC West], West Coast, and [Wilson’s wife] Ciara can do a [Las Vegas] residency [as a live performer].”

In fact, the Raiders are the only team from that wish list that has a quarterback need. Rookie Aidan O’Connell performed admirably, but coach Antonio Pierce will be in win-now mode after earning the job on the basis of a 5-4 interim stint.

The 49ers’ roster will take a (slight) step back

No NFL team has more star power than the 49ers, who have built a perennial winner under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

But as multiple league execs have pointed out, the organization has experienced some brainpower attrition. Personnel execs have left for general manager jobs in back-to-back-to-back years — Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Vikings, 2021), Ran Carthon (Titans, 2022) and Adam Peters (Commanders, 2023). Executive Ethan Waugh also left in 2022 to become the Jaguars’ assistant general manager.

“That’s a lot for Lynch to overcome,” an NFC executive said. “They could get exposed in free agency and the draft.”

The Packers will win Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025

Yes, people are going there. Jordan Love proved a legitimate franchise quarterback, and the skill positions are loaded with first- and second-year players.

[Green Bay has] a young nucleus to build from — and the offensive line was playing really well,” a veteran AFC scout said. “The defense was up and down but finished the year much better. They’ve always had talent on that side of the ball. Can they be consistent?”

The Cardinals will make a playoff run

Arizona is trending up despite its 4-13 clip in 2023. As one NFL offensive coach said, “That’s the best four-win team I’ve seen in a while. They make you earn everything.”

GM Monti Ossenfort has six picks in the first three rounds of the draft to improve the roster.

“[Head coach Jonathan Gannon] seems legit, and they can kill it in the draft,” an AFC scout said. “If they add some vet pieces in free agency, they can surprise some people. Kyler Murray will be better with a full year coming off the ACL [tear].”

C.J. Stroud will finish top three in MVP voting

Stroud’s rookie year for the ages caught everyone’s attention. The Texans QB threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions despite missing two games and dealing with several injuries at wide receiver and on the offensive line, earning him much respect in league circles.

“Poise is so underrated in our league, especially at quarterback, and he clearly has it,” an NFC executive said. “Throws the ball very well at all levels. Arrow definitely pointing out. And he’s got talent around him.”

Baker Mayfield will re-sign with the Bucs

Mayfield appeared destined for a career as a bridge QB/journeyman before rewriting the script in Tampa Bay. Not only did Mayfield guide the Bucs to the playoffs, but he threw for 686 yards in two playoff games, the league high through the divisional round.

Teams are only as good as their options at any given position, and Mayfield looks like Tampa’s best.

“I’m not sure it makes sense to go after someone else like Russell Wilson or Justin Fields when I’m not sure that’s a substantial upgrade,” an NFC personnel evaluator said. “Mayfield isn’t perfect, but you can win games with him. He’s streaky, but when he gets hot, he can produce like a top-10 guy.”

Chase Young will reunite with Montez Sweat in Chicago

Washington traded its star defensive line bookends at the 2023 trade deadline, with Sweat then thriving as the Chicago Bears’ lead rusher and Young now competing for a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.

Chicago, in its efforts to bolster its pass rush, evaluated both Young and Sweat in the months leading up to the deadline. Sweat landed a four-year, $98 million extension with the Bears, who could spend more money in free agency to sign a pass-rusher such as Young.

Kirk Cousins and Bill Belichick will be Falcons … and win the NFC South

The feeling out of New England was that Belichick planned to target an established veteran quarterback for the Patriots in 2024. If he gets the Atlanta job, as some expect, he can follow a similar blueprint.

Cousins might very well re-sign with Minnesota, but if not, the Falcons offer several high-end skill players on offense and an improving defense — they’re the proverbial quarterback away. “[Belichick] can help a talented yet underachieving team, and Atlanta is that,” an AFC executive said. “Cousins would be a great fit there.”

COACHES TO WATCH

Cody Benjamin of ESPN.com has a list of five coaches that could be coordinator hires in the near future:

As the Chiefs, 49ers, Lions and Ravens prepare for the AFC and NFC championships this weekend, plenty of other teams are already looking ahead to the 2024 NFL offseason, where a number of key coaching positions are still open. Besides head coaching slots, several contenders, including the Eagles and Steelers, are hot in pursuit of new offensive or defensive coordinators.

With that in mind, here are five outside-the-box candidates who might deserve more attention than they’re getting:

Dennard Wilson

The Giants have been linked to the Ravens’ defensive backs coach, but it’s a wonder a half-dozen teams aren’t knocking at his door. The 41-year-old was highly touted by Eagles veterans after a 2021-2022 run as the club’s secondary coach, during which he helped Philadelphia reach the Super Bowl, and his work with young stars in Baltimore has him on the verge of another title bid.

Grady Brown

Coming off his third year as the Steelers’ secondary coach, a role in which he’s overseen career marks from Minkah Fitzpatrick and learned under Mike Tomlin, Brown also has an extensive college resume that includes coordinator experience. Pittsburgh stalwarts like Cameron Heyward have credited Brown with helping the Steelers stay afloat in 2023 amid injuries.

Keenan McCardell

The Vikings’ wide receivers coach is probably still better known for his 16-year playing career, when he topped 1,000 yards for the Buccaneers and Jaguars. But he’s had a direct hand in the instant stardom of both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in Minnesota. Several clubs have eyed him as a potential coordinator, but at 54, it’s a surprise he hasn’t already gotten a shot.

Mike Zimmer

The former Vikings head coach hasn’t held an NFL job since 2021, but he’s hinted at a return after spending 2022 as a consultant for Jackson State, aiding a Deion Sanders staff that went 12-1. He’s also got an extensive defensive background that could make him an attractive coordinator for a team in win-now mode, running the Bengals defense for six years prior to his Minnesota post.

Ron Gould

A big reason for the Rams’ resurgence in 2023 was Kyren Williams’ unexpected takeover as a workhorse back, and Williams did so under Gould’s tutelage. The longtime running backs coach is still fresh on the NFL scene; his Los Angeles gig was his first pro job. But he’s managed a staff before, serving as UC Davis’ head coach from 2013-16, and as running coordinator at California.