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Mike Vrabel Seen As Patriots’ Top HC Target

The Patriots did not wait for ‘Black Monday’ to arrive when making the decision to fire Jerod Mayo. His tenure as head coach ended after only season, and New England is now one of five teams in need of a new coach.

Interview requests have started coming out, and the Patriots are set to meet with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The most sought-after candidate in the 2025 cycle will have a number of other suitors, but the Patriots have of course been heavily linked to Mike Vrabel. The former New England linebacker is, to no surprise, considered the top name to watch as the team’s search takes place.

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston notes it is “safe to presume” Vrabel is the top option for the Patriots as they seek out Mayo’s replacement. Meanwhile, Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal adds six executives from around the league believe Vrabel will wind up being hired by New England. The former Titans coach spent much of the 2024 campaign as a consultant with the Browns, but his contract recently expired, leaving him free to interview with interested teams.

That has already seen Vrabel meet with the Jets, a team which has expressed interest in adding experience on the sidelines and in the front office. Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager reports that interview went “very well,” and the Patriots could have competition from inside and outside the AFC East as a result. The Saints have been named as a team to watch regarding a Vrabel interview, while the presence of Tom Brady fueled a recent report stating the Raiders’ top option to replace Antonio Pierce would be Vrabel. At this point, though, Pierce remains in place as Vegas’ coach.

Vrabel played 14 years in the NFL, including eight with the Patriots. The three-time Super Bowl champion is held in high regard by owner Robert Kraft and New England’s front office; as such, connections have long been made between the two. Vrabel, 49, was in charge of the Titans from 2018-23 in a stretch which included Coach of the Year honors in 2021.

Tennessee reached the playoffs three straight seasons under Vrabel, but the last two years of his tenure resulted in a combined record of 13-21. Brian Callahan was brought in last offseason as a replacement, and while the Titans bottomed out to the point of landing the top pick in the upcoming draft he appears safe to coach at least one more year. Given the relative dearth of known commodities in the 2025 coaching cycle, Vrabel’s stock remains high.

It will be interesting to see if the Mayo firing is quickly followed by a serious Vrabel pursuit. Kraft could be cautioned against bringing in another ex-player in the wake of Mayo’s struggles, but for now it would come as no surprise if he were to take that route again.

Bears Submit Interview Requests With Mike McCarthy, Todd Monken, Arthur Smith, Brian Flores

The Bears have been busy sending out head coaching interview requests Monday. To no surprise, most of their targets are currently coordinators on their respective teams. One staffer who still holds the title of head coach is on Chicago’s radar, however.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Todd Archer report the Bears have sought permission to speak with Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. The team is currently awaiting word from Dallas on whether or not he will be made available for an interview. That, in turn, obviously depends on whether or not McCarthy will receive a new contract from the Cowboys.

Jerry Jones elected not to fire McCarthy after the Cowboys lost in the wild-card round last year, but he cited that continued lack of postseason success as a reason not offer an extension. The former Packers Super Bowl winner has thus spent 2024 as a lame duck coach who has received several votes of confidence from Jones and his players in spite of Dallas’ disappointing campaign. Jones and McCarthy (who could also draw interest from the Saints) are set to meet later today as uncertainty surrounds their future.

Even if McCarthy winds up being unavailable, other staffers are on the Bears’ radar. They include Todd Monken, as noted by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Monken is in his second season as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, and he has drawn praise for helping lead Lamar Jackson to his most productive season to date. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a season this year (h/t Pro Football Network), so Monken could receive looks from several teams.

Taking a step forward on offense will be a clear priority for the Bears in 2025; to no surprise, the team is looking into several coaches with a background on that side of the ball. Steelers OC Arthur Smith has also received a slip, per Schefter. Smith received interest from the Jets prior to the 2024 season, and New York has requested a head coaching interview with the former Falcons boss. Smith’s first year at the helm of Pittsburgh’s offense has produced inconsistent results through the air, but as expected the team has been relatively strong in the run game.

The latest defensive candidate to receive an interview request is Brian Flores, Schefter reports. The former Dolphins HC spent one year as the Steelers’ linebackers coach in 2022 and has since worked as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. Flores, 43, has helped his stock with his time in Minnesota and an intra-divisional move to the Bears recently emerged as a possibility. The Jets’ initial set of interview requests also includes Flores, though, so Chicago will have competition if the team targets him.

The Bears have already sought out interviews with Aaron Glenn (Lions), Mike Kafka (Giants), Drew Petzing (Cardinals) and Anthony Weaver (Dolphins). That group includes an even split of offensive and defensive coaches, and the latest additions to the list include a mix of backgrounds and experience. Finding the right fit to develop Caleb Williams will be critical for general manager Ryan Poles, and his search process will include looking into several outside candidates.

2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

Five teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the now-HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 1-6-25 (10:23pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Bears Request HC Interview With David Shaw

The Bears were busy requesting HC interviews today, with a number of coordinators and former NFL head coaches garnering interest. The team is thinking a bit outside the box with their latest candidate, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the organization requested an interview with Broncos senior personnel executive David Shaw.

While Shaw most recently worked in an NFL front office, he’s no stranger to the sideline. Shaw spent more than a decade coaching at Stanford, including a 12-year stint as their head coach. He had a successful start to his head coaching career, guiding the Cardinal football team to six AP top-20 rankings through his first seven years at the helm. Stanford also made eight-straight bowl appearances, but the team struggled a bit during Shaw’s final seasons at the school.

Between 2019 and 2022, the team went only 14-28, including a 6-18 showing during his final two seasons. Following the conclusion of the 2022 campaign, Shaw resigned from his position. He resurfaced this past offseason when he joined the Broncos as a front office executive.

While Shaw made a name for himself in the college ranks, he also has coaching experience in the NFL. He had stints as QBs coach with both the Raiders and Ravens, and he also served as Baltimore’s wide receivers coach. Shaw has also been a mainstay in recent head coaching searches, interviewing for gigs with the Chargers, Titans, and Broncos over the past two years.

The list of candidates for the Bears head coaching job continues to grow. Just today, the team requested interviews with 10 candidates: Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, Giants OC Mike Kafka, Cardinals OC Drew Petzing, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Ravens OC Todd Monken, Steelers OC Arthur Smith, Vikings DC Brian Flores, and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

Ezekiel Elliott To Sign With Chargers Practice Squad

After requesting his release from the Cowboys in pursuit of a playoff run, Ezekiel Elliott has landed with a postseason squad. The veteran running back is signing with the Chargers practice squad, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.

[RELATED: Cowboys Release Ezekiel Elliott]

Elliott attracted interest from a handful of playoff-bound teams, according to Schultz. The running back ultimately chose the Chargers because he liked the fit alongside coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that there’s hope that Elliott can get “up to speed quickly” and contribute to his squad in the playoffs.

Following a one-season stop in New England, Elliott returned to the Cowboys this past offseason. With Tony Pollard no longer in the picture, there was hope that the long-time Dallas star could once again lead the backfield. The veteran saw a somewhat significant role to begin the season, including the season opener when he ran for 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

As the season went on, Elliott found himself definitively behind Rico Dowdle on the depth chart. The veteran generally struggled when he was on the field, as his 3.1 yards-per-carry represented a new career-low. Elliott also faced discipline in November for his “habitual tardiness,” leading to his Week 9 absence. With the Cowboys firmly out of the playoff picture entering the final week of the season, Elliott requested and was granted his release as he pursued an opportunity with a playoff team.

He’ll find that opportunity in Los Angeles, where the Chargers have navigated a new RB corps in 2024. J.K. Dobbins recently returned to his RB1 role after missing four weeks with a sprained knee, but fellow RB Gus Edwards is currently nursing his own ankle issue. Hassan Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal have filled in admirably at times for the Chargers throughout the 2024 campaign, but considering Dobbins’ injury history, some extra depth certainly won’t hurt.

Of course, expectations have to be managed for the team’s newest addition. Even as Elliott found the end zone 12 times during the 2022 campaign, the RB was already showing signs of decline, leading to the Cowboys bailing from his six-year, $90MM extension. He didn’t look a whole lot better during his lone season with the Patriots, and he hit a new low this season with only 295 yards from scrimmage. The Chargers are set to take on the Texans this Saturday, so it may be unrealistic for Elliott to earn the team’s trust in less than a week. If the Chargers win their Wild Card matchup and Edwards is still sidelined, then Elliott could potentially play a goal-line role for the team in later rounds.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/6/25

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

  • Re-signed (two years): CB Jason Maitre

New Orleans Saints

  • Re-signed: K Charlie Smyth

A number of impending free agents quickly re-signed with their current organizations today. While these players aren’t shoo-ins for roster spots in 2025, they are attached to actual NFL contracts (vs. reserve/futures contracts, which would need to be converted into real contracts if a player makes a 53-man roster).

In addition to hanging on to kicker Charlie Smyth today, the Saints also had to deal with some notable details on a previously-agreed-upon contract. The NFL rejected the team’s contract to safety Travion Fluellen, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The organization later revised the agreement, bumping the contract from a two-year pact to a three-year pact. It’s uncertain why the league rejected the initial deal, although it could be due to Fluellen’s status as a former UFL player.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/6/25

With the regular season having come to an end, many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts. This allows organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Seahawks, LB Ernest Jones Pause Contract Talks

Ernest Jones is officially set to hit free agency, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done in Seattle. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported this past weekend that the Seahawks and the impending free agent linebacker have “amicably paused discussions” on an extension.

It was a busy 2024 campaign for Jones. The Rams informed the former third-round pick that he would not be extended in 2024, and his camp subsequently received permission to negotiate a trade. While Jones didn’t request a trade out of Los Angeles, the Rams quickly sent him to the Titans. The linebacker lasted only a few months in Tennessee before getting shipped to Seattle, where he ended the season.

Per Rapoport, Jones “would love to return” to the Seahawks for the 2025 campaign, and the reporter adds that the two sides could resume contract talks at any time. For what it’s worth, both camps recently expressed optimism that a deal could eventually get done. Following the team’s season finale yesterday, Jones said the two sides “just gotta get there” in terms of contract value (per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). Meanwhile, head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters that “you’ve got to just trust the process” while expressing confidence “that we’re going to see a lot of Ernest for years to come” (per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times).

The Seahawks didn’t trade for Jones with the intent of making him a rental, with ESPN’s Brady Henderson noting that the team made sincere efforts to extend the player before the end of the season. However, there seemed to be a recent understanding that a deal wouldn’t be resolved until March. Condotta also notes that the team intentionally traded a fourth-round pick (along with Jerome Baker) for the player, with the front office understanding that they could recoup a fourth-round compensatory selection if the player earns a contract worth at least $12MM per year.

Jones played almost every defensive snap for Seattle after joining the team in late October. He ultimately collected 94 tackles in 10 games for the Seahawks, with Pro Football Focus giving him one of the highest positional grades for his run defense. He’ll be joining a relatively deep free agent linebackers class that also includes the likes of Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bolton, and Bobby Wagner.

Colts Fire DC Gus Bradley

The Colts are moving on from their veteran defensive coordinator. Jim Irsay announced Monday that the team is not bringing back Gus Bradley.

The former Jaguars HC and four-time NFL DC had been in Indianapolis for the past three seasons. Despite having worked with Shane Steichen with the Chargers as well, he will not come back for Steichen’s third Colts campaign. This comes two weeks after the Colts allowed 45 points to a 2-13 Giants team starting Drew Lock; that loss eliminated Indianapolis from the playoff race.

[RELATED: Colts To Retain Steichen, GM Chris Ballard]

Bradley had been rumored to be on the hot seat, with SI.com’s Albert Breer suggesting he would be the fall guy after a tough year on defense. Indy stuck with Bradley despite poor defensive numbers last season, and the former Pete Carroll assistant is back on the market. Bradley, 58, has been either a defensive coordinator or head coach since 2009. Seahawks, Chargers, Raiders and Colts DC assignments have sandwiched a woeful Jaguars HC tenure.

Hired to be part of Frank Reich‘s staff in 2022, Bradley could not turn the Colts into an upper-crust defense. Matt Eberflus had Indy as a top-10 scoring unit three times from 2018-21; Bradley has been unable to lead this unit inside the top 20. After back-to-back 28th-place finishes, Bradley’s troops checked in 24th this season. This may be a crossroads point for the veteran assistant, though he has enjoyed success prior to his Indiana stay.

Bradley and Steichen overlapped with the Bolts from 2017-20, with the former heading to Los Angeles after his Jacksonville ouster. Bradley exited Florida with the fourth-worst win percentage (.226) in NFL history. Hue Jackson and Steve Spagnuolo check in below Bradley on that all-time list; the latter’s number with the Rams has hurt him on the HC market, despite a wildly successful Chiefs DC tenure. Bradley has been unable to match Spagnuolo’s Kansas City coordinator work, but he has been regularly sought after since the Jaguars firing.

Anthony Lynn hired Bradley in 2017, while Jon Gruden picked him up after Lynn’s 2020 ouster. As the Raiders cleaned house in 2022, Bradley found his way to Indianapolis. Bradley’s best work remains his 2012 Seahawks defense, which booked him the Jags job and set him up for other DC opportunities down the road. Seattle led the league in scoring defense in 2012, with that defensive system later aiding Dan Quinn and Kris Richard. Bradley’s zone-based system peaked a bit ago, however, and the Colts are set to go in a different direction.

The Colts played almost all of this season without JuJu Brents, a former second-round pick who was supposed to be the team’s top outside corner, and all of it without EDGE starter Samson Ebukam. The latter was part of the Colts setting an Indianapolis-era franchise record with 51 sacks last season. Ballard has also taken criticism for a largely inward-only approach on his roster. That blueprint has largely failed to pay off, but while Ballard will see more time, Bradley is out.

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