20 JAN PAYTON, KELLEN INTERVIEWS ON HOLD Professional football player Anton Walkes has died after a boating accident in Florida, authorities said Thursday, a tragedy that has affected the sports world in Charlotte.
Walkes, 25, was a player for David Tepper-owned MLS club Charlotte FC, who also owns the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
Tepper said everyone involved “is devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes. … He was a wonderful son, father, partner and teammate whose joyful approach to life touched everyone he met.”
In light of the tragedy, the Tepper and the Panthers contingent, which was in New York on Friday to interview head coach candidate Sean Payton, instead traveled back to North Carolina while Payton’s interview was put on hold.
Also postponed is the Panthers’ scheduled visit to the Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
JAN 17 ANOTHER DQ FRIEND Add the Indianapolis Colts to Dan Quinn’s list of interview requests.
The Cowboys defensive coordinator, who will apply for the top job with the Denver Broncos on Friday also on the bucket list in Indy. Quinn, of course, will be juggling the visit or visits as he prioritizes his preparation for Dallas’ Sunday playoff game in San Francisco.
JAN 16 PAYTON UPDATE The Houston Texans have completed an interview with Sean Payton, an NFL source tells TexansDaily.com.
Meanwhile, Payton himself has made a disclosure saying the cost of trading for him for an interested team would be “a mid or late first round pick.”
Payton, meanwhile, has dismissed the idea of the Cowboys as a viable destination for him now that he’s “retired.” Mike McCarthy seems safe in Dallas.
Payton is a top contender for the Denver job, as is Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who will have an interview with the Broncos on Friday.
Jim Harbaugh has retired from Denver and has chosen to remain at the University of Michigan.
JAN 14 THERE CLIFF! FOX reports that former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury – fired this week – is telling potential employers (who may want him as offensive coordinator) that he is unavailable at this time.
And why not?
Cliff apparently bought a plane ticket.
A ticket to Thailand.
A one-way ticket to Thailand.
14 JAN SEAN SWEEPSTAKES The Denver Broncos and top coach candidate Sean Payton…could be a match?
The Washington Post report that the Broncos “appear to be the frontrunner” for Payton, the former Saints’ Super Bowl-winning coach.
Payton, 59, will face the Broncos in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is also high on Denver’s wish list.
13 JAN MCVAY TO STAY Sean McVay retired?
That will have to wait another year.
The Super Bowl-winning Rams coach has decided to keep working instead of taking a break and going on TV, according to multiple reports.
McVay recently told his aides they could look for other work, and in his own media visits, he has given cryptic answers about his future…
There were rumors that McVay would leave last year after the Rams won Super Bowl LVI against the Bengals, with reports he received a $100 million five-year offer to join the Amazon broadcast booth. But now he’s staying on after a losing season and rebuilding… at least until a year from now, when we’re sure we’ll be telling the same story again.
13 JAN BILLS REPLACEMENT? They said they may be “making changes”. The New England Patriots seem to be taking this pretty seriously. From our Patriots SI crew in Boston:
In an atypical display of transparency, the Pats issued a statement Thursday evening both reaffirming their intent to interview potential offensive coordinators and announcing that they have “entered contract renewal talks” with inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to join the team. stay long term.
The new extension for Mayo – which is getting feelers from other recruiting teams – will likely be accompanied by an improved title (possibly defensive coordinator?) head coach?
Read more here.
JAN 11 RENTALS SEAN. BURN THE REST Writes our man Mike Fisher: “Welcome back to the NFL, Houston Texans. You’re almost back to being a real, living, viable professional franchise. … All because you put in an interview request for Sean Payton.
Payton is the ‘prom king’ of this Coaching Carousel, by far the most proven product among the ‘new’ potential head coaches. We don’t really need to list his resume, but… In 16 seasons with the Saints as head coach, Payton helped lead the team to seven division titles, three NFC Championship Games (2006, 2009 and 2018) and a victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
And Fish’s suggestion for the hapless Texans, should Payton really be interested?
Full control. Like Belichick. Like Popovich. And everyone else get the hell out of the way.
Fish’s Sean Payton column is here.
11 JAN 2 OC MOVED? The Jets say goodbye to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, league sources tell CowboysSI.com. … a shuffle that takes place at the moment Kellen Moore from Dallas – “the smartest guy in every room!” – enters the Coaching Carousel as a candidate for the top job in Carolina.
JAN 10 WASHINGTON BURNS The Washington Commanders are looking for a new offensive coordinator after the firing of Scott Turner on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Turner coordinated the Commanders offense for three seasons on Ron Rivera’s staff, but Washington finished 20th in total offense this season, averaging 330.3 yards per game.
There are a number of candidates that could be tied to the job, but perhaps the biggest name is former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired on Dec. 26 after going just 4-11 in 15 games.
The main reason he was hired by the Broncos was his success in leading Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a 2021 MVP award in his 37-year season.
Rodgers is expected to be a free agent this offseason and could be looking for a change of scenery, especially after the Packers missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record.
It is an opportunity for Rodgers to move to Washington DC in 2023, but there was interest for him in coming to the nation’s capital when he was thinking about his future a year ago. But if he were to leave, bringing along his former offensive coordinator could elevate a good team’s commanders to one of the league’s elite.
Turner, of course, is the son of former Cowboys Super Bowl winning coordinator and Washington head coach Norv Turner.
JAN 10: DQ RESPONDS, VISIT HARBAUGH The Dallas Cowboys finished the regular season with a disappointing 26-6 loss to the Washington Commanders, but that hasn’t slowed interest in league circles for Dan Quinn as head coach.
But on Monday, Quinn himself “slowed things down” a bit.
“Anyone you ask, you’re flattered…,” Quinn told The Star on Monday about the Broncos’ interview request. “So right where my feet are and enjoy, and then we’re going to have a kick-ass week.”
That’s the pretty standard answer from the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator to such questions, but it’s also the truth about how he does business. Yes, Quinn is once again a candidate for the Denver job, a job he interviewed a year ago before Denver finally chose Nathaniel Hackett.
In the meantime, the Broncos paid a visit to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday. And Sean Payton remains high on their wish list.
JAN 9: CLIFF FIRED Last March, Texas native Kliff Kingsbury signed a six-year extension as head coach of the Cardinals.
And now it’s over.
Kingsbury led the Cardinals to a 4–13 record, their worst record since Kingsbury arrived in Arizona, and now he has been fired.
9 JAN QUINN DENVER REQUEST Dan Quinn and the Cowboys have received a request from Denver to interview the defensive coordinator, as first reported by NFL Network.
Quinn was a finalist for the same job a year ago. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has vowed to keep Quinn back at The Star.
8 JAN LOVIE OUT, EAGLES COACH IN? Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith has been fired, and sources tell us that Texans and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will have a mutual interest in moving forward.
Smith finished 3-13-1 in his only season in charge.
Several league sources have labeled Gannon as a top contender for the Texans’ opening potential after he made a strong impression during two interviews last season before the Texans promoted Smith from defensive coordinator.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero are other highly regarded candidates.
JANUARY 8: QUINN VS. THE DENVER FIELD Sean Payton’s people have whispered that he is not interested in the Denver Broncos. And Jim Harbaugh came right out this week and said he plans to stay at the University of Michigan.
Both were… er… lies. And what they actually decide to do affects the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Read all about it here.
JAN 8: LOVIE OUT? Sources tell us that coach Lovie Smith’s job security is in serious jeopardy heading into the final game of another dismal season for the Texans. Further, we are told that Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and Houston would have mutual interest if the job becomes vacant. Stay tuned …
JAN 8: PIEST WITH RETIREMENT? Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is no stranger to putting up the playing sheet.
Pees, 73, is the NFL’s oldest coach and has retired twice, once after the 2017 season with the Baltimore Ravens before changing course and joining the Tennessee Titans a month later, and again two years later , and eventually returned to coaching after a season off. once Arthur Smith took the head coaching job at Atlanta.
And when he retires? Here’s the internal list for the Falcons jump-up.
JAN 2: ‘DUMB’ MOVEMENT – RON IN DANGER? Cowboys at Commanders comes on the heels of this story: “Dumb’ Coach Ron Rivera gets fired by Dan Snyder?” This is worth following…all because of a dedication to Carson Wentz.
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