NFL Player News

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Campbell wasn’t expected to play for the Niners again this season after he refused to enter the game in last Thursday’s loss to the Rams. While many thought the Niners would release Campbell in the coming days, the Niners have instead opted to end his season with this three-game suspension. General Manager John Lynch officially said Campbell was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Campbell signed a one-year contract with the Niners this offseason to replace linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who suffered a torn Achilles in the Super Bowl, but his role on the team had diminished in recent weeks with Greenlaw on the mend. Campbell totaled 79 tackles, three TFLs, and two pass breakups in what is certain to be his only season with the team.

This makes sense. Minter was hired, in part, for his defensive prowess, having served as a long-time Jim Harbaugh understudy. The Ravens’ defensive coordinator has not yet been hired. Learning under Minter without having play-calling responsibilities could be appealing for some.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes that Tolzien was on the Packers’ roster, as a quarterback, under current Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy also hired Tolzien as an offensive assistant with the Cowboys in 2020 and promoted him to quarterbacks coach in 2023, where he served for two seasons.

Allen revealed that he aggravated an “older injury” against the Browns in Week 16. It was a fracture in his fifth metatarsal. To correct the issue, doctors “went in, took it out and cleaned it up.” Yuck. Allen adds that he would “figure out” a way to play if the Bills had a game this week, and he will be ready to participate in organized team activities in May.

Graham is currently on his way to Pittsburgh. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that “the expectation in some league circles” is that Graham will get the gig “if all goes well.” He previously interviewed for the Dolphins head-coaching vacancy and has been linked to the Commanders’ defensive coordinator vacancy as well.

Per Fowler, the Raiders are interviewing Klint Kubiak this weekend and will then make their final decision for their head coaching vacancy. Vegas has spent its top two picks in each of the past two drafts on offensive players. They are also about to spend the No. 1 overall pick on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The team is built around offensive cornerstones and Kubiak is one of the hottest offensive-minded head coaching candidates on the market. Barring a last-second twist, all signs point to Kubiak getting this job.

Bills GM Brandon Beane told reporters last week that Allen might undergo offseason foot surgery. He suffered the foot injury in Week 16 but played through it, seemingly without issue, through the team’s playoff run. Allen, however, is no stranger to gritting his teeth through injuries, so it may have been a bigger deal than his play let on. Either way, the extra medical equipment he was sporting today suggests an offseason surgery is definitely on the table.

Simmons originally interviewed for the Steelers’ defensive coordinator vacancy, but that role went to Patrick Graham. Now Simmons will reunite with Graham and head coach Mike McCarthy. Simmons got his start as a coach in Green Bay and wound up spending nearly a decade there. He has since held the title of defensive pass game coordinator for the Panthers, Raiders, and Commanders.

Leonhard was an NFL safety for 10 years, including a season with the Ravens, before becoming a coach. He coached college ball, primarily at Wisconsin, for eight years before joining the Broncos. With Denver’s defense emerging as one of the league’s best units over the past two seasons, Leonhard now has multiple teams reaching out to him about their defensive coordinator vacancies. He also has an interview with the Bills lined up. Leonhard would join Jesse Minter, another rising star among defensive coaches, if he lands the Baltimore job.

If that seems random, it’s less so than it appears on the surface, as O’Leary served as the Bolts’ safeties coach in 2024. O’Leary apparently earned internal raves for his 2024 work with Derwin James, then went on to coordinator one of the nation’s best scoring defenses at Western Michigan. Before his Chargers and WMU stops, O’Leary spent six seasons at Notre Dame. It’s a somewhat outside-the-box hire, but a seemingly good one for a team tasked with replacing Jesse Minter.

Lewis is a former NFL wide receiver who spent the past three seasons as the Ravens’ wide receivers coach. He previously worked with Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi in Kansas City from 2017-2022, first as receivers coach, then as running backs coach. New head coach Robert Saleh added Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator and is now starting to build the rest of the offensive staff with Lewis’ hire.