NFL Player News

McDaniel is expected to take the job as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, but he’ll still take time to speak with the Bills about their head-coaching opening before settling for a coordinator role. McDaniel withdrew his name from the Browns’ head-coaching search earlier this week in favor of the Chargers’ job, but having the chance to lead a team with one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Josh Allen could be too much for McDaniel to pass up should the opportunity present itself. The Bills are early in their head-coaching search and still have other potential suitors to meet over the weekend, but for now, McDaniel is in the mix.

Fangio, 67, could consider retirement, but Garafolo does add that the discussions between Fangio and the Eagles have “been leaning to the positive recently but anything good change.” The Eagles reportedly considered Browns DC Jim Schwartz and new Packers DC Jonathan Gannon to replace Fangio should he opt not to return, but Schwartz would be the only option available of the two, and that’s assuming the Browns let him after his contract after the decision to pass on him for their head-coaching vacancy. This will be a situation to monitor until there’s a permanent solution, but Fangio’s defense was fifth in points allowed last season and ranked 13th in total yards allowed.

Alexander spent five years in the NFL as a safety before quickly transitioning to coaching. The 41-year-old spent seven seasons in the college ranks before joining the Dolphins as a defensive backs coach in 2021. Brian Flores, the Vikings defensive coordinator, was Miami’s head coach at the time, so the Vikings know who they’re getting in Alexander. He also coached defensive backs with the Steelers and Raiders.

Smith served as the Dolphins offensive coordinator under Mike McDaniel for the last four seasons. He was named the NFL’s top OC in 2023 despite not calling plays in Miami. The 44-year-old coach has worked in the NFL since 2010 with stops in New Orleans, Chicago, Oakland/Las Vegas and Los Angeles (Chargers) as well. Having previously worked as a tight ends coach, offensive line coach and run game coordinator, Smith will assist Kevin O’Connell in run game planning. He previously interviewed for the Eagles offensive coordinator position before they hired Sean Mannion.

It’s no secret that Joe Brady will continue to run the offense in Buffalo as head coach, but now we know who’ll be heading up the Bills’ defense in the post-Sean McDermott era. Leonhard’s hiring, which was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, takes him off the table for teams like the Ravens and Chargers that also had interest in the 43-year-old coach. A former walk-on safety at Wisconsin, Leonhard played 10 years in the NFL before returning to Wisconsin to start his coaching career and remaining there for seven years. He’s only coached in the NFL for the last two seasons, but had his fingerprints on one of the league’s best defenses as the defensive pass game coordinator in Denver. Leonhard takes over a Buffalo defense that finished 20th in DVOA.

Per Wilson, Ferentz is expected to coach tight ends, though his role has not yet been formally defined. The former offensive lineman entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent with the Texans. He joined the Broncos in 2015 and spent 2018-2023 with the Patriots. Ferentz spent the last two seasons serving as an assistant offensive line coach with the Giants.

Maye practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday, nursing an injury in his right shoulder. He was downgraded today after coming down with an illness. The Patriots have another week of practice before Super Bowl LX will be played. We have no concerns about his availability.

Darnold was limited in practice today. The Seahawks continue to smartly take it easy on their star quarterback as he rehabs his multi-week soft tissue injury. Darnold threw for a season-high 346 yards against the Rams in the NFC Championship Game. We have no concerns about his availability. The team removed him from this week’s injury report at the end of the day, indicating he would play if Super Bowl LX were to be played this weekend.

The hiring reunites Breyer with new Browns head coach Todd Monken, who previously served as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. Breyer served as a Ravens offensive assistant, working closely with tight ends, over the last two years. The Ravens hired him in an offensive quality control capacity in 2023. He worked for the Falcons as an offensive assistant from 2020-2021 before serving as their run game specialist in 2022. He served as an analytics assistant with the Buccaneers in 2016 before working as a defensive assistant coach with them from 2017-2018. He worked with the Dolphins coaching staff during OTAs in 2015 as well.

Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, is the executor of the trust and has a “directive from her late brother to eventually sell both [the Seahawks and Trail Blazers] and donate the proceeds to charity.” Per the report, “Sportico values the Seahawks at $6.59 billion” and “one team executive told ESPN that the Seahawks could fetch $7 billion to $8 billion.”

The Raiders and Cardinals were among the first five teams to ask for interviews with Kubiak. He has consistently been linked to the Raiders, and co-owner Tom Brady has notably called multiple Seahawks games as of late. Kubiak impressed viewers early in 2024, running a then-healthy Saints offense that was eventually hampered by injuries down the stretch. Fortunately, the Seahawks’ offense has largely enjoyed good health this season, allowing Kubiak to establish himself as a top-tier play caller. Across the full season, the Seahawks rank fourth in yards per play (5.9) and second in yards per pass play (8.49).