Blame it on Tom Brady.
Actually, blame it on Fox and the NFL for allowing Tom Brady to wear two hats that shouldn’t fit on one head.
With neither Fox or the NFL willing to say “no” to Brady’s dual role as lead NFL game analyst and a minority Raiders owners, others are going to try to double dip.
Last week, it was ESPN’s Troy Aikman, whose side hustle as a consultant for the Dolphins drew barely a holiday-week shrug. Now, CBS’s Matt Ryan reportedly hopes to keep his seat at the Sunday pregame desk while serving as the Falcons’ eventual president of football operations.
If Brady can do it, why can’t Aikman? If Aikman can’t do it, why can’t Ryan?
While folks seem to be noticing — and criticizing — the undeniable conflict of interest more fervently than they did a year ago, when many were acting like it was no big deal for Brady and a few were straining to play the “whatabout” game as to those who dared to point out the obvious conflict between the two functions, it’s too late to do anything about it.
Fox didn’t say no to Brady. ESPN didn’t say no to Aikman. CBS might not say no to Ryan.
So do your thing. Get paid. Ignore the ethical dilemma. Do what you want. When you want. How you want.
The question isn’t whether it will end. The question is which broadcaster will do it next?
Maybe I should quit talking about it and start looking for a way to do it myself.
The Titans noted they would be casting a wide net in their search for their next head coach.
Their list will include a coach who was just manning the sideline for another club.
According to Peter Schrager of ESPN, Tennessee will interview former Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris for its head coaching vacancy later this week.
Morris, 49, spent the last two seasons as Atlanta’s head coach, going 8-9 in each season. He previously served as the Falcons’ interim coach in 2020, going 4-7. He was also the Buccaneers head coach from 2009-2011, accumulating a 17-31 record in that span.
Morris was the Rams defensive coordinator from 2021-2023, winning Super bowl LVI with the club.
If Morris’ interview is in person, it would fill one of the two required interviews with minority candidates to satisfy the Rooney Rule.
Fired as head coach of the Browns on Monday, Kevin Stefanski may not wait long to find his next job.
Stefanski is expected to speak with the Giants, Falcons, and Titans about their head coaching vacancies, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Reporters on the Giants beat have been naming Stefanski as a potential top candidate for New York for weeks. Now Stefanski is officially available and can speak with the Giants about the opening that was created in November when the Giants fired Brian Daboll.
A two-time AP coach of the year, Stefanski, 43, compiled a 45-56 record in six seasons with the Browns. The club went to the postseason twice, winning one playoff game in Stefanski’s tenure.
Before becoming Cleveland’s head coach, Stefanski was with Minnesota from 2006-2019, serving in various assistant roles until he was promoted to offensive coordinator during the 2018 season.
The Falcons have put in a pair of interview requests for their head coaching vacancy.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Atlanta would like to interview Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver for the role.
Kubiak is available to interview this week because Seattle has the NFC’s first-round bye as the No. 1 seed.
In his first season with the Seahawks, Kubiak called plays for the unit that finished No. 3 in points and No. 8 in total yards. Quarterback Sam Darnold had another strong season, completing 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as Seattle finished 14-3.
Kubiak — the son of former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak — previously was the Saints offensive coordinator in 2024 and the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023. He’s also spent two different stints with the Broncos and was with the Vikings from 2019-2021.
Weaver is also available to interview now that the Dolphins’ season is over. He was hired as the club’s defensive coordinator in 2024 after spending three seasons with the Ravens as defensive line coach. He’s also spent time with the Texans, Browns, Bills, and Jets as a coach following a playing career that went from 2002-2008 with Baltimore and Houston.
The Dolphins finished the 2025 season No. 22 in yards allowed and No. 24 in points allowed.
Last Monday night, Rich McKay had a dead-center seat for a Monday night win over the Rams, between owner Arthur Blank and G.M. Terry Fontenot.
Today, McKay exited the position of Falcons CEO.
Officially, it ends his 23-year tenure with the team. He served as the General Manager from 2003 through 2008. In 2008, with the hiring of Thomas Dimitroff, McKay graduated to the role of president/CEO. After the team’s current stadium was launched, McKay became more involved (again) on the football side.
He remained the president and CEO until 2023, when Greg Beadles became the team president. As CEO, McKay remained responsible for the football operations. A year later, he exited day-to-day football operations of the Falcons, retaining the position of CEO and adding the title of CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment.
Now, McKay will work solely as the CEO of AMBSE, with Beadles becoming CEO of the Falcons. Said Blank in the letter explaining the latest changes, “Rich will now be able to give full focus to critical AMBSE initiatives including: major events on the near horizon for Atlanta with the 2026 FIFA World Cup and NFL’s 2028 Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS); renovations to MBS and construction of a world-class training facility for AMBSE’s new NWSL franchise and the launch of that team coming in 2028; and other business development and organizational projects in various stages of planning.”
The end result is that McKay no longer works in any capacity for the Atlanta Falcons. Which raises an obvious question: Will he continue to serve as chairman of the Competition Committee?
He no longer works for the NFL’s Falcons. If he doesn’t work for the Falcons, it no longer makes sense for him to have a role that is so central to the ongoing effort to tweak the NFL’s rules and policies.
There had already been rumblings that McKay’s 30-year run on the Competition Committee would be soon ending. Some in league circles have said they’ll believe it when they see it, mainly because McKay’s influence at the league level inures to the benefit of the Falcons — and because (as some believe) McKay coordinates closely with the league office when it comes to selecting the various rules and policies that will be targeted for tweaking.
Of course, now that the league office has begun recruiting specific teams to make proposals that may otherwise stall in the Competition Committee (e.g., the Lions’ proposal to change playoff seeding and the Packers’ proposal to scrap the tush push), it’s possible that the Commissioner and his lieutenants can push their agendas without pulling the strings of the Competition Committee.
Regardless, McKay’s official exit from the Falcons leads directly to the question of whether it makes sense for him to serve on the Competition Committee, as chairman or otherwise.
If he still does, is he truly not working for the Falcons?
