There’s another team with interest in Jim Bob Cooter to be their offensive coordinator.
Per Peter Schrager of ESPN, Cooter will meet with the Giants to discuss that team’s OC vacancy.
The Giants were likely to hire Todd Monken to be the club’s first offensive coordinator under new head coach John Harbaugh. But the Browns interrupted those plans by hiring Monken as their head coach. So now, the Giants will have to pivot.
Cooter has been with the Colts since 2023. He was previously an offensive coordinator with the Lions from 2016-2018. He’s also spent time with the Chiefs, Broncos, Jets, Eagles, and Jaguars.
Philadelphia has also expressed interest in Cooter as a potential option at offensive coordinator.
New York has reportedly requested an interview with Broncos passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Davis Webb as well.
The Bill Belichick snub has had plenty of ripple effects. The biggest came from the alleged role of Hall of Fame G.M. and Hall of Fame voter Bill Polian in persuading other voters to pass on enshrining Belichick.
It started in the ESPN.com story regarding Belichick’s omission. From the report: “A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent [Robert] Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts -- a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty -- told some voters he believed Belichick should ‘wait a year’ before induction as penance for Spygate.”
Polian initially said to SI.com, “That’s totally and categorically untrue. I voted for [Belichick].” Polian then told ESPN.com that he can’t recall with 100-percent certainty whether he voted for Belichick. On Wednesday, Polian confirmed that he did in fact vote for Belichick.
None of this has kept Polian from being accused of instigating Belichick’s failure to qualify. Based on the explanation from Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star regarding his decision not to vote for Belichick, it’s entirely possible that more than a few voters omitted Belichick from their ballots in favor of former players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood, reasoning that Belichick will get in eventually and that the players may never make it.
Regardless, the prevailing view, as explained by Belichick’s presenter, Armando Salguero, is that Spygate derailed Belichick’s candidacy.
John Carroll University football coach Brian Polian, Bill’s son, has weighed in on the situation.
“My father is a public figure and polarizing,” Brian Polian said on Twitter. “I understand and accept that. However, what has happened over the last couple of days is not right. The facts and the truth are important.”
Whatever the reasoning for the 11 (or more) who failed to include Belichick as one of three selections from a group that included Anderson, Craig, Greenwood, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Belichick didn’t get enough votes. It’s a product of the process, one that (for whatever reason) no longer requires an up-or-down vote on each of the finalists.
No one voted “against” Belichick. Not enough voted “for” him. Next year, the Hall of Fame will surely fix this.
The broader question is whether the Hall of Fame will overhaul its voting procedures in order to restore the bar to where it used to be. If not, the annual classes will shrink, the logjam will grow, and more worthy candidates (relative to those already enshrined) will be overlooked.
The Eagles’ extended search for a new offensive coordinator now includes a second interview with Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Cooter had an in-person interview with the team on Tuesday. Cooter interviewed with the Eagles virtually earlier this month.
The Colts could have blocked Cooter from interviewing since it is a lateral move, but moving to the Eagles would give Cooter a chance to call offensive plays. Head coach Shane Steichen handles those duties for the Colts.
Steichen and Cooter were both on Nick Sirianni’s Eagles’ staff in 2021 with Steichen as the offensive coordinator and Cooter in a consulting role. That familiarity could help Cooter land a different role in Philly this time around.
Two new tight ends were added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster on Monday.
Dalton Kincaid of the Bills and Tyler Warren of the Colts will now be headed to San Francisco for next week’s festivities. They replace Travis Kelce of the Chiefs and Brock Bowers of the Raiders.
Kincaid had 39 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns for the Bills this season. He also had nine catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. It’s the first time he has been selected for the Pro Bowl.
Warren was a first-round pick last year and led all rookies with 76 catches in the regular season. He picked up 817 yards and four touchdowns on those receptions.
Philip Rivers will not be following up his unlikely return to the NFL as a player with an unlikely move to the sidelines in Buffalo.
Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports that Rivers has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Bills’ head coaching job. Rivers interviewed with the team after they fired Sean McDermott last week.
Rivers came out of retirement to join the Colts for the final weeks of the 2025 regular season, but was unable to win any games and the Colts were eliminated from playoff contention. He said his plan was to return to coaching his son’s high school team before the Bills offered a chance to dip his toe into the NFL coaching world.
Had the Bills hired him, Rivers would have been the third person to land an NFL head coaching job without any pro or college coaching experience. That could still happen or Rivers could try a more conventional entry point to a bid to become a head coach at some point in the future.
