The Dolphins apparently are pleased with the efforts of consultant Troy Aikman, as it relates to their search for a General Manager.
Via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN game analyst will continue to serve as an advisor in the process of searching for a head coach.
Obviously, the Dolphins didn’t have a head-coaching vacancy when Aikman was first retained. They now do. The fact that Mike McDaniel was fired this week serves only to bolster speculation that Aikman’s advice included making a change — especially given his frank and sharp criticism of McDaniel’s handling of the fourth quarter of a Week 15 Monday night game against the Steelers.
And while the blatant Tom Brady conflict of interest as Raiders minority owner (and now close collaborator with G.M. John Spytek regarding the Las Vegas football operation) and Fox NFL broadcaster has stretched the rubber band far enough to include less problematic dual-hat situations, Aikman’s role in the hiring of a new G.M. and head coach in Miami will give him a vested interest in the success of the Dolphins based on the advice he was paid to provide. Which will undermine, if only a bit, his objectivity throughout the tenure of G.M. Jon-Eric Sullivan and whoever becomes the successor to McDaniel.
Cowboys Clips
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record during the 2025 season and he also became one of three unanimous choices for the Associated Press All-Pro team.
All 50 voters selected Garrett as one of their choices at edge rusher in this year’s voting. Those voters also unanimously selected Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for this year’s first team.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford got the nod over Drake Maye at quarterback, which opens up the possibility of a split with MVP for the second straight season. Stafford got 31 votes while the Patriots quarterback got 18 with Bills quarterback Josh Allen getting the other one.
Stafford joins kicker Gary Anderson as the only players to be named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in their 17th season or later.
The full All-Pro teams appear below:
First team
Offense
Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco
Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle; Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati
All Purpose — Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
Tight End — Trey McBride, Arizona
Left Tackle — Garrett Bolles, Denver
Left Guard — Joe Thuney, Chicago
Center — Creed Humphrey, Kansas City
Right Guard — Quinn Meinerz, Denver
Right Tackle — Penei Sewell, Detroit
Defense
Edge Rushers — Myles Garrett, Cleveland; Will Anderson Jr., Houston; Micah Parsons, Green Bay
Interior Linemen — Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee; Zach Allen, Denver
Linebackers — Jack Campbell, Detroit; Jordyn Brooks, Miami
Cornerbacks — Derek Stingley Jr., Houston; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia
Slot cornerback — Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia
Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore; Kevin Byard, Chicago
Special Teams
Placekicker — Will Reichard, Minnesota
Punter — Jordan Stout, Baltimore
Kick Returner — Ray Davis, Buffalo
Punt Returner — Chimera Dike, Tennessee
Special Teamer — Devon Key, Denver
Long Snapper — Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville
Second team
Offense
Quarterback — Drake Maye, New England
Running Back — James Cook, Buffalo
Fullback — Patrick Ricard, Baltimore
Wide Receivers — George Pickens, Dallas; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit; Chris Olave, New Orleans
All Purpose — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Tight End — Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
Left Tackle — Trent Williams, San Francisco
Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis
Center — Aaron Brewer, Miami
Right Guard — Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta
Right Tackle — Darnell Wright, Chicago
Defense
Edge Rushers — Brian Burns, New York Giants; Danielle Hunter, Houston; Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit
Interior Linemen — Leonard Williams, Seattle; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh
Linebackers — Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville; Ernest Jones IV, Seattle
Cornerbacks — Patrick Surtain II, Denver; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle
Slot cornerback — Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
Safeties — Jessie Bates III, Atlanta; Talanoa Hufanga, Denver; Xavier McKinney, Green Bay (Hufanga and McKinney were tied for the second-team spot)
Special teams
Placekicker — Brandon Aubrey, Dallas
Punter — Michael Dickson, Seattle
Kick Returner — Kavontae Turpin, Dallas
Punt Returner — Marcus Jones, New England
Special Teamer — Del’Shawn Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
Long Snapper — Andrew DePaola, Minnesota
The Cowboys have lined up their first three interviews with defensive coordinator candidates.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that they will speak with Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda on Friday. Broncos defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard will meet with the Cowboys on Saturday.
The last three Cowboys defensive coordinators — Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus — all had NFL head coaching experience in the past, but that’s not the case for any of these three candidates. Leonhard was the interim head coach at the University of Wisconsin in 2022 and went 4-3.
None of the three have been defensive coordinators in the NFL either, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week that is not a prerequisite for the job.
The Commanders have requested permission to speak with Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells about their offensive coordinator opening, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
Wells has spent six seasons in his current job, which includes three seasons with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn on staff.
The Commanders are seeking to replace Kliff Kingsbury, whom Quinn fired earlier this week.
Washington had starting quarterback Jayden Daniels for only seven games this season because of injuries. The Commanders ranked 22nd in yards and 22nd in points.
Wells also coached for the Giants from 2013-19, first as an offensive quality control coach and then as the assistant offensive line coach. From 2008-11, he was on the LSU staff.
The Cowboys fired Matt Eberflus earlier this week, putting them in the market for a new defensive coordinator for the third consecutive offseason. The new hire will be the team’s fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons.
The Cowboys have requested permission to speak with Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, Broncos assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
The Cowboys were denied permission by Atlanta to talk with Jeff Ulbrich, who remains under contract despite the Falcons’ search for a head coach, Archer adds. The Cowboys could eventually speak with Ulbrich after the Falcons settle on a head coach.
Dallas ranked last in the NFL in points allowed, giving up a team-record 511. The team was 30th in yards allowed.
The new coordinator will follow Dan Quinn (2021-23), Mike Zimmer (2024) and Eberflus (2025).
Former NFL tight end Jason Witten’s coaching career is shifting to the next level.
Per multiple reports, Witten will become the tight ends coach at Oklahoma.
Witten has coached Liberty Christian high school in Argyle, Texas, for five years. Some believe he’s destined to coach the Dallas Cowboys, one of these days. He’ll now commence getting coaching experience at the college level.
Witten played college football at Tennessee from 2000 through 2002. The Cowboys made him a third-round pick in 2003.
He spent 15 years in Dallas, retiring for a one-year stint on Monday Night Football before returning to the Cowboys in 2019. He finished his career with the Raiders in 2020.
An 11-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro, Witten is a finalist for the next Pro Football Hall of Fame class. It’s his first year of eligibility.
Witten is fourth on the all-time reception list, with 1,228.
Jerry Jones has gotten even more specific about his own personal meaning of the term “gloryhole.”
It’s more like “glory whole.”
Via Todd Archer of ESPN.com, the 83-year-old Jones set forth his career objectives during a Wednesday press conference.
“My goal in life is to retire as the owner that won the most Super Bowls,” Jones said. “That’s my goal. To be retired in the NFL as the owner that won the most super bowls. We’ve got three. How many more do I have to go as a single owner? [New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft] has got how many? Six? So, I got work to do. Got work to do. But at least I’m up to the second rung in the ladder.”
If nothing else, Jones’s comments underscore the simple reality that, if he’s in the Hall of Fame, Kraft should be, too.
Beyond that, Jones does indeed have plenty of work to do. After the Cowboys played for the right to get to the Super Bowl 16 times in the first 30 installments of the game, they’ve played in the NFC Championship zero times in the next 30.
Will they suddenly become an even bigger dynasty than they were in the ‘90s, allowing Jones to win four more?
We’d suggest starting with trying to get one.
And if Jones wants to do that quickly, maybe he’s the owner with a coach currently in the job who called about John Harbaugh.
The perception when the Cowboys hired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus last year was that it was team owner Jerry Jones’ choice rather than one that head coach Brian Schottenheimer made for himself.
Eberflus was fired this week after the Cowboys allowed more than 30 points a game while going 7-9-1 and Jones was asked at a Wednesday press conference about who will be making the ultimate decision about Eberflus’ replacement. Jones’ answer opened with a quip about current events that underlines his role as the chief decision-maker in Dallas before saying that he, Schottenheimer and Stephen Jones were all involved in last year’s process. Jones said he expects this year’s process to unfold the same way.
“Trump just said it: ‘I’m running Venezuela,’” Jones said. “Seriously, Schotty had everything to do with hiring Matt Eberflus last time. And that’s not done as a negative — no way in the world he’s here if Schotty didn’t want him here. No way in the world if Stephen didn’t want him here. But I, particularly, had a party to have him come in and I was excited about the uniqueness of his staff. . . . I’ve done it with consensus since the first day I walked through the door here. We’ll do it the same way we hired Flus. We’ll do it together and come up with as good as we can.”
The team has not started the process of requesting interviews with potential replacements, but Jones said that previous head coaching experience is not a requirement for the job and that he’s open to a first-time coordinator.
With six vacancies (other than the Ravens) and seven teams calling former Ravens coach John Harbaugh after his dismissal on Tuesday, at least one team without a vacancy made the call.
So which team(s) called? (It’s possible that more than one team without an opening called, if at least one of the teams currently looking for a coach did not.)
Here’s a look at the possibilities. And don’t blame us for doing it; Harbaugh’s agent lit the fuse by disclosing that seven teams called.
Jets: By all appearances, first-year coach Aaron Glenn lost the locker room. The final five games, with a minus-137 point differential (27.4 per game), was arguably the worst stretch ever for a franchise with plenty of rough spots. Still, owner Woody Johnson has shown no inclination to fire Glenn — and to owe him more than $40 million to not coach the team.
Dolphins: Michigan man Stephen Ross once pursued Michigan man Jim Harbaugh while the Dolphins still had a coach under contract. Why wouldn’t Ross make the call about Harbaugh’s brother, given the currently tenuous status of Mike McDaniel?
Bills: What if the Bills lose this weekend? Is it crazy to think the Bills would consider making a change? That said, swapping out one coach who failed to get to the Super Bowl during the prime years of a generational talent for another coach who failed to get to the Super Bowl during the prime years of a generational talent seems odd.
Steelers: If the team thinks Mike Tomlin, who seems to have a TV offer in his back pocket, could be leaving after the playoff run ends, it needs to be thinking about the next coach. Why not Harbaugh?
Bengals: There’s no way Mike Brown will finance Zac Taylor’s buyout and pay whatever it would take to get Harbaugh.
Colts: Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has said Shane Steichen will be back. Could she view Harbaugh as an upgrade who may not be available if a change is made in 2027?
Chiefs: Andy Reid will be back for 2026. The phone call (if it happened) may have been as simple as, “Keep us in mind if you’re thinking about taking a year off and returning in 2027.”
Cowboys: See the Chiefs.
Commanders: Dan Quinn’s team badly regressed in 2025. Why wouldn’t owner Josh Harris at least consider the possibility of an upgrade to Harbaugh?
Packers: New team president Ed Policy made it clear in June that it’s an up-or-out year for coach Matt LaFleur and G.M. Brian Gutekunst. Could Policy have wanted to let Harlan (the son of former Packers CEO Bob Harlan) know that there may be a reason to let the wild-card round play out before making any decisions?
Buccaneers: There’s a vague sense still lingering that ownership could make a coaching change. Harbaugh’s availability could be the thing that pushes the Bucs off the fence.
At least one of those teams made the call. Maybe more than one. And if one of those teams fires its head coach in the coming days, it could be the first step toward hiring John Harbaugh.
Mike McCarthy faced the Giants many times when he was the head coach of the Packers and the Cowboys, and he’s now set to meet with the NFC East team about their head coaching vacancy.
According to multiple reports, the Giants have arranged an interview with McCarthy for their vacancy next week. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports the interview is scheduled for Tuesday.
McCarthy was 49-35 over five seasons in Dallas before parting ways with the team after the 2024 season. He was 125-77-2 as the Packers’ head coach and won Super Bowl XLV, but also lost an NFC Championship Game at home to the Giants after the 2007 season.
The Giants are also expected to speak with former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. They are also one of the teams believed to have interest in former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
