It was previously reported that the Chiefs fired wide receivers coach Connor Embree, but he wasn’t the only departure after the team’s 6-11 season.
Head coach Andy Reid also let go of running backs coach Todd Pinkston, and two other assistants left for other jobs, Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reports. Defensive assistant Louie Addazio accepted the offensive line job at UNLV last week, and assistant defensive line coach Alex Whittingham joined his father, Kyle, at the University of Michigan.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is interviewing for head coaching jobs. He is among the leading candidates for the Tennessee job, where former Chiefs assistant General Manager Mike Borgonzi is leading the search as the Titans’ General Manager.
Nagy also could pursue offensive coordinator jobs to become a primary play-caller again.
Commanders Clips
Jonathan Gannon may be heading back to the NFC East.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Gannon is interviewing with the Commanders on Thursday for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
Gannon was fired after three seasons as Cardinals head coach last week. But before his Arizona tenure, he spent 2021-2022 as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
In 2022, Philadelphia ranked No. 2 in yards allowed and No. 8 in points allowed, becoming NFC Champions. But the team lost Super Bowl LVII to the Chiefs.
Gannon is one of several candidates for the role, with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Seahawks defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Karl Scott also interviewing for the job in recent days.
The Commanders unveiled renderings of their new stadium on Thursday morning.
The images show what the design firm HKS, which also designed SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, has in mind for the old RFK Stadium site. The stadium is set to include a transparent roof and is set to hold 70,000 people.
“We are proud to share the first visuals of our future stadium, a defining milestone in the next phase of the development process,” Commanders president Mark Clouse said in a statement. “This moment underscores the strength of our partnership with HKS, whose thoughtful, forward-looking approach has helped us shape a concept that is worthy of its extraordinary site along DC’s Monumental Axis and truly embodies the spirit and character of the District. We are deeply grateful to the District and the Mayor for their leadership, collaboration, and continued support, which have been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.”
Construction on the new stadium is expected to be completed in 2030.
The Commanders are hiring D.J. Williams as their quarterbacks coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
Williams is the son of franchise legend Doug Williams, the Super Bowl XXII MVP in Washington’s 42-10 win over the Broncos. Doug Williams remains a senior advisor to the General Manager for the team.
D.J. Williams most recently was the quarterbacks coach for the Falcons, who fired head coach Raheem Morris after the season.
The younger Williams played quarterback for his father at Grambling and became an NFL assistant with the Saints in 2019. He joined the Falcons as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024 and moved into his current role in 2025.
The Commanders needed a new quarterbacks coach after promoting David Blough to offensive coordinator. Blough replaces Kliff Kingsbury, whom the Commanders fired at the end of the season.
The Commanders interviewed Seahawks defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Karl Scott for their defensive coordinator opening, ESPN reports.
They have interviewed Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen, requested Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and scheduled an interview with former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon for Thursday.
Scott, 40, has spent the past four years in his role as the Seahawks’ defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator. He was the Vikings’ defensive backs coach in 2021 in his first season in the NFL.
Scott has extensive experience in the college ranks, including as the defensive coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana in 2014.
The Commanders fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. after a 5-12 season.
With nine head coach vacancies, Brian Flores may end up getting one of the jobs.
But for now, he’s spending some time with a team that may like to have him as a top assistant.
Via multiple reports, Flores is interviewing with Washington for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
The Commanders fired Joe Whitt Jr. after the completion of the regular season. Head coach Dan Quinn had taken back defensive play-calling duties during the season, making the move unsurprising.
After three seasons as Dolphins head coach, Flores spent 2022 with the Steelers as senior defensive assist nd linebackers coach. He’s been the Vikings’ defensive coordinator since 2023, but his contract is up, making him eligible to interview with other teams for a lateral move.
But PFT reported earlier this week that the Vikings are confident they’ll be able to retain Flores if he does not get a head coaching job.
Commanders fans have something else to worry about.
Oft-injured quarterback Jayden Daniels will participate in the upcoming flag-football tournament in Saudi Arabia. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Daniels will serve as a team captain, along with Tom Brady.
When the event was announced in September, various current NFL players were listed: Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, and Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, and Kyle Shanahan will be the coaches.
The players will be covered by the same type of insurance the NFL uses for the Pro Bowl, the Olympics, and other sporting events involving active players. The players, and their teams, will be insured against losses arising from any potential injuries happening during the competition.
But no amount of insurance will ensure the player will be able to keep playing for his primary team. Which is all that Commanders fans will care about.
Obviously, the risk of injury while playing flag football is low. Insurance wouldn’t be needed, however, unless some degree of risk existed.
Which is exactly what former Patriots running back Robert Edwards learned 27 years ago.
PFT reported on Monday that the Vikings are confident Brian Flores will be back as the team’s defensive coordinator if he does not land a head coaching job, but that apparently isn’t stopping at least one other club from seeing if Flores is interested in running their defense.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Commanders want to interview Flores for that position on Dan Quinn’s coaching staff. Flores just wrapped up his third season as the coordinator in Minnesota.
Flores is expected to interview with the Ravens for their head coaching vacancy this week. There has not been any other word of head coaching interest so far this cycle.
Flores went 24-25 in three seasons as the head coach of the Dolphins before being fired after the 2021 season. He subsequently took legal action against the Dolphins, the NFL and three other clubs for racial discrimination and that claim is still pending.
The Commanders have their eye on someone with familial ties to the organization as they look for a new quarterbacks coach.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that they have requested an interview with Falcons quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams for the same role on Dan Quinn’s staff. The Commanders are also looking for a new offensive coordinator.
Williams is the son of Doug Williams, who was the Super Bowl XXII MVP while playing for Washington.
The younger Williams played quarterback for his father at Grambling and became an NFL assistant with the Saints in 2019. He joined the Falcons as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024 and moved into his current role in 2025.
Former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is almost certain to have a job in 2026. The questions are: What job and where?
Gannon will interview for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator job on Tuesday, the Commanders’ defensive coordinator job on Thursday and the Titans’ head coaching job on Sunday, NFL Media reports.
The Cardinals fired Gannon last week after three seasons as the team’s head coach.
The Cardinals had a record of 15-36 in Gannon’s tenure, including a 3-14 record in 2025. While Arizona started the season 2-0 with victories over New Orleans and Carolina, the team lost 14 of its last 15 games, with the only victory coming against Dallas in Week 9.
The club’s high-water mark under Gannon was 8-9 in 2024. That came after a 4-13 season to open Gannon’s tenure in 2023.
Gannon earned his head coaching job after two seasons as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. He has also worked for the Falcons, Titans, Vikings and Colts, although his time with the Eagles is his only experience as a defensive coordinator.
