January 2018 4for4 Player News Articles

The Titans have hired Matt LaFleur as offensive coordinator, selecting him to run their offense and lead quarterback Marcus Mariota to the next level.

LaFleur, who spent the 2017 season as the Rams' offensive coordinator with quarterback Jared Goff, left for Tennessee to take a playcalling position, which amounted to a promotion.

LaFleur was also the quarterbacks coach for Kyle Shanahan in 2015 and 2016.

Quarterback Alex Smith has a new home, as sources tell The Star that the Chiefs have reached agreement to trade their veteran starter of the last five seasons to Washington.

The Chiefs will receive a 2018 third-round pick and a player to be named on Wednesday, a source confirmed, though any trade involving Smith can’t be completed until the first day of the new league year, which begins at 3 p.m. on March 14. But the sources say the deal is in place and will definitely proceed.

Smith, 33, is coming off a stellar season in which he set career-highs in passing yards (4,042), touchdowns (26) and passer rating (104.7), throwing just five interceptions.

Related players: Kirk Cousins

The change in teams will force Smith to learn a new offense and develop a rapport with a new set of receivers, though he should remain a good value on draft day. Kirk Cousins will hit free agency as the best free agent quarterback since 2012, when Peyton Manning was signed by the Broncos.

New Cardinals head man Steve Wilks, a defensive-minded coach, has pegged Mike McCoy to run his offense in Arizona.

McCoy's offenses have finished in the top 18 in yards gained in six straight seasons and they had three top 10 finishes in that span.

The Giants agreed to hire former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher late Tuesday night, a source told ESPN. Bettcher met with the Giants in Mobile, Alabama, on Tuesday afternoon, while he was in town for the Senior Bowl.

Bettcher also interviewed with and received an offer from the Tennessee Titans to be their defensive coordinator, the source said.

The 39-year-old Bettcher wasn't retained by new Cardinals coach Steve Wilks, who was hired Monday.

Bettcher was the DC for the Cardinals for the last three seasons and his defenses finished 5th, 2nd and 6th in yards allowed in that span. This looks like a good hire for the G-Men.

Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who didn't have his contract renewed by the Steelers last week, has been hired by the Browns as the first offensive coordinator under Hue Jackson, a league source told cleveland.com.

Haley, 50, is expected to call plays under Jackson because of his vast experience in that role. He'll also have an opportunity to coach a new rookie quarterback such as Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen, who are candidates for the Browns at No. 1 overall.

The Steelers' offense has finished in the top 10 in both yards gained and points scored in each of the last four seasons. Coordinators with that sort of track record aren't typically available for a lateral move like this, so it's a good hire for the Browns.

The New York Giants hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as the 18th head coach in Giants history on Monday afternoon.

Shurmur has a strong history of working with and developing quarterbacks. He succeeds Ben McAdoo, who was fired last month with four games remaining in a 3-13 season.

Shurmur has nine years of experience as a head coach or offensive coordinator. His offenses have finished in the top 12 in four of the last five seasons, although that includes two-plus seasons under Chip Kelly. Most recently, he turned the Vikings' offense around. Minnesota finished 11th in total yards in 2017 after finishing 28th the year before.

Patriots Inactives

RB Mike GIllislee
TE Jacob Hollister
DT Alan Branch
WR Kenny Britt
OT LaAdrian Waddle
WR Bernard Reedy
LB David Harris

RB Rex Burkhead returns for the Patriots.

The Tennessee Titans have hired Mike Vrabel as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the team announced Saturday.

Vrabel, 42, will replace Mike Mularkey, who was fired Monday. The Titans will give Vrabel a five-year contract, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

A 14-year NFL veteran and three-time Super Bowl champion, Vrabel spent the past four seasons coaching the Houston Texans, including 2017 as their defensive coordinator.

We're waiting to see who Vrabel hires as his offensive coordinator. It's a crucial hire, and the fantasy value of the Tennessee skill position players will depend on it.

Loggains was recently with the Chicago Bears, where he served as the team's quarterbacks coach for one season before being promoted to the role of offensive coordinator. He was named the OC in Chicago, replacing Adam Gase, who moved on to coach the Dolphins. The duo worked together in Chicago and are now reunited in Miami. Previous Dolphins OC, Clyde Christensen, has been reassigned to the role of director of football and player development.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said safety Tashuan Gipson is questionable for this weekend's AFC Conference Championship game and that he is the only player listed as such.

While Thielen was listed as questionable, there doesn't seem to be any indication of him missing this weekend's Conference Championship matchup versus the Eagles.

Vikings WRs have a fantastic matchup this week, as the Eagles rank 23rd in aFPA to the position. We have Thielen ranked as a top-three WR across the board, so feel confident starting him this week if he's active.

The WEEI.com story states Brady was present during Friday's media-viewing portion of practice. We should get word of Brady's final injury designation later today.

UPDATE: Brady has been officially listed as questionable.

Brady should be good to go this weekend versus the Jaguars and he's our top-ranked QB for the week.

After parting ways with Todd Haley, the Steelers stayed in-house to replace him, naming QBs coach Randy Fichtner their new offensive coordinator.

Fichtner has been with Pittsburgh since 2007, where he first started out as the team's WRs coach and then moved on to coach the QB position. This will be his first offensive coordinator stint in the NFL.

Thielen missed yesterday's practice but he was seen participating in today's practice session.

We have Thielen ranked as a top-3 WR in both standard and PPR formats this week in what is the best matchup for WRs according to our aFPA metric (Eagles rank 23rd in aFPA vs. WRs).

Patriots QB Tom Brady injured his hand during practice yesterday but he made a return to Thursday's practice.

UPDATE: While Brady did return to practice, he apparently did not participate in practice for the second straight day. Still, the team believes he will be ready to play this weekend.

It didn't seem like Brady was in any real danger of missing this weekend's AFC Conference Championship matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars and his return to practice confirms that. Brady is our No. 1 ranked QB this week.

The Steelers are allowing OC Todd Haley to walk now that he’s out of his contract. Pittsburgh expected to hire a new OC.

Haley's offenses have finished in the top 10 in both total yards and points scored in each of the last four seasons. He also had top-12 offenses in two seasons in Arizona (2007, 2008) and one season in Kansas City (2010).

The changes to the Seattle Seahawks' coaching staff continued Monday, with the team expected to hire Ken Norton Jr. as defensive coordinator and Mike Solari as offensive line coach, sources told ESPN.

Norton is replacing Kris Richard, who isn't expected to return to Seattle, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Richard has served on the team's coaching staff for the past eight seasons, including the past three as defensive coordinator. Earlier reports indicated Richard wasn't expected to return.

Norton was the defensive coordinator for the Raiders for the last three years and his teams finished 20th or worse in points scored and yards allowed in all three seasons.

Mike Mularkey has agreed to part ways with the Tennessee Titans, who announced Monday that the sides "couldn't come to an agreement over the future."

Given all the talent in the Tennessee offense, the team should have finished better in total yards (23rd), points scored (19th) and yards per play (18th).

Saints Inactives
WR Brandon Coleman
RB Jonathan Williams
DE Kasim Edebali
C Cameron Tom
TE John Phillips
T Bryce Harris
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad

Related players: Willie Snead

Coleman is dealing with a neck injury and won't go today. It should mean more work for Willie Snead, but it's a tough matchup against the Vikings.

Vikings Inactives
QB Teddy Bridgewater
QB Kyle Sloter
WR Stacy Coley
RB Mack Brown
OG Danny Isidora
DL Tashawn Bower
C Cornelius Edison

Related players: Sam Bradford

Bradford will back up Case Keenum today and Bridgewater will be the inactive third QB.

Steelers Inactives

QB Joshua Dobbs
WR Justin Hunter
DB Coty Sensabaugh
S J.J. Wilcox
OT Jerald Hawkins
OT Matt Feiler
DT Daniel McCullers

Brown is active but is not 100%. It's a tough matchup for Brown but there's a reason that he's widely regarded as the best receiver in the league.

Seahawks now expected to hire former Colts' QB coach Brian Schottenheimer as their offensive coordinator, per league source.

Schottenheimer has nine years of experience as an offensive coordinator. In those nine seasons, his offenses have finished inside the top 20 in total yards two times (Jets in 2008 and 2010).

The Saints will be without Coleman this week due to a neck issue. He missed all week of practice.

Coleman's absence will open up snaps and, potentially, targets for Tommylee Lewis and Willie Snead. We have them both ranked in the early-30s at the WR position, so you can look to them as potential WR3s or FLEX options.

Fangio will remain with the Bears under new head coach Matt Nagy, signing a three-year deal.

Fangio will return for a fourth season in Chicago. The Bears earlier in the week hired Mark Helfrich to serve as their offensive coordinator.

Brown missed Friday's practice due to illness, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin believes Brown will be good to go this weekend in the team's Divisional Round matchup versus the Jaguars.

Even in a tough matchup, Brown is our No. 1 ranked WR for this weekend's slate of games. The Jaguars are ranked fourth in aFPA vs. WRs, but Brown did do damage against the Jaguars earlier in the season. In Week 5 versus Jacksonville, Brown caught 10 of his 19 targets for 157 yards.

What was rumored has now turned into reality, as the Panthers have named Norv Turner their new offensive coordinator.

Mike Shula was let go following the team's loss to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. He was the team's OC since 2013. Turner's last coaching stint was as the OC of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2016.

The Buffalo Bills have relieved Rick Dennison of his offensive coordinator duties.

According to a follow-up tweet by Carucci, they have yet to hire a replacement.

According to Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, the team will be at full strength when they face the Eagles this weekend. That means you can feel confident firing up all Falcons skill players in your lineups this week.

Devonta Freeman is our No. 5 ranked RB in a tough matchup according to aFPA (Eagles rank second in aFPA vs. RBs). Tevin Coleman is a top-12 ranked RB across the board.

Falcons WRs have an easier go, as the Eagles rank 23rd in aFPA vs. WRs. Julio Jones is our No. 2 ranked WR, while Mohamed Sanu is a top-eight WR across the board.

TE Austin Hooper and QB Matt Ryan are both top-five options at their respective positions.

After a week of limited practice sessions, Hogan participated in today's practice and should be good to play in this weekend's Divisional Round matchup versus the Tennessee Titans.

It's a decent matchup for Patriots WRs, as the Titans rank 18th in aFPA vs. WRs. We have Hogan ranked as our No. 11 WR this week.

After missing the previous two practice sessions this week, Jones made a return to practice on Thursday.

There shouldn't be any concern regarding Jones' playing status this week, as the Falcons take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

It's a great matchup for Jones, as the Eagles rank 23rd in aFPA to WRs. We have Jones ranked as our No. 2 WR for the week.

The Bears are expected to hire former Oregon Ducks coach Mark Helfrich as offensive coordinator. Helfrich has not worked in the NFL previously but he has spent time as an assistant under Chip Kelly and Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter.

Nagy said he will call the plays and the offense will be his design but Helfrich will obviously have plenty of influence.

News broke Wednesday afternoon that the Packers will hire former Dolphins coach Joe Philbin, who spent nine years working for the Packers before going to Miami, as their offensive coordinator.

Philbin started in Green Bay in 2003 as an assistant offensive line coach, and eventually worked his way up to being the team's offensive coordinator. He served in that role from 2007 through 2011 before going to Miami. He lasted four years with the Dolphins before being replaced by Adam Gase, and has spent the last two seasons working as an assistant head coach and offensive line coach with the Colts.

During his time as Green Bay's OC, the Packers routinely had offenses that ranked near the top of the league in yards, points, and Football Outsiders' offensive DVOA.

Mike McCarthy is likely to keep the play-calling duties.

Mike McCarthy’s search to fill his vacant defensive coordinator’s job ended suddenly after nine days when the Green Bay Packers coach chose former Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine to succeed Dom Capers.

Pettine, 51, was out of football in 2016 after compiling a 10-22 record in two seasons as coach of the Cleveland Browns and spent this past season as a defensive consultant with the Seattle Seahawks.

McCarthy had interest in Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but it appears Fangio is going to stick with the Bears. He also asked for permission to speak with Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, but never got to interview him. Bradley agreed to return to the Chargers Tuesday night.

Along the way to his head-coaching job, Pettine was part of some of the NFL’s top defenses. From ’09-12, the Jets ranked 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th in overall defense. Ryan received most of the credit for the Jets’ great defenses, but a Cleveland.com story said that Ryan turned over much of the responsibility of the defense to Pettine after the 2009 season.

In 2013, after Pettine went to Buffalo, the Bills ranked 10th in defense.

As the story mentioned, Pettine's defenses in New York and Buffalo all ranked top 10 in yards allowed, though they were 20th in points allowed in three straight seasons (two in New York and one in Buffalo). There may be some growing pains along the way, but this looks like a good hire for Green Bay.

Darrell Bevell fired as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks after seven seasons, per sources.

Bevell's offenses finished in the top 15 in yards gained in each of the last four seasons. They also finished in the top 11 in six of his seven seasons in Seattle. Over the past two seasons, the Seahawks have morphed from a run-heavy team to a pass-heavy team, due in no small part to the emergence of Russell Wilson and the loss of Marshawn Lynch.

The Panthers announce that they've fired OC Mike Shula and QBs coach Ken Dorsey. Major moves for an established winner.

Shula's offenses in Carolina have finished in the top 15 in points scored in each of the last three seasons, so he should quickly find employment elsewhere.

Running back Alex Collins proved to be the biggest surprise of the Baltimore Ravens this season, going from the practice squad in Week 1 to the NFL's 11th-leading rusher.

But Ravens coach John Harbaugh was noncommittal when asked whether Collins earned the right to be the starter for next season or if Baltimore will look to upgrade.

"I'm looking to upgrade everything. You know that's how I'm going to answer the question," Harbaugh said. "Alex Collins has proven the fact that he can be a very good back in this league."

Collins isn't seen as a workhorse back by Baltimore. The Ravens never gave him the ball more than 20 times in a game (compared to Todd Gurley and Leonard Fournette, who combined to do so 12 times) because they didn't want to wear down a smaller frame back like Collins. There are also other issues with ball security (four fumbles) and catching the ball (three drops).

The Ravens could just be keeping their options open at running back, especially in the draft. Baltimore hasn't selected a running back in the first three rounds since Bernard Pierce in 2012, and the team could be kicking itself after passing on Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt last year.

Collins averaged 4.59 YPC, which was No. 4 in the league among running backs with at least 200 carries. If the Ravens don't make a big move at running back, Collins will likely hold draft value in the fourth or fifth round.

The Raiders will make the hires of OC Greg Olson and DC Paul Guenther official tomorrow before the Jon Gruden press conference. Both contracts will be done by then, sources say.

Olson was the quarterbacks coach during Jon Gruden's final season in Tampa. His offenses tend to be pass-heavy and not particularly potent. In 10 seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator, his offensive units finished in the top half of the league in scoring just once (Tampa in 2010). His offenses finished in the top half of the league in total yards three times. Guenther spent the last four seasons as the Bengals' defensive coordinator and has been with the organization since 2005, so he worked with Jay Gruden from 2011 to 2013.

Whether Teryl Austin ever really was a candidate to replace Jim Caldwell, only the Detroit Lions know for sure. But with the Lions' head coach job still officially open, Austin effectively withdrew his name from consideration Monday to become defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Lions yielded the eighth-most yards per play (5.5) and the 12th-most points (376) in 2017, but Austin's unit created the third-most turnovers (32).

The Bears named Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy their new head coach on Monday.

General manager Ryan Pace interviewed Nagy, 39, on Sunday, a day after Kansas City's loss in the Wild Card round to the Titans. He replaces John Fox, who was fired a week ago after a 14-34 record in three seasons. Nagy is the 16th head coach in Bears history.

Nagy’s entire NFL coaching career has been spent under Chiefs coach Andy Reid. A record-setting quarterback in college at Delaware, Nagy started as an intern in 2008 for Reid’s Eagles. He followed Reid to the Chiefs, starting off as their quarterbacks coach in 2013 before being promoted to offensive coordinator last season.

Andy Reid handed over play-calling duties to Nagy before the Dec. 3 game versus the Jets. The Chiefs averaged 27.3 points in their final six games (under Nagy) after averaging 24.7 points in their first 11 games with Reid calling the plays. The Chiefs averaged just 12.0 points in the three games prior to the Jets game, which prompted the change by Reid. This hire looks like a clear offensive upgrade for the Bears.

Panthers Inactives

Blaine Clausell OT
Garrett Gilbert QB
Charles D. Johnson WR
Zach Moore DE
Kevon Seymour CB
Amini Silatolu OG
Greg Van Roten OG

He has only caught 6 passes for 78 yards on 14 targets in his last three games. In two meetings with the Saints this season, he has 8 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets.

The Green Bay Packers are staying in-house to fill their vacancy at general manager.

The Packers are promoting director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst to function as Ted Thompson's successor in the GM role, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Sunday, via a source informed of the situation. The new deal is for five years, per Rapoport.

Viewed as a rising star under Thompson, Gutekunst has spent the past 19 years in the Packers front office. A candidate for the openings in San Francisco and Buffalo last offseason, he was deemed the frontrunner for the 49ers' job until he backed out to return to Green Bay under a new deal. It was then that the Niners turned to John Lynch as Kyle Shanahan's personnel boss.

Jaguars Inactives

WR Montay Crockett
NT Eli Ankou
RB TJ Yeldon
CB Jalen Myrick
OL William Poehls
OL Josh Walker
OG Chris Reed

Lee has missed the past couple of games and is expected to be limited, per Ian Rapoport. Tom Pelissero reports that Lee will start against the Bills, so his usage is up in the air. T.J. Yeldon is a surprise scratch after being listed as questionable with an illness. Chris Ivory will serve as Leonard Fournette's primary backup.

Bills Inactives

LB Matt Milano
WR Brandon Reilly
WR Malachi Dupre
TE Khari Lee
OT Conor McDermott
G John Miller
CB Shareece Wright

McCoy may not be 100% but he'll be out there against the Jaguars.

Rapoport tweeted that the Bills listed McCoy as questionable for the team's Wild Card matchup versus the Jaguars but the expectation is that he will play.

If McCoy is healthy enough to suit up you'll want to insert him into your starting lineup. The Jaguars are ranked 20th in aFPA vs. RBs and we have McCoy ranked as a top-eight RB across the board. If McCoy were to be ruled out before the game starts, look for Mike Tolbert and Marcus Murphy to form a running back committee.

Stewart missed last week's regular season finale because of a back injury but was not listed on the team's final injury report heading into this weekend's Wild Card matchup versus the Saints.

The matchup is decent for Stewart and Christian McCaffrey, as the Saints are ranked 17th in aFPA vs. RBs. We have McCaffrey ranked ahead of Stewart in both standard and PPR formats, but it's much closer in standard leagues. However, McCaffrey is the back you want in PPR leagues—he's our No. 6 ranked RB in leagues that award points for receptions.

It appears the secret everyone in the league knew—Jon Gruden—being named the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders will be made official in a news conference next Tuesday.

After missing the last two days of practice, Funchess returned to the practice field and should play in Carolina's Wild Card matchup versus the Saints this weekend.

We have Funchess ranked as a top-five WR in both standard and PPR formats this week, so if he's good to go he should be inserted into your starting lineup.

Lee made a return to practice and could return to game action for the first time since Week 14.

UPDATE: Lee has been ruled questionable.

If we get official word that Lee will play this week we will update our rankings to include him. For now, Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook are our highest-ranked Jaguars WRs—both are in the top-12 across the board.

Thomas' hamstring issue limited him in practice yesterday but he was deemed a full participant in today's practice session.

There doesn't appear to be any lingering issue with Thomas' hamstring issue and he should be full go for this weekend's Wild Card matchup versus the Panthers.

The matchup is fantastic for Thomas, as the Panthers rank 31st in aFPA vs. WRs, and we have him ranked as our No. 1 WR for the week. In the previous two meetings versus the Panthers this season, Thomas combined to catch 12 passes for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Falcons said no player will be listed as questionable heading into their Wild Card matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams this weekend, including Freeman.

It appears Freeman will be good to go this weekend in a good matchup according to our aFPA metric, as the Rams are ranked 21st vs. RBs. We have Freeman ranked as a top-seven RB across the board this weekend. Tevin Coleman is our No. 10 ranked RB.

The Titans will be without Murray for their Wild Card weekend showdown versus the Kansas City Chiefs this week.

With Murray out, Derrick Henry will be the team's No. 1 RB this weekend. The Chiefs are ranked 19th vs. RBs, according to our aFPA metric, and we have Henry ranked as a top-10 RB across the board.

Dowell Loggains found a soft landing spot with a friend after being dismissed from the Chicago Bears.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday night that the Miami Dolphins are naming Loggains their new offensive coordinator, per a source informed of the situation.

Loggains worked with Dolphins coach Adam Gase in Chicago during the latter's one year as offensive coordinator of the Bears. Loggains was promoted from QB coach to OC after Gase left for Miami.

This won't change things much in Miami since Adam Gase is still expected to oversee the offense and call the plays.

Bengals are retaining offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, signing him to a new contract.

Cincinnati was shut out in Week 1 and scored nine points in a Week 2 loss to the Texans. They then fired OC Ken Zampese and promoted Lazor. In the next 14 games, the Bengals averaged 20.1 points (on pace to finish 21st in scoring) and were 24th in yards per play run.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman both were held out of practice Tuesday as the team prepared for Saturday's NFC Wild Card matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.

Jones, who had been dealing with ankle and thumb injuries, now is listed with ankle and rib injuries. He took a hard hit over the middle from safety Mike Adams in last week's win over Carolina but returned to the game.

Julio Jones still has sore ribs from the hit he took Sunday that left him on the turf. Meanwhile, Freeman showed up on the injury report with a knee injury. Freeman said he was banged up after last week's game but played through the pain.

Pete Carroll wants to add to the running back position.

That was my big takeaway from his two media appearances today — firstly with Brock and Salk on 710 ESPN and then with reporters in his usual press conference.

“We have a real formula (for) how we win” stated Carroll. “We’ve been unable the last two years to incorporate a major aspect of that… (it) is to run the football the way we want to run.”

Related players: Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, Mike Davis, J.D. McKissic

In the story, Carroll mentioned the above four names and "whoever else can be part of that thing." So it's unclear if they feel they have to guys to run the ball or need to add someone significant. Carson did look good in the limited time we saw him this year, but can he be the long-term answer? Carroll also said the O-line could have been better. This will be a situation to watch in the offseason.

Jimmy Garoppolo's late-season performance sends the San Francisco 49ers into the offseason with more optimism than typical for a team with a losing record.

Now the most important task of the offseason is locking up Garoppolo with a long-term deal.

"We're going to work hard to try to keep him as a 49er for a long, long time," general manager John Lynch said Tuesday. "We're really happy with the way he played. We think he's got some abilities that are unique and we want him here."

Garoppolo's arrival totally transformed a team that began the season with nine straight losses under first-year coach Kyle Shanahan and ended it with five straight wins after Garoppolo took over as starter. He threw for 1,542 yards during those starts and looked the part of a franchise quarterback the Niners (6-10) hoped they had acquired when they dealt a second-round pick to New England at the trade deadline, the story said.

Receiver Will Fuller, who just completed his second season with the Texans, will undergo minor knee surgery.

McClain went on to say Fuller should be full go in a few weeks. He was injured three times this season and finished with 26 catches for 406 yards and 7 TDs. Fuller's connection with Deshaun Watson for a brief time this year will likely be remembered by the time Watson is healthy again and fantasy drafts take place in August.

Marvin Lewis's long run in Cincinnati isn't over.

Lewis will remain head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals after signing a two-year contract with the team that runs through the 2019 season, the team announced.

"Marvin Lewis has been an important member of the Cincinnati community and the Bengals family for the past 15 years, and we are happy to have reached this agreement," Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement. "Marvin has made significant contributions during his time here. While recently we have fallen short of our expectations, we have full confidence in Marvin to re-establish winning football in 2018."

Despite never winning a playoff game in Cincinnati, Lewis is the winningest coach Bengals franchise history. He's compiled a 125-112-3 record and guided the Bengals to the postseason seven times. Cincinnati finished 7-9 this season.

One day after his head coach stepped away from football, Carson Palmer followed suit.

The Arizona Cardinals quarterback announced his retirement on Tuesday after 15 seasons in the National Football League.

Palmer said "I just know" in reference as to why he was hanging it up at this point. The Cards are now left without a head coach and a QB. Blaine Gabbert showed some signs during a brief stint but was later benched for Drew Stanton and didn't play. The team does return David Johnson at RB.

Bill O'Brien said he thinks there's a chance Deshaun Watson could be back in some capacity for OTAs because he's ahead of schedule in his rehab.

Great news for Watson, who tore his ACL in a practice in November. The Texans likely won't push him as it seems like he'll be good to go for camp and for the start of the season.

Bills’ RB LeSean McCoy, nursing a sprained ankle, is expected to be a “game-time decision” and a “close call” for Sunday’s playoff game against Jacksonville, according to a source.

Related players: Mike Tolbert, Marcus Murphy, Taiwan Jones

Obviously not having McCoy would really hurt the chances of the Bills advancing in this game. If he can't go, Tolbert, Murphy and Jones would likely share the workload. It sounds like even if McCoy plays he won't be at full strength.

Mike Tomlin said he saw Antonio Brown today and said his progress is "going well" (recovering from a calf injury).

The tweet added if Steelers were playing this week Brown would be questionable. With a bye this week, an extra week off will at least help his chances of suiting up the following weekend.

Running back Chris Thompson said his recovery from surgery on his leg will be four-to-six months.

He underwent surgery to repair his broken leg in early December. Thompson said he would be ready in time for training camp at the very least.

Sam Bradford will return to practice today.

Related players: Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater

This opens up a 21-day window for the team to decide what they want to do with Bradford. Keenum is going to remain the starter regardless but the Vikes may opt to adjust the backup to Keenum at some point should they make a deep playoff run.

“I can’t say it,” Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin said, via the Seattle Times. “My job is to protect the team right now, and I’m doing a poor job of that. How can I say this? It’s not playcalling. It’s not playcalling. We go into a game knowing what the defense is going to give us, the situations we’re going to be in. We don’t execute as a team. Offensively, that’s what we’ve seen countless time and time again that we do not execute the way we should. And that’s on us as players. You guys can blame (OC Darrell Bevell) all you want to, but the truth of the matter us, Bev is not the problem. Probably already said too much.”

The story said Baldwin hinted big changes are coming. As the story also said, lack of a running game was a problem this year. We had a report today that said TE Jimmy Graham is unlikely to return, at least in the opinion of a Seattle Times writer who follows the team.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear he wasn’t interested in a new head coach.

But he’s going to get rid of some assistants to shuffle the deck a bit.

Via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Tribune, Jones said during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan that there would be changes on the coaching staff, with some assistants leaving.

He reiterated his previous stance that firing head coach Jason Garrett was “not even a thought for me.”

According to the story, Jones went on to say he wanted to keep OC Scott Linehan and DC Rod Marinelli so this may not be all that big of a shakeup.

TE Jimmy Graham had 10 touchdown receptions this season in what was his third year in Seattle. And he is maybe Russell Wilson’s best friend on the team — Wilson entertainingly referred to Graham on Monday as being “like a unicorn. There are only so many of them in the world.’’ Generally considered really unlikely to be back in Seattle.

The author noted that Graham has been an uneven fit in Seattle and at age 31 is undoubtedly excited to enter free agency for the first time in his NFL career.

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has played three games on a sprained right ankle. He’s finally about to get some extra rest.

Rudolph was in a walking boot after playing just 28 snaps in Minnesota’s 23-10 victory over Chicago at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings earned a first-round playoff bye as the NFC’s No. 2 seed, and he expects to feel a lot better when they next play Jan. 14 on their home field.

“I finally get some time off, so I’m going to try to get this thing back to 100 percent,” Rudolph said. “I played three games on it, so now I get some time off.”

Rudolph injured his ankle Dec. 10 at Carolina and was listed as doubtful two days before a Dec. 17 game against Cincinnati. He ended up playing against the Bengals, at Green Bay on Dec. 23 and on Sunday against the Bears.
Playing reduced snaps because of the injury, Rudolph caught just one pass for three yards against Chicago to finish the season with 57 catches for 532 yards.

Jim Irsay: "Andrew Luck is going to be back, and back with a fierce fire in his eyes, I promise you."

It also looks like the Colts could use their number-three pick on a running back, perhaps Penn State's Saquon Barkley, to pair with Luck, Keefer also tweeted today.

"You put (Andrew Luck) on that field, healed up, and you put an Edgerrin James - maybe that's bigger, faster, stronger - and let this man continue to do the job that he's already begun to do, this is going to be a special place to be and a special place to play."

Related players: Frank Gore, Marlon Mack

This could be a strong indication the Colts will take Penn State RB Saquon Barkley at number three overall. If not Barkley, the Colts do seem like they are going to highly invest in an RB.

Jason Witten: "Oh, I’m coming back. I love playing this game too much and I know I can play at a high level."

Witten caught 63 balls for 560 yards and five TDs this past season. He was most often a lower-end TE2 option for fantasy owners but had five games where he posted just one catch for less than 10 yards.

Rivera: "I think RB Jonathan Stewart will be fine."

Stewart was a bit of a surprise scratch Sunday as his back tightened, according to the team's website. The Panthers had wrapped up a playoff spot so they decided to not push him.

Broncos’ HC Vance Joseph has been informed he will return to Denver as the team’s HC for 2018 season, per source.

It wasn't a great season for Joseph and the Broncos but Joseph seems to be getting another chance with the hopes Denver can find a quarterback.

Cardinals’ HC Bruce Arians is expected to retire from coaching, per league sources.

There was speculation last week that Arians and the Cards would part ways. Arians is leaving the game on his terms, Schefter also had in his tweet, and of course it's another head coaching vacancy.

LeSean McCoy will battle to get ready for the Buffalo Bills first playoff game of since Jan. 8, 2000.

The running back was carted off in the third quarter of the Week 17 win over the Miami Dolphins with a sprained ankle.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning that McCoy has a chance to play in Sunday's playoff game, but would likely be gimpy and not be 100 percent if he's able to give it a go.

The story went on to say McCoy will get round-the-clock treatment on the ankle in hopes to get on the field Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville. Rapoport noted that playing in the Sunday game -- as opposed to the Saturday matchup -- helps McCoy's chances of returning for the postseason.

John Fox's run in the Windy City is over.

The Chicago Bears fired Fox on Monday after the team finished in the NFC North cellar for the third straight season under his guidance, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Fox and the Bears finished the season at 5-11 Sunday following a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Over the course of his 16-year coaching career, Fox had endured multiple digit losses in a season only once before coming to Chicago, where he filed to bring the Bears out of their seven-year postseason hibernation.

Ian Rapoport reported the team will look for an offensive mind to work with QB Mitch Trubisky. DC Vic Fangio could be an option as well, according to Rapoport.

Jim Caldwell's tenure with the Detroit Lions is over.

The team announced early Monday morning that general manager Bob Quinn informed Caldwell that he will not be returning as head coach.

The news doesn't come as a surprise after the Lions lost hope for the playoffs by laying an egg in Cincinnati in Week 16.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that Caldwell's contract extension signed earlier in 2017 was for one year with options down the road, simply avoiding a lame-duck year. The contract nuance allowed the Lions to walk away from Caldwell after the season with minimal penalty.

At this time a year ago, the Oakland Raiders were cheering the end of their playoff drought. Now, they're in the market for a new head coach.

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio announced after the Raiders' 30-10 loss to the Chargers that owner Mark Davis had informed him that he had been fired.

"We appreciate Jack's effort in building the foundation of this team for the future," Davis said in a statement released by the team. "Thank you to Jack, his wife, Linda, and his daughter, Aubrey, for their important contributions to the Raiders and our local community in Oakland. We wish them all the best."

Ian Rapoport reported the Raiders are pushing hard for Jon Gruden to come out of the Monday Night Football booth to coach again. The team once traded Gruden to Tampa Bay, where he won a Super Bowl.