January 2019 4for4 Player News Articles

The Washington Redskins announced on Tuesday that passing game coordinator Kevin O’Connell has been promoted to offensive coordinator. O’Connell has spent the past two seasons as the quarterbacks coach in 2017 and the passing game coordinator in 2018 for the Redskins.

The story went on to say in a corresponding move, Matt Cavanaugh will now be the club’s senior offensive assistant. Cavanaugh has spent the last four seasons with Washington and the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator.

When the Packers prepare for the offseason, they do so with the belief that TE Jimmy Graham will be back for 2019, source said.

Graham had just two TDs last year with the Packers and now he’s due a $5 million roster bonus on March 15, Rapoport's tweet went on to say. While things could change, Rapoport said the expectation now is they pay it and he returns and gets another season with QB Aaron Rodgers.

A.J. Green showed up Tuesday at the Freestore Foodbank wearing a walking boot to protect his right foot.

The Cincinnati Bengals star wideout said the boot, required after surgery following a season-ending toe injury, will be gone in about a week.

"Next step is I put on a shoe and I start bending it back more and moving it more," Green said. "The biggest thing is it's the offseason and we have time. We don't have to rush anything. The biggest thing is getting range of motion back."

The injury limited Green to the least productive season in his eight-year career — 46 catches, 694 yards and six touchdowns. The story went on to say Green's recovery is estimated to be at least a four-month process after he had surgery in December. Green didn't offer specifics about his availability for OTAs and minicamp, but he said he'll be ready when it counts, according to the story.

In efforts to keep the edge that got him this far, James Conner will enter his third season with the hunger of a rookie looking for a job.

"You've got to earn it every day," he said in late December when asked if he's the tailback of the Steelers' future. "It's never enough when you think you've done enough. That's when you start to get on the decline. ... You've got to earn it every day, practice hard and show you belong. I definitely don't feel like I've done enough yet."

Related players: LeVeon Bell

The story said that's exactly what the Steelers like to hear, but Conner is selling himself a bit short. From teammates up to ownership, the Steelers have praised Conner's development in a sophomore season that included 973 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs and an AFC Offensive Player of the Month award. Conner added 55 catches for 497 yards in a Steelers offense that relied heavily on the back for easy yardage off dump-offs. The story added Conner struggled with conditioning and blitz pickups as a rookie but was more than ready when he showed up for his second training camp. Of course, it's expected Bell will not be back with the Steelers in 2019, so as of now, Conner seems set to be the team's RB1 heading into 2019.

The Panthers signed tight end Chris Manhertz to a two-year contract Tuesday, according to his agent, Sean Stellato, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Manhertz, 26, was set to become a restricted free agent in March.

He has played in all 32 games for the Panthers over the past two seasons, catching four passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Rams coach Sean McVay on RB Todd Gurley: “He’s gonna be a big part of this game.”

Related players: C.J. Anderson

It's been a strange few weeks for Gurley and owners who were looking to play him at the end of the regular season in the fantasy playoffs, and even now in the NFL playoffs. Seems like the knee injury that kept him out at the end of the regular season lingered into the postseason, although the team and Gurley made it seem Gurley's lack of playing time was based on poor performance, at least against the Saints. Obviously Gurley close to full strength will be huge for the Rams in the Super Bowl against the Patriots.

Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster left Sunday’s Pro Bowl in the second quarter after hurting his knee, but it does not appear to be an injury that will linger into the offseason.

Smith-Schuster didn’t talk to reporters after the game, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports on Monday that Smith-Schuster is “fine,” the rest of the story said. He had one catch for 16 yards before getting hurt in his first Pro Bowl appearance. He dealt with a knee injury last offseason as well.

Los Angeles Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein expects to play Sunday in Super Bowl LIII despite a left foot sprain.

NFL Network reported Monday that Zuerlein, the only known noteworthy injury on either team, made progress during the idle week since making the game-winning 57-yard field goal to help Los Angeles beat the Saints in the NFC Championship game. Zuerlein nailed that kick with the injury to his plant foot, which was incurred at halftime of the Rams’ win at New Orleans.

The Steelers have not yet given WR Antonio Brown permission to seek a trade.

Rapoport went on to say it's Brown preference to have a fresh start with another team. But as we reported yesterday, Brown has maintained steady dialog with some in the Steelers organization (not HC Mike Tomlin) and the door is still open to return to the team.

The answer to the question he is always asked came in the form of a gesture, as his right thumb met his fingers to form a zero.

“Zero,” Tom Brady said with a laugh, verbalizing the percent chance that he would retire after this year’s Super Bowl, in an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. “There’s zero. I’ve said that for a long time. I feel like I’m asked that a lot and I feel like I repeat the same answer, but no one wants to believe me.”

This will be his ninth trip to the Super Bowl and he's approaching his 42nd birthday so it's natural to wonder. According to the story, Brady said his goal is to make it to 45, but added it might be very hard to make it that far.

The Redskins are planning as if they won’t have QB Alex Smith next season, sources say.

Related players: Colt McCoy

Nothing is official yet, but the team believes Smith will miss the entire 2019 season with his broken leg issues and are acting accordingly. If he’s ready, they will be pleasantly surprised. As we reported last week, there may not be a lot of great targets for the team in free agency, mostly because of cost.

The Steelers are exploring trade options, but Antonio Brown hasn’t closed the door on returning.

Rapoport went on to say Brown has maintained a steady dialogue with some in the organization he’s close with to express that sentiment. Still, he should draw significant interest on the market.

Colts and future Hall-of-Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri are finalizing a one-year contract, per league sources.

Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer and will now return for a 24th season at the age of 46, Schefter went on to say.

Andy Reid is putting his faith in Steve Spagnuolo.

The Kansas City Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after the team’s 37-31 overtime loss in the AFC championship game to the New England Patriots. On Thursday, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported the team will hire Spagnuolo to be the team’s new defensive coordinator.

It’s not an overstatement that Reid’s best shot to finally win a Super Bowl might rest on whether Spagnuolo can transform the defense. The offense is perhaps the best in the league. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is going to win NFL MVP next week and the Chiefs have a window to build around him while he’s on his rookie contract, before he signs a massive extension.

If the defense improves, the Chiefs can finally win another Super Bowl. Spagnuolo has some experience building championship defenses.

Spagnuolo’s best work has come with the New York Giants. In 2007, his first season as Giants defensive coordinator, his unit was crucial in a massive Super Bowl upset over the previously undefeated Patriots. The next season, the Giants ranked fifth in the NFL in yards and points allowed.

That was also the last time a Spagnuolo defense ranked better than 10th in yards allowed.

Across 10 seasons, Spagnuolo's defenses have had an average ranking of 21.8 in yards allowed and 20.8 in points allowed.

Larry Fitzgerald will play again for the Arizona Cardinals, for at least one more season.

The veteran wide receiver has decided to return for a 16th year by signing a one-year contract this week with the team, ending for now the speculation about his future.

Fitzgerald, who will turn 36 at the end of August, remains the top receiver on the team and a crucial leader at a position that is young and inexperienced. While his statistics sunk in 2018, it was due to the entire unit’s struggles more than Fitzgerald’s own dip in play. He still led the team in receptions (69), receiving yards (734) and receiving touchdowns (6).

Fitzgerald finished the season as the No. 26 WR in PPR formats. It marked just the fourth time in the last 14 seasons that he finished outside the top 20. While his yards per reception stayed even (10.6 in both 2017 and 2018), his catch rate dropped to 61.6% thanks in large part to Josh Rosen's 55.2% completion rate.

Jerry Jones confirmed the Cowboys have added former quarterback Jon Kitna to their staff. The team, though, has not made any decisions about who will call plays or what titles Kitna and Kellen Moore will carry next season.

“We’re still in the throes of evaluation,” Jones said, via David Helman of the team website. “We’re in no hurry.”

With Kitna on board, the Cowboys likely won’t hire anyone else outside the organization, the story said. Garrett could return to being the play-caller. Jones said Garrett’s involvement in the offense “could be more or less.” Garrett called the plays in 2011 and 2012, his first two full seasons as head coach, before turning it over to Bill Callahan. Scott Linehan replaced Callahan as the play-caller in 2014, but the Cowboys fired Linehan as offensive coordinator last week, the story continued.

The NFL’s Competition Committee will discuss two things from Sunday’s championship games: Whether to make pass interference reviewable after the missed call in the Saints-Rams game; and whether to change the overtime rule, guaranteeing both teams a possession after the Chiefs never saw the ball in the extra period.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, a member of the Competition Committee, said the overtime rule has a better chance of getting tweaked than does making judgment calls subject to replay.

Cole Beasley: Honestly, the front office pushes who they want to get the ball to.

Beasley is about to become a free agent and based on this tweet it seems he may not be back with the Cowboys. Beasley went on to say he hasn't been a huge priority when it comes to catches. "Maybe that will change but I’m not sure. More balls come my way in 2 minute drill where nothing is planned," Beasley's tweet continued.

Bruce Allen in his first remarks in months is asked about Alex Smith" "We're optimistic, if anyone can come back it's Alex...we'll see."

Related players: Colt McCoy

He will not say the Redskins are looking for another quarterback, the rest of the tweet said. We reported earlier Tuesday from ESPN there may not be a lot of options in play for the Skins at QB anyway, mostly because of cost.

The Kansas City Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on Tuesday, two days after his defense was unable to come up with pivotal stops against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

One name to watch for the now-vacant position is former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter. Sutton has worked as Kansas City's defensive coordinator since 2013, when the Chiefs brought in Andy Reid as their head coach.

Jon Gruden announces that Raiders QB coach Brian Callahan has accepted position as Bengals’ offensive coordinator.

Callahan is the son of Bill Callahan who is a veteran NFL coach. Brian Callahan also was the QB coach for the Lions before moving to the Raiders.

General Manager John Lynch shared a positive update on that front during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. He said Jimmy Garoppolo is throwing to his rehab partner Jerick McKinnon as the offseason gets underway.

“One of the best sights, the other day, I looked outside my office and he was throwing and throwing to Jerick McKinnon,” Lynch said.

Both players, recovering from ACL injuries, will be able to continue rehab work at the facility in hopes of being well on their way to being full participants in practice once the offseason program gets to that point, the story said.

The Washington Redskins will struggle to find a good fit in free agency for one of their biggest needs: quarterback. With Alex Smith’s future uncertain for 2019 and beyond after a compound leg fracture, the Redskins must decide if they want to pursue more quarterback help via free agency or the draft.

They do have Colt McCoy under contract, but they need more than just one healthy quarterback. Smith’s contract makes him uncuttable until after the 2020 season; he has cap hits of $20.4 million this year and $21.4 million next season.

The story said the upper level group of Nick Foles, Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill won't be an option because of cost. And, QBs like Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett and Blake Bortles may not be in options because the Skins can't afford to get in a salary battle if any are hot commodities. Brissett would have to be a trade option, but we reported recently the Colts won't just give him away. Low-cost players like Josh Johnson or Ryan Fitzpatrick could be options if Smith won't be ready to play this season.

Hunter Henry acknowledged he's still not 100 percent, and will continue his rehab the next few months as he works toward the start of the Chargers' offseason program April 15.

Henry will go into the 2019 season as the team's No. 1 pass-catching threat at tight end.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said it will be important for Henry to get some recovery time during the offseason because he's been intently focused on his rehab so he could play this season.

Henry was expected to explode on to the scene this season at the TE position, but tore his ACL before the year started. Henry returned to the field for the playoffs after just eight months. He was targeted one time and played on 14 snaps against the Patriots, but did have a couple of nice blocks in the run game, the story said. He should be one of our top TEs for the 2019 season.

Teddy Bridgewater made a free agent decision a year ago. It didn’t work out.

Now, he gets a second chance.

“Who knows how it will all play out?” Bridgewater said Monday, via Luke Johnson of the Times-Picayune. “I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to swallow what happened yesterday. . . .That’s something that stings for a while. Whatever happens in the future, it’ll just happen.”

Bridgewater, 26, could return to the Saints hoping to replace Drew Brees in the future, the story said. But as we reported yesterday, Brees already has announced his return for 2019. It’s more likely Bridgewater will get more money and a chance to start immediately somewhere else, PFT said. He looks to rank as one of the top available free agents at his position.

Nothing is definitive right now, of course, but someone very close to Eli Manning believes the 38-year-old quarterback will be back with the Giants in 2019 for a 16th season.

“Shoot, yeah, I think so,” Tom Condon, Manning’s agent, said Monday at the site of this week’s Senior Bowl.

Condon, who rarely speaks on the record about his clients, added he believes Manning wants to return to the Giants, the only team he has ever played for in the NFL.

A huge potential issue surrounding a Manning return or parting of the ways could revolve around his acceptance of a salary reduction. The Giants have not said anything about cutting into Manning’s 2019 salary, which is on the books for $17 million, or the possibility of reducing his salary-cap number of $23.2 million for the coming season. Manning is entering the final year on his contract.

The Titans have found their offensive coordinator, and he’s a familiar face – successful assistant coach Arthur Smith.

Smith has been promoted after wrapping up his eighth season on the Titans coaching staff, and his third full season in charge of tight ends after taking over the group for the final nine games of the 2015 season.

Smith’s position group has been productive, led by veteran tight end Delanie Walker. He’s also helped develop young players, including tight end Jonnu Smith.

As the story said, during his time in Tennessee, Smith has worked under four different head coaches – a testament to his reputation and success. Smith began under head coach Mike Munchak, and he also hired by Ken Whisenhunt before Mike Mularkey promoted him when he took over. Smith replaces Matt LaFleur as offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel. LaFleur left to take over as head coach of the Green Bay Packers earlier this month.

Multiple star players on the Philadelphia Eagles have defended Carson Wentz on Twitter after the Philly Voice published a report in which team sources describe the quarterback as being "selfish," "uncompromising" and "egotistical."

The Philly Voice report, published Monday morning, cites more than half a dozen Eagles players and other sources close to the team.

Related players: Nick Foles

The report describes an uneasy dynamic within the Eagles organization, with sources accusing Wentz of playing "favorites" and failing "to take accountability" while describing Foles as "universally loved." Of course, Foles came on in 2017 and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl before again coming on in relief of Wentz this season and rallying the team to the playoffs and a win over the Bears. Wentz was an MVP candidate before getting hurt in 2017, and the team announced Wentz is their long term plan to be the starter going forward. Foles isn't expected to return to the team in 2019.

The officiating debacle acknowledged by the NFL at the end of Sunday’s NFC title game in New Orleans, which prompted widespread criticism from fans, players and coaches over what many deemed an outcome-changing call, could lead to a significant rule change. The league and its rule-making competition committee plan to give consideration this offseason to making pass interference calls subject to instant replay review.

“It will be discussed at length along with additional fouls that coaches feel should be subject to review,” one person familiar with the league’s inner workings said Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing public furor over the botched call in New Orleans.

The story said any change would have to be approved by at least three-quarters of the 32 teams. The competition committee always has been staunchly opposed in the past to making judgement calls such as pass interference reviewable by replay, the story added. Obviously Sunday's game between the Saints and Rams, and the missed call, could be enough to get the change through.

Drew Brees, who turned 40 on Tuesday, hopes to still be playing at age 41.

When asked how positive he is that he will be back for a 19th season, the New Orleans Saints quarterback said, "I feel pretty positive."

He later said he's going to take a few days, but he plans to be in New Orleans next year and make another run at it.

Dolphins plan to hire Packers’ run game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Patrick Graham as their defensive coordinator, per source.

Of course, the Dolphins’ hiring cycle is frozen due to Patriots’ LB coach Brian Flores preparing for Super Bowl LIII, Schefter went on to say. Flores is set to become the Dolphins next head coach after the Patriots Super Bowl run ends in two weeks.

During the game, Fox said the Rams told the network there was “nothing physically wrong” with Todd Gurley. Fox asked because everyone was stunned that Gurley was sitting. Gurley had two big drops early, one that led to a Saints interception, but he’s still one of the Rams’ best players.

Sean McVay continued to say after the game that Anderson’s usage, and Gurley’s lack of snaps, was simply a coaching decision.

“It was a flow for the game,” McVay said.

Related players: C.J. Anderson

The story said Gurley played on 32 plays and Anderson 35, but it was Anderson who had 17 touches to Gurley's give. Gurley had a couple of drops but the switch to Anderson appeared to come before his second drop, according to reports. The most logical reason would be Gurley is just not 100-percent from his late-season knee injury. He'll have two weeks to get ready for the Super Bowl.

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski mulls retirement this offseason.

Rapoport went on to say it doesn't sound like the WWE is in his future, but perhaps movies. This is very important news, Rapoport added. Of course, Gronk nearly retired before this past year, and after what was a down season vs. many of his others, perhaps this time there is something behind it. It could also depend how far the Patriots go this postseason.

Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy said this past week that his team would not rule out the possibility of signing Kareem Hunt, and it turns out he's not alone.

Multiple teams have expressed interest in Hunt, and it now appears the former Chiefs running back will have a job "sooner rather than later," one league source told ESPN.

The story went on to say, since late November, when the disturbing video that shows Hunt shoving and kicking a woman surfaced, he has been undergoing anger-management counseling daily, according to a source. Hunt appears to be making progress with the counseling, which has helped him draw the interest of some teams, sources said. Obviously those in keeper leagues who have held on to Hunt want to continue to stick with him for next year. But, Hunt still faces potential discipline as the league continues to investigate.

The Detroit Lions have hired Darrell Bevell as the new offensive coordinator, the team announced Wednesday.

Bevell most recently spent seven seasons, from 2011-17, with the Seattle Seahawks as the offensive coordinator. During his time in Seattle, Bevell helped the Seahawks appear in the playoffs in five of his seven seasons.

Bevell's offenses have been more run-oriented during his 12-year career as a play-caller. His offenses have had an average ranking of 9.3 in rush attempts and a ranking of 23.5 in pass attempts, though in his last two seasons with the Seahawks, he was a bit more pass-friendly.

Ex-Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is expected to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' new OC, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, per sources informed of the situation. The team later confirmed the acquisition.

It's a vital hire for Jags coach Doug Marrone, who needed to inject some creativity into his ground-and-pound offense.

DeFilippo was replaced as the OC of the Vikings 13 games into the season because he wasn't calling enough run plays. As the Browns OC in 2015, his offense was 11th in pass attempts and 27th in rush attempts. The Vikings were 6th and 27th, respectively. This hire doesn't jibe with Tom Coughlin's conservative run-oriented mindset.

Awards season has begun for Saquon Barkley, and he's picked up his first honor.

The Giants' sensational running back has been named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was voted Rookie of the Year by the PFWA, likely signaling more split votes coming for the players who were selected 1-2 in the NFL Draft back in April.

It could be just the beginning of the awards for Barkley, who led the NFL with 2,028 scrimmage yards and joined Eric Dickerson and Edgerin James as the only rookies with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards. Barkley and Mayfield are also finalists for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year – voted on by the fans – and remain the favorites to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award given out by the league on the eve of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta next month during its NFL Honors program.

Jets finalizing deal with former Browns’ interim HC Gregg Williams to become their defensive coordinator, per source.

Schefter went on to say Williams was the defensive coordinator the Jets were targeting no matter who their head coach was; they got their man. Williams won the Super Bowl with the Saints back in 2009.

Colts want to re-sign Adam Vinatieri, per source.

We reported recently Vinatieri wanted to continue kicking and wanted to be back with the Colts. There appears to be mutual interest for the 46-year-old kicker to stay in Indy. Chappell added over the last six seasons Vinatieri is 169-for-190 (88.9%) and 27-for-35 from 50-plus (77.1%).

GM Howie Roseman said that the team has “a lot of confidence” in Carson Wentz and his ability to be the team’s long-term starter despite the injuries that have cost him time over the last two years. As a result, HC Doug Pederson said that Wentz is the quarterback “going forward” but both men made it clear that they aren’t shutting the door on having Nick Foles back.

“We would love to keep Nick Foles. You talk about a guy we’ve drafted here and grown incredibly close with. Certainly, as we go into the substance of those discussions, no question … we’d love to keep him,” Roseman said, via WIP

The story said keeping Foles would likely take a franchise tag. Foles can buy out the final year of his contract when and if the Eagles pick up their 2019 option. That’s a pricey road to go down even if Foles has proven his value to the team over the last couple of years, so there’s a lot that still has to play out.

Among the veteran QBs USA Today predicts to be available to change teams for the 2019 season are: Nick Foles, Joe Flacco, Teddy Bridgewater, Eli Manning and Ryan Tannehill, while rookies like Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray could make impacts as well.

The story went on to list where the author feels they would all be perfect fits for the 2019 season. The new NFL league year doesn't begin until March 13 with the start of free agency, but, it never hurts the dedicated fantasy player to start scouting before that. The story added five teams brought in first-round passers in 2018, but there's obviously always a need for a quarterback, and all the players listed above could have fantasy impacts.

If Chris Ballard wants to pick up another draft pick in April, the Colts general manager has one clear trade chip available on his roster.

Jacoby Brissett.

Few commodities in the NFL are as valuable as a potential starting quarterback, and even though Brissett spent this season backing up Andrew Luck, his 2017 turn as the starter while Luck dealt with his injured shoulder hasn’t been forgotten around the league.

Related players: Andrew Luck

The story feels Brissett's value is at an all-time high. Ballard was quoted in the story as saying, "It would take somebody doing something that would blow me away," as far as trading Brissett. Ballard also said he wouldn't trade Brissett just anywhere, and it would need to be the right situation for him.

Carson Wentz and his doctors can’t “pinpoint exactly when” his back injury happened. The medical staff discovered the fracture after the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys on Dec. 9.

The Eagles starting quarterback missed the final five games, including two in the postseason, though the Eagles kept him on the 53-player roster in hopes he would heal in time to return this season.

Rest and rehab will heal the fracture, without Wentz needing surgery.

Related players: Nick Foles

Wentz's long term status with the Eagles appears secure. The Birds are not expected to bring back Foles, who led the team to the Super Bowl last year and then an unlikely playoff berth with a late rally this season.

The Chicago Bears left open the possibility of pursuing free agent running back Kareem Hunt, who was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 1 after video surfaced of Hunt shoving and kicking a woman in the hallway of his Cleveland residence.

Hunt is on the Commissioner Exempt List and would need to be reinstated before he could sign with any team.

Related players: Jordan Howard

HC Matt Nagy has a relationship with Hunt dating back to his days in Kansas City. The Bears will face a decision on Howard as he reaches the final year of his contract. The story added nothing is imminent in regard to bringing in Hunt, who is subject to discipline once a team does sign him.

Break out the parkas for Sunday night’s AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium.

The National Weather Service is projecting an arctic blast to settle over Kansas City for the Chiefs’ game against the New England Patriots. Temperatures at kickoff could range from 10 degrees to well below zero, potentially making it the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium.

It could be weather that favors the run game for those in playoff pools. The Patriots-Chiefs game is the late game on Sunday with a 5:40 p.m. local time start.

Reid says that he's talked to Sammy Watkins since Saturday's game and said his foot feels fine. He's sore from playing, but nothing to be concerned about.

Watkins was targeted eight times in the game and caught six balls for 62 yards. This week the Chiefs get the Patriots at home in the AFC title game. One thing to note is extremely cold temperatures are predicted for this contest in KC.

Gary Kubiak is back on an NFL coaching staff, but it's not in Denver.

The Minnesota Vikings hired the former Broncos and Texans coach on Monday, though his exact title is still to be determined, sources told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Kubiak interviewed earlier Monday in Minnesota and was scheduled to travel to Jacksonville to interview with the Jaguars on Tuesday. The Vikings apparently didn't let him out of the building. In addition to adding Kubiak to the coaching staff, Minnesota is bringing in his son, Klint Kubiak, to be its quarterbacks coach under new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

Nathaniel Hackett wasn't out of a job for very long.

The Green Bay Packers are hiring Hackett as their offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Hackett moves from dealing with Blake Bortles, to entering a job in which he'll work with Aaron Rodgers. Armed with Rodgers and a transitional receiving corps that still includes Davante Adams at the very least, Hackett should be able to repair his slightly dented reputation as Green Bay looks to remake its offense under new head coach Matt LaFleur.

Bears GM Ryan Pace says the team has to get better at the kicker position.

Related players: Cody Parkey

Kicker will be an emphasis this offseason for the Bears. Pace added there will absolutely be competition at kicker next year. Parkey is signed through 2021 so it's assumed he'll at least be part of the competition.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller will undergo shoulder surgery this offseason, general manager Ryan Pace said Monday during the team’s end-of-year press conference.

Miller injured his shoulder in Week 17’s season finale against the Vikings but recovered in time to play in the Bears’ wild card playoff game against the Eagles. It was the second time Miller suffered a shoulder injury in 2018, the other in Week 3, and was a continuation of shoulder ailments he struggled through in college.

John Elway offered more specificity about Case Keenum's future.

"[W]e've got to -- Case is probably a short-term fix -- find the long-term guy for us," Elway told Peter King of "Football Morning in America." "When we do find that guy, we've got to have the continuity on the offensive side to where we can train him and develop him and get him there. This is our fourth offense in probably three or four years. Quarterbacks need to be developed. You don't find one ready-made. We got to have a solid system in place for when we do go after whatever guy it may be, a young guy or a trade or whatnot."

Former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was named the new coach last week and said during his introductory press conference that Keenum is his quarterback "right now," the story said. Denver was 5-11 in 2017 while going 6-10 this past season with Keenum.

Hall of Famer Jerry Rice said Monday during a radio interview that disgruntled Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown wants to play for the San Francisco 49ers "really bad."

The Steelers would absorb $21.12 million in 2019 dead money on the salary cap by trading Brown, who has notched six consecutive 100-catch seasons -- but taking his $22.165 million cap charge off the books would offset that cost. Brown enters the third year of a five-year, $72.7 million extension signed before the 2017 season.

Set to be a free agent, Golden Tate gathered with reporters before his exit interview at the Nova Care Complex, and he sounded like a guy who wouldn’t mind returning to the Eagles.

Tate went on to elaborate more, telling reporters that if he can’t come back to Philly, he’d prefer to sign with a winner over chasing the most money.

Tate sounds like he would take less money to go to a contender, or perhaps stay in Philly. He said he feels his time is limited and he wants to win now. Keep in mind, the Eagles admitted they had a hard time fitting Tate into the offense when the team acquired him from the Lions.

There is a very real chance this was Nick Foles' last night in an Eagles uniform. He has earned the right to be a starter in this league through guiding Philly to a title last year and a late-season surge this year. That opportunity will likely come elsewhere. Barring a big change in plans, Carson Wentz is the QB the franchise plans to hitch its wagon to. Foles can become a free agent this offseason if the Eagles don't place the franchise tag on him.

Related players: Nate Sudfeld

Foles' postgame comments sure sounded like he'll be moving on, whether he's traded or becomes a free agent will remain to be seen. Had the Eagles moved on to the Super Bowl, there may have been some hard decisions to make for the franchise. However, it looks like 2019 will see Wentz as the starter with Sudfeld as the backup.

After the Cowboys’ disappointing playoff exit against the Rams, questions were raised about whether offensive coordinator Scott Linehan could be on the way out. Head coach Jason Garrett answered those questions today.

Garrett said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that he plans to retain Linehan and everyone else on his coaching staff for the 2019 season.

Linehan just completed his fifth year on Garrett’s staff. He has taken plenty of criticism for failing to change with the times and continuing to run an offense that looks a lot like the offense he’s been running throughout his coaching career. As long as he continues to have Garrett’s confidence, however, he continues to have a job, the story added.

The Arizona Cardinals are journeying down a new path with coach Kliff Kingsbury. One lingering question is whether Larry Fitzgerald will return for another walkabout in the desert.

Fitzgerald told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Sunday that he plans to take his time before deciding about his future.

"There's a checklist I always go through and sometimes I'm able to get to my conclusion faster than others," Fitzgerald said, via the Arizona Republic. "I have to do my due diligence in terms of just taking some time to let your body heal because when you're sore and your fingers are broken, it's easy to say, 'Man, I just don't want to do this anymore. My body's hurting.' You have to give yourself some time to decompress and take a step back."

Fitzgerald is set to be a free agent in 2019, but the 35-year-old reiterated he plans to play for no organization other than Arizona if he keeps his career going. Like most of the Cardinals offense, Fitzgerald had a down year by his standards, earning 69 catches and a career-low 734 yards with six touchdowns while helping buoy rookie quarterback Josh Rosen. The future Hall of Fame receiver said he plans to sit down with owner Michael Bidwill and the rest of the team brass before deciding whether to take on a 16th NFL season.

Russell Wilson has just one year left on his contract before free agency. The Seahawks’ efforts to lock him up before the season begins eventually will take center stage, once they figure out what to do with Frank Clark, K.J. Wright and a few others.

To my way of thinking, if the Seahawks come to training camp in July with Wilson safely in fold, contentedly extended for three or four or five years, it will have been a productive offseason.

The story went on to say, on the flip side the last thing the team needs is a disgruntled QB with an unsettled contract situation entering a promising 2019 campaign. But, Wilson would likely play out his final year without issue being the pro he is, however the Seahawks surely don't want to let Wilson become a free agent. The story compared the situation to former baseball player Alex Rodriguez, who got a mega-contract he couldn't refuse and left the Seattle Mariners.

After their loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round, Adam Vinatieri said he needed some time to think, but was leaning toward coming back.

“If they’re wanting, I can’t imagine (I’d) not keep playing, you know?” Vinatieri said, via Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star. “I haven’t made the decision yet. I’ll spend a week or two and just kind of see where we’re at.”

Vinatieri is a free agent, and the oldest player in the league. He’s also the highest-scoring player in the history of the game, having passed Morten Andersen this year. As the story said, it’s not as if he’s not still getting it done, as he hit 23-of-27 field goals this year, an 85.2 percent mark that’s over his career average (84.3). He also made four field goals from 50 yards or longer, though he’s been dealing with some injuries over the second half of the season. He missed two kicks in the snow Saturday, which gave him pause, and that’s why he wants some time to think.

Best rookie: The Broncos had plenty of candidates here, including Bradley Chubb (first round) and wide receiver Courtland Sutton (second round) -- they were 1-2 among Denver's rookies as each played more than 800 snaps this season -- but undrafted rookie running back Phillip Lindsay is the pick. Lindsay, who missed the finale after wrist surgery, finished ninth in the league in rushing (1,037 yards) and was second in the league in yards per carry (5.4). He was the most consistent player in the Broncos' offense.

Related players: DaeSean Hamilton

The story gave the nod to Hamilton as the most improved rookie. He didn't have a catch the first six games out of seven but then became a reliable target to finish up the season. Sutton, a second round pick, also showed flashes, especially through the first half of the season, but from a fantasy standpoint, he perhaps disappointed a little toward the end of the year when Demaryius Thomas was traded and Emmanuel Sanders was hurt and Sutton was expected to be a top target. Both Hamilton and Sutton will be in the mix as potential top targets in 2019.

Don't close the book on Antonio Gates' NFL career just yet.

The 38-year-old tight end, who played this season on a one-year contract, said he wants to return for a 17th season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

"I just don't see myself walking away with this taste," Gates said after his team's 41-28 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. "And plus this team. I think when you add Hunter [Henry] back, and hopefully we get Jason Verrett back -- shoot, the sky's the limit. And I want to be a part of it.

As the story said, the Chargers told Gates he wouldn't be needed in 2018 thanks to what was expected to be the emergence of Henry, but Henry tore his ACL and Gates was needed again. With Henry now poised for a big 2019, even if Gates is back it probably doesn't mean he'll have a lot of fantasy value.

Brandon Brooks is believed to have suffered a torn Achilles, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Brooks was headed to the Pro Bowl this year and it was a big loss for the Eagles against the Saints. As the story said, he'll be a question mark to start the 2019 season this fall.

The Browns are expected to hire former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator, sources say.

They are close on a deal and it should be done Monday. It's a big hire for new coach Freddie Kitchens, Rapoport said. Wilks struggled with the Cards as the HC, but his defense in Carolina was solid before taking the Arizona job last year.

Browns are hiring former Buccaneers’ OC Todd Monken as their OC, per league source.

Monken called the plays for the Bucs for all but one game (Week 10's 16-3 loss to the Washington Redskins), and the Bucs averaged 315 passing yards, 95 rushing yards and 26.2 points per game while he was calling plays. However, new head coach Freddie Kitchens will probably retain play-calling duties in Cleveland after a successful run as the team's play-caller in the second half of the season. Monken should be a good sounding board for Kitchens and QB Baker Mayfield.

The Bears needed just two days to find their replacement after defensive coordinator Vic Fangio left to coach the Broncos.

Coach Matt Nagy announced Friday night he hired former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano to step into the team’s top defensive role. Pagano has 16 years of NFL coaching experience, most recently as the Colts coach from 2012-17.

Pagano, 58, was the Ravens defensive coordinator in 2011, when they went 12-4 and ranked third in total defense, third in points allowed, second against the run, fourth against the pass and third in sacks. Before that he served as defensive backs coach for the Ravens, Raiders and Browns.

As the story mentions, Pagano guided the Ravens to the No. 3 overall finish in 2011 before jetting to Indianapolis to take over the Colts. There, his defenses finished higher than No. 20 just once (in 2014) in six seasons. Otherwise, the defense was a perennial problem. Given all the talent on that side of the ball, the Bears should be fine defensively.

The Ravens are making a change at offensive coordinator. Greg Roman will be the offensive coordinator going forward as part of a potential re-organization of the Ravens' offensive coaching staff. John Harbaugh confirmed the change.

Roman is a decidedly run-heavy play-caller, which on paper makes him a good fit for Baltimore's new offense with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. Roman previously ran offenses in San Francisco and Buffalo. His offenses had an average ranking of 4.3 in rush attempts and 31.0 in pass attempts. Keep an eye on the Baltimore RB1 job--whoever wins that role should see a big workload in 2019.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets are expected to hire Adam Gase as their new head coach, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington.

The Jets reached out to Gase soon after he was fired by the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 31. He was only 23-25 in three seasons, but he dominated the Jets, winning five of six meetings.

Gase would become the Jets' first head coach since Bill Parcells (1997) with NFL head coaching experience. He would fill the need for an offensive-minded coach, something they haven't had since Rich Kotite (1995-1996). Gase is also expected to be the Jets' primary playcaller.

Dowell Loggains is expected to serve as Gase's offensive coordinator though Gase will continue to call plays. After a couple of great seasons as the OC in Denver with Peyton Manning, Gase served as the OC in Chicago (21st in yards, 23rd in points) before three seasons as head coach of the Dolphins (24th/17th, 25th/28th, 31st/26th). He may have more luck in New York with a good young QB in Sam Darnold to build an offense around.

Todd Bowles, recently fired as the New York Jets head coach, had an interesting choice.

If Bowles wants to be a head coach again, he had to be a coordinator again first. He was a fine defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals; that’s why he got the shot to lead the Jets.

When Bruce Arians took the job as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, it was expected that Bowles would reunite with him to run the defense. Then an interesting option came along: Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio became the Denver Broncos’ head coach. Bowles reportedly had an opportunity to lead the Bears’ defense. From the outside looking in, it would seem that running the Bears’ elite defense would give Bowles his quickest path back to being a head-coaching candidate.

ESPN reported Bowles will join the Buccaneers after all, as their new defensive coordinator. He must like a challenge.

Bowles' defenses have been a little up and down. Working backwards, here's how they ranked in yards allowed: 25th, 25th, 11th, 4th (all Jets), 24th, 6th (both with the Cardinals), 15th (Eagles) and 15th (Dolphins). It's not a great sign that the Jets' defense got significantly worse over his two-year tenure or that the Cardinals dropped from 6th to 24th in 2013 and 2014. Bowles did have five-year run from 2011 to 2015 where his defenses where in the top 10 in fewest points allowed in four out of five seasons.

After missing out on the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job, Kevin Stefanski will return to Minnesota.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Stefanski is expected to return as the Vikings' full-time offensive coordinator, per a source informed of the situation.

Stefanski took over in Minnesota with three games left in the 2018 season after the Vikings jettisoned OC John DeFilippo. The Vikes offense got back to the ground game in the first two outings of the 36-year-old's play-calling career, compiling 320 rushing yards in back-to-back victories.

The Vikings offense, however, struggled brutally in the must-win season finale, compiling just 164 total yards in a loss to the Bears that dashed Minnesota's playoff plans.

Returning as full-time offensive coordinator, Stefanski will be tasked with unleashing an offense that vastly underperformed expectations in 2018. Despite a star running back in Dalvin Cook, two 1,000-plus-yard receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, and an $84 million quarterback in Kirk Cousins, the Vikings were an inconsistent mess this season. If the Vikings can't finally figure out their offensive line issues in 2019, it likely won't matter who is calling plays.

After firing DeFilippo, HC Mike Zimmer demanded that Stefanski establish the run game. Under DeFilippo, the Vikings averaged 40.3 pass attempts and just 21.1 rush attempts, a 65.7% pass rate. In three games under Stefanski, Minnesota averaged 27.3 pass attempts and 27.7 rush attempts for a 49.7% pass rate. The team's offensive pace slowed from 61.4 plays per game under DeFilippo to 55.0 plays per game under Stefanski. Kirk Cousins and the passing game suffered in the final three games, as his fantasy PPG dropped from 17.6 PPG to 15.8 PPG. Meanwhile, Dalvin Cook's usage spiked--he averaged 14.9 touches per game under DeFilippo and 18.0 touches per game with Stefanski calling the plays. His PPG (PPR) was 17.7 over the final three games after averaging 12.9 PPG in eight games under DeFilippo. Adam Thielen's averages (21.8 vs. 8.0) took a major hit while Stefon Diggs' production (18.4 vs. 14.5) also dipped. Keep in mind that one of the three games was at home against the Bears, who own the top defense in the league. Still, the Stefanski full-time hire looks to be good for Cook and bad for Cousins, Thielen and Diggs.

Vic Fangio is getting his first shot to be a head coach in the Mile High City. He's walked at least that far to get there.

The Denver Broncos are expected to hire the longtime defensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, per sources informed of the situation. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero added Fangio is getting a four-year deal with a fifth-year option.

The 60-year-old Fangio has spent more than half his life coaching in the NFL, including five stops and 19 seasons as a defensive coordinator. His four-year stint with the Chicago Bears culminated in the league's top scoring defense in 2018.

In addition, Gary Kubiak will leave his front office duties to run the offense, per Adam Schefter.

Fangio's departure is a blow to the Bears defense, but fantasy-wise the unit should be OK assuming the team hires a good defensive coordinator. His arrival should help get the Denver defense back on track to elite status. As for the offense, Kubiak has a long and great record as a play-caller. In his 22 years, his offenses have an average ranking of 9.3 in total yards and 11.5 in points scored. They have had an average ranking of 10.5 in rush attempts versus 15.8 in pass attempts, though in the last 11 years, his rush attempt ranking (14.7) and pass attempt ranking (14.1) evened out.

The Cleveland Browns will hire Freddie Kitchens on Wednesday to be the 18th head coach in team history, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Kitchens served as the Browns' interim offensive coordinator for the final eight games of the 2018 season. That work and his relationship with and development of quarterback Baker Mayfield were keys to his promotion.

The Browns did not want to lose Kitchens and denied him permission to talk to other teams about offensive coordinator openings during the interview process.

Interim coach and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was relieved of his duties and is no longer with the team.

Kitchens called plays for the Browns starting in Week 9 and it certainly appears that he had a positive impact on QB Baker Mayfield. In Mayfield's first five-plus games, he completed 58.3% of his passes for a 6.60 YPA and a 3.6% touchdown rate. In nine games with Kitchens calling plays, Mayfield completed 68.4% of his passes for an 8.57 YPA and a 7.2% touchdown rate. Mayfield was the No. 10 fantasy quarterback (19.0 PPG) in that span, so retaining Kitchens as the Browns' play-caller should result in continued growth for Mayfield in 2019.

One big name remains on the report, with everyone watching the star running back’s practice participation all week.

Todd Gurley was limited in Tuesday’s practice.

Gurley hasn’t played since Dec. 16, missing the final two regular season games with left knee inflammation. He said last week he hoped to practice some this week to help get him back in football shape. The Rams do expect Gurley to play.

The Atlanta Falcons have hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter to again be their offensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday.

"We are fired up to have Dirk join our staff as our offensive coordinator," Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said in a statement. "His experience and familiarity with our division will also pay dividends as we move forward."

Mike Mularkey, who parted ways after going 20-21 in parts of three seasons as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, was named the Falcons' tight ends coach on Tuesday. Mularkey also previously served as offensive coordinator in Atlanta.

Koetter, who turns 60 next month, previously was the Falcons' offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2014. He helped the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game in 2012 as the offense averaged 26.2 points per game and 369.1 yards per game. During his first three-year stint in Atlanta, the Falcons averaged 363.5 yards per game, 277.2 passing yards per game, and 24.0 points per game.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finalizing a deal to make Bruce Arians their next head coach, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini.

Arians, who retired following the 2017 season coaching the Arizona Cardinals, has spent the 2018 NFL season working as a game analyst for CBS.

Related players: Jameis Winston

Todd Bowles will be Arians' defensive coordinator according to the story and Byron Leftwich, former Cards OC, will a passing game coordinator. Perhaps Arians' biggest task will be getting the most out of Winston, who the team said would return prior to hiring Arians. The story added Winston attended Arians' football camp as a youth in Alabama.

The Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a deal to hire former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury to become the franchise’s next head coach, according to multiple reports.

FOX’s Peter Schrager was the first to report that the two sides were nearing a deal before NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added, “this should be done shortly.”

Kingsbury, 39, was one of five known candidates to interview for the position left vacant by Steve Wilks, who was fired on New Year’s eve following a 3-11 season. Wilks lasted one season with the Cardinals after replacing Bruce Arians.

Kingsbury was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders for six seasons, compiling a 35-40 overall record. His best season was his first one in 2013, when the Raiders went 8-5 and won the Holiday Bowl over then-No. 16 Arizona State. They were ranked as high as No. 10 in the country that season. The story went on to say Kingsbury coached quaterbacks that included Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb. Under Kingsbury’s tutelage, Mahomes passed for a nation-leading 5,052 yards in his junior season in 2016, while Texas Tech’s offense finished eighth in the country in total yards.

Rookie LB Dorian O’Daniel (calf, ankle) is the only #Chiefs’ player not practicing today.

Good sign for Sammy Watkins, Spencer Ware and Eric Berry.

Related players: Damien Williams

Ware did practice leading up to Week 17, but of course was inactive for the team's final game against the Raiders. After the Chiefs extended Williams to a two-year deal, it appears Williams will be in store for a bigger workload even if Ware does play against the Colts. Meanwhile, Watkins has been dealing with a foot issue since December.

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon, who injured his knee and came back in the game last weekend, is dealing with a little knee sprain. But it's nothing that makes his availability in doubt.

Related players: Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson

Gordon should get a nice-sized workload assuming he can stay healthy enough to remain in the game, but he's obviously not going to be 100-percent against the Patriots. After Gordon's touchdown against the Ravens, Ekeler and Jackson worked a couple of drives before Gordon came back in with the contest a one-possession game.

Patriots OC Josh McDaniels says he's "here moving forward."

The tweet added McDaniels said the 'book is closed' on any more interviews for a head coaching position. McDaniels said he appreciated his interview with the Packers, who went with Matt LeFleur from the Titans.

The Bears made tight end Trey Burton a late addition to their injury report with a groin injury that would keep him from playing in the 16-15 season-ending loss to the Eagles.

Burton said on Monday he became aware of the issue last Friday and thought he would be able to push through it before waking up on Saturday to find things were “completely locked up.” He tried “everything possible” to loosen up, but it didn’t work out for him.

Burton said he considered whether his issue on Wild Card weekend was a mental one, but felt he was in “a really good spot” mentally and that the reason for his absence from the lineup was purely physical, the story would add.

Dan Quinn is leading the defense once again, just for a different NFC team. The Atlanta Falcons' head coach decided after a 7-9 season to reassume duties as the defensive playcaller after firing second-year coordinator Marquand Manuel. Meanwhile, Quinn remains in search of both an offensive coordinator and special-teams coach after letting go Steve Sarkisian and Keith Armstrong, respectively.

As the story said, it's the second time that Quinn will take over the playcalling in Atlanta, something he did in Week 13 of the 2016 season, when he relieved then-defensive coordinator Richard Smith of those responsibilities. Of course, the Falcons went on to play in the Super Bowl that season, mainly because of the league's highest-scoring offense. But a renewed sense of defensive energy was felt under Quinn during that eight-game stretch in '16. The Falcons improved in scoring defense, red zone defense, sacks per pass attempt and interceptions per pass attempt.

Contentment is a state of mind that John Brown continues to pursue, and the wide receiver said he prefers to remain with the Ravens rather than test the free-agent market.

“I’d just rather have fun and be in a happy place,” he said Monday. “This is a place I’m happy with. As long as it’s good enough money to take care of my family, I’d love to be back.”

Brown, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with $4 million guaranteed on March 15, was the team’s leading receiver, catching 34 passes for 601 yards and four touchdowns in nine starts with Joe Flacco at quarterback. When rookie Lamar Jackson replaced Flacco for the last seven games, Brown’s numbers dropped to eight receptions for 114 yards and one score, the story said. Of course, the team seemed to make it very clear Jackson is the future at QB and the Ravens seem ready to move on from Flacco.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have parted ways with running backs coach James Saxon.

Coach Mike Tomlin announced Monday that the team opted not to renew Saxon's contract for the 2019 season. Saxon spent five years with the Steelers after coming over from the Minnesota Vikings.

Pittsburgh's running backs thrived under Saxon, the story said. LeVeon Bell reached the Pro Bowl three times in his four seasons with Saxon. When Bell opted to sit out the 2018 season after declining to sign his one-year franchise tag, second-year back James Conner filled in capably, as did Jaylen Samuels. Conner ran for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns, but was limited in the second half of the season because of injuries.

The Green Bay Packers appear poised to become the first NFL team to fill a head coaching vacancy this offseason.

The Packers are hiring Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, according to ESPN and NFL Network. Other candidates were notified that by the team that the organization had made its choice, per ESPN.

LaFleur, 39, completed first season as an NFL play-caller with the Titans in 2018. He previously served as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator for one year in 2017. Tennessee ranked 24th in total offense with 312.4 yards per game and 27th in scoring with 19.4 points per game, according to the story.

With his surgically repaired torn Achilles propped up behind him, veteran wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is looking at an uncertain future.

Although the 31-year-old five-time Pro Bowl selection would like to be back with the Texans, it will take him roughly six months to rehab the injury. And his contract would need to be adjusted as he's due a nonguaranteed $14 million base salary next year.

As the story said, whether the Texans would need Thomas with the healthy return of Will Fuller and Keke Coutee working in tandem with All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins is another question.

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry has been activated and is eligible to play in Sunday's divisional-round game against the New England Patriots, the team announced Monday.

Hunter has been on the physically unable to perform list since tearing the ACL in his right knee in May. The Chargers had until Monday to activate him, or he would have been ineligible to play for the rest of the playoffs. It's hard to imagine Henry will get a full workload against the Pats, but he could see time in the red zone.

John Harbaugh on Joe Flacco: “Joe can still play... Joe’s going to have a market, a lot of teams are going to want Joe. ... Joe Flacco is a great talent, he’s a better person, he’s the best QB in the history of the Ravens... he’s going to be just fine.”

Related players: Lamar Jackson

Jackson struggled most of the game before almost rallying the Ravens in the fourth quarter. But the team never made the switch to Flacco, which was probably a telling sign before Harbaugh's comments after the game. There are certainly some teams who could give Flacco a look heading into the 2019 season.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen believes their is a 'high probability' the Steelers will trade WR Antonio Brown.

Brown is due a $2.5 million roster bonus, but Mort added things have been festering for a couple of years now with Brown and the Steelers. If the team does move him, they will take a $21 million cap hit, but Mort adds Pittsburgh will get $14 million of cap relief moving on from RB LeVeon Bell.

Melvin Gordon didn't last two Chargers possessions without getting dinged up in their 23-17 win over the Ravens.

The running back, who entered the game with a issue to his right knee, went down after his third run of Sunday's Wild Card matchup.

Gordon was attended to after a run to the 1-yard-line on second-and-goal. The injury appeared to be to his left knee.

Related players: Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson

Gordon later returned to the game in the beginning of the second quarter. He finished the game with 17 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown but didn't look himself. The Chargers get the Patriots next, but those looking to play Gordon have to wonder about both of his knees. Ekeler and Jackson are likely to get their share of the workload.

The Lions and OC Jim Bob Cooter have agreed to mutually part ways.

Cooter is free to interview elsewhere as Detroit heads in another direction. And he’s received requests to interview, according to the rest of Rapoport's tweet.

Ben Roethlisberger says on his radio show (93.7 the Fan) he had no issue with Antonio Brown. “If there was a blowout, I certainly didn’t see it,” said Roethlisberger.

Ben said he talked to Brown Thursday a.m. and “everything was great,” but understands frustration from Brown being gone late in week, according to the tweet. As we reported via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday, Brown apparently threw a football and Roethlisberger and then didn't show up for practices and meetings leading up to the game, but did show up Sunday expecting to play, the story said. The team said Brown sat because of a knee issue.

On Monday, the day after the Lions season concluded, Kerryon Johnson acknowledged his injured knee is in good shape, and if the team had made an unlikely late-season run, he probably could have been available to play this weekend.

"I’m very close," Johnson said. "I wish we would have made the playoffs. It is what it is."

Prior to the Nov. 18 injury, Johnson had been playing well and trending toward stealing big workloads while also trending toward a 1,000-yard season. He finished his debut campaign with 641 yards on 118 carries (5.4 YPC), while chipping in another 213 yards on 32 receptions.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday he expects Todd Gurley to play in the divisional round of the postseason Jan. 12.

“I think it’s been making good progress. He’s feeling good,” McVay told reporters. “He came in today and everything was positive with what we’re getting from [senior director of sports medicine and performance] Reggie [Scott]. We’ll take it a day at a time.

Related players: C.J. Anderson

The two weeks off have helped Gurley. The bye week will help even more, the story said. Anderson had a two nice games filling in for Gurley, with a 167 yards in Week 16 and 132 in Week 17 adding TDs in both games.