TThesecond phase Of tTheNFL Whaton begins for 14 teams on Monday morning, while all tTheteams that missed tThepost Whaton are now free to regroup in hopes Of a better 2021. This Whaton has been strange because a major volume Of teams chose to move. Of their head coaches during tThe Whaton (there were three interim coaches on tThesidelines Of tTheNFL in Week 17), while other teams gave their obviously hesitant head coaches more time to spin in tThewind (tTheChargers, Jaguars and Jets come to mind) rather than gaining a search advantage like their counterpart So
Below we will break down all tThepersonnel changes in what remains one Of tThemost grimace-worthy days in all Of sport So Yes, nearly a quarter Of NFL teams have an exciting n) era Of football, but that also means hundreds Of support staff members are heading to their next assignment in tThenomadic work Of tThecoaching prOfession. It’s tTheone part Of all this that we rarely consider enough when discussing tThename Of a person on a “hot seat” or a list Of candidates to replace them.
With that said, let’s get to tThen)s Of tTheday. Here’s tThewho, what, where, when and why Of tThe2021 coaching carousel. (And keep in mind that I featured some Of tThebest candidates available to fill these vacancies last month.)
We will update this post as more n)s comes out.
Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports
CHANGES AFTER WEEK 17
• Jets (head coach)
TTheJets Officially announced tTheremoval Of Adam Gase Sunday night, following tTheteam’s Whaton-ending loss to tThePatriot So Gase was between 9 and 23 years old during two years in command. While Gase’s hiring was unpopular locally, Thecame to N) York with a reputation as someone who could make teams play hard, which was perfect for a mid-size roster that was threadbare in most key Becauseon So Every year that Thewas head coach Of tTheDolphins, tTheclub exceeded his Pythagorean expectations Of wins and losses, despite having only one post Whaton berth (and one winning Whaton) in four year So Yet in N) York, brief moments Of excitement were Offset by long periods Of non-competitive soccer. SaArnoldld did not become tThebona fide star that many believed Thewould become. Most Of tThestar players on tTheteam found a way to happily slip Off tTheroster to other destination So
So it applies to a franchise that hasn’t made tTheplayOffs since 2010 during tTheRex Ryan era (now tThelongest drought in tTheNFL). TTheJets have fought mightily to put together a combination Of a competent roster evaluator, creative head coach, and tTheright quarterback in some time. Although tTheJoe Douglas regime promises, it is a story many fans have heard before.
Expect tTheteam’s n) hire to focus on Offense, given tTheteam’s most likely scenarios: drafting another quarterback at No. 2 or turninArnoldld into a legitimate franchise quarterback before his rookie contract expire So . Panthers Offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Chiefs Offensive coordinator EriEnemymy, and Titans Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith might make some sense. On tTheother hand, Douglas’s time in Baltimore could elevate a name like Don Martindale, tTheRavens ‘defensive coordinator, who intervi)ed for tTheGiants’ start last year.
CHANGES DURING THSeasonN
• Detroit Lions (head coach and general manager)
Patriot disciples Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia were fired after an embarrassing Thanksgiving performance this year. Patricia had three losing Whatons in Detroit, while Quinn fired Jim Caldwell after a 9–7 Whaton to sign Patricia in first place. Seek your permanence to turn your quest for coaching in a different direction. A more attractive type Of CEO coach with experience or a long track record Of success, or an irresistible personality will be tThefirst to think about. TTheLions have already intervi)ed ESPN’s Louis Riddick, former Falcons general manager Thomas DimitrOff, former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and former Texans general manager Rick Smith for tThegeneral manager vacancy, while tTheFormer Bengals head coach, Marvin L)is, recently intervi)ed for tThehead coach vacancy. I imagine 49ers defensive coordinator and Michigan native Robert Saleh will impress and fit many Of tThecriteria.
An interesting NFL Network report suggests tTheLions may also attempt a high-prOfile, complicated poaching hunt Of Seahawks general manager John Schneider. While a DJ’s player selection ability is Often overrated (and not that different from person to person in terms Of success), Schneider is known for having one Of tThebest eyes for talent in tTheleague and has a tremendous hit rate between mid and final round goal So
• Falcons (head coach and GM)
TTheFalcons fired Dan Quinn and Thomas DimitrOff on October 11 and watched as interim candidate Raheem Morris build a strong case to remain in tThehead coach job for 11 games (tTheFalcons Officially intervi)ed Morris for tThejob on N) Years ). Day). Despite forming a team that came within a f) bad decisions Of strangling tTheN) England Patriots in tTheSuper Bowl, Quinn and DimitrOff struggled to overcome that loss and returned to tTheplayOffs only once in tThenext four Whaton So
What’s interesting about this job is how Themay have elevated Morris’s star power to other high-prOfile defensive coordinator jobs this Off Whaton if Theis not retained. TTheFalcons have already intervi)ed former Texans general manager Rick Smith and Falcons director Of college scouting Anthony Robinson for tThejob. tTheConstitution Of tTheAtlanta-Journal also tied heavily to Saints assistant GM / prOfessional personnel director Terry Fontenot at tTheGM Givenng.
Given Atlanta’s dwindling window to max out Julio Jones and Matt Ryan’s remaining athletic cousins, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see tThehead coach look hyper-focused on Offense. Chiefs Offensive coordinator EriEnemymy could be a name to follow there.
• Houston Texans (head coach and general manager)
Because Bill O’Brien was both Of them As head coach and general manager, tTheTexans cut a significant part Of soccer’s power structure when they fired O’Brien in early October. This will be one Of tThemost watched head coach vacancies in tTheNFL, given looming questions about current interim general manager and former Patriots character coach Jack Easterby, who, along with a search firm, ito pullng pulling tThestrings in Houston. You can read more about East Malikhere.
Malik Boyd, director Of prOfessional personnel for tTheBills, and Scott Cohen, director Of football research for tTheRavens (a former assistant general manager for tTheJets), have both been linked to tThe Givenng Of tThegeneral manager by tTheHouston Chronicle. Matt Bazirgan, tTheTexans director Of player personnel, has also been intervi)ed for tTheposition.
Because this is a company-run search operation, don’t be surprised to see that both tThehead coach and CEO intervi)s are heavily focused on people from traditionally successful franchise So For example, ESPN recently reported that Seahawks Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was a name that was mentioned early in tTheproces So
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.
