JANUARY 11 HIRE SEAN. FIRE THE REST Wrote our man Mike Fisher: “Welcome back to the NFL, Houston Texans. You’re almost a living, viable professional franchise again. … All because you asked Sean Payton for an interview.
Payton is the “prom king” of this coaching carousel, by far the most proven product among potential “new” head coaches. We don’t really need to churn out his resume, but… In 16 seasons with the Saints as head coach, Payton helped guide the team to seven division titles, three NFC championship games (2006, 2009 and 2018) and a victory at Super Bowl XLIV.
And Fish’s suggestion for the unfortunate Texans, should Payton really be interested?
Complete control. Like Belichick. Like Popovitch. And everyone gets out of their way.
Fish’s Sean Payton column is here.
JAN 11 OC 2 MOVING? The Jets part ways with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, league sources tell CowboysSI.com. …a reshuffle that comes just as Dallas’ Kellen Moore – “the smartest guy in every room!” – enters the Coaching Carousel as a candidate for the highest position in Carolina.
JANUARY 10 WASHINGTON SHOOTING Washington commanders are looking for a new offensive coordinator after firing Scott Turner on Tuesday.
Turner, 40, coordinated the Commanders’ offense for three seasons on Ron Rivera’s team, but Washington finished 20th in total offense this season, averaging 330.3 yards per game.
There are a number of candidates who could be tied to the job, but perhaps the biggest name could be former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired Dec. 26 after just 4 -11 in 15 games.
The main reason he was hired by the Broncos was his success in leading Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to an MVP award in 2021 at the age of 37.
Rodgers is expected to be a free agent this offseason and could be looking for a change of scenery, especially after the Packers missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record.
It’s a long time for Rodgers to move to Washington DC in 2023, but there was interest in him coming to the nation’s capital when he was considering his future a year ago. But if he were to go, bringing in his former offensive coordinator could elevate a good team’s commanders to one of the league’s elite.
Turner is, of course, the son of former Cowboys Super Bowl-winning coordinator and Washington head coach Norv Turner.
JAN 10: DQ RESPONDS, VISITS TO HARBAUGH The Dallas Cowboys finished the regular season with a disappointing 26-6 road loss to the Washington Commanders, but that didn’t dampen interest in league circles for Dan Quinn as head coach.
But on Monday, Quinn himself “slowed things down” a bit.
“Anyone who asks you, you’re flattered,…” Quinn said Monday in The Star of the Broncos’ interview request. “So just where my feet are and I’m enjoying, and then we’re (having) a crazy week.”
That’s the Cowboys’ defense coordinator’s pretty standard response to such questions, but it’s also the truth in the way he conducts his business. Yes, Quinn is up for the Denver job again, a vacancy he interviewed a year ago before Denver finally chose Nathaniel Hackett.
Meanwhile, the Broncos visited Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday. And Sean Payton remains at the top of their wish list.
JANUARY 9: KLIFF DISMISSED Last March, Texas native Kliff Kingsbury signed a six-year extension as the Cardinals’ head coach.
And now it’s over.
Kingsbury led the Cardinals to a 4-13 record, their worst record since Kingsbury arrived in Arizona, and now he’s been fired.
JANUARY 9 QUINN DENVER REQUEST Dan Quinn and the Cowboys have received an interview request from the defensive coordinator from Denver, as the NFL Network first reported.
Quinn was a finalist for the same job a year ago. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones promised to keep Quinn working at the Star.
JANUARY 8 LOVIE OUT, EAGLES COACH IN? Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith has been fired, and sources tell us Texans and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will have a mutual interest moving forward.
Smith finished 3-13-1 in his only season in charge.
Multiple league sources named Gannon a top candidate for the Texans’ potential opener after he impressed in two interviews last season before the Texans promoted Smith to defensive coordinator.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero are other highly rated candidates.
JANUARY 8: QUINN VS. THE DENVER PITCH Sean Payton’s people whispered that he wasn’t interested in the Denver Broncos. And Jim Harbaugh this week came out and said he plans to stay at the University of Michigan.
Both were…um…lying. And what they actually decide to do impacts the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Read all about it here.
JANUARY 8: LOVIE OUT? Sources tell us coach Lovie Smith’s job security is considered to be in serious jeopardy heading into the final game of another dismal season for the Texans. Additionally, we’re told Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and Houston would have a mutual interest if the position becomes available. Stay tuned …
JANUARY 8: RETIREMENT MAGS? Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is no stranger to hanging up the scoresheet.
Pees, 73, is the NFL’s oldest coach and retired twice, once after the 2017 season with the Baltimore Ravens before reversing course a month later and joining the Titans of Tennessee, and again two years later, finally returning to training after an off season. once Arthur Smith took over as head coach in Atlanta.
What if he retires again? Here’s the Falcons’ internal jump-up roster.
JAN 2: “DUMB” MOVEMENT – RON IN DANGER? Cowboys at Commanders comes on the heels of this story: “Stupid coach Ron Rivera gets fired by Dan Snyder?” It’s worth watching…all because of a commitment to Carson Wentz.
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