Happy New Year 2025

Tag: coordinator

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady withdraws Saints head coaching candidacy: report

The New Orleans Saints parted ways with Dennis Allen in November following a seven-game losing skid. Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi then received the interim coaching tag.

The NFL franchise’s search for its next head coach remains active, but the team now knows at least one person who will not land the job. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has withdrawn his name from consideration for the role, per a report from NFL Media.

Brady prefers to continue guiding the Bills offense, despite New Orleans wanting “to interview Brady a second time,” NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Brady’s name had also been linked with other head coaching openings during the ongoing hiring cycle.

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Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady looks on from the field prior to an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

New Orleans’ 2024 season got off to a promising start, with the team winning its first two games by 37 and 25 points respectively. But, the ensuing losing streak prompted Saints ownership to make an in-season coaching change.

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“Dennis has been part of our organization for many years,” team owner Gayle Benson said in a statement shortly after the franchise announced Allen’s firing. “He is highly regarded within the NFL. He has been extremely loyal and professional and most importantly an excellent football coach for us. All of this makes today very tough for me and our organization. However, this decision is something that I felt we needed to make at this time. I wish nothing but the best in the future for Dennis and his family. He will always be considered in the highest regard by me and everyone within our organization.”

General view of the New Orleans Saints logo as the midfield logo fleur-de-lis after the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. (Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)

Allen ended his head coaching tenure in New Orleans with an 18-25 record. Allen spent seven seasons as New Orleans’ defensive coordinator before succeeding Sean Payton as the franchise’s head coach. Allen is now a top candidate for the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator role, ESPN reported.

Payton, who guided the Saints to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl title, turned to broadcasting in 2022 after stepping down from his head coaching position. He returned to the sideline in 2023 when he was named the next head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady stands with Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 27, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Rizzi, along with New York Giants defensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver have all completed interviews with the Saints amid the wide-ranging head coaching search. Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellan Moore participated in a virtual interview last week, the team announced.

In his second season as the Bills playcaller, Brady helped star quarterback Josh Allen have arguably the best season of his career. Allen, who was recently named an NFL MVP finalist, threw 28 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions during the regular season. He did not throw an interception in the two postseason games he’s played in thus far.

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The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Bills on Sunday for the AFC Championship game. On the NFC side, the Eagles will welcome the Washington Commanders to Lincoln Financial Field. The winner of those games will meet in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 26, 2025
Patriots reunite with Josh McDaniels yet again as Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator: reports

The New England Patriots’ head coach choice was a familiar face, and Mike Vrabel kept that trend going with his offensive coordinator hire heading into the 2025 season.

The Patriots are expected to reunite with Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator, a role he previously had with the organization, per multiple reports. Barstool Sports first reported McDaniels returning to the Patriots was imminent.

This will be the third time McDaniels returns to the Patriots, though the first with Vrabel at the helm and quarterback Drake Maye to mold after his rookie campaign in 2024.

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New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

McDaniels was among the offensive coordinator candidates the Patriots had been interviewing, which included Thomas Brown, the passing game coordinator for the Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady, per ESPN.

McDaniels was out of the game in 2024 after being fired mid-season by the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2023 campaign. He was also head coach in 2022, but things did not pan out, and owner Mark Davis made the call to move on.

While the Raiders remain searching for their own head coach after the firing of Antonio Pierce, who served on an interim basis after McDaniels’ departure in 2023, the Patriots found their guy in Vrabel after parting ways with Jerod Mayo following his first-and-only season.

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Additionally, though Vrabel and McDaniels have never coached together, they have a connection with their time together as player and coach respectively, when they won three Super Bowls during the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.

McDaniels’ big break into the NFL came with the Patriots in 2001 as an assistant under Belichick. He eventually worked his way up to the point where the Denver Broncos hired him in 2009 to become their next head coach.

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, left, and head coach Bill Belichick walk off the field following the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. (Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

However, that was short-lived, as McDaniels was fired in December 2010, when he would eventually return to the Patriots after being the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2011.

McDaniels would enjoy his time as New England’s coordinator from then until making the move to the Raiders for his second attempt at head coaching. During the 2021 season, McDaniels was also tasked with grooming Mac Jones, the team’s first-round quarterback choice in the NFL Draft, and he would help them earn a playoff berth.

The Patriots will hope McDaniels can lead the way for Maye, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft who showed spurts of greatness in his first NFL season despite the team’s overall struggles. Maye threw for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions with two rushing touchdowns on 421 yards over 12 games.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels reacts to a play against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (IMAGN)

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As Vrabel continues to build out his coaching staff this offseason, bringing in a familiar face with an extensive track record is something that could go a long way for a Patriots team that continues to look for its next dynasty.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 23, 2025
Jets hire Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as new head coach: reports

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is returning to his roots for his first head coaching job in the NFL.

Glenn, one of the top coaching candidates this offseason, accepted the role of the New York Jets head coach on Wednesday, becoming the first former player to return as head coach in nearly 50 years, according to ESPN.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn after the Minnesota Vikings game on Jan. 5, 2025, at Ford Field in Detroit. (Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Multiple outlets reported the news a day after Glenn met with Jets brass on Tuesday.

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The New Orleans Saints, who parted ways with Dennis Allen in November, were reportedly also in competition to land Glenn.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Glenn got his start in the NFL as a cornerback when he was selected by the Jets with the No. 12 overall pick in the 1994 Draft. He spent eight seasons in New York before being acquired by the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL expansion draft.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn talks with linebacker Jack Campbell during the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field in Detroit on Jan. 5, 2025. (IMAGN)

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Glenn turned to coaching not long after his playing career ended in 2008. He most notably spent the last four seasons overseeing the Lions’ defense and interviewed with several teams before accepting the job in New York.

Glenn also beat out more than a dozen other coaches in the Jets’ extensive search, which included Brian Flores, Jeff Hafley, Ron Rivera and Rex Ryan, among others.

According to The Associated Press, Glenn was the only candidate to receive a second interview.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches a replay during the 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (IMAGN)

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Glenn takes over with fans desperate for change. He replaces Robert Saleh, who was fired just five games into the season.

The Jets’ struggles looked like they were coming to an end when four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers was brought on in 2023. But a season-ending injury in his debut in New York derailed those plans.

The 2024 season wasn’t much of an improvement – not even the addition of Rodgers’ favorite target could change the outcome and the Jets extended their historic playoff drought.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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January 23, 2025