When the sun rises on the first Monday after the NFL’s regular season concludes, I imagine we’ll begin seeing some movement on the coaching front in terms of potential firings.
That means we’ll see the start of an up-tick in rumors regarding the coaching carousel.
But why should we wait ’til then? There is already enough juicy stuff happening.
How Many NFL Head Coach Firings Could We See?
NFL on FOX insider Jay Glazer lays out a scenario where six head-coaching changes could happen this offseason. That isn’t as many as last season when we saw 10 teams switch coaches (and many others rumored to have considered it) and it might💝 be due to some of the financial ramificati💙ons that have been eating through NFL teams who have been payin🗹g for their constant turnover (in more ways than one).
Let’s run down some of these headliners…
Sean McVay’s Future in Doubt?
One day after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Rams Head Coach Sean McVay’s future might be in limbo, Glazer was able to add more perspective to the situation.
“People inside that building would be more surprised if he came back than if he left” is what Glazer said in the video above regarding McVay’s sitch. It is absolutely flooring to hear that McVay might be stepping away just one year after winning a Super Bowl. But there were rumors last season hinting at possibly stepping away from the game, which makes this less surprising than it should be.
For what it’s worth, Glazer sounds like someone who believes McVay won’t take long to make a decision.
Oh, to retire at age 36. What a dream it would’ve been…
Obligatory Jim Harbaugh Update
The Jim Harbaugh situation annoys me. Every year is the same thing. A tease there. And a whisper there. Then there’s some scuttlebutt. Maybe some gossip, too. There is always word on the street that Harbaugh could consider leaving Michigan. Not that you’d expect otherwise, but it’s here we go again time when it comes to Harbaugh rumors:
I’m digging how the Broncos are casually sliding it out there that Harbaugh is one of several candidates who will interview soon. It makes me wonder if NFL teams will leverage Harbaugh’s issues at Michigan to push him toward making a decision (rather than let it linger as he did last offseason). Whatever happens in Denver will be fascinating. And, begrudgingly, I’ll say that Harbaugh’s involvement could be fun to watch from the sidelines. We’ll see if I regret those words in the coming weeks.
The Panthers Have a Tough Call to Make With Steve Wilks
After a disastrous start that led them to fire Matt Rhule, the Carolina Panthers went 6-6 to f𒉰inish the season under the guidance of Interim Head Coach Steve Wilks.
Glazer reports former head coaches Jim Caldwell (who interviewed with the Bears last year and still wants another crack at it) and Frank Reich (fired by the Colts in-season) are expected to interview with Carolina.
It was certainly an admirable job by Wilks, a long-time defensive coach (who even had a stop with the Bears from 2006-08) who got the shaft during his one-and-done stint as the Arizona Cardinals head-coaching position. But now, Carolina has a tough decision to make regarding Wilks’ future. The Panthers could stick with Wilks, who deserves a ton of credit for what he did on an interim basis. It’s not as if he just kept the ship afloat. Wilks righted the ship down the stretch. And he deserves a fair shake at a real opportunity. Maybe he’ll get it, but it is clear he won’t be the lone candidate angling for the gig.
