NFL News and Rumors Today: Dan Quinn’s busy week continues, Vikings reveal GM finalists
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Come Sunday night, there will be just four teams NFL still alive in the playoffs. Which means the assistants for the other 28 clubs will be free to accept a promotion. In our latest round of NFL news and rumors, we break down the latest as NFL head coach and general manager searches really start ramping up.
NFL News and Rumors Today
With a quarter of the league in action this weekend, and many of the biggest names coaching for those teams, it’ll be a pretty quiet couple of days on the head coach front. But the three remaining teams with a GM opening could be busy.
Chicago Bears
Fired: Matt Nagy (HC), Ryan Pace (GM)
Scheduled/requested HC interviews:
Dennis Allen
Saints defensive coordinator
Tuesday, Jan. 25
Saints defensive coordinator Tuesday, Jan. 25 Todd Bowles
Buccaneers defensive coordinator
Saturday, Jan. 22
Buccaneers defensive coordinator Saturday, Jan. 22 Jim Caldwell
Former Colts, Lions head coach
Saturday, Jan. 15
Former Colts, Lions head coach Saturday, Jan. 15 Brian Daboll
Bills offensive coordinator
Sunday, Jan. 16
Bills offensive coordinator Sunday, Jan. 16 Matt Eberflus
Colts defensive coordinator
Monday, Jan. 17 (first); Monday, Jan. 24 (second)
Colts defensive coordinator Monday, Jan. 17 (first); Monday, Jan. 24 (second) Brian Flores
Former Dolphins head coach
Friday, Jan. 14
Former Dolphins head coach Friday, Jan. 14 Leslie Frazier
Bills defensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Bills defensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Nathaniel Hackett
Packers offensive coordinator
Saturday, Jan. 15
Packers offensive coordinator Saturday, Jan. 15 Byron Leftwich
Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Doug Pederson
Former Eagles head coach
Wednesday, Jan. 12
Former Eagles head coach Wednesday, Jan. 12 Dan Quinn
Cowboys defensive coordinator
Saturday, Jan. 22
Scheduled/requested GM interviews:
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Browns vice president of football operations
Thursday, Jan. 13
Browns vice president of football operations Thursday, Jan. 13 Morocco Brown
Colts director of college scouting
Monday, Jan. 24
Colts director of college scouting Monday, Jan. 24 Ran Carthon
49ers director of player personnel
Wednesday, Jan. 19
49ers director of player personnel Wednesday, Jan. 19 Ed Dodds – Withdrew from consideration
Colts assistant general manager
Monday, Jan. 17
– Withdrew from consideration Colts assistant general manager Monday, Jan. 17 Glenn Cook
Browns vice president of player personnel
Wednesday, Jan. 12
Browns vice president of player personnel Wednesday, Jan. 12 Ryan Poles
Chiefs director of player personnel
Friday, Jan. 21 (first); Tuesday, Jan. 25 (second)
Chiefs director of player personnel Friday, Jan. 21 (first); Tuesday, Jan. 25 (second) Jeff Ireland
Saints assistant general manager
Friday, Jan. 14
Saints assistant general manager Friday, Jan. 14 Champ Kelly
Bears assistant director of player personnel
Thursday, Jan. 13
Bears assistant director of player personnel Thursday, Jan. 13 Omar Khan
Steelers vice president of football and business administration
Steelers vice president of football and business administration Reggie McKenzie
Dolphins senior personnel executive
Thursday, Jan. 20
Dolphins senior personnel executive Thursday, Jan. 20 Monti Ossenfort
Titans director of player personnel
Saturday, Jan. 15
Titans director of player personnel Saturday, Jan. 15 Joe Schoen – Hired by the Giants
Bills assistant general manager
Sunday, Jan. 16
– Hired by the Giants Bills assistant general manager Sunday, Jan. 16 Eliot Wolf
Patriots director of scouting
Tuesday, Jan. 18
The latest: A day after interviewing Leslie Frazier, the Bears will meet with another defensive coordinator with previous head coaching experience. Quinn, the former Atlanta Falcons HC, has drawn interest from five teams. Meanwhile, the Bears could be close to a GM hire. With Schoen accepting the Giants job, there are three more openings still unfilled. Chicago is planning to meet with Poles for a second time next week, according to Sports Illustrated.
Denver Broncos
Fired: Vic Fangio (HC)
Scheduled/requested interviews:
Eric Bieniemy
Chiefs offensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Chiefs offensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Brian Callahan
Bengals offensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 20
Bengals offensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 20 Jonathan Gannon
Eagles defensive coordinator
Wednesday, Jan. 19
Eagles defensive coordinator Wednesday, Jan. 19 Luke Getsy
Packers QB coach/passing game coordinator
Friday, Jan. 14
Packers QB coach/passing game coordinator Friday, Jan. 14 Aaron Glenn
Lions defensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 13
Lions defensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 13 Nathaniel Hackett
Packers offensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 13
Packers offensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 13 Jerod Mayo
Patriots LB coach
Wednesday, Jan. 19
Patriots LB coach Wednesday, Jan. 19 Kellen Moore
Cowboys offensive coordinator
Tuesday, Jan. 18
Cowboys offensive coordinator Tuesday, Jan. 18 Kevin O’Connell
Rams offensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 20
Rams offensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 20 Dan Quinn
Cowboys defensive coordinator
Tuesday, Jan. 18
The latest: Broncos general manager George Paton just wrapped up an exhaustive (and surely exhausting) week of interviews. He has met with seven candidates since Tuesday, including Bieniemy on Friday.
Houston Texans
Fired: David Culley (and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly)
Scheduled/requested interviews:
Brian Flores
Former Dolphins head coach
Friday, Jan. 14
Former Dolphins head coach Friday, Jan. 14 Jonathan Gannon
Eagles defensive coordinator
Tuesday, Jan. 18
Eagles defensive coordinator Tuesday, Jan. 18 Joe Lombardi
Chargers offensive coordinator
Saturday, Jan. 15
Chargers offensive coordinator Saturday, Jan. 15 Kevin O’Connell
Rams offensive coordinator
Rams offensive coordinator Josh McCown
Former NFL QB
Thursday, Jan. 20
Former NFL QB Thursday, Jan. 20 Hines Ward
Florida Atlantic special assistant to the head coach
Saturday, Jan. 15
The latest: The Texans’ weird coaching search plods on. After waiting a few days to decide to fire Culley, they’ve taken their time in identifying his replacement, and their search has not included many of the big names that have become familiar this cycle. The Athletic reports that the Texans are “working to set up” a second interview with Gannon.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Fired: Urban Meyer (HC)
Scheduled/requested interviews:
Darrell Bevell
Jaguars interim head coach
Tuesday, Jan. 11
Jaguars interim head coach Tuesday, Jan. 11 Todd Bowles
Buccaneers defensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 3 (Jan. 7 has also been reported)
Buccaneers defensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 3 (Jan. 7 has also been reported) Jim Caldwell
Former Colts and Lions head coach
Tuesday, Jan. 4
Former Colts and Lions head coach Tuesday, Jan. 4 Matt Eberflus
Colts defensive coordinator
Saturday, Jan. 15 (first); Thursday, Jan. 20 (second)
Colts defensive coordinator Saturday, Jan. 15 (first); Thursday, Jan. 20 (second) Nathaniel Hackett
Packers offensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 14
Packers offensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 14 Byron Leftwich
Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 7
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 7 Kellen Moore
Cowboys offensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 7
Cowboys offensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 7 Bill O’Brien
Alabama offensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 13
Alabama offensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 13 Doug Pederson
Former Eagles head coach
Thursday, Dec. 30
Former Eagles head coach Thursday, Dec. 30 Dan Quinn
Cowboys defensive coordinator
The latest: What are the Jaguars waiting for? Their search is nearing its fifth week, and — as new PFN Insider Aaron Wilson reported — they keep adding candidates, or at least potential candidates. Just don’t call their “conversation” with Josh McCown an interview. It wasn’t.
Las Vegas Raiders
Resigned: Jon Gruden (HC)
Scheduled/requested HC interviews:
Jerod Mayo
Patriots LB coach
Scheduled/requested GM interviews:
Trey Brown
Bengals scout
Friday, Jan. 21
Bengals scout Friday, Jan. 21 Ed Dodds
Colts assistant general manager
Colts assistant general manager Champ Kelly
Bears assistant director of player personnel
Thursday, Jan. 20
Bears assistant director of player personnel Thursday, Jan. 20 Dave Ziegler
Patriots director of player personnel
Friday, Jan. 21
The latest: After a very late start to the process, the Raiders finally seem to be making headway, at least in their GM search. Ziegler and Brown became the latest to interview for Mike Mayock’s old job. The Raiders’ coaching search, however, still seems to be in its infancy. Among the potential candidates: Josh McDaniels, according to Pro Football Talk.
Miami Dolphins
Fired: Brian Flores (HC)
Scheduled/requested interviews:
Thomas Brown
Rams assistant head coach
Friday, Jan. 21
Rams assistant head coach Friday, Jan. 21 Brian Daboll
Bills offensive coordinator
Sunday, Jan. 16
Bills offensive coordinator Sunday, Jan. 16 Leslie Frazier
Bills defensive coordinator
Sunday, Jan. 16
Bills defensive coordinator Sunday, Jan. 16 Vance Joseph
Cardinals defensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Cardinals defensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Mike McDaniel
49ers offensive coordinator
Wednesday, Jan. 19
49ers offensive coordinator Wednesday, Jan. 19 Kellen Moore
Cowboys offensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 20
Cowboys offensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 20 Dan Quinn
Cowboys defensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 20
The latest: The Dolphins’ first round of interviews is wrapping up, if it isn’t over already. With seven interviews since Sunday, expect Miami to decide on finalists in the coming days.
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NFL Power Rankings: Divisional Round results boost the stock of the Bengals and 49ers
Some flight tracking sleuthing suggests that the Stephen Ross’ private jet was in the Bay Area since Wednesday, but is now back in New Jersey after a stop in Denver (presumably to meet with Joseph).
Minnesota Vikings
Fired: Mike Zimmer (HC), Rick Spielman (GM)
Scheduled/requested HC interviews:
Todd Bowles
Buccaneers defensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Buccaneers defensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Nathaniel Hackett
Packers offensive coordinator
Sunday, Jan. 16
Packers offensive coordinator Sunday, Jan. 16 Kellen Moore
Cowboys offensive coordinator
Cowboys offensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon
Eagles defensive coordinator
Thursday, Jan. 20
Eagles defensive coordinator Thursday, Jan. 20 Raheem Morris
Rams defensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Rams defensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Kevin O’Connell
Rams offensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Rams offensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Dan Quinn
Cowboys defensive coordinator
Cowboys defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans
49ers defensive coordinator
Wednesday, Jan. 19
Scheduled/requested GM interviews:
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Browns vice president of football operations
Monday, Jan. 17
Browns vice president of football operations Monday, Jan. 17 Brandon Brown
Eagles director of player personnel
Tuesday, Jan. 18
Eagles director of player personnel Tuesday, Jan. 18 Glenn Cook
Browns vice president of player personnel
Thursday, Jan. 20
Browns vice president of player personnel Thursday, Jan. 20 Monti Ossenfort
Titans director of player personnel
Sunday, Jan. 16
Titans director of player personnel Sunday, Jan. 16 Ryan Poles
Chiefs director of player personnel
Tuesday, Jan. 18 (first); Wednesday, Jan. 26 (second, tentative)
Chiefs director of player personnel Tuesday, Jan. 18 (first); Wednesday, Jan. 26 (second, tentative) Catherine Raîche
Eagles vice president of football operations
Monday, Jan. 17
Eagles vice president of football operations Monday, Jan. 17 John Spytek
Buccaneers vice president of player personnel
This week
Buccaneers vice president of player personnel This week Eliot Wolf
Patriots player personnel consultant
Thursday, Jan. 20
The latest: The Vikings could make a decision shortly on general manager. News emerged Friday that Ryan Poles and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will meet with the team for a second time next week.
New York Giants
Fired/retired: Joe Judge (HC), Dave Gettleman (GM)
Hired: Joe Schoen (GM)
Scheduled/requested HC interviews:
Brian Daboll
Bills offensive coordinator
Friday, Jan. 21
Bills offensive coordinator Friday, Jan. 21 Leslie Frazier
Bills defensive coordinator
Saturday, Jan. 22
Bills defensive coordinator Saturday, Jan. 22 Dan Quinn
Cowboys defensive coordinator
Scheduled/requested GM interviews:
Ran Carthon
49ers director of pro personnel
Monday, Jan. 17
49ers director of pro personnel Monday, Jan. 17 Ryan Cowden
Titans vice president of player personnel
Friday, Jan. 14
Titans vice president of player personnel Friday, Jan. 14 Quentin Harris
Cardinals vice president of player personnel
Thursday, Jan. 13
Cardinals vice president of player personnel Thursday, Jan. 13 Joe Hortiz
Ravens director of player personnel
Saturday, Jan. 15
Ravens director of player personnel Saturday, Jan. 15 Monti Ossenfort
Titans director of player personnel
Friday, Jan. 14
Titans director of player personnel Friday, Jan. 14 Adam Peters
49ers assistant general manager
Monday, Jan. 17 (first), Thursday, Jan. 20 (second)
49ers assistant general manager Monday, Jan. 17 (first), Thursday, Jan. 20 (second) Ryan Poles
Chiefs executive director of player personnel
Thursday, Jan. 13 (first), Wednesday, Jan. 19 (second)
Chiefs executive director of player personnel Thursday, Jan. 13 (first), Wednesday, Jan. 19 (second) Joe Schoen
Bills assistant general manager
Wednesday, Jan. 12 (first), Tuesday, Jan. 18 (second)
Bills assistant general manager Wednesday, Jan. 12 (first), Tuesday, Jan. 18 (second) Adrian Wilson
Cardinals vice president of pro personnel
Wednesday, Jan. 12
The latest: The Giants’ decision to hire Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen as their next GM seemingly bodes well for Daboll to get the HC job. Expect a flurry of interview requests to drop this weekend, and that included Frazier, who interviewed Saturday morning. NFL Network reports Flores, Quinn and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are also on New York’s list of candidates.
Schoen said the following after he was hired: “We will cast a wide net, it can be former head coaches, first-time head coaches but, more importantly, it has to be a person who possesses the ability to lead an organization and the ability to motivate and develop players.”
Is there a ‘Thursday Night Football’ game tonight? NFL schedule, TV channels for 2022 playoffs
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The NFL had a “Monday Night Football” game a few days ago to close the wild-card round of the 2022 NFL playoffs. While that was a new wrinkle in the postseason schedule, the NFL will not be adding a “Thursday Night Football” game to the schedule.
The NFL’s “TNF” schedule usually ends a couple of weeks before the end of the regular season, as the league wants to give teams adequate time to rest and prepare for their next opponent. As such, the league seems very unlikely to add a Thursday playoff game to the mix at any point, especially since there are only four games left to be played.
The divisional round games will take place on Saturday and Sunday, making this just the second week so far that has had NFL football on just two days of the week. The other came in Week 18.
Here’s everything you need to know about “TNF” for the 2022 playoffs and what you can watch with the program finished for the season.
MORE: Watch NFL divisional round games live with fuboTV (free trial)
Is there a ‘Thursday Night Football’ game tonight?
No, there is not a “Thursday Night Football” game on Thursday, Jan. 20. “Thursday Night Football” is over for this season and will not return until the 2022 NFL regular season begins.
The first Thursday game of the NFL season is usually the season opener. That said, that has usually, in the past, been broadcast by NBC, so it is technically a “Sunday Night Football” game. As such “TNF” won’t officially return until the second week of the regular season, though NFL viewers will be treated to a Thursday night game during the first week of the 2022 NFL season.
The last “TNF” game of the season aired on Dec. 23, when the Titans beat the 49ers 20-17 in a back-and-forth battle. The NFL doesn’t schedule Thursday games during the playoffs so that teams can have adequate time to rest, recover and prepare for their next opponent.
The NFL did host a “Monday Night Football” game for the first time during the 2022 NFL playoffs. The Rams crushed the Cardinals 34-11 in that contest and will now play the Buccaneers on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if having one fewer day of rest proves consequential in that matchup.
IYER: Kyler Murray’s clunky playoff debut should prompt Cardinals changes
Sports on TV today
“Thursday Night Football” is over not only for NFL fans, but for college fans as well. As such, football fans will have to look to other sports to keep them entertained. Basketball and hockey make up a majority of the programming on TV, but if you want some late-night tennis action, the Australian Open will be shown on ESPN2 starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Here’s a look at what you can watch during the time slot normally occupied by “Thursday Night Football.”
- NBA : Mavericks vs. Suns (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and Warriors vs. Pacers (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
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Mavericks vs. Suns (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and Warriors vs. Pacers (10 p.m. ET, TNT) NHL : Kings vs. Avalanche (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
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Kings vs. Avalanche (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) NCAAM : Memphis vs. SMU (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
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Memphis vs. SMU (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) NCAAW : NC State vs. Louisville (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
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NC State vs. Louisville (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) Tennis: Australian Open (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
DIVISIONAL ROUND PICKS: Against the spread | Straight up
NFL playoff schedule 2022
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 22
Game Time (ET) Network Stream Titans vs. Bengals 4:30 p.m. CBS fuboTV Packers vs. 49ers 8:15 p.m. Fox fuboTV
Sunday, Jan. 23
Game Time (ET) Network Stream Buccaneers vs. Cardinals/Rams 3 p.m. NBC fuboTV Chiefs vs. Bills 6:30 p.m. CBS fuboTV
Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 30
Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream AFC Championship Game 3:05 p.m. ET CBS Paramount+, fuboTV NFC Championship Game 6:40 p.m. ET Fox Fox Sports app, fuboTV
Super Bowl 56
Sunday, Feb. 13
Who needs a Super Bowl LVI win the MOST? Aaron Rodgers tops the list
After creating a year-long soap opera in Green Bay with countless headlines, cryptic comments and controversial antics, Rodgers needs to cap off the 2021 season with a Super Bowl win to change the narrative surrounding his legacy. While the soon-to-be four-time MVP is a lock to wear a gold jacket down the road, Rodgers is viewed as a bit of an underachiever due to his individual accomplishments failing to translate into extraordinary team success. Yes, Rodgers has won a Super Bowl, but that occurred 11 years ago – and it’s the only time in his career that he’s even made it to the Lombardi Trophy game. So, while many people tout Rodgers as one of the best to ever do it at the game’s most important position, his ring count clearly pales in comparison to that of Tom Brady. Furthermore, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger are three other contemporaries with multiple titles, giving them more championship juice than Mr. Rodgers.
Now, Rodgers has guided the Packers to the past two NFC title games. In fact, he’s reached Championship Sunday in four of the last seven seasons. But he just hasn’t been able to get over the hump and return to the sport’s biggest stage. Falling short once again would prompt critics to take a closer look at why he has been unable to get the job done in the playoffs despite his immense arm talent and savvy. Although Rodgers’ supporters tend to pin the blame on others (the coaching staff, the front office, the supporting cast), the onus is on No. 12 to put the “title” back in Titletown. With Green Bay owning the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season, Rodgers must deliver. If he falls short again, the postseason shortcomings will increasingly taint his overall legacy.
Joe Burrow ties NFL record for most times sacked in playoff game, and rewrites history book with Bengals win
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Joe Burrow made the wrong side of history in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, yet still found a way to rewrite the history books in the process. Burrow was sacked nine times in the AFC Divisional Round, tied with Warren Moon for the most by a quarterback since the 1970 merger (times quarterbacks have been sacked trace back to 1970).
The nine sacks the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed ties an NFL playoff record. The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs, 1984 Chicago Bears, 1986 New York Jets, and 1993 Houston Oilers have also allowed nine sacks in a playoff game. The nine sacks by the Tennessee Titans also tie an NFL playoff record with the 1966 Buffalo Bills, 1984 San Francisco 49ers, 1986 Cleveland Browns, and 1993 Kansas City Chiefs.
The Titans are the first team to lose a playoff game while having nine sacks in a game since the merger. The Cincinnati Bengals are the first team to win a playoff game while allowing nine sacks since the 1966 Kansas City Chiefs.
Burrow is the first quarterback to be sacked nine times and win a playoff game. He’s also the first quarterback to be sacked eight-plus times and win a playoff game since Donovan McNabb in the 2003 NFC Divisional Playoffs. Burrow and McNabb are the only two quarterbacks to accomplish the feat since the merger.
The Bengals won their first road playoff game in franchise history and advance to their first AFC Championship Game since 1988. Burrow finished 28 of 37 for 348 yards with an interception in the 19-16 win.
Former NFL officiating chief Mike Pereira ‘disenchanted’ by controversial calls
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Mike Pereira is essentially holding his breath that the NFL divisional playoffs this weekend won’t be marred by controversy involving the officials.
After the opening round of the playoffs last weekend included questionable calls in three games, and with the league nearing the end of its first season using a “replay assist” measure as an additional officiating tool, there are no guarantees.