NFL coaching tracker, wild-card news: Antonio Pierce says he’s still Raiders’ coach, Jaguars fire Doug Pederson
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The 2024 NFL regular season is in the books, and soon all eyes will be on the 14 teams heading to the playoffs, beginning with this upcoming weekend’s wild-card round. Before then, the teams on the outside looking will likely be making headlines.
Last season, nearly a quarter of the NFL’s franchises had head coaching turnover. What does 2025 hold for teams that are looking for a fresh start, besides their favorable draft position? Here’s a quick glance at the current vacancies:
Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce still has his job. As far as he knows, at least. The Las Vegas Raiders head coach told reporters at his Monday news conference that he hasn’t “heard anything different” regarding his job status on the heels of a 4-13 campaign featuring more than its share of turmoil. Team owner Mark Davis had not addressed the Raiders’ coaching job as of the time of Pierce’s news conference.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jags owner Shad Khan released a statement Monday announcing the firing of Doug Pederson, a move that had been expected since the middle of the season. The 4-13 Jaguars started 2024 with a four-game losing streak, then lost five straight games from Week 8 through 13 while QB Trevor Lawrence had another injury-filled season. While Pederson has been fired, general manager Trent Baalke will remain in place.
New England Patriots: The Patriots now need a new head coach after firing Jerod Mayo right after their Week 18 victory over the Bills, which meant they lost out on the No. 1 overall pick. With Drake Maye in place, it’s an attractive opening, as much as the rest of the roster needs work. Team owner Robert Kraft will presumably have more patience with the next hire than Mayo, a former Patriots player who lasted just one season replacing Bill Belichick.
New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen was fired on Nov. 4 after a seventh straight loss that evaporated a strong 2-0 start. Allen went 18-25 in three seasons in New Orleans and failed to make the postseason. Darren Rizzi finished the 2024 campaign 5-12. Whoever takes the reins faces a rebuild amid the Saints’ usual salary-cap headaches and uncertainty at the QB position.
Chicago Bears: The Bears made history by firing their head coach in-season for the first time, with Thomas Brown taking over as the team was amid a 10-game losing streak that ended with a win over the Packers in the season finale. Whoever replaces Matt Eberflus will be charged primarily with getting No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on track after a rocky rookie season.
As for the teams that will turn their attention to playoff preparation over the next two weeks, here’s a look at next weekend’s matchups.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as the NFL turns the page from the regular season to the playoffs.
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Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson, but retain GM Trent Baalke
The Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson on Monday following an overtime loss to the Colts in Week 18 and a 4-13 season overall. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
After a rough 4-13 season, the Jaguars have fired head coach Doug Pederson. But general manager Trent Baalke will stay in his position
“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “I will collaborate with general manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to sieze the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”
Antonio Pierce is still Raiders coach as far as he knows
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce spoke with media on Monday, and he still has his job. As far as he knows, at least. Pierce told reporters that he hasn’t “heard anything different” about his job status on the heels of a 4-13 season.
#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce says he hasn’t “heard anything different” other than he’s back for 2025. Says all of that talk is coming from the outside, not the inside.
Bears request interview with Giants OC Mike Kafka, but Seahawks could be in play
The Bears have requested permission to interview Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for their open head coaching job. He’ll be one of many interviewing for that open position, so there is a plan B in play…
And that plan B could be the Seahawks, who just fired Ryan Grubb as their offensive coordinator. A year ago, the Seahawks and their new head coach Mike Macdonald had requested permission to interview Kafka to be their new OC, but the Giants blocked their request. With the Giants trying to remake themselves without replacing their head coach or GM, they’re unlikely to want to hold on to coordinators like Kafka. If the Bears don’t work out, Kafka might head for Seattle.
Rex Ryan sounds pretty confident he’s going to land the Jets job
Rex Ryan, former Jets head coach, wants to be their head coach again. He’s got a chance, as he’s on the growing list of candidates (now up to 12) the Jets are interviewing. But Ryan is exceedingly confident that he’s going to get the job, as he said during a radio interview on Monday morning.
Seahawks reportedly fire OC Ryan Grubb after one season
The Seahawks are making a change at offensive coordinator, reportedly firing Ryan Grubb after one season with the team, his first coaching at any level in the NFL.
Seahawks’ first-year head coach Mike Macdonald hired Grubb onto his staff following a long career in offensive college coaching. He was hired by Kalen DeBoer as a member of the Sioux Falls coaching team, and followed DeBoer to Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, and finally to Washington, where DeBoer named him assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach.
The Seahawks have fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season with the team, sources say
Bears interim HC Thomas Brown will interview for full position at unknown time
Thomas Brown, who took over the mantle of head coach after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus midseason, will have a formal interview for the non-interim position at some point, but he’s not sure when.
Thomas Brown will have a formal interview for the Bears head coaching job but said he does not know when that will take place this week. His strongest selling point to have the interim tag removed? More than anything he believes he can say in an interview, it’s GM Ryan Poles…
Ravens’ Zay Flowers considered ‘day-to-day’ with knee injury
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that wide receiver Zay Flowers did not suffer a season-ending knee injury vs. the Browns and is considered “day-to-day.”
Flowers exited Saturday’s game with an apparent leg injury after going down hard on a catch-and-run. The 24-year-old Flowers immediately grabbed at his right knee and was in visible pain.
He was escorted to the medical tent with a pronounced limp, then went to the locker room.
The Ravens initially announced Flowers as questionable to return with a knee injury, but later downgraded his status to out.
The Ravens will host the Steelers on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Pro Bowl WR Zay Flowers’ right knee injury is not a season-ending one.
Flowers is considered “day to day” heading onto the wild-card game against the Steelers, according to Harbaugh.
Jets add Chiefs OC Matt Nagy to list of interview requests
The Jets are reportedly adding Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to the interview request list for their head coaching opening. That’s the same Matt Nagy who was head coach of the Bears from 2018 to 2021. The Jets already have Lions DC Aaron Glenn on their interview list.
In addition to Nagy and Glenn, the Jets are reportedly requesting an interview with Steelers OC Arthur Smith, who was previously the head coach of the Falcons.
The Jets have requested Chiefs OC Matt Nagy for the HC vacancy, per source
Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn are going to be very busy
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are two of the most in-demand head coaching candidates. Thus far, the Bears have reportedly requested interviews with both of them for their HC opening.
Johnson has also reportedly gotten an interview request from the Patriots, while Glenn has a request coming from the Jets.
Deshaun Watson has ‘setback’ in Achilles recovery, status for 2025 unknown
Browns GM Andrew Berry announced Monday morning that QB Deshaun Watson has experienced a “setback” in his recovery from a torn Achilles. They don’t have much information yet on the nature of the setback and how it might affect his overall timetable, but Berry said it will “extend the recovery process.”
Jets reportedly will not request to interview Lions OC Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, is expected to have his pick of head coaching jobs this offseason. But he’s not going to interview for all of them. The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported that Johnson is going to be picky about his options, and one team is already off the list: the Jets.
Ben Johnson has made it very clear he’s not taking interviews with every organization looking for a HC. If the Jets had a better quarterback situation, there would be more interest. https://t.co/1jgZ9eYBuZ
Bengals reportedly fire defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, several other coaches
The Bengals had a sizzling offense this season, but their defense wasn’t up to the same level. So it’s not terribly surprising that Cincy has reportedly fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who had been in the position since 2019. They’ve also reportedly fired OL coach Frank Pollack, LB coach James Bettcher, and DL coach Marion Hobby.
Jacksonville’s new head coach will report directly to owner Shad Khan
The Jaguars have fired Doug Pederson, but they aren’t just changing their head coach. According to Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager, there will be a new reporting structure in place for 2025. Instead of reporting to GM Trent Baalke, the new head coach will report directly to owner Shad Khan.
Trent Baalke stays in JAX. As I said on @gmfb , the structure will be different — new coach will report to owner, not GM– but new coach will be inheriting GM from previous era.
Giants will retain head coach Brian Daboll, GM Joe Schoen for 2025 season
Unfortunately for Giants fans, the planes flying protest banners over MetLife Stadium did not change owner John Mara’s mind about his team’s leadership.
Mara released a statement Monday morning affirming what fans feared most: general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will continue in their roles next season despite a 3-14 record.
Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase is just the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era, and the first since Cooper Kupp, to win the triple crown. He racked up 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns on 127 catches, all of which were career-highs for the 24-year-old.
