JAGUARS FIRE COACH DOUG PEDERSON, KEEP GM TRENT BAALKE AFTER ‘BEST TEAM ASSEMBLED’ WINS JUST 4 GAMES
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Doug Pederson is out as Jacksonville’s head coach after the franchise’s “best team assembled” won just four games.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired Pederson on Monday, a day after a 26-23 loss at Indianapolis in overtime. It was the team’s 18th loss in its last 23 games. But Khan kept general manager Trent Baalke, a questionable decision that surely will affect who will become Jacksonville’s next coach.
Khan made the move with one year remaining on Pederson’s contract. The decision came more than five months after Khan stood in front of coaches and players and declared this the “best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever.”
“Winning now” was Khan’s edict as training camp opened and after he committed nearly half a billion dollars to to signing quarterback Trevor Lawrence, pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen and cornerback Tyson Campbell to long-term deals in the offseason. It was the most expensive stretch of roster building in franchise history.
And Khan has gotten little, if any, return on his investment.
“Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives,” Khan said in a statement. “As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.
“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. 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 seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”
The Jaguars (4-13) ended up with their 10th losing season in Khan’s 13 years as owner. Now, Khan will hire his sixth head coach; current NFL offensive coordinators Ben Johnson (Detroit) and Liam Coen (Tampa Bay) should top the list. But would they even agree to work with Baalke, whose draft picks have been mostly suspect and his latest free-agent class is among the worst in franchise history?
Pederson became the fifth NFL head coach fired this season, joining Robert Saleh (New York Jets), Dennis Allen (New Orleans), Matt Eberflus (Chicago) and Jerod Mayo (New England).
Pederson finished 9-8 in his first two campaigns in Jacksonville and made the playoffs in his first year. He became the first coach in franchise history to start with back-to-back winning seasons and was a welcome relief following Urban Meyer’s 13-game tenure that was filled with dysfunction.
But Pederson’s injury-riddled team went 1-5 down the stretch in 2023 and missed the postseason after spending nearly two months atop the AFC South. He thought getting Lawrence healthy and revamping his defensive staff would change the team’s fortunes. Neither made a difference.
More damning: Pederson failed to develop Lawrence or create a team identity, handed play-calling duties to Press Taylor despite Khan making his wishes known and showed no urgency to try to fix a defense that regressed under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
The 56-year-old Pederson went 23-30 with Jacksonville, a far cry from the Super Bowl-winning coach Khan thought he hired in February 2021.
A longtime backup quarterback in the league, Pederson spent part of his coaching career working under Andy Reid in Kansas City. Pederson came to Jacksonville after a one-year coaching hiatus that followed a five-year stint as Philadelphia’s head coach, where he led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in 2018.
With backup Nick Foles under center, the Eagles beat Tom Brady and New England thanks partly to a trick play called “Philly Special.” That victory is Pederson’s defining coaching moment.
His tenure with Jacksonville was mostly forgettable. Sure, there was the come-from-behind stunner over the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC wild-card round in January 2023. Lawrence rallied the Jaguars from a 27-0 deficit to win 31-30. Otherwise, Pederson was fairly pedestrian.
His ultimate undoing came in close games, with Jacksonville going 3-10 in one-score contests this season. Whether that’s talent or coaching is debatable. Regardless, Pederson got little public support from players down the stretch, a clear sign that the locker room was ready to go in a different direction.
Now Khan has to find the right coach to get Lawrence — and the rest of the team — to another level.
SOURCES: SEAHAWKS FIRE OC RYAN GRUBB AFTER ONE SEASON
The Seattle Seahawks have fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The move comes a day after the Seahawks finished 10-7 in coach Mike Macdonald’s first season, and after speculation had been mounting that Grubb’s job was not safe.
The Seahawks ranked 21st in offensive scoring (20.0 points per game), 14th in total offense (332.2) and eighth in passing yards (236.5). But the run game Macdonald wanted to rely on as a defensive-minded head coach was a constant struggle, with Seattle finishing 28th in rushing (95.7) and 17th in yards per carry (4.2).
Grubb had never coached in the NFL until the Seahawks hired him in February, bringing the OC and offensive line coach Scott Huff back to Seattle after they had followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama.
Quarterback Geno Smith, a strong Grubb supporter, mentioned that fact while giving a glowing endorsement of his playcaller after Seattle closed out the season Sunday with a 30-25 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
“I think Grubb is an excellent, excellent coordinator,” he said. “Even better man. Our first year, obviously there was some ups and downs, there was some things we can improve on. We’ll work hard to get those things fixed, but I believe in this system. I believe this is a really good system and it’s going to be really good for a long time.
“I think Grubb has exactly what it takes to be a great coordinator in this league, and it’s his first year; you’ve got to give the guy some grace. He’s figuring things out too. I thought he did an outstanding job leading the group. I love the passion that he brings to the game, and he made me a better quarterback.”
REX RYAN SAYS HE’S CONVINCED JETS WILL HIRE HIM AS NEXT COACH
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, scheduled to interview Tuesday for the team’s head coaching vacancy, is convinced he will land the job.
If it happens, he says he will put an end to the Aaron Rodgers “country club.”
Ryan, appearing Monday morning on ESPN New York radio, ripped the future Hall of Famer for skipping the team’s mandatory minicamp last June to take a vacation to Egypt. He also criticized the organization’s “abysmal” leadership for condoning it.
“Clearly, when you have a guy that doesn’t show up for mandatory minicamp — and, by the way, he’s your quarterback, coming off an injury — I think that’s an absolutely ridiculous message you send to the team,” Ryan said during a spot on the “DiPietro & Rothenberg Show.”
“If he comes back, things would be different. If he’s back, it ain’t gonna be the country club, show up whenever the hell you want to show up. That ain’t gonna happen. I’ll just leave it at that,” Ryan said.
Rodgers, who blamed his absence on a scheduling mix-up, was fined approximately $100,000 by the Jets for missing the minicamp. Then-coach Robert Saleh called it an unexcused absence, though he wasn’t particularly critical of the four-time MVP. Rodgers, 41, is undecided on his future, saying he will take time to consider it.
Ryan, who has been lobbying for the Jets’ job, will meet with team brass in Palm Beach, Florida, where owner Woody Johnson has a home. The meeting will occur nearly 16 years to the day of his first interview with the team, when he went from Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator to Jets head coach in January 2009.
He went 46-50 in six seasons, leading the Jets to the playoffs and back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010 — the franchise’s last postseason appearances. He was fired by Johnson after going 4-12 in 2014, but he has maintained a relationship with the owner.
The team already has interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera. The Jets also have submitted interview requests for at least four offensive coordinators — Arthur Smith ( Pittsburgh Steelers), Bobby Slowik ( Houston Texans), Joe Brady ( Buffalo Bills) and Matt Nagy ( Kansas City Chiefs), according to reports. The Jets are also expected to submit requests for at least three defensive coordinators — Aaron Glenn ( Detroit Lions), Vance Joseph ( Denver Broncos) and Brian Flores ( Minnesota Vikings) — and two quarterback coaches — Josh McCown (Vikings) and Brian Griese ( San Francisco 49ers — sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The ever-confident Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, expects to land the position.
“Oh, 100 percent, absolutely, I do,” he said. “The reason I think I’m going to get it is because I’m the best guy for it. It ain’t close. The thing you have to do is, you have to connect with your football team, you have to connect with your fan base. The way they play, that’s the most important thing.
“It’s not just the X’s and O’s and all that. This Ben Johnson, I love him, I absolutely love him, but I’m a better candidate for this job than he would be.”
The Lions’ offensive coordinator is one of the hottest candidates on the market, but he’s not expected to interview with the Jets, sources said.
Ryan said the current Jets are “not short on talent.” He blamed their 5-12 season on a “lack of organizational leadership,” pointing to the coaching staff. Saleh was fired in October, followed by general manager Joe Douglas in November.
JAGUARS BACK HOME AFTER STORM KEPT PLANE ON TARMAC 7 HOURS
The Jacksonville Jaguars arrived home early Monday morning after the winter storm that snarled travel across the central United States delayed their return from Indianapolis.
The team’s charter was delayed for seven hours, with players and staff remaining on the plane on the tarmac at Indianapolis International Airport after Sunday’s 26-23 loss to the Colts. The chartered flight touched down in Jacksonville at 2:50 a.m. ET Monday morning.
Indianapolis was among the cities under a winter storm warning into Monday. The National Weather Service forecast called for heavy snow at times, an accumulation of 2 to 5 inches, freezing drizzle and wind gusts of up to 40 mph in central Indiana.
The Jaguars (4-13) had hoped to get out of Indianapolis before the worst of the storm, but Sunday’s game went to overtime and caused enough of a delay that players, coaches and staff got stuck.
The charter flight finally was cleared to leave at 1 a.m. EST and landed in Jacksonville two hours later. It delayed owner Shad Khan’s scheduled meeting with coach Doug Pederson to decide their path moving forward.
The Kansas City Chiefs decided to remain overnight in Denver following their game against the Broncos because of the storm.
GIANTS OWNER SAYS GM JOE SCHOEN AND COACH BRIAN DABOLL ARE STAYING PUT AFTER 3-14 SEASON
The New York Giants are sticking with general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll.
Team president and co-owner John Mara announced Monday that he and co-owner Steve Tisch decided to move forward with the Giants’ current leadership even after a 3-14 season that ranks among the franchise’s worst.
“We came to the decision that staying with both of them is the best course of action for us right now,” Mara said at the team’s facility. “I think in Brian’s case, he was the Coach of the Year two years ago. That didn’t disappear all of a sudden. I still believe he can do that again. And in Joe’s case, I thought we had an outstanding draft class this year. I thought we had a really good free agency period. I really like the staff that he’s put together and built.”
Mara said he spoke to Schoen and Daboll for “several hours” last Friday before deciding to bring them both back.
“I think that they’re the right two guys to lead us going forward,” Mara said. “I understand, believe me, that that’s not going to be the most popular decision in Giant land.”
Frustrated fans, unhappy during a franchise-record 10-game losing streak, flew banners from planes above MetLife Stadium before the Giants’ last two home games, urging Mara to make wholesale changes.
“I didn’t need planes flying over me to tell me how upset the fans are,” Mara said. “I hear from them every day. So, that really did not have much of an effect. I get how upset they are. I try to respond to them. Nobody was more upset than I am about how we performed in recent years. I have to stand up here and take the heat for that.”
Instead, Schoen and Daboll will be back next season and spend the next few months searching for a quarterback — the Giants have the No. 3 overall pick in the draft in April — while trying to build a roster to compete in the NFC East after going 0-6 in the division and finishing 1-8 at home overall.
“That’s obviously the No. 1 issue for us going into this offseason, is to find our quarterback of the future,” Mara said. “Whether that be via the draft or acquiring a veteran, it’s going to be up to them to decide, ultimately.”
Mara said he wouldn’t put “any kind of time limit” on his committment to the two, but made it clear he needs to see marked improvement from both Schoen and Daboll next season.
“It better not take too long,” Mara said, “because I’ve just about run out of patience.”
Both Schoen and Daboll were hired by the Giants in 2022 and their tenure got off to a promising start with New York going 9-7-1 and making the playoffs, where they beat Minnesota in the wild-card round before losing to NFC East-rival Philadelphia, the eventual conference champion, in the divisional round. Daboll was also selected the AP NFL Coach of the Year.
But with quarterback Daniel Jones — who received a four-year, $160 million contract extension during that offseason — dealing with injuries and inconsistency, the Giants struggled to a 6-11 finish.
Jones returned this season healthy, but was benched for poor play after New York got off to a 2-8 start. He asked for and was given his release by the Giants, who then used Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock as starting quarterbacks as New York won just one of its final seven games — putting both Schoen and Daboll’s job in jeopardy.
“Three wins, not good enough. So, a lot of work to be done,” Daboll said after the Giants’ season-ending 20-13 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
“We stunk this year,” Mara said. “The results on the field were not what we wanted them to be. There were a number of factors that went into that.”
Not re-signing running back Saquon Barkley certainly didn’t help, especially after he ran for 2,005 yards for NFC East-rival Philadelphia and challenged Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season record.
“If I’m sitting here a year from now and you’re asking me these questions, I’ll take the heat,” Mara said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make a decision and we’ve made one.”
HARBAUGH SAYS BALTIMORE WR ZAY FLOWERS’ KNEE INJURY ISN’T SEASON ENDING, DESCRIBES HIM AS DAY TO DAY
Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers’ knee injury is not season ending, coach John Harbaugh said Monday, but he gave no assurances about a quick return.
“It’s just going to be day to day, try to do everything he can do to get back as soon as he can,” said Harbaugh, who held a video conference with reporters on a snowy day in the Baltimore area. “We’ll see where that takes us.”
Flowers hurt his knee in Saturday’s victory over Cleveland, which ensured the Ravens would open the playoffs at home. They face Pittsburgh on Saturday to begin the postseason.
After a strong rookie season in 2023, Flowers has taken another step, becoming the first Ravens wide receiver to earn Pro Bowl honors. He caught 74 passes for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns in the 2024 regular season.
Fellow wide receiver Rashod Bateman also has made big progress in his fourth NFL season, catching 45 passes for 756 yards and nine TDs.
“He’s always been high, high on my list, my charts,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s a tremendous player, tremendous athlete, tremendous competitor. Excellent wide receiver, brings a tremendous skill set to it. He’s been playing at a high level all year. Made big plays for us in that game this past week. He was a factor in those drives and getting us into scoring position numerous times.”
Beyond Flowers and Bateman, the Ravens don’t have much depth at the position after a midseason trade for Diontae Johnson worked out about as poorly as possible. But Baltimore has two tight ends who are significant passing targets in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
The Ravens, led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, became the first team in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and run for at least 3,000.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Harbaugh said. “We can move guys around different ways, scheme those guys up and they can all make plays.”
Harbaugh also said running back Justice Hill and offensive lineman Patrick Mekari are “trending well” after illness limited them last weekend. Hill didn’t play against Cleveland, and Mekari participated in only six offensive snaps.
BROWNS’ WATSON SUFFERS SETBACK IN RECOVERY FROM TORN ACHILLES
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had a setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, general manager Andrew Berry announced Monday.
“We don’t have all the details and everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him,” Berry said. “It is new information, just learned in the past couple hours.”
The Browns general manager said the signal-caller alerted staff that something didn’t feel right during his exit interview, which led to the discovery of the setback, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.
Berry added that it’s “too early to tell” if Watson will play in 2025, per The Athletic’s Zac Jackson. The franchise will find out in the near future whether he requires another surgery.
Watson tore his Achilles on Oct. 20 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the year with a 1-6 record and only five touchdowns to three interceptions.
The 29-year-old has been a major disappointment since the Browns traded three first-round picks and two Day 2 selections to the Houston Texans for him in 2022. Watson, who was brought in to lead Cleveland to new heights, has posted a 9-10 record while also completing only 61.2% of his passes for 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
Watson has two seasons remaining on a fully guaranteed five-year, $230-million contract. The Browns reportedly restructured the deal earlier this season to spread his dead cap hit over two years instead of taking it all in 2027 if he remains with the franchise through 2026.
TYREEK SIGNALS DOLPHINS EXIT: ‘IT WAS GREAT PLAYING HERE’
Tyreek Hill left the door wide-open for a potential exit from the Dolphins while expressing his disappointment with Miami’s 2024 season.
“This is the first time I haven’t been in the playoffs, so for me, I have to do what’s best for me and my family, if that’s here or wherever the case may be,” Hill said Sunday after a 32-20 loss to the New York Jets, according to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald.
“I’m about to open up that door for myself. I’m opening the door. I’m out. It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for my career. Because I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”
Head coach Mike McDaniel downplayed Hill’s comments.
“I’m not going to be too much weight on secondhand postgame disappointment statements,” McDaniel said, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “We will see how the next couple of days progress in convos with him and I.”
“I’m not going to match emotion with emotion. … It’s a little cloudy in the heat of the moment for multiple reasons,” the sideline boss added, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “I know that clarity will be found.”
Hill’s remarks follow a loss that dropped Miami to 8-9 to conclude the regular season. The Dolphins needed a win over the Jets and a Broncos loss to the Chiefs to reach the playoffs. Denver blew out an undermanned Kansas City 38-0.
Hill wasn’t on the field for the fourth quarter versus New York and finished the season with 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games. He battled a wrist injury for most of the campaign but didn’t miss any contests.
“I was informed he was unavailable right before a drive,” McDaniel said of why Hill missed the final frame Sunday, per Wolfe. “I was not informed that it was a new injury. Focus was on players on the field.”
Hill suggested McDaniel opted to bench him with the Broncos up on the Chiefs by multiple scores at the same time.
“The coach kind of pulled me out. … Just one of those issues that you look up at the scoreboard, the Chiefs are down, and it’s like, ‘OK.'” Hill said, per Kelly.
He added, “There are a lot of things that I need to reassess about my career, just see what I need to do to continue to get better as a player, so I can continue to reach that 1,000-yard mark.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said he’ll talk to the wideout about his recent comments.
“That will be an internal discussion I have with Tyreek before I address that publicly,” Rosenhaus said, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Hill wasn’t named a Pro Bowler for the first time in his nine NFL seasons. He led the league with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches in 2023.
The five-time All-Pro signed a three-year extension with Miami in August and is under contract through the 2026 season. The 30-year-old said last May that he wanted to retire as a Dolphin.
Hill established himself as one of the NFL’s most explosive players while playing for the Chiefs through his first six seasons. He helped Kansas City win a Super Bowl before being traded to Miami in 2022.
Injuries were an issue for the Dolphins in 2024. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed four games in the season’s first half due to a concussion and was also sidelined for the final two weeks with a hip issue.
REPORTS: JETS’ SEARCH HEATS UP WITH INTERVIEW REQUESTS
The New York Jets requested interviews with at least a half-dozen coordinators and other assistants as their coaching search intensified Monday, per multiple reports.
Offensive coordinators Arthur Smith (Steelers), Bobby Slowik (Texans) and Joe Brady (Bills), defensive coordinators Aaron Glenn (Lions) and Vance Joseph (Broncos), and quarterbacks coach Brian Griese (49ers) were candidates named in multiple reports.
The Jets (5-12) fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start this season and went 3-9 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.
In addition, the Jets reportedly completed first interviews with former two-time head coach Ron Rivera and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Smith, 42, is in his first season with Pittsburgh after posting three consecutive 7-10 seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23.
Smith’s Steelers, who will visit the Baltimore Ravens for a wild-card game on Saturday night, finished the regular season ranked 16th in scoring (22.4 points per game) and 23rd in total offense (319.4 yards per game).
Slowik, 37, is in his second season with the Texans after working as an assistant for the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan from 2017-22. The Texans were 19th in scoring (21.9) and 22nd in total offense (319.7).
Brady, 35, joined the Buffalo staff in 2022 and is in his first full season as the offensive coordinator. The Bills ranked second in scoring (30.9) and 10th in total offense (359.1).
Glenn, 52, has been the Lions’ DC since 2021. Detroit finished seventh in the league this season in scoring defense (20.1) and 20th in total defense (342.4).
Joseph, 52, compiled an 11-21 record in two seasons as head coach of the Broncos from 2017-18. In his second season as head coach Sean Payton’s DC in 2024, Denver finished third in scoring defense (18.3) and seventh in total defense (317.1).
Griese, 49, just finished his third season coaching the San Francisco quarterbacks. He was a QB in the league for 11 seasons with four teams from 1998-2008, earning one Pro Bowl selection.
RAVENS WR ZAY FLOWERS (KNEE) DAY-TO-DAY
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers avoided a season-ending right knee injury and is day-to-day, head coach John Harbaugh said Monday.
Flowers left the regular-season finale on Saturday against the visiting Cleveland Browns with what was feared to be a long-term lower-leg injury.
“It’s not a season-ending injury. It’s going to be day-to-day and him doing everything he can do to get back as soon as he can,” Harbaugh said.
Flowers caught a 12-yard pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson and went to the ground at the Cleveland 12-yard line, where he was hit on the knee by Mohamoud Diabate as the Browns linebacker fell to the turf.
After getting medical attention on the field, Flowers walked with a slight limp to the sidelines with 12:03 to go in the quarter. He went to the blue medical tent before leaving the sideline for the locker room. The Ravens ruled him out for the rest of the game.
Flowers, 24, finished with the one catch.
Elected to his first Pro Bowl, Flowers leads the Ravens with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards. He caught four touchdown receptions.
He has not missed a game because of injury in his two seasons.
Flowers started all 16 games as a rookie in 2023, when he had 77 receptions for 858 yards and five TDs, and rushed eight times for 56 yards and another score. The Ravens selected him with the 22nd overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Boston College.
REPORT: BEARS REQUEST INTERVIEWS WITH CARDS OC, LIONS COORDINATORS
The Chicago Bears submitted formal requests to interview Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as well both coordinators from the Detroit Lions, NFL Network reported Monday.
The Bears (5-12) fired head coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 after a 4-8 start.
The Bears put in requests to interview Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, per the report. Both are expected to attract multiple interviews this offseason. The Lions garnered the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Chicago snapped a 10-game losing streak and picked up its first win under interim coach Thomas Brown with a season-ending 24-22 victory at Green Bay on Sunday. Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Sunday that Brown, who started the season as the passing game coordinator, will also get an interview.
“It was challenging,” Brown said Monday, “but I learned a lot about myself this year.”
Brown said he is confident Poles learned more about him by watching him run the team than he could articulate in an interview.
Petzing, 37, just completed his second season as the offensive coordinator under Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon.
The Cardinals (8-9) missed the playoffs but finished 12th in the NFL in scoring (23.5 points per game) and 11th in total offense (358.2 yards per game).
Petzing previously worked as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns (2013, 2020-22) and Vikings (2014-19), crossing over with current Bears president Kevin Warren in Minnesota.
BENGALS FIRE DC LOU ANARUMO, THREE POSITION COACHES
The Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and offensive line coach Frank Pollack on Monday.
Cincinnati (9-8) missed the playoffs in the AFC, coming up short despite a five-game winning streak to end the season.
Anarumo has been defensive coordinator of the Bengals since Zac Taylor became head coach in 2019. He was a finalist for head-coaching positions just two years ago, when the Bengals were coming off of back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances.
But the Bengals were torched repeatedly during a 4-8 start to the 2024 season, dropping one-score games in which they allowed 34 points (Chargers), 35 and 41 (Ravens), 38 (Commanders) and 44 (Steelers).
Cincinnati finished the season 25th in total defense (348.3 yards per game) and tied for 26th in points allowed (25.5 per game).
Defensive line coach Marion Hobby and linebackers coach James Bettcher were also fired Monday, as was Pollack.
Pollack was in his second tour of duty in Cincinnati and has also coached for the Jets, Cowboys and Raiders.
Quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times in 2024 after Cincinnati allowed 50 total sacks in 2023.
AARON RODGERS PROVED IN WEEK 18 THAT HE CAN STILL PLAY AT A HIGH LEVEL IF ANY NFL TEAM WANTS HIM
Aaron Rodgers showed the rest of the NFL in Week 18 that he can still play at a high level in case he wants to return for a 21st season.
The four-time NFL MVP threw four touchdown passes against a team that was playing to preserve slim playoff hopes, helping the New York Jets finish a miserable season on a winning note.
Rodgers became the fifth player in NFL history to reach 500 career TD passes, doing so in New York’s 32-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Now, Rodgers heads into an offseason of uncertainty.
First, he must decide whether he’s coming back or retiring. He doesn’t even know if the Jets will want him after going 5-12 this season.
“I just need some time away to think about my future in the game, and my future here if they want me to be a part of the next phase or they’re ready to move on,” Rodgers said. “Either way, I’m thankful for my two years here.”
The team is seeking a general manager and head coach, so ownership may want input from the new regime before making a decision on Rodgers.
Owner Woody Johnson, vice chairman Christopher Johnson and team president Hymie Elhai are expected to chat with Rodgers at some point during the week.
“I’m looking forward to those conversations,” Rodgers said. “It feels good to be able to do some of the things these last five or six weeks I know I was capable of doing, even at 40, 41. But either way, I won’t be upset or offended with what they decide to do — if they want to move on, if I still want to play.
“And if not, I’ll let them know, if that’s the case.”
Rodgers, who turned 41 last month, was slowed by injuries after coming back from a torn Achilles tendon that ended his first season with the Jets on the fourth snap.
He started moving around better late in the season and saved his best for the last game.
“We have talked a lot about can he still play,” Fox analyst Greg Olsen said. “Can he move? Can he do all of the physical things? Coming into (this game) he had five touchdown passes through 17 weeks where he was under pressure or on the move. He has thrown four (Sunday), which is the most by any quarterback the entire season.
“So the element of his game that has always made him special. The question was had he lost it? Well, in this one-game sample size. … And we have seen it other times throughout the season. This is the best version of Aaron Rodgers we’ve seen all year. And I promise you, there’s a lot of teams around the league that are taking very close note.”
Rodgers is slated to make a nonguaranteed $37.5 million in 2025 with a dead cap hit of $49 million as his salary cap total goes from $17.1 million to $23.5 million.
The Jets could spread the dead money over two years by releasing Rodgers with the use of post-June 1 designation. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, so they would need his permission to make a deal.
If Rodgers wants to keep playing and the Jets don’t want him back, here are five potential destinations for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer:
TENNESSEE TITANS: A six-game losing streak to close out the season clinched the No. 1 overall pick for the Titans, who will be seeking a franchise quarterback after benching Will Levis. They can choose between Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward or make a trade. Rodgers could make sense on a one-year deal to allow a rookie time to develop from the sideline.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: They also closed out the season on a six-game losing streak and will have the No. 2 pick in the draft. The Browns owe Deshaun Watson $92 million and restructured his contract by adding voidable years to extend his dead salary cap through the 2030 season. Watson has struggled and will be coming off a torn right Achilles tendon sustained on Oct. 20. Joe Flacco had success in Kevin Stefanski’s offense last year, leading Cleveland to the playoffs. Rodgers could be a short-term fit for a team that expects to compete in 2025.
NEW YORK GIANTS: A win last week cost the Giants the No. 1 pick and they slipped to the third slot. They need a franchise QB but won’t have their choice unless they trade up. Rodgers wouldn’t have to move and could make sense as a bridge quarterback.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: They also need a quarterback and will have the sixth pick. New minority owner Tom Brady believes rookie quarterbacks need time to develop and learn. Brady and Rodgers have a great relationship, so the seven-time Super Bowl champion likely would be in favor of having Rodgers start and tutor a youngster. Brady was a Super Bowl MVP at age 43 and played until he was 45. He could inspire Rodgers to keep playing.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: They drafted Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in 2023, but he’s been inconsistent. The Colts haven’t reached the playoffs since Philip Rivers led them to an 11-5 record in 2020. They fell short with Carson Wentz in 2021, going 9-8. They were 4-12-1 with Matt Ryan in 2022 before selecting Richardson. Bringing Rodgers in to make a playoff run for one season while allowing the inexperienced Richardson to learn from one of the all-time greats could be enticing for owner Jim Irsay.