NFL Player News

The Patriots had been working to bring Connolly back before the start of free agency, and he’ll return as the team’s starting center. The move likely signals the end of Dan Koppen’s time in New England. Connolly missed three games with a groin injury last season, but has made 24 starts between guard and tackle the past two years. He’s flashed highly ordinary talent to date, but it’s possible he could take a step forward in 2012 as he settles in at center.

Petzing has spent the last two seasons as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator after previously serving with the Browns from 2020-2022. The 37-year-old play-caller saw his offense rank 24th in points per game in 2023 but was able to elevate them to 12th in scoring in 2024 while also ranking in the top 10 in EPA/play and success rate. Petzing could field a handful of other head coaching requests in the coming days, but the Bears are the first to get a request in.

The Patriots may be one of only a few teams that could have a legitimate shot at landing Johnson, who is expected to be selective throughout this coaching cycle. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye turned in a solid season despite having arguably the worst roster in the league to work with, and Johnson is rumored to only be interested in job who have a good, young quarterback on the roster. Johnson and Maye already have a connection as two University of North Carolina alumni and could make for an interesting pairing for a franchise set to enter a massive rebuilding phase. The Patriots having over $100 million of cap space to work with this offseason could also help lure Johnson. This will be an interesting situation to monitor as Johnson and the Patriots go through the interview process.

The Jets fired a flurry of requests off on Black Monday, with Brady becoming the latest to field a call. The Bills’ offensive coordinator has spent the last year and a half rebuilding his image as one of the top young offensive minds in the league after a tumultuous two years in Carolina (2020-2021) put a damper on his growing popularity. Brady’s work with Joe Burrow at LSU during the team’s national title run in 2019 put him squarely on the radar of NFL teams, but he joined the Bills in 2022 after former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule made him a scapegoat for the team’s struggles in his second season with the team. Brady has the benefit of working with Josh Allen and a solid group of playmakers, but his situational awareness in games and ability to scheme up plays that proved enough to knockoff the undefeated Chiefs is undeniable. At just 35 years old, Brady could once again be on track to land a head coaching gig after appearing to be on a similar path just a few years ago.

It didn’t take long for Smith to repair his image after a disappointing first stint in Atlanta. Smith, who interviewed with the Jets twice before landing his head coaching role with the Falcons in 2021, worked wonders with the quarterback duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields during his first season in Pittsburgh and had the Steelers off to a 4-2 start in Fields’ six starts of the season. Smith’s ability to make the most out of two castoffs was bound to draw the interest of a handful of teams this offseason. While things look impressive on the surface, we can’t overlook the fact that his offense still ranked 26th in overall success rate (40.7 percent) and 20th in EPA per play. The spreadsheet nerds would likely advise against the hiring of Smith, but there’s no denying the league views him in a favorable light. He’s a near lock to draw more interview requests.

Halaby had interview requests from the Panthers and Commanders last offseason and is again on the list for teams’ general manager roles. Halaby has spent 17 seasons with the Eagles and just completed his third season as the team’s assistant general manager. According to the Eagles’ team page, Halaby’s time with the team “has focused on player evaluation, roster management, and resource allocation,” three areas the Jets have come up short in recent years. A disciple of Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman feels like a potential home run hire if he the other pieces fall into place. Halaby is one of a handful of candidates to already have interviews setup with the Jets, who spoke with a handful of available candidates before the season concluded.

PFF Bobby’s offense suffered major setbacks in 2024. After an impressive 2023 debut that saw his offense rank 13th in points per game (20.8) and 12th in total yards, the Texans fell outside the top half of the league this season. Quarterback C.J. Strouds’ sophomore slump didn’t help, as one of the league’s top young passers looked like anything but that this season, specifically on short and intermediate passes. Slowik and the Texans still managed to make the playoffs out of a weak AFC South, but this was not the resumé building season for Slowik that many expected. Still, it was apparently enough for him to earn an interview from the Jets, who have largely spoken to veteran head coaches and retreads early in this process.

Berry said the team is still gathering information on Watson’s injury while adding that it’s “too early to tell” if Watson will be able to play in 2025. He also didn’t rule out the possibility of Watson needing another surgery. Watson is already expected to be with the Browns next season, but there have already been reports that the veteran quarterback “is almost certain to never play a meaningful snap for the Browns again,” after the team restructured his contract in late December. We’ll likely know more on Watson’s setback later in the week.

Borgonzi got his start in the league in 2009 as the Chiefs’ administrator of college scouting and has risen through the organizational ranks in the years since. He was promoted to assistant general manager in 2021 and continues to work closely with the team’s professional scouting operations while serving as an advisor to GM Brett Veach, per the team’s website. The Chiefs’ success with Borgonzi speaks for itself, and makes him a worthwhile interview for any team looking to upgrade their front office personnel.

Life comes at you fast in the NFL. Two years ago, Anarumo was viewed as one of the top head coaching candidates on the market for his work in Cincinnati. Now, after an abysmal season where Anarumo’s defense ranked 25th in points and yards allowed per game, and ranked outside the top 20 in pass defense, the 58-year-old coach is now on the open market. Anarumo’s defense allowed 34 or more points in five games this season, and looked like the obvious problem for the 9-8 Bengals while Joe Burrow and the offense put up MVP caliber numbers. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports “there are several” head coaching candidates who would like to add Anarumo as their defensive coordinator, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he landed elsewhere before the start of the season. In addition to Anarumo, the Bengals also fired offensive line coach Frank Pollack, linebackers coach James Bettcher, and defensive line coach Marion Hobby.

The Jets appear to have a type when it comes to their next head coach, and a young, upcoming offensive mind does not appear to be it. Having already spoken to a handful of retreads, including former head coach Rex Ryan, the Jets appear to be targeting a coach with previous experience as a head coach after first-time head coach Robert Saleh was unable to get the job done. While it sounds like a narrow approach to the process, it’s worth pointing out that nobody has ever accused the Jets of being thought leaders when it came to their hiring process or roster construction. Johnson is one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market, the decision to forego a formal request for an interview one is curious, to say the least.