The Jaguars completed an interview with Daronte Jones for our defensive coordinator position, the team announced Monday night.
Liam Coen is building his staff after his introduction as the Jaguars’ new head coach.
Jones, 46, is the Vikings’ defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach.
He is in his second stint with Minnesota, having served as the Vikings’ defensive backs coach in 2020 before going to LSU in 2021 to be the school’s defensive coordinator. He returned to the Vikings in 2022 as defensive backs coach before adding defensive pass game coordinator to his title upon the arrival of defensive coordinator Brian Flores in 2023.
The Vikings led the league with 24 interceptions in 2024, finishing the season fifth in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed.
He also has coached for Miami (2016-17) and Cincinnati (2018-19).
The Eagles are going to the Super Bowl and that means the NFL has to replace their Pro Bowlers on the NFC roster for this week’s festivities in Orlando.
A number of those replacements have been announced on Monday. The group includes Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who will take the place of Saquon Barkley.
Robinson ran for 1,456 yards in his second NFL season and was fourth in yards from scrimmage. Barkley led the league in both categories.
Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams will be taking the spot originally filled by Jalen Carter. It’s the second time that Williams has been selected to the Pro Bowl.
The Eagles had three offensive linemen selected for the Pro Bowl this year. Cam Jurgens will be replaced by Saints center Erik McCoy, Landon Dickerson’s place will be taken by Panthers guard Robert Hunt, and Lane Johnson will be replaced by Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill.
After hiring Liam Coen as head coach, the Jaguars are beginning the process of filling his first staff.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Jacksonville is interviewing Minnesota defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Daronte Jones for the position.
Jones, 46, is in his second stint with Minnesota. He was the club’s DBs coach in 2020 before going to LSU in 2021 to be the program’s defensive coordinator. He returned in 2022 as DBs coach before adding defensive pass game coordinator to his title upon the arrival of defensive coordinator Brian Flores in 2023.
The Vikings led the league with 24 interceptions in 2024, finishing the season No. 5 in points allowed and No. 16 in yards allowed.
Jones has been with a variety of college and pro teams in his career, spending time with Miami and Cincinnati in the league.
The Eagles and Chiefs will meet in Super Bowl LIX, and this is how the path to the 2025 Super Bowl unfolded:
AFC Playoff Bracket
1. Kansas City Chiefs beat Texans 23-14 in divisional round, beat Bills 32-29 in AFC Championship Game.
2. Buffalo Bills beat Broncos 31-7 in wild card round, beat Ravens 27-25 in divisional round, lost to Chiefs 32-29 in AFC Championship Game.
3. Baltimore Ravens beat Steelers 28-14 in wild card round, lost to Bills 27-25 in divisional round.
4. Houston Texans beat Chargers 32-12 in wild card round, lost to Chiefs 23-14 in divisional round.
5. Los Angeles Chargers lost to Texans 32-12 in wild card round.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers lost to Ravens 28-14 in wild card round.
7. Denver Broncos lost to Bills 31-7 in wild card round.
NFC Playoff Bracket
1. Detroit Lions lost to Commanders 45-31 in divisional round.
2. Philadelphia Eagles beat Packers 22-10 in wild card round, beat Rams 28-22 in divisional round, beat Commanders 55-23 in NFC Championship Game.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to Commanders 23-20 in wild card round.
4. Los Angeles Rams beat Vikings 27-9 in wild card round, lost to Eagles 28-22 in divisional round.
5. Minnesota Vikings lost to Rams 27-9 in wild card round.
6. Washington Commanders beat Buccaneers 23-20 in wild card round, beat Lions 45-31 in divisional round, lost to Eagles 55-23 in NFC Championship Game.
7. Green Bay Packers lost to Eagles 22-10 in wild card round.
Playoff Schedule
Wild card round
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Texans 32, Chargers 12.
Ravens 28, Steelers 14.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Bills 31, Broncos 7.
Eagles 22, Packers 10.
Commanders 23, Buccaneers 20.
Monday, January 13, 2025
Rams 27, Vikings 9.
Divisional Round
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Chiefs 23, Texans 12.
Commanders 45, Lions 31.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Eagles 28, Rams 22.
Bills 27, Ravens 25.
Conference Championships
Sunday, January 26, 2025
NFC Championship: Eagles 55, Commanders 23.
AFC Championship: Chiefs 32, Bills 29.
Super Bowl LIX
Sunday, February 9, 2025
6:30 p.m. ET: Chiefs vs. Eagles (Fox)
The Bucs announced they completed a virtual interview with Grant Udinski for their vacant offensive coordinator job.
The team is replacing Liam Coen, who left to become the Jaguars’ head coach.
Udinski is the Vikings’ assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach. The team hired him in 2022 as an assistant to the head coach/special projects before he was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023 and his current title for 2024.
Udinski, who played college football at Davidson and Towson, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Baylor in 2019. A year later, he followed Matt Rhule to the Panthers, where he spent two years as a coaching assistant before being hired by O’Connell.
The Bucs interviewed Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady earlier in the day.
Months after a collision that claimed the life of Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson and two of his high-school teammates, the driver of the other car has been charged with DUI and vehicular manslaughter.
Via WTOP.com, Cori Clingman was arrested on Thursday. She was driving the car that struck the vehicle carrying Jackson and two others.
“This was a horrific tragedy that should not have occurred,” Prince George’s County State Attorney Aisha Braveboy said during a news conference.
Also killed in the crash that happened in July 2024 were Isaiah Hazel and Anthony Lytton Jr.
“These were three young men who had gotten it right in life, who had amazing, bright futures ahead of them. But on July 6, they were taken away from all of us,” Braveboy said.
The charges came in a 13-count indictment returned by a grand jury.
The Vikings had selected Jackson in the fourth-round of the 2024. The players wore a decal with his initials on his helmet through the season.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson squared off with the Vikings twice this season in his role as the Lions’ offensive coordinator and he wants to speak to one of Minnesota’s coaches about a job on his staff.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Bears have requested an interview with Vikings defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Daronte Jones for their defensive coordinator job.
Jones has spent the last three seasons on Kevin O’Connell’s staff and he was also the Vikings’ defensive backs coach when Mike Zimmer was the head coach in 2020. He worked for LSU in 2021 and has also worked for the Bengals and Dolphins. Johnson was an assistant in Miami at the same time Jones worked for the Dolphins.
Before Johnson was officially hired as the head coach in Chicago, there was word that he was targeting former Saints head coach Dennis Allen for the top defensive job on his staff. The process is still playing out, however, and that could lead to a different outcome for the Bears.
The Associated Press has announced the finalists for the eight awards that will be given out as part of the NFL Honors show on February 6.
The marquee award is the Most Valuable Player prize and the consensus has been for some time that the award will go to either Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson’s bid got a boost when he was voted a first-team All-Pro, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before finding out if voters also put him ahead of Allen on their MVP ballots.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, and Lions quarterback Jared Goff are the other finalists.
Barkley, Burrow, and Jackson are also finalists for the offensive player of the year award. Ravens running back Derrick Henry and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase round out the contenders for that prize.
Burrow is a three-time finalist as he’s also up for comeback player of the year. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Bills safety Damar Hamlin, and Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins join him in that category.
The other award finalists are:
Coach of the Year
Dan Campbell, Lions; Kevin O’Connell, Vikings; Sean Payton, Broncos; Dan Quinn, Commanders; and Andy Reid, Chiefs.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady; Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio; Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores; Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn; and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Defensive Player of the Year
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun; Browns defensive end Myles Garrett; Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson; Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II; and Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, and Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Rams defensive lineman Braden Fiske, Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson, and Rams linebacker Jared Verse.
Ben Johnson had his choice of several jobs. He chose the Bears.
Not only do they have a quarterback to build around, but Johnson also noted they are in a division with which he is familiar. Johnson spent six seasons in the NFC North as an assistant under Dan Campbell.
“I know this is the toughest division of football right now,” Johnson said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “There’s three teams that made the playoffs this year. I’ve got tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this league having competed against them for the last six years. Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell, talking about two guys that are up for coach the year awards as the season ends here. And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”
Campbell, the Lions coach, and O’Connell, the Vikings coach, are favorites for NFL coach of the year. LaFleur has led the Packers to four double-digit win seasons in his six years as head coach, with two different quarterbacks.
The Lions swept the Packers two of the past three seasons but were only 6-6 against Green Bay in Johnson’s time in Detroit.
LaFleur is 11-1 against the Bears since becoming the Packers’ head coach.
Johnson begins at the bottom of a good division.
The NFC North sent three teams to the playoffs this season, though the Packers, Vikings and Lions went 0-3. It was only the second time since 1970 that a division sent three teams to the playoffs and came up empty once they got there.
One down, one to go.
With the Vikings extending the contract of coach Kevin O’Connell, the next man up for a new deal is General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Via NFL Media, talks are underway to reach a new deal with the Adofo-Mensah.
The Vikings went first with O’Connell because time was of the essence. If the Vikings and O’Connell had reached an impasse, ownership would have had a decision to make — let O’Connell finish his contract and become a free agent who could leave without compensation or pursue a trade before the 2025 seats are filled.
And it’s surprising, but also not surprising, that some regard the finalizing of a deal as evidence that there were no issues whatsoever between O’Connell and the Vikings.
As we’ve been saying, there were. Consider this excerpt from the article posted by Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com: “O’Connell was displeased after the 2023 season when owners Zygi and Mark Wilf opted against extending his contract, ESPN has reported, at a time when the franchise planned to start over at the quarterback position. Multiple teams were positioning themselves this month to make trade offers if the sides were not able to agree on an extension, as Fox Sports first reported and ESPN later confirmed, given the possibility that O’Connell could always choose to simply work through the expiration of his deal and become a coaching free agent in 2025.”
That’s why the Vikings moved quickly. That’s why we wrote about the urgency to move quickly, and why we pointed out earlier today that, one week after their playoff run ended, there had been no news.
There now is. Contract reached. Crisis averted. Threat neutralized. Future secured between the Vikings and the man who could become the team’s new Bud Grant, while also doing the one thing that eluded the Hall of Famer.
