NFL

Flowers didn’t log a practice this week and was assumed to be a long shot to play after suffering a non-contact knee injury in Week 18’s win over the Browns. The 2024 Pro Bowler should have a better chance at suiting up for the AFC Divisional Round, should the Ravens win on Saturday. For now, Lamar Jackson will depend more on Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews in the passing game against a Steelers team that is in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

London’s last three jobs in the NFL were all as a quarterbacks coach, but he also handled work as a passing game coordinator for the Titans in 2023. He was hired by the Seahawks last year after spending 2023 with the Titans and has never served as a player-caller in the pros or college.

This interview is expected to come next week. The former Jets head coach now has two teams lined up to speak with him just months after he was let go by the Jets after a 2-3 start to the season. Saleh went 20-36 during his four seasons with the Jets and riffed with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the 2024 season. A good soldier who stood boldly by Zach Wilson for three seasons, Saleh could also return to the 49ers as their defensive coordinator if he doesn’t land a head coaching job.

Rosenhaus said Hill had “an excellent meeting with Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel” and chalked up Hill’s postgame comments in Week 18 to frustration in the heat of the moment. Hill, by all accounts, quit on the Dolphins in Week 18’s loss to the Jets after he saw the Chiefs trailing against the Broncos in a game Miami needed Denver to lose to have a chance at the postseason. Hill hinted at a trade shortly after the game ended, but GM Chris Grier said days later that Hill had not formally requested a trade from the team. We have a long way to go between now and Week 1 of the 2025 season. It seems unlikely that this will be the last we hear of this situation, but Hill is under contract through 2026. His only way out of Miami is seemingly via trade. He carries a dead cap hit of over $55 million if he is cut pre-June 1.

Weaver is also on the Saints’ radar but spoke first with the Bears. Weaver has held jobs in the NFL since joining the Jets as an assistant defensive line coach in 2012 and has twice served as a defensive coordinator. Long thought of as a future head coach, Weaver had two interviews with the Falcons and Commanders during last year’s coaching cycle and could again be viewed as a serious contender for a job this coaching cycle.

The Jaguars become the third team to request an interview with Spagnuolo, joining the Jets and Raiders. The former Rams head coach (2009-2011) also served as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017 and has a career record of 11-41. Spagnuolo is one of the top defensive minds in the league and has led three Super Bowl defenses during his time with the Chiefs (2019-present). Those who remember Spagnuolo’s first tenure as a head coach will raise their eyebrows at the thought of him getting another chance, but he’s been a popular name in coaching circles for the last few years given his success with the Chiefs.

We’ll see how long the Falcons stick by this stance, but it’s highly unlikely the team will stick with Cousins, who carries a $40 million cap hit, in 2025. This feels more like a bluff by Fontenot and the Falcons, who would benefit most from trading Cousins to a team interested in taking on some of his salary cap. The veteran cornerback carries a pre-June 1 dead cap hit of $65 million and a post-June 1 dead cap hit of $40 million per Over the Cap. Cousins’ time with the Falcons is likely done, regardless of what Fontenot is saying four days after the conclusion of their regular season.

Wilks and former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo are both scheduled to meet with the Colts next week. Wilks served one season as the 49ers defensive coordinator in 2023 but has held countless positions around the league, with his first NFL role coming in 2006 as the Bears defensive backs coach. In his lone season with the 49ers, Wilks’ defense ranked third in points allowed and was eighth in yards allowed.

Brown was hired by the Bears as their passing game coordinator in 2024 and was promoted to offensive coordinator after the team fired Shane Waldron. A few weeks later, Brown was promoted to interim head coach after the firing of Matt Eberflus, where he remained for the final five games of the season. Brown still has a chance to land the Bears’ head coaching job, but the team is allowing him to interview with other teams while they interview other candidates of their own. Brown has held NFL jobs since 2020, and also spent one season as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023.