NFL Rumors 2015: Recent Chatter Surrounding Head-Coaching Vacancies

The NFL playoffs are the thrilling roller-coaster ride every team is looking to get on at the end of each season, but only 12 seats are available. For some of the teams left out in the cold, all they have is a slow, sad trip on the coaching carousel as they await their turn to make the playoffs in the coming seasons.

The head-coaching vacancies dominate headlines and rumors at this point in January, as free agency doesn't begin until March and a good portion of the league is on an early vacation with no worries at the top or engaging in the playoffs.

There is no shortage of chatter surrounding the high-stakes coaching—and in some cases, front-office—decisions to be made in the coming days and weeks by the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Getting the wrong coach can set a team back years in the cutthroat NFL.

Let's take a look at three of the latest rumors to come down the pipeline.

Oakland Raiders

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The woeful Oakland Raiders have shown interest in a number of people with previous head-coaching experience as they look for a permanent hire. According to The Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com), the Raiders interviewed Denver Broncos defensive coordinator and former Jacksonville head honcho Jack Del Rio on Sunday.

The AP report also names several other options with previous experience—including Pat Shurmur, interim coach Tony Sparano and Eric Mangini—as potential candidates.

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter relayed the latest name to crop up as a coaching option:

Linehan was head coach of the St. Louis Rams for two-plus seasons from 2006-08, amassing an 11-25 record. The Raiders might have to wait a while to talk to him, as the Cowboys are moving on to the NFC Divisional Round in the playoffs after defeating the Detroit Lions 24-20 on Sunday.

“I just love being with the Dallas Cowboys,” Linehan said after the game, via The Dallas Morning News' Brandon George. “Any of that stuff isn’t going to be something we’re talking about or even discussing until the season is over."

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

His current title doesn't sound all that prestigious, but NFL.com's Kevin Patra noted that he does more than just work on the passing game:

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Leverage sits with Linehan, who was handed play-calling duties as passing game coordinator, despite the team keeping OC Bill Callahan. Linehan has helped Tony Romo to the best statistical year of his career, and shown an ability to stick with the running game -- something he was criticized for not doing the past few years in Detroit. 

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Indeed, Linehan has stuck to the running game like gum under the table in 2014. Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray notched a league-leading 1,845 rushing yards on a staggering 392 carries this season.

The entire offense benefited as a result, as Romo has found plenty of time to throw and a consistent weapon in the play-action pass with Murray's presence. The Cowboys ranked fifth in the league in scoring and seventh in total yards in 2014.

A coordinator who knows how to put together a rushing attack could help the development of promising young signal-caller Derek Carr, whom the Raiders must handle like a Faberge egg if they are to escape the NFL doldrums.

However, the Raiders might be better off with new blood rather than a retread coach considering their run of futility has lasted a decade and change. Linehan's record as head coach hardly inspires confidence, nor do those of Del Rio, Shurmur, Mangini and Sparano.

Coach	Team as Head Coach (Dates)	Record
Jack Del Rio	Jacksonville Jaguars 2004-11	68-71
Eric Mangini	NYJ 2006-08, CLE 2009-10	33-47
Pat Shurmur	Cleveland 2011-2012	9-23
Tony Sparano	Miami 2008-11, Oakland 2014	32-41

Fresh faces would be welcome in Oakland, but conducting extensive interviews with a wide range of candidates and a variety of experience levels is at least the right start for this team.

Atlanta Falcons

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The Atlanta Falcons fired coach Mike Smith after a 6-10 season in which the team failed to make the playoffs despite a win-and-in opportunity in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers, a debacle they lost 34-3.

According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, the Falcons are interested in New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (as are the 49ers).

Other candidates, including former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, are named as potential options per La Canfora, but McDaniels is perhaps the most intriguing, as his the outcome of his candidacy could shake up the team's front office:

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According to multiple league sources, McDaniels' candidacy has been championed by general manager Thomas Dimitroff and his top assistant, Scott Pioli, both of whom worked with McDaniels in New England. Owner Arthur Blank, peppered with questions about the future of his front office during his press conference announcing the firing of coach Mike Smith, did not entirely rule out making other changes, and sources said the fate of Dimitroff and Pioli could be directly linked to how this coaching search proceeds.

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That's an interesting, tightroping scenario there for the Falcons brass. It's unclear what decision on McDaniels' part, if there is any to be made, would result in Dimitroff and Pioli leaving the club. The Falcons have a fairly talented team in place, and wholesale changes might seem a bit drastic, but improving on Smith and his horrid game and clock-management decisions should be of the utmost priority. 

McDaniels would seem like a natural choice considering he's worked with detail-oriented masterminds in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Of course, some might note McDaniels' 11-17 record as head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009-10 as a deterrent, but he was 32 years old when he took that job and might've been in over his head a bit.

His play-calling creativity would also likely mesh well with the likes of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White in Atlanta.

New York Jets

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

It seems few of the NFL rumors floating around involve names of those whose departures opened up the jobs in question. Jim Harbaugh split to Ann Arbor, while the likes of Smith, Marc Trestman and Dennis Allen aren't likely to get head-coaching calls, for obvious reasons. 

Ryan's name has been mentioned, as stated above, but there is one coach who could be making an in-state move in the coming days.

The Bills had a good coach in Doug Marrone, but he opted out of his contract and left the team without anybody in charge. Now, it appears the New York Jets are prepared to swoop on the talented Marrone, per La Canfora:

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The Jets general manager search just happens to be littered with candidates who have ties -- and in some cases very strong ones -- to Doug Marrone, who became a free agent last week when he exercised an out clause in Buffalo. The Jets are already deep into their GM search, and they met with Marrone on Saturday, with several league sources maintaining they are likely to be the first team to name a new coach this week.

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Tailoring the general manager search to Marrone could be an enticing overture, as Schefter reported on ESPN.com that the 50-year-old may have been upset with a draft-day trade:

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According to sources in the Bills' draft room, former Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone clearly was not happy with the trade.

Marrone was not in favor of Buffalo surrendering a future first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in a trade that did not involve a quarterback, sources said.

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One would think Marrone couldn't have stayed too mad, as Watkins went on to post 65 catches for 982 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie with the mediocre Kyle Orton throwing to him for the majority of the season.

Still, getting the GM-head coach pairing right is often a crucial step toward building long-term success in the NFL. La Canfora noted Mike Maccagnan as a potential GM candidate with close ties to Marrone:

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Maccagnan might have the closest ties of all to Marrone as the two men have become very close since their time together in the long defunct World League of American Football, with Maccagnan signing Marrone to be the quarterback of the London Monarchs back in 1991.

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Unlike some of the other former head coaches rumored to be up for jobs, Marrone doesn't have to convince teams that he's updated his style or can improve upon old, failed results.

He guided the Bills to a 9-7 record this season and oversaw one of the league's most aggressive defenses. The Bills registered 19 interceptions and a league-leading 54 sacks in 2014. It was the Bills' first winning season since 2004, when they also went 9-7.

It's also clear Marrone isn't afraid to follow through on tough decisions. He stuck with the middling veteran Orton until the end of the season after 24-year-old E.J. Manuel was benched just four games into the Bills' season. The Jets will need that kind of leadership and pragmatic approach to their own signal-caller situation.

It's unclear if Geno Smith will ever develop into a capable pro quarterback, although the prognosis at this point isn't good, and Michael Vick is likely too old and error-prone to lead the Jets for much longer. The Jets could also be looking to draft a quarterback. There's no doubt tough times lay ahead for this team, but Marrone could be the guy to steer them through it.