I’m sure you’ve noticed the additional NFL content around the website this week. Today I can finally share with you that Bleacher Nation NFL launches this morning, and I will be leading the coverage!
Starting with Wild Card weekend, we will now be covering everything NFL around here every single day. I’ll have NFL Bullets every morning and plenty of the NFL content I have been doing for the last year and a half, just bigger and better now that it’s my central focus. Comprehensive previews and recaps, film studies, opinions, and more. I can’t wait to dive into it and talk football with you daily.
A couple of quick notes that might answer some common questions that might crop up this morning:
BN Bears is here to stay, and Luis will continue the fantastic work he’s done for years. While BN NFL and BN Bears may overlap from time to time, this is additional content for you. You can still navigate to the Bears tab or the NFL tab on the home page to see only what you want to see.
You can (and I would greatly appreciate it) follow the new Bleacher Nation NFL Facebook and Twitter page for the latest right in your social feed.
We learned yesterday that readers would soon have the added functionality of customizing their home page experience at BN and seeing only what they want to see. So, if the NFL isn’t your cup of tea, you can ghost it entirely. Although, I hope you don’t.
Lastly, I just wanted to reiterate how excited I am to take on this new vertical here at BN and eager to create what I hope will become your home and one-stop shop for NFL news, commentary, and analysis just as BN has been for you for the other teams that we cover.
We’ve got a PACKED day here, so let’s put a bow on the pleasantries and get into the Xs and Os. First, the New England Patriots are pushing to retain linebackers coach Jerod Mayo after word came out that he wowed in his interviews for head coaching vacancies. Per a press release from the Patriots on Thursday evening, New England has opened up long-term extension negotiations with Mayo, who played for New England from 2008 to 2015, and has coached the linebackers since 2019.
Mayo has landed an interview for a vacant head coaching position around the league in the last three hiring cycles. The sudden release of information regarding a long-term extension for Mayo is out of character and proves how hot of a commodity Mayo is becoming around the league.
My first instinct is that the Patriots view Mayo as a potential successor to Bill Belichick. Belichick turns 71 this spring, and at some point, his two-decade-plus tenure as the head coach of the Patriots will end. Maybe the Patriots are tired of having all their assistants poached, but maybe it’s more. Suppose the Patriots are going to want to keep Mayo around. In that case, the conversation about his role when Belichick retires is probably something he’ll want to have before turning down head coaching interest elsewhere.
The Patriots also said they would begin searching for an offensive coordinator. The position has been vacant since Josh McDaniels took the head coach job in Vegas. New England ranked 26th this past season in total offense, with Matt Patricia calling plays.
In other coaching searches, the Colts have wrapped up a handful of interviews for their vacant head coaching position this week. Internally they’ve interviewed Jeff Saturday and special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. They’re also completed or requested interviews with Lions DC Aaron Glenn, Lions OC Ben Johnson, Rams DC Raheem Morris, Broncos DC Ejiro Evero, and Eagles OC Shane Steichen.
The Athletic’s James Boyd dives into what each candidate brings to the table in his latest column:
The Colts will also be in the market for a new quarterback, a search that Colts reporter Zak Keefer reports will not feature Derek Carr.
Carr, of course, is done in Vegas, something he acknowledged today on Twitter with a thank you and goodbye to the fans.
The Raiders will begin to explore the trade market for a trade partner, but they only have a month to strike a deal or be on the hook for Carr’s 2023 salary. Carr can much things up and veto any trade thanks to a full no-trade clause, which could force the Raiders to cut him before February 15.
Carr isn’t the only quarterback who took to Twitter to share an update on Thursday. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shared an update on his knee injury. Jackson said the PCL sprain would keep him out of action for the Ravens’ Wild Card game against the Bengals.
If the Bengals beat the Ravens this weekend and end Baltimore’s season, they may end the Lamar Jackson era in Baltimore. Jackson ended extension negotiations before the season, and if things don’t change dramatically when they resume this month, Jackson will either walk or be franchise tagged.
You can read more about that, here:
The NFL announced on Thursday that if the Bills and Chiefs meet in the AFC Championship, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will serve as the venue for that game:
How cool is this kid!
HUGE news out of Halas Hall on Thursday!
Before I get out of here, I want to let you know that I’ll be available for any questions you might have about Bleacher Nation NFL in the comments (or feel free to email me at [email protected]). Also, I plan on having a loaded weekend of content on the site and on social media (so please follow those today!) as we cover the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend!
NEWSLETTER
