Posted on: January 13, 2025, 01:12h.
Last updated on: January 13, 2025, 02:23h.
The NFL’s Wildcard Weekend is all but in the books, with one noteworthy upset out of five games so far – the Washington Commanders taking out the Tampa Buccaneers Sunday night in Florida, 23-20, on a last-second field goal by Zane Gonzalez that bounced off one of the uprights and through.
Sanders to Las Vegas Rumors
The heavily favored Bills, Ravens, and Eagles all did their jobs, winning by healthy margins. The slightly favored Chargers lost 32-12 to the Texans.
On Monday night, the LA Rams host the Minnesota Vikings in the last wildcard game. The Vikings are -2.5 on the spread at DraftKings, and moneyline favorites at -142, with the over/under at 47.5. The game was moved to Arizona due to the wildfires in LA.
Latest: Neon Deion to Light Up Vegas?
The NFL coaching carousel keeps spinning with new reports that Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders has “very strong interest” in the Las Vegas Raiders job. The Raiders fired Antonio Pierce last week after the team went 4-13 in the NFL regular season during his one season as coach.
Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is also looking to get back into the game. Other possible candidates for the Raiders include Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
The Raiders have potential with a young roster (average age of just under 26), the No. 6 pick in this April’s NFL draft, and a ton of cap space, at just over $98.7 million according to Spotrac. What they don’t have, however, is a quarterback.
Patriots Get Their Man
Mike Vrabel is the new coach of the New England Patriots, replacing Jerod Mayo there.
Vrabel was a huge part of three Super Bowl wins in New England as a linebacker and was head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018-23. His record there was 54-45 in the regular season, 2-3 in the playoffs.
Jacksonville Hijinx
The Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson last week after a 4-13 finish.
GM Trent Baalke however wasn’t fired ahead of the last year of his contract.
The Jags also have a lot of cap space – roughly $35 million. Ownership (Shahid Khan) has seen a lot of criticism following the decision, with fans asking why you would fire the coach, yet keep Baalke around for the last year of his contract.
McCarthy to Chicago?
Monday morning’s news is that Mike McCarthy is out as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, after failing to come to terms on a contract in Big D. So the Dallas job is now available.
The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus on November 29, and McCarthy is rumored for that job. The Bears have a raw but talented Caleb Williams at QB and around $75 million in cap space, as well as the No. 10 pick at the draft, but they are also in a very tough NFC North with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers ahead of them.
Jets are a Mess
Last but certainly not least – the New York Jets. Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan, fired in 2014 after coaching the team for five years, interviewed for the job last week. Now an ESPN commentator, Ryan went on air Sunday saying he looked forward to “kicking (Vrabel’s) ass.” A report following that comment said Ryan is no longer being considered for the Jets job.
The Jets are a mess, with Aaron Rodgers no sure bet at all to return there next season as their quarterback. Saleh was fired after a 2-3 start to the season. The Jets haven’t been to the playoffs in 13 seasons.
The Jets do have some good though, including receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, along with approximately $23 million in cap room, according to Spotrac.
A quick look at the betting markets suggests Johnson’s next team will be the Bears, according to crypto-based prediction exchange Polymarket, with 41% probability on $20K in volume. The Jags are next for Johnson at 22% probability. The prediction exchange suggests the next Jags head coach will be Liam Cohen with a 46% probability, and the next Saints coach will be Aaron Glenn at 32%.