Category: 2021 season

Report: Saints exec Terry Fontenot a finalist for Falcons GM search

New Orleans Saints vice president of pro personnel Terry Fontenot was reported to be a finalist for the Atlanta Falcons general manger job.

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16 years in the New Orleans Saints front office has prepared Terry Fontenot well for the opportunities he’s getting these days. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Fontenot, the Saints’ vice president of pro personnel, is a finalist for the open Atlanta Falcons general manager position. He interviewed with Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 6 in addition to meetings with the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fontenot has been a big part of the Saints’ success during the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era, so losing him would be a big hit to the team. Losing him to the Saints’ biggest rival would be even more unsavory, but it’s still great to see him receiving well-earned opportunities to run his own team.

Because the NFL introduced new incentives for hiring minorities to general manager and head coaching positions, the Saints would gain a pair of third-round draft picks in subsequent years should Fontenot be hired away by the Falcons or another team. It’s unclear yet whether those selections would convey in 2021 and 2022 or 2022 and 2023, but that’s a subplot worth remembering.

With all that said: Fontenot isn’t guaranteed to be hired by Atlanta. After firing longtime general manager Thomas Dimitroff, they’ve cast a wide net to search for candidates. It says a lot about Fontenot’s resume that he exited the interview process as a favorite to land the job.

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QB Mitchell Trubisky unlikely to return to Bears in 2021

It doesn’t sound like QB Mitchell Trubisky will be back in a Bears uniform in 2021.

There was a time earlier this season where it appeared that Mitchell Trubisky’s time in Chicago was done.

After all, first his fifth-year option was declined. Then, they traded for Nick Foles. While Trubisky won the starting job, he was benched in Week 3.

Trubisky replaced Foles in Week 12, where he played a key role in the reinvention of Chicago’s putrid offense. They scored 30-plus points in four straight games and found a nice balance with running the ball.

Still, it doesn’t sound like Trubisky will be back in a Bears uniform in 2021.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears remain undecided about whether to bring Trubisky back on what would likely be a short deal. Rapoport noted that perhaps a playoff run could convince them, but they’re “not set” on bringing him back at this time.

Trubisky has proved that he’s not the Bears’ long-term answer at quarterback, but he could very well be a short-term answer.

The Bears will likely draft a quarterback in this year’s NFL draft, and Trubisky could serve as a bridge quarterback.

The only quarterback currently under contract for 2021 is Foles, who the Bears traded for this offseason. He was unimpressive in his seven-game stint, which prompted Matt Nagy to go back to Trubisky.

At this point, signing Trubisky to a one or two-year deal at the right price would surely make sense, especially given the progress of the offense over the last couple of months.

The quarterback situation will likely be the talk of the offseason once again. So we’ll see how things unfold.

ICYMI: Cowboys fire some staff in season aftermath, search for path to glory

The latest Dallas Cowboys news and notes: Nolan and Tomsula were fired, potential replacements are already being interviewed, and more.

The Dallas Cowboys season came to an abrupt end last Sunday, and now it is time to look forward to the offseason. Dak Prescott is recovering well from his injury. Amari Cooper had a “clean-up” procedure on his injured ankle, but should definitely be good-to-go for 2021.

Dallas waited no time after the season to make the coaching changes that the front office deemed necessary. This week, the Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, as well as defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. Both coaches spent just a year in Dallas, and potential replacements are already set to be interviewed.

The Cowboys have so many decisions to make regarding free agents, it is impossible to tell which direction the front office will head with the personnel. There may be some positions that are actually worse off than they seem today for Dallas, including left tackle should Tyron Smith’s health continue to be a problem. Plus, what really means the most to Jerry Jones, building his brand, or winning football games?

Twitter reacts to Deshaun Watson trade rumors

Here’s how Bears fans reacted on Twitter to rumors of Deshaun Watson wanting to be traded.

The NFL postseason hasn’t even begun, but the offseason is already kicking into high gear, particularly for the Houston Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson.

This week, the Texans hired former New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio to be the team’s general manager after firing former general manager and coach Bill O’Brien during the 2020 season.

When the hiring was announced, Watson fired off a cryptic message in a now-deleted tweet, saying “Some things never change.” The tweet appeared to be directed at the team for bringing on Caserio. Now, there are rumors he may request a trade.

According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Watson has brought up the possibility of requesting a trade to some of his teammates, adding fuel to this growing fire. Watson was drafted by the Texans in 2017 after they moved up to select their franchise quarterback. He was rewarded for his stellar play with a four-year, $156 million extension last summer.

Later, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Watson is “extremely unhappy” with the Texans after they failed to involve him in the process of hiring a new GM after promising he would be involved.

While Watson appears to be frustrated with the team’s direction, it’s highly unlikely the Texans will trade their superstar quarterback. But that didn’t stop Chicago Bears fans from dreaming about a blockbuster trade that would put Watson in the navy and orange. Here’s how Bears fans reacted on Twitter to the Watson rumblings.

News: Potential trade targets, free agents, how to fix the Cowboys

Also in the news, Jerry Jones boasts about his attendance record, and why Will McClay hasn’t taken a GM job with another NFL team.

The big wheel of the Dallas Cowboys keeps turning. There’s no playoff game to prepare for, so thoughts have already shifted to the 2021 season. And that opens up all kinds of possibilities. Which draft picks to zero in on, what veterans on other rosters to go after in a trade, who among the team’s own free agents to retain… it’s all on the table once again.

There’s still plenty of rehashing of 2020 to do, including lots of suggestions on how to fix the many things that went wrong this year. But there’s good news, too: a rookie is singled out ahead of his peers, a monster performance ranks among the season’s best, and more than one Cowboy showed out with a surprising season. All that, plus back in the weeds with the Dak Prescott contract saga, Jerry Jones finds something to brag about, and a look at why one of the most well-respected front office guys in the league hasn’t jumped ship to be a GM somewhere else. That’s coming right up in News and Notes.

Chicago Bears’ 2021 opponents set

Following the final week of the regular season, the Bears’ opponents for 2021 have been set.

As the Chicago Bears prepare for a wild-card playoff match-up against the New Orleans Saints, it’s never too early to look ahead to 2021. Following the final week of the regular season, Chicago’s opponents for 2021 have been set.

The Bears will face the AFC North and NFC West next season, which includes home games against the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers, as well as away games against the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams.

With the Bears finishing second in the NFC North, they’ll also face the same-place finisher in the NFC East (New York Giants) and NFC South (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

Some of the marquee matchups include games against seven playoff teams from this season, some talented young quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow and some repeat match-ups from the 2020 season against the Buccaneers, Rams and Giants.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ 2021 opponents:

Home Away
Arizona Cardinals Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens Los Angeles Rams
Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Giants Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings

But before we start looking ahead to 2021, the Bears will look to keep their playoff run alive when they face the Saints in the wild-card playoffs on Sunday at 3:40 p.m. CT on CBS.

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Report: Saints to face AFC South winner as 2021’s new 17th opponent

The NFL plans to expand its regular season in 2021, teeing up the New Orleans Saints to face the upcoming AFC South-champion Titans or Colts

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The NFL plans to expand its regular season schedule in 2021 by adding a 17th game to the schedule, which will do a lot to help alleviate pressure on teams running tight against the salary cap like the New Orleans Saints by bringing in new revenue. And now the MMQB’s Albert Breer reports some clarity on just where the league plans to find opponents for that extra week.

Breer passed along an outline of the one-game NFC-AFC crossover schedule, which will begin in the 2021 season. It has the NFC South facing their counterparts in the AFC South, with the top-seeded Saints matching up with whoever claims this year’s division title — it’s coming down to a Week 17 race between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts, both owning 10-5 records.

The Titans are traveling to face the reeling Houston Texans, while the Colts will host the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s uncertain just yet where this 17th game between the Saints and the AFC South champions (whoever they are) will be played, whether at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans or in Tennessee’s Nissan Stadium or Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.

And we also don’t know yet how the rotation will change in the future. Whatever the case, the NFL’s regular season schedule is soon increasing from the usual 256 games to 272. And the Saints will be preparing accordingly.

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New Orleans Saints know their 2021 opponents, except for one

The New Orleans Saints will face off with the AFC East and NFC East in 2021, and they are also scheduled to play the Packers and Seahawks.

Most of the NFL’s division titles have been won in 2020, so the New Orleans Saints have a good idea of who (and where) they’ll be playing.

Well, almost. The NFL’s plan to introduce a 17th regular season game has yet to be explained in any detail, and it’s unclear how the league plans to schedule that extra opponent for each team. So just keep that slot open.

Anyway: here are the opponents the Saints will face in 2021.

Report: Falcons to interview Saints exec Terry Fontenot for G.M. opening

New Orleans Saints pro scouting director Terry Fontenot was reported to be a candidate for the Atlanta Falcons general manager position.

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At least one member of the New Orleans Saints is getting consideration for a big move to a new city: Terry Fontenot, who holds the titles of vice president, assistant general manager, and director of pro scouting.

And he wouldn’t be moving far. Fontenot is a candidate to be interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons general manager job, as first reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. Atlanta parted with longtime G.M. Thomas Dimitroff earlier this season.

While the Saints-Falcons rivalry is one of the most heated and pettiest feuds in football, it makes sense for Fontenot to put his career first and put himself out there for this opportunity. There are only 32 jobs like it, and he’s spent the last 16 years preparing for his chance to run his own team.

It would hurt the Saints to lose Fontenot to this departure or any other (he interviewed for the New York Jets opening last offseason), but it’s worth considering that the NFL approved a rules change that would reward teams that lose minority candidates to these sort of promotions with draft picks.

A lack of diversity in leadership structures around the league prompted a diversity committee headed by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II to push for this new measure, which he described to Jarrett Bell for USA TODAY Sports as: “I don’t look at this as a silver bullet. This is just one more piece of the puzzle, one in a number of steps.”

Bell reported the terms of the new rules change, which as follows:

•”A team that loses a minority assistant coach who becomes a head coach or loses a personnel executive who becomes a general manager will receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts.

• A team that loses two minority staffers to head coach and general manager positions would receive three third-round picks.”

Fontenot has been a major help for the Saints during his years with the team, helping scout and acquire valuable additions like linebackers Demario Davis and Kwon Alexander, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, guard Larry Warford, and tight end Jared Cook. He’s taken a “no stone left unturned” approach and has been an avid supporter of players making the jump from the Canadian league like Delvin Breaux, Adam Bighill, and Erik Harris, who has developed into a Las Vegas Raiders starter after initially signing with New Orleans.

So it will be interesting to see where he goes next. Earlier this year, the Saints promoted Fontenot to vice president and assistant G.M., the same titles held by college scouting director Jeff Ireland. Fontenot would be a huge potential loss, but the Saints have taken hits like this before; his predecessor Ryan Pace has been working as Chicago Bears general manager since 2015.

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6 Saints coaches, staffers who should get buzz in the NFL’s next hiring cycle

The Saints could lose important members of the organization when the 2021 NFL hiring cycle kicks off, from Terry Fontenot to Dennis Allen.

Could this be the year the New Orleans Saints start to lose personnel to rival teams? With coaching staffs and front offices around the league already preparing for turnover in the offseason, it seems likely. Somehow half a dozen teams interviewed Saints assistants last year without hiring any of them away. Expect that to change as new opportunities present themselves to the people working behind the scenes in New Orleans that are hungry for more high-profile jobs in the NFL.

Others, like offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., haven’t shown as keen an interest; his interview for the Packers job last offseason was just the third time he’s seriously considered an opportunity with another team in 12 years with the Saints, having interviewed for head coaching positions with the Raiders and Bears in 2012 and 2013, respectively. It’s possible he puts his name out there again in 2021, but there appear to be other, more ambitious candidates in New Orleans. Here are six names we’ll be watching closely: