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What we know and what’s still ahead as Commanders reconfigure their coaching staff
Jones checks a lot of Quinn’s boxes for a new coordinator
The Vikings ranked fifth in forced turnovers over Jones’s four seasons there leading the defensive backs. He also helped develop younger players such as Byron Murphy, who was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2024 and drew praise from veterans, notably safety Harrison Smith.
Jones also has experience leading a full group, even if it wasn’t in the NFL. He was LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021.
Then there’s this: One of the top names
on Washington’s list was Flores, [who Jones worked under in Minnesota].
More changes are coming
The Commanders are looking for a coach to oversee the front seven, with a focus on the pass rush, according to two sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking. That means the positions of all the assistants currently coaching the defensive line and linebackers are uncertain.
Two names to watch in particular: Darryl Tapp, who was the D-line coach the last two seasons, and Ryan Kerrigan, the team’s assistant linebackers coach. Either or both could end up with new roles on the staff, or end up elsewhere.
Commanders.com
5 things to know about DC Daronte Jones
His secondary was one of the best in the NFL last year.
Jones reportedly became one of the more popular coordinator candidates in the league this offseason, and there’s a reason for that: his secondary played a key role in the Vikings having a potent defense.
As Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ “right-hand man,” Jones coached a secondary that made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. The group allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game (158.5) and generated eight interceptions. They allowed the second-fewest completions in the league, and 13 players had at least one pass breakup. Veteran Harrison Smith had another strong season, recording 10 pass breakups for the seventh time in his caree
But Jones has a history of getting the most out of his players. During his time as the Bengals’ cornerbacks coach, former fifth-round pick Darius Phillips recorded four interceptions with seven pass breakups in a breakout 2019 season. It was the best season of Phillips’ career, which is even more impressive considering he only played in eight games that year.
The Commanders were one of the worst teams in the league at defending the pass last season. There will be high expectations for Jones, whose entire coaching career has been focused on the secondary, to shore up the secondary.
ESPN
Listing Commanders’ biggest roster needs this offseason
There’s no use separating the categories on defense because the Commanders need help all over. One opposing coach who faced Washington in the second half of the season called it the “easiest” defense they faced all season. He said they weren’t worried about any spots beyond the interior of the line — Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw in particular.
Another opposing coach said earlier this week that Washington needs to add a lot more talent on that side of the ball regardless of who got the coordinator job.
The Commanders, who own the seventh pick in the draft and the sixth most cap space according to Spotrac and Overthecap.com, don’t disagree. At the season-ending press conference Peters was asked about potential defensive positions to address in the offseason.
“There’s a lot of spots we can look at,” Peters said. “Certainly another pass rusher would be something we’d definitely be looking for.”
[O]ne team source said [new defensive coordinator Daronte] Jones — who has specialized in coaching defensive backs — could help the development of young players such as safety Quan Martin and corner Mike Sainristil, both of whom struggled more than anticipated this past season. Regardless, one starting corner — Marshon Lattimore — tore his ACL in November and the team could save $18.5 million vs. the cap by releasing him.
Also, if the Commanders want to replicate what Minnesota could do with safety Harrison Smith, then it will have to find a versatile player who can play in multiple spots — in the back; in the box and occasionally along the front. They currently lack that player.
All of this leads to one theme for the defense over the next few months:
“You’re always trying to get younger and faster,” Peters said. “That’ll be a big emphasis for us this offseason.”
Riggo’s Rag
Grading the first eight moves from Commanders’ 2026 offseason revolution
Commanders promoted Darnell Stapleton to OL coach
When Bobby Johnson was removed from his role as offensive coordinator, almost everyone thought the Commanders would bring in an outside hire for fresh ideas and coaching strategies to potentially improve the group. But once again, an in-house promotion was the preferred route.
The Commanders gave the job to Darnell Stapleton. He was the assistant offensive line coach under Johnson. So if the departed coach deserves praise for turning this unit into a cohesive force, then his replacement also deserves a chance.
Stapleton is a young, ascending coach. He’s spent the last two years in Washington. He was also a high-priority addition to the staff when Johnson came on board. This speaks volumes and maintains stability amid drastic changes across the board.
- Grade: A
The blocking concepts will probably change, but this was a shrewd move to keep around a coach held in high regard around the league.
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Why Cowboys will change their ‘bargin bin’ approach to free agency in 2026
They’ve chosen to shop from the “bargain bin” for about 11 years now and haven’t really paid an outside free agent over $6 million annually in that timeframe. This approach to free agency hasn’t netted any positive results and it’s definitely time for a big shift.
As luck would have it, it looks like 2026 will be the year Jerry Jones and Company are finally willing to make some big changes in order to become more productive as an organization.
With the Super Bowl LX set between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, this will mark the 30th season the Dallas Cowboys have had to watch the big event from home. As difficult as that is to fathom, this could actually serve as a learning experience for Jerry Jones and Company, and if he’s paying attention, follow the blueprint both of these teams utilized to have a chance to lift the ever elusive Lombardi trophy.
Coincidence or just their roster-building strategy, both the Patriots and Seahawks were among the league leaders in the free agency spending a year ago and now both organizations are vying for the opportunity to be the sole survivor and Super Bowl champion as a result. Both teams were in the Top 5 in the offseason free agent spending (Patriots 1st, Seahawks 4th).
This is the blueprint the Cowboys should follow in regards to free agency. They don’t necessarily need to go out and blow the budget, but the days of “bargain bin” shopping should come to an immediate halt because it’s painfully obvious it is not working. Instead, Dallas needs to properly identify the free agents who can come in and upgrade things and pay accordingly.
Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription)
What the Sean Mannion hire as Eagles offensive coordinator says about Nick Sirianni’s future
The hire says more about Nick Sirianni’s future than it does about almost anything related to Mannion or the Eagles offense. Whether he made the ultimate decision or not, the coach will have to take ownership for selecting one of the least experienced coordinators in the NFL, if not the least experienced.
Sirianni could be rewarded with immediate success. The Eagles could even have marginal offensive improvement that would allow him to maintain Mannion for more than one season. But if there is further regression, or even sudden failure, the gamble could push Sirianni into a firing line that saw nine coaches lose their jobs over the past several months. And here’s why: The line between success and failure for Sirianni is thinner than for most because he doesn’t have a discernible offensive philosophy or calls plays. He does a lot as a CEO-type coach, more than some on the outside are willing to concede. But winning here is suddenly not like winning at most places.
Sirianni helped raise those expectations. But clearing that bar or falling short of it would both seemingly have him back where he’s been four times before: having to replace an offensive coordinator.
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Sources: Seahawks will go up for sale after Super Bowl LX
The Seattle Seahawks will go up for sale after Super Bowl LX, league and ownership sources familiar with the arrangement told ESPN, ending years of questions about when the team would seek new ownership following the 2018 death of former owner Paul G. Allen.
Sale discussions have taken place at ownership and league levels for at least the past week, the sources said.
The Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers have been owned by Allen’s estate since the former owner and Microsoft co-founder died in 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His sister, Jody Allen, has controlled the teams as the executor of the trust, with a directive from her brother to eventually sell both and donate the proceeds to charity.
From The Athletic:
In July 2022, Jody Allen said in a statement that there was no timeline for the sale of the teams, adding the estate could take “10 to 20 years to wind down.” According to 2023 reports from Sports Business Journal and the Washington Post, any sale of the Seahawks before May 2024 would have incurred a 10 percent fee to the state of Washington, under a 1997 law that funded the team’s stadium, now known as Lumen Field. That fee no longer applies.
ESPN
Vikings fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after 4 seasons
The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, a shocking turn after an organization-wide failure to make the playoffs this season.
Adofo-Mensah, hired in 2022 as the first NFL general manager who rose primarily through an analytics-based background, declined to comment.
Wilf declined to lay out the reasons for the firing, including the extent to which it was prompted by a series of 2025 offseason decisions that led quarterback Sam Darnold to sign with the Seattle Seahawks and pushed 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy onto the field before he was ready.
“It’s not necessarily a fair thing to talk about any one decision, and that’s the way we approach it,” Wilf said. “It’s a body of work; it’s a cumulative set of decisions. It’s four years of where we’ve been. We as ownership, and I know our fans, feel it, and our entire organization feels it. We need to get to a better place. This is strictly an ownership and organizational decision that we feel this is the best path going forward. It’s not about one player, one decision, one draft pick. It’s about organizationally what we can do the best for our organization and our fans.”
The timing was unusual, as Adofo-Mensah had given a postseason news conference Jan. 13 and had spent this week in Mobile, Alabama, scouting Senior Bowl practices. He is seven months removed from signing what the Vikings called a multiyear contract extension.
Asked Friday about the timing, Wilf said the team’s ownership group wanted to avoid a “knee-jerk” reaction.
Minnesota had three winning seasons in Adofo-Mensah’s four-year tenure, and its .632 winning percentage over that period is tied for the fifth best in the NFL. But the Vikings are 0-2 in the postseason, and Adofo-Mensah’s drafts have been among the league’s least productive. The team’s attempt to draft McCarthy without taking a step back competitively failed this season despite a league-high $350 million cash commitment to its 2025 roster.
The Vikings have received only 172 starts from players drafted between 2022 and 2025, the second fewest in the league. They are one of 11 NFL teams that haven’t drafted a Pro Bowl player over that period.
Throughout the season, there was talk about an underlying “tension” in the Vikings’ building in league circles, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. One league source told Schefter it had been “ugly” in Minnesota.
ESPN
NFL to consider replay for missed player-safety penalties
Non-calls are currently not reviewable, but penalties such as grabbing the face mask, unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer and hip-drop tackles could be subject to review. It will be an offseason topic for the NFL competition committee.
The NFL will discuss using video review to assess penalties for violations related to player safety that are missed by officials, the league said Friday.
“I would just say from a player health and safety perspective, we would like to introduce all and any opportunity and options for either putting a flag on the field or any way to try to address this in-game,” NFL head of football operations Dawn Aponte said in a conference call with reporters.
Aponte said the league issued 30 fines for hip-drop tackles, which put players in danger of sustaining severe knee and ankle injuries. Officials threw just two flags for that tackle, and Aponte said one was an incorrect call and therefore didn’t result in a fine.
NFL.com
NFL salary cap projected at $301.2 million to $305.7 million per team for 2026 season
The NFL salary cap is continuing on its astronomical trajectory in 2026.
On Friday, the league informed clubs it is projecting a salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million for the upcoming 2026 season, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported, per a source.
Such a number would represent an increase of more than $20 million from the 2025 mark of $279.2 million and reach nearly $100 million in additional space since the $208.2 million cap set for the 2022 season.
