AFC Notes: Colts, Jim Harbaugh, Josh McDaniels, Raiders, Texans

Colts

• Despite being a strong performer and candidate for an extension, Dan Graziano of ESPN lists DT DeForest Buckner as someone the Colts could consider moving on from next year.
• Graziano notes that Buckner is scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed $20.25 million in 2024 in the final year of his contract and the team would only deal with a $2.5 million dead money hit by moving on from him.

Raiders

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh is an obvious name to consider when looking ahead to project who the next Raiders head coach might be. He notes the Raiders and Harbaugh have heavily considered each other before, most recently in 2022. 
• Other coaches who might fit the mold Breer thinks owner Mark Davis will be looking for include Lions DC Aaron Glenn, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Patriots LB coach Jerod Mayo or Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich. 
• CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones says Davis is expected to focus on hiring a general manager first who will then run the search for a new head coach. He notes Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds was thought of highly during the last search and is widely viewed around the league as due for a GM job. 
• NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport notes the beginning of the end for Raiders HC Josh McDaniels was a practice the Thursday before he was fired. The practice was after a team meeting where McDaniels allowed players to voice their concerns, which turned into a venting session with players and coaches offering a lot of feedback. 
• Among the issues raised to McDaniels were meetings that ran too long, McDaniels’ penchant for over-correcting players during practice and him blaming players for issues with the play-calling. 
• Rapoport writes McDaniels was noticeably subdued during the practice, offering far less correction and trying to let the players handle themselves. The word “bystander” was used and one source said McDaniels seemed “like a shell of himself.”
• Rapoport adds a lot of the issues raised during the meeting had already been brought up privately to Davis, who had been soliciting feedback from team leaders. The information he learned had him contemplating a change. 
• FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer says McDaniels had Pierce speak in the meeting to help rein the players back in. Pierce’s message was the team needed to believe in itself every week like the 2007 Giants did when they took down the unbeaten Patriots. That resonated with the players but after the meeting McDaniels took Pierce aside and told him not to ever talk about the Patriots like that. 

Texans

• Texans QB C.J. Stroud set the NFL record for single-game rookie passing yards with 470 yards and threw for five touchdowns in a comeback win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
• Texans DE Jonathan Greenard was fined $7,604 for unnecessary roughness.