Head Coach Rumors: Bears, Bills, Colts, Jaguars & Rams

Mike Freeman of B/R spoke with a half-dozen head coaches, assistant coaches and team front office personnel about what they expect to see play out in regards to head coaching jobs around the NFL.

Here are some notes from Freeman’s rundown of the jobs that could be available.

Bears

• Freeman’s sources seem to think Bears HC John Fox is likely out in Chicago.
• Interestingly enough, Freeman says that Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter has come up in regards to the Bears’ head-coaching job, as he’s really helped Matthew Stafford out quite a bit since taking over the team’s offense.

Bills

• According to Freeman, “it’s almost a foregone conclusion” that Bills HC Rex Ryan will be fired at the end of the season.
• This fits with a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. (NFLTR)

Colts

• If the Colts are to make a change or keep HC Chuck Pagano in place, Freeman says it will be determined by how the team finishes out the final three weeks of the season.
• Indianapolis could still get into the playoffs and even win their division, but they would obviously need some help after a recent loss to the Texans.
• Freeman says that if the Colts miss the playoffs, the expectation is that owner Jim Irsay will clean house.
• Freeman tosses out Patriots OC Josh McDaniels as someone to watch if the job ends up being available.

Jaguars

• Freeman writes that everyone he spoke to expects the Jaguars to fire HC Gus Bradley in the coming weeks.
• While Tom Coughlin’s name has come up as a potential option for Jacksonville, Freeman has heard Patriots OC Josh McDaniels connected to the Jaguars’ job “a lot.”

Rams

• Freeman has been told that the Rams “want” Patriots OC Josh McDaniels as their next head coach. However, McDaniels is reportedly in no hurry to take another head-coaching job.
• According to Freeman, the Rams would like to “make a huge splash” with their next hire, but there is plenty of skepticism around the NFL about their odds of landing one of their desired candidates.
• Freeman says that one of the main concerns is actually rookie QB Jared Goff, as there’s “tremendous doubt” about just how good of a prospect he really is. With this in mind, Freeman mentions that whoever they hire would help up being tied to Goff’s success for better or for worse.