NFL Notes: USC, Jets, Packers, Rams, Redskins, & Saints

USC

• Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk looked at potential fits for USC, who fired head coach Steve Sarkisian today, that are currently in the NFL.
• Smith notes USC would love to lure Eagles head coach Chip Kelly back to the college ranks and the Pac-12, while pointing out current Raiders and Rams head coaches Jack Del Rio and Jeff Fisher played at USC. Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman also worked with Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and could draw interest.

Jets

• According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, an MRI on Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson‘s ribs came back negative.
• Cimini adds that this injury won’t cause Wilkerson to miss next Sunday’s game against Washington.

Packers

• Packers DT B.J. Raji told Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette an MRI came back negative on his groin. Raji believes his offseason yoga workouts helped him to avoid a more serious injury.
• Head coach Mike McCarthy says S Sean Richardson is still undergoing tests on his injured neck. Richardson suffered the second herniated disk of his career against the 49ers two weeks ago.

Rams

• According to Dani Klupenger, Rams DE Chris Long did not tear his ACL or MCL during Sunday’s game against the Packers.
• Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch says Long will still miss game time with the injury, but it will only be a week or two.

Redskins

• With injuries plaguing their defensive backfield, the Redskins worked out DB Ri’Shard Anderson, DB Deveron Carr and DB Aaron Hester today.

Saints

Saints head coach Sean Payton addressed rumors about his future with the team today. Here’s what he said about paying attention to such reports.

“You ignore half of that stuff and obviously dismiss it. Our players aren’t distracted by that,” Payton said, via Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune. “That comes up yearly now, not just every three or four years. That came up, shoot, my second, third, fifth, ninth, pick a year. And you’ve just got to make sure that the players, coaches, everyone understands what the focus is. … Certainly as a coach you pay attention to it because you pay attention to all those things that are threatening.”

Payton signed a five-year contract worth $38 million after the 2012 season and still has two years remaining after this season. It has been reported other teams would inquire about his services after the season while he is under contract.

“I don’t know what else to say,” Payton said on Monday. “I love it here. I’m close to my children. I just built a brand new place here. You get tired of answering the questions and yet I understand you asking, and I’ll say what I said before. This is where I see myself, and I’ve said that now for however many years.“