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NFL roundup: Cowboys, Garrett agree on five-year deal
Jason Garrett said Tuesday that there is nowhere else he’d rather be than with the Dallas Cowboys — and that’s where he’ll stay after reaching agreement with the team on a five-year, $30 million contract Tuesday, according to reports.
Garrett, who has a 41-31 regular-season record with the Cowboys, entered the 2014 season without a contract extension and led Dallas to the playoffs. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli also agreed to a deal to remain with the Cowboys.
With Garrett’s contract now apparently in place, the attention turns to other marquee names who could leave Dallas. Two of the team’s centerpieces on offense, All-Pros in wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray, are scheduled to become free agents in March.
—Former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman was named to the same job by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday and the team parted with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
The moves were expected after Rex Ryan took over as head coach on Monday.
Schwartz was with the Bills for one year after spending five seasons as head coach of the Detroit Lions. Roman worked on coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff for the past four years in San Francisco before Harbaugh left after the 49ers’ 8-8 finish in 2014 to accept to head coaching job at Michigan.
—The New York Jets named Hightstown, N.J., native Mike Maccagnan their new general manager on Tuesday.
Maccagnan started with the Houston Texans in 2000 as the coordinator of college scouting. In 2010, he was promoted to the assistant director of college scouting before being named the director of college scouting in 2011. He was part of a scouting team that added Pro Bowl players to the roster via the draft or as undrafted rookie free agents.
Maccagnan has been involved with professional football in some capacity since taking a job as a scouting department intern for the Redskins in 1990. He then spent six seasons with the Redskins in a full-time role, first as a college scout (1994) and then as a pro scout (1995-99). Before Washington, he served as the director of scouting for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL (1994), and the director of scouting and director of player personnel for the Ottawa Rough Riders (1993).
—Two players considered small for their positions made a big enough impression in their first NFL season to be selected offensive and defensive Rookies of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who raised the bar for highlight reel catches, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a hyper-active tackling machine for the St. Louis Rams, were announced Tuesday as Rookie Players of the Year by the PFWA.
The Rams led all clubs with three All-Rookie selections — Donald, cornerback E.J. Gaines and running back Tre Mason. Six clubs — Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders — each had two players on the squad. In all, 19 teams are represented among the 27 players honored.
—Keith Butler will succeed Dick LeBeau as Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator.
Butler, a former NFL linebacker, was the team’s linebackers coach and received increased interest from other teams for coordinator jobs. He has been with the Steelers since 2003 and has been groomed to take over the defensive coordinator role.
LeBeau resigned after 11 seasons as defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. He was asked to step down by Tomlin. Tomlin retained LeBeau when he was hired to replace Bill Cowher. He is in the mix to replace Todd Bowles with the Cardinals if the Arizona defensive coordinator becomes a head coach.
—Sunday’s divisional playoff games were among the highest-rated in NFL history.
The NFC divisional playoff game Sunday between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys was watched by 44.4 million viewers, or just under 15 percent of households with a television.
The 1 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX ranks as second most-watched divisional game on record (New York Giants-Green Bay Packers in 2012, FOX, 45.1 million), and the most-watched show since Super Bowl XLVIII. The afternoon game in Denver, won the by the Indianapolis Colts, drew 41.8 million viewers to rank as the second most-watched AFC divisional playoff game since at least 1987 (New York Jets-New England Patriots, 2011, CBS, 43.5 million).
Saturday’s divisional playoff games drew an average of 65 million viewers — 34 million for the AFC game between the Ravens and Patriots and 31 million for the Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks in prime time.
—John Elway’s backup plan could very well be his former backup quarterback with the Denver Broncos, Gary Kubiak.
Elway, vice president and general manager of the Broncos, parted with coach John Fox on Monday after four playoff appearances in four seasons. On Tuesday night, the Broncos reportedly requested permission from the Baltimore Ravens to interview Kubiak, who was Elway’s backup when they played together in Denver.
The Baltimore Sun reported Monday night that Kubiak was not interested in leaving the team even after learning of the Broncos’ opening. The Chicago Bears and New York Jets viewed Kubiak as a potential head-coach candidate.
Kubiak, 53, previously was head coach of the Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013. He was 63-66 overall and led the Texans to their first two postseason appearances. He was fired with three games left in the 2013 season.
—Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway ended his four years with head coach John Fox with a one-hour meeting and a warm embrace. He said both sides knew the time was right to split.
“In any relationship — you are always going to have bumpy batches,” Elway said. “I think the biggest thing between us was ‘how are we going to get to that next step?’ … We did not agree on how to get to the next step.”
Elway also said he had a great conversation with quarterback Peyton Manning on Monday, but they agreed not to talk about Manning’s future. In Elway’s opinion, Manning should return — and play for the Broncos.
“I think he does” have another season of football in him, Elway said.
—John Fox will interview for the head-coaching vacancy with the Chicago Bears.
The Sports Xchange pointed to the possibility Monday when Fox and the Denver Broncos agreed to part ways, and it didn’t take long for lasting relationships to make it happen. Fox was defensive coordinator for the New York Giants under coach Jim Fassel, when Ernie Accorsi was the team’s general manager. He also worked with a young assistant coach named Sean Payton.
Accorsi is advising Bears’ chairman George McCaskey and president Ted Phillips and the team selected Ryan Pace as general manager. Pace worked closely with Payton in New Orleans. The Bears have interviewed several candidates, including Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
—Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman is the latest Florida State player to declare his intentions to enter the 2015 NFL Draft with college eligibility remaining.
Goldman is opting out before his senior season in Tallahassee, according to a Yahoo Sports report on Tuesday. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder finished the 2014 season with 35 tackles, including four sacks and eight tackles for a loss. He also had a forced fumble.
NFLDraftScout.com ranks Goldman as No. 20 overall in the 2015 class and the No. 3 defensive tackle. He is projected to be chosen in the first round.
—The Baltimore Ravens’ staff agreed Tuesday to serve as replacement coaches for the AFC team in the Pro Bowl and the Dallas Cowboys will represent the NFC.
The two highest-seeded teams to lose in the divisional playoff round are supposed to handle coaching duties in the annual all-star game, but the Denver Broncos fired head coach John Fox on Monday. With the Broncos’ situation unsettled, Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his assistants were asked to step in on the AFC side and accepted.
Team captains will be Hall of Fame wide receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin. The game is set for Jan. 25 at 8 p.m, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
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