Around The NFL: Coaching Carousel Already At Full Speed
By Danny Cox
The upcoming offseason could generate a lot of interesting moves among many different teams, and that won't only include players. Coaches are already looking ahead to possibly moving around and getting upgrades as jobs open up, but there are those that fear their current jobs will become available to someone else.
Bill O'Brien has NFL buyout with Penn State reduced
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Bill O'Brien amended his contract last summer as he was already looking ahead to the NFL. The contract amendment lowered any buyout that an NFL team would need to pay to the school in case they wanted him to leap to the pros and coach their team.
There have already been preliminary discussions between NFL teams and O'Brien. Some of those teams are the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers.
An NFL buyout for O'Brien now would cost a team about $6.48 million and that is a lot better than the $19.33 million it originally would have cost a team. Talks have been made to possibly reduce the buyout even further, but that has not been confirmed.
Oakland Raiders do not receive extension commitments from team owners
The Oakland Raiders have not had a great season yet again, and that obviously means that no one's job is safe. Raiders owner Mark Davis has already said he is unwilling to give any of the team's assistant coaches a contract extension.
Second-year Raiders coach Dennis Allen approached Davis a couple of weeks ago with the hopes of getting extensions for some of his assistant coaches that have contracts nearing expiration. Davis has since rejected that request.
It appears as if Davis is not ready to commit to any of his assistant coaches for the 2014 season yet or even Allen himself.
Entire coaching staff of Dallas Cowboys could be in jeopardy if playoffs aren't reached
Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and his entire staff have heard reports that their jobs could be in jeopardy if the team doesn't make the playoffs. Making things worse is that owner Jerry Jones may want the Cowboys to not only reach the playoffs but also win the NFC East.
For the Cowboys to do that, they would likely need to win their final two games. That is no small task as they have to face the NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles in the final game of the season, and it will probably be a "winner-take-all" game.
The Cowboys have lost those games the last two years.
For more NFL news and updates, visit NFL Central.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
