NFC South

The New Orleans Saints will hold a second interview with New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The Saints have completed interviews with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore among others. Mike McCarthy also emerged as a candidate following his exit from the Dallas Cowboys.

Following a nondescript playing career, Kafka's stock rose rapidly as a coach. In 2016, he was a graduate assistant on Northwestern's staff, and he became the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach just two seasons later.

Following the 2022 season, it looked to be only a matter of time before Kafka would get hired as an NFL head coach. His first year as the Giants OC saw Daniel Jones seemingly turn a corner while Saquon Barkley ran for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Kafka's reputation has probably taken a bit of a hit, though, with New York's offense regressing and becoming one of the NFL's worst.

The fact the 37-year-old is still getting coaching interviews points to the fact he remains well regarded around the league. In addition to the Saints, he met with the Chicago Bears for an official sit-down.

For whoever takes the job, a major challenge could await in New Orleans.

The Saints are projected to be $52.3 million over the salary cap. It will be another offseason of general manager Mickey Loomis working is magic to ensure the team is cap compliant and able to strengthen the roster.

A new quarterback could be leading the offense, too, because cutting Derek Carr would go some way toward gaining some financial breathing room. Designating him as a post-June 1 release would free up $30 million in cap space.

Considering New Orleans would likely be leaning on Spencer Rattler or another young QB as Carr's replacement in that scenario, an offensive-minded coach such as Kafka would be a natural fit.

The Atlanta Falcons have hired New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator, the team announced on Saturday.

Ulbrich finished the season with the Jets after taking over following the firing of former head coach Robert Saleh, leading the team to a 3-9 finish over its final 12 games.

The announcement comes after Atlanta had interviews with several other coaches, including Matt Eberflus, Steve Wilks, Grady Brown and Derrick Ansley in addition to others.

Former defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and the Falcons parted ways on Jan. 11 after one season together, as Atlanta's defense allowed 345.2 yards and 24.9 points per game.

Ulbrich, a former ten-year NFL linebacker, began his defensive coordinator career with the Falcons in 2020 before spending four years with the Jets.

Prior to that, he worked as a linebackers coach from 2015-19 under former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, alongside current head coach Raheem Morris, who is a close friend, per the Atlanta Falcons' Tori McElhaney. Morris promoted Ulbrich from working as the linebackers coach to defensive coordinator when he served as interim head coach in 2020.

"In this day and age, this current player's culture in the NFL, there's not a better candidate in my opinion," Ulbrich said of Morris, according to the Atlanta Falcons' Will McFadden. "You have to have the ability to relate to the current player. You have to have the ability to create an environment for the current player that is not necessarily built in the old NFL world, in my opinion, for these kids to thrive. They're just not raised the same way, football is not played the same way. He's one of those rare guys that has that ability to create the environment that's necessary."

When Ulbrich was promoted to interim head coach of the Jets during Week 6 of the 2024 season, he leaned on Morris for advice and support leading up to his first game as head coach.

Now, the two are reunited and prepared to turn around the Falcons, who finished 8-9 and second in the NFC South.

The New Orleans Saints interviewed Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady regarding the team's current head coaching vacancy on Friday.

The Saints also interviewed interim head coach Darren Rizzi for the opening on Friday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Brady also completed an interview with the Chicago Bears, the franchise announced.

Brady has served as Buffalo's offensive coordinator since the 2023 season and is also helping the Bills prepare for their upcoming divisional round playoff clash with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have also requested to interview Brady.

The 35-year-old previously spent two years with the Saints as an offensive assistant in 2017 and 2018. He then moved to the college level, operating as LSU's passing game coordinator during the Tigers' undefeated 2019 season that culminated in a national championship win.

Brady became the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator from 2020-21 before joining the Bills as their quarterbacks coach in 2022. He was later named interim offensive coordinator when Ken Dorsey was fired after Week 11 of the 2023 season.

The switch paid off, as Buffalo ended the year averaging 27.1 points per game under Brady after recording 20.5 points each week in the team's final six games under Dorsey.

The Bills' offense remained sharp in 2024, racking up 359.1 yards per game. Their regular-season average of 30.9 points per game also represented the No. 2 scoring offense in the NFL.

Meanwhile, New Orleans missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season by finishing at 5-12 in 2024. Offensive struggles were rampant throughout the year, as the Saints failed to score 20 points in each of their final six regular-season contests.

The same can be said for the Bears, which finished the campaign 5-12 behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

As Brady gets ready for an important playoff matchup, he also met with New Orleans regarding a potential return to the team in a head coaching role.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jadeveon Clowney firmly believes Bryce Young reasserted himself as the quarterback of the future with his performance in the second half of the 2024 NFL season.

"They can go build around him. I think he's the guy," Clowney said to The Athletic's Joseph Person. "He deserves that. He sat quiet those games when he sat down, didn't open his mouth about anything, where he could have. He battled back and I think he won the locker room over with that as far as making guys believe in him and just seeing what the first overall pick looked like."

Young's future in Carolina looked murky at best when the team benched him for Andy Dalton in September. It sent quite the message about how the team viewed the 2023 first-round pick in that moment, and rival teams quickly circled with the idea of buying low in a trade.

Even when a thumb injury took Dalton out of the lineup in Week 8, it wasn't a sure thing that Young would stay with the first string. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport could only report at the time that "there is a real chance for him to continue starting."

But Young didn't give the Panthers a reason to bench him again. In his final 10 starts, he threw for 2,104 yards and 15 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Young and Carolina ended the year on a high, upsetting the Atlanta Falcons 44-38 and denying them a playoff berth. The Panthers signal-caller went 25-of-34 for 251 yards and three touchdowns, displaying a confidence that was lacking in the first few weeks of the campaign.

Maybe this was all a bit of a mirage and Young regresses in 2025 to renew the conversations about whether he's the guy in Charlotte. But his turnaround is an example of how some young quarterbacks simply need time to develop and don't improve on a linear upward arc.

Right now, the Panthers are feeling much better about their QB situation than they were in the fall.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has emerged as one of the most popular head coaching candidates during this year's cycle, but one team could reportedly have an edge to land him.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, the New Orleans Saints are expected to "make a strong push" and "probably land" Glenn over the New York Jets and other teams.

Graziano noted that the Saints and Jets are the teams Glenn is most connected to, meaning it could come down to those two squads. He played for New York from 1994 to 2001 and ended his career with New Orleans in 2008. Additionally, he was a scout for the Jets in 2012 and 2013, but was the Saints defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020. He left with Dan Campbell to become the Lions' defensive coordinator in 2021.

Glenn has already met with New York and reportedly interviewed well.

"Keep an eye on the Jets as a possibility for Aaron Glenn," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said last week. "He played for that team. My understanding is he had a really strong interview. Expect him to be in the mix, though worth noting that New York is still going through about 20 different interviews for that job."

The Saints completed an interview with Glenn on Friday.

Given his popularity during this year's coaching cyle, Glenn could have his pick of teams. For now, he'll look to stay focused on the Lions as they prepare to take on the Washington Commanders this week.

Baker Mayfield shouldered the blame for a fumble in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 23-20 loss against the Washington Commanders, as he was attempting to hand the ball off to wide receiver Jalen McMillan on a jet sweep.

The Commanders promptly scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession.

"That comes back to me, just timing it up correctly," Mayfield told reporters. "First one all year that it happened on. So obviously the timing of it not great, being backed up. Defense had done a hell of a job getting us the ball, another fourth-down stop and yeah, unfortunate, but that falls on me."

"Just some dumb stuff today that cost the team," he added. "That's going to wear on me for a while."

The Bucs wouldn't have been in position to even host a playoff game this season if it weren't for Mayfield's fantastic season, of course. The veteran quarterback continued his career glow-up in 2024, throwing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while completing 71.4 percent of his passes and taking 40 sacks.

He's had a career resurgence in Tampa Bay, leading the team to a second straight postseason. This year's Wild Card Round didn't go to plan, but Mayfield still has the Buccaneers on the right path.

Miscues in the fourth quarter proved to be the downfall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The Washington Commanders secured a narrow 23-20 victory over the Buccaneers, highlighted by a dramatic, doinked game-winning field goal from kicker Zane Gonzalez in their wild card matchup at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Jayden Daniels, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, delivered an impressive performance, completing 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, propelling the Commanders to the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

For the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and the rest of the team endured another heartbreaking loss to close their season. Mayfield fought hard, finishing 15-of-18 for 185 yards, two touchdowns but had a costly lost fumble.

The Buccaneers made too many errors on the offensive side, including fumbles and missed snaps, while the team's clock management on Washington's final drive also drew criticism on social media:

Tampa Bay kicker Chase McLaughlin opened the scoring on Sunday with a 50-yard field goal early in the first quarter on the Buccaneers' first possession. Tampa Bay's defense held Washington scoreless in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Washington's Dyami Brown scored on a 10-yard pass from Daniels, followed by a field goal from Gonzalez, giving the Commanders a 10-3 lead with 1:52 left in the half.

Tampa Bay quickly responded with a 1:43 possession capped by a touchdown pass from Mayfield to Evans, tying the game at 10-10 heading into halftime.

Out of the break, Gonzalez hit a 22-yard field goal on Washington's first possession of the third quarter. However, Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving found the end zone with 4:31 left in the quarter, giving the Buccaneers a 17-13 lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was full of excitement.

It began with a crucial goal-line stand by Tampa Bay's defense, stopping Washington on fourth down in the red zone. However, moments later, the Buccaneers fumbled at their own 11-yard line, with linebacker Bobby Wagner recovering the ball and shifting momentum back to Washington. The turnover set up a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, giving the Commanders a 20-17 lead.

Tampa Bay responded with a McLaughlin field goal, tying the game at 20 with 4:41 left in regulation. The Commanders then mounted an impressive drive, chewing up over 4:30 of the remaining clock, before Gonzalez doinked the game-winning field goal from 37 yards to seal the victory.

The No. 6 seed Commanders will travel to Detroit to face the top-seeded Lions on Jan. 18.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was the talk of the NFL world as his unit stymied the Minnesota Vikings during Sunday's win to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed, and he may parlay that buzz into the head-coaching position of the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported on the Saints' vacancy Thursday with the latter noting "Glenn still seems like the favorite" even though the NFC South team is interested in Mike Vrabel, interim coach Darren Rizzi, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Fowler also reported Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy might be interested as well with his contract set to expire Tuesday.

But it might be Glenn's job to lose.

"Agreed that Glenn seems like the favorite in New Orleans," Graziano wrote. "He's extremely well regarded in that building and very well known because he previously worked there."

The Lions D.C. is familiar with the Saints after working as a defensive backs coach for the team from 2016 through 2020. He was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns before that and then took his current job starting with the 2021 campaign.

New Orleans reached the playoffs in each of the last four years of Glenn's tenure and has not been back to the postseason since he left for Detroit. The 2018 Saints went as far as the NFC Championship Game.

The 2020 Saints finished fourth in yards allowed and fifth in points allowed as defensive backs such as Malcolm Jenkins and Marson Lattimore played well under Glenn's leadership.

Glenn has further demonstrated his leadership this season while helping lead the Lions to the best record in the NFC despite a number of injuries to both sides of the ball. His defense overwhelmed quarterback Sam Darnold in the clutch game against the Vikings on Sunday and held him to 18-of-41 passing for 166 yards and zero touchdowns.

Minnesota did not reach the end zone the entire game.

It was the type of performance that surely solidified Glenn as a head-coaching candidate in the eyes of many teams, and the Saints are already familiar with his work as they search for their next leader.

Mike Kafka is reportedly getting in the mix for a few head coaching vacancies.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the New York Giants offensive coordinator is set to interview with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints on Thursday as the two teams continue searching for their next head coach.

Kafka has been in a coaching role in the NFL since 2016 following a one-year stint as a graduate assistant at Northwestern. He had an impressive start to his coaching career, serving as an offensive quality control assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs before becoming the team's quarterbacks coach in 2018.

In his first year in that position, Patrick Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns on his way to his first MVP award. He stayed in that role until 2021, also taking on pass game coordinator duties along the way. He helped the Chiefs win a Super Bowl in 2019 and was a cog in some of the most impressive offenses in recent memory.

His work with the Chiefs led to him landing a job as the Giants' offensive coordinator in 2022. He's been in that role ever since and was also named assistant head coach ahead of the 2024 season.

In his first season with New York, Kafka was given play-caller duties and helped lead the Giants to their first playoff win in 11 seasons.

Kafka's name has come up in a handful of coaching searches over the past few years, as he interviewed with the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers in 2023. Last year, he interviewed with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks for their vacant head coaching positions.

With an impressive resume and previous head coaching buzz, perhaps this offseason will finally see Kafka land his first head coaching gig.