There will be plenty of rumors and trade discussions between now and the draft as this is the best quarterback class we have seen in a while. It’s also important to note that this version didn’t include any trades but that should change in later versions as we get closer to April. Check out some key highlights from our mock draft below.

Jayden Daniels Goes to Washington

At this point, it seems like a lock that the Chicago Bears take Caleb Williams #1 overall. As reported over the past few weeks it would take an historic haul for the Bears to trade that pick. Despite the connections between Kliff Kingsbury and Williams, I don’t see the Commanders giving up that much to get him. Instead they go grab Daniels who fits Kingsbury’s system well and has a ton of potential.

Cardinals Get Their WR1

The Arizona Cardinals are in need of a stud at the wide receiver position to pair with Kyler Murray. In this mock, they get that stud by drafting former Buckeye Marvin Harrison Jr. with the 4th pick. Harrison is an elite receiver that many consider the best prospect in the entire draft. I love the fit here for Harrison as he will immediately become the focal point of the Cardinals offense.

Seahawks Find Their Future Quarterback

As of now, Geno Smith is the quarterback for Seattle but that may change in the coming months. The Seahawks have a new regime and in this mock, they select their quarterback of the future. I have Seattle taking Bo Nix but I could also see them grabbing J.J. McCarthy if he is available. McCarthy and new coach Mike Macdonald have Michigan ties but for now, I have Denver grabbing McCarthy a couple of spots earlier.

The post 2024 NFL Mock Draft V1 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Revisiting the previous season, a total of five coaches got the axe. Kliff Kingsbury, Lovie Smith, Matt Rhule, Frank Reich and Nathaniel Hackett are all out. Of the five that were let go, only Frank Reich landed another NFL Head Coaching position as he signed on with the Carolina Panthers. You can expect around the same number to be fired next year if not more. NFL teams are hiring and firing coaches more quickly now (see Hackett).

With that said we picked five coaches that are currently on the hot seat for the upcoming season. Keep an eye on these coaches as it will be important for all of them to start fast when the season starts.

Robert Saleh – New York Jets

Robert Saleh very well could’ve been fired following the 2022-2023 season. The Jets spiraled out of the NFL playoff picture losing their last 6 games. Despite having a stellar NFL Draft, they lacked a true offensive identity and finished near the bottom in total points (296).

In steps Aaron Rodgers to try and revitalize the Jets franchise. Rodgers brought with him some old friends in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. He also has Nathaniel Hackett running the offense as the two former Packers team up again. The expectations are now sky-high and if the Jets start off the season slow it may be Saleh that pays the price.

Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns

Kevin Stefanski had a dream debut season for Cleveland. The Browns finished that season with an 11-5 record and made the playoffs. In their Wild Card matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offense was unstoppable and they put up a whopping 48 points. It seemed as if Stefanski and Baker Mayfield were the perfect match. Since then things haven’t gone as planned. Mayfield is no longer with the Browns and Deshaun Watson was brought in on a massive contract.

Cleveland is now predicted to finish last in the AFC North next season. Stefanski will need a strong season from Watson and the offense as a whole to keep his job.

Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys

If this were any other team in the NFL Mike McCarthy would be safe. The Cowboys finished last season with a 12-5 record and a playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yet there is a sense of urgency that Dallas needs to produce better postseason results.

They since have let go of their promising offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. McCarthy has taken over the play-calling duties and with that is more added pressure. If the Cowboys don’t make the playoffs or fail to advance in the postseason, Jerry Jones may lose his patience.

Matt LaFleur – Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have officially entered the Jordan Love era. Whether it’s fair or not, Matt LaFleur’s future depends on how well Love progresses. Aaron Rodgers leaving could be a blessing in disguise for the Packers franchise. It could also end up being the start of a stretch where Green Bay is no longer relevant and they are back in the quarterback market next year. Regardless, the microscope will be on LaFleur as he enters the upcoming season.

Ron Rivera – Washington Commanders

It’s already been an unusual offseason for Head Coach Ron Rivera. The Washington Commanders are finally getting rid of their hated owner Dan Snyder. This alone has caused a new level of optimism around the franchise. They also brought in Eric Bieniemy as Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. With that, there is a bit of strange dynamic while they wait for future owner Josh Harris to take over.

Will Rivera be safe until next year? No one really knows but don’t discount the Bieniemy effect. Early reports from Commanders OTA’s are saying Rivera has delegated many duties to Bieniemy. It’s plausible that Bieniemy has been tabbed the Head Coach in waiting. This situation is worth keeping an eye on as we get into training camp.

Looking for more NFL news and featured articles? Check out our NFL section.

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Vance Joseph

Recent history has shown that the Cardinals are a franchise that likes to promote from within the organization. Given this tendency, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph seems like a candidate for consideration as the next head coach. That being said, he may not be the right pick for this particular situation. If the team is looking to move beyond the sick taste that is currently in its mouth, internal promotion isn’t likely to be the way to get there.

Joseph had one other opportunity as a head coach in the NFL for the Denver Broncos in 2017 and 2018, in which he finished with a coaching record of 11-21. That doesn’t inspire a lot of hope for his candidacy this time around, despite the Cardinals’ tendency for internal promotions. If the team is serious about getting back to the status of a playoff contender in the NFC, it’s going to require looking elsewhere.

DeMeco Ryans

DeMeco Ryans’s name has been floating around the rumor mill economy as a possible NFL head coach next season. At the moment, the defensive coordinator of arguably the best defense in the league right now is a hot commodity. The Cardinals could take benefit from taking a look at him as their next coach.

But will Ryans want the challenge of going from an NFC frontrunner to a struggling franchise? Or might he look at another team in need of a head coach, like the Broncos or Houston Texans, the latter of which he has an established history with. Perhaps the fate of the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs will help to sort out these questions.

Sean Payton

The most obvious choice for the Cardinals is to bring in Sean Payton. A return to an NFL head coaching position for Payton seems like a foregone conclusion at this point, with the Cardinals and Broncos both showing interest in him. His .631 career winning percentage is a huge reason why. To turn things around in Glendale, it’s got to be the hiring of this Super Bowl winning coach that does it.

There is enough talent on this Cardinals team even with the retirement of J.J. Watt and the likely leaving of DeAndre Hopkins to be players in the NFC West. Payton can bring to this organization something they’ve been lacking since the departure of Bruce Arians: a true leader. What’s more, Kyler Murray deserves to have a coach who fully knows how to nurture his talents and lead him into the maturity necessary to be one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. The Cardinals’ intentions as a franchise will be revealed in this choice. It needs to be Sean Payton.

The post Who Will Be the Next Arizona Cardinals Coach? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

Kliff Kingsbury, also known as the man that lives in an Ex Machina-like home, hasn’t had the most glamorous 2022 campaign. His signal-caller, Kyler Murray, has only thrown more than one touchdown in one contest this season. The Cardinals also rank 15th in points per game (after being 10th in PPG last season). The worst issue is that the Cardinals sit at 3-4, which is tied with San Francisco for last in the brutal NFC West. With that stated, a sincere question clouds over the clean-cut Cardinals ring leader: Is Kingsbury overrated?

I honestly don’t believe that Kingsbury is overrated. I also believe it’s the right decision by Kingsbury to hold onto play-calling duties. There have been hiccups with the Cardinals offense this season, but it should be noted that the Kingsbury-Murray sandwich didn’t have their Hail Mary savior DeAndre Hopkins up until last Thursday Night. Coincidentally, Murray registered his highest passer rating in a single game w/ Hopkins against Who Dat Nation (100.4). The chemistry between Murray and Hopkins will continue to improve in 2022-2023.

Let’s not forget the value that top-end WRs carry for their respective teams. Besides the Cardinals offense stuttering without Nuk, the New Orleans Saints offense has really been abysmal without Michael Thomas — after MT scored a pair of touchdowns and the Saints offense dropped 27 points in Week 1.

Kingsbury may not have had the sexiest 2022 season, but he still deserves a lot of props for his work in 2019 and 2021. In his rookie season (2019) as an HC, Murray went on to win Offensive Rookie of The Year. Murray even looked like a legitimate MVP candidate in the first half of last season. Lamar Jackson has improved from a season ago & I feel that the Cards QB that re-signed to his squad on a four-year, $230,500,000 deal is too gifted to be slowed down much longer. I trust that Kingsbury and a passionate Murray will fire off on more cylinders moving forward.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams illustrious head coach Sean McVay has been dubbed the next genius head coach since entering the head coaching ranks for the LA Rams in 2017. The 35-year-old coach that one-upped Kliff Kingsbury during the 2021 NFL draft has gone 55-25 in his short career. 

The NFL world knows McVay is a mad scientist that just came out of graduate school (half-serious). But, do we know of the work and byproducts that are being represented under the Rams ring leader? I believe not. In this outlook, I’m going to outline the head coaches who have learned under McVay and even rank which McVay disciples have been the most impressive. Let’s begin.

1. Matt LaFleur

The Green Bay Packers offensive guru with a more robust haircut isn’t just the best McVay apprentice, but one of the best head coaches in the entire league. Matt LaFleur may have issues with finding WR help for A-Rod and making risky decisions in pivotal postseason games, but he has been a pillar of consistency and dominance. LaFleur has a whopping 39-9 record, 41 overall victories, and he’s helped his aging QB win the MVP award in 2020.

McVay has led the Packers to the number one seed in back-to-back seasons. Nonetheless, the Pack needs to take advantage of the road going through the Frozen tundra — as the Packers HC knows well. In the postseason in 2021, LaFleur controversially opted to kick a field goal and not attempt to score a touchdown on 4th and goal with Aaron Rodgers. Will LaFleur roll the dice more in 2022? We will see.

McVay has had similar success to LaFleur with the likes of Jared Goff and he even has transformed Todd Gurley into an OPOY player. Is Cooper Kupp McVay’s next toy to bring a piece of hardware home? Kupp and Davante Adams are seen as the clear Top two wideouts in the league.

Here is an overview of how productive each WR was in 2021:

• Kupp: 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns
• Adams: 123 receptions, 1,553 yards, and 11 touchdowns

2. Zac Taylor

The Cincinnati Bengals HC and Bengals QB Joe Burrow just won the biggest game of their young careers in Week 17. In poetic fashion, Burrow smoked a locker room cigar after beating the Kansas City Chiefs and winning the AFC North.

Taylor brought his AFC North team from the bottom of the NFL to an AFC juggernaut in just a couple of seasons. Let’s not forget Ja’Marr Chase, who just ousted the most productive season from a rook WR. It’s safe to say he was the right pick over Penei Sewell.

The Bengals go on to win a monster contest against the Las Vegas Raiders in the wildcard round. Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were exceptional yet again. More importantly, the Bengals defense was able to prevent the Raiders from scoring a game-tying touchdown on 4th and goal with 17 seconds left in the game.

If the Chiefs handle their business against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals will take a trip to Nashville to battle Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans.

3. Brandon Staley 

As you can see, the top 3 Sean McVay understudies are clearly more respectable than the likes of the Top 3 Belichick understudies (in the NFL). Brandon Staley has had a very positive 2021 season with the second-year QB Justin Herbert. The second year QB unleashed 5,014 passing yards and 38 passing touchdowns.

The Chargers were written off by countless outlets, but Brandon Staley and the company have been firing off on every cylinder. Staley is the third HC on this list and the third to have a winning record this season (9-8). The Chargers had a disappointing Week 18 as widely enunciated, but the Chargers outperformed their expectations last season. All three Sean McVay disciples have displayed fireworks for their respected offenses in the 2021-2022 season.

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By: Chinmay Kulkarni

The Arizona Cardinals were the power-ranking darlings early in the regular season. Four months later, the supposed powerhouse in the NFL stands as the number one fraud team in the league. Don’t get me wrong, the Cardinals are still a good team ”“ having a good roster, a great quarterback, excellent running game, and superb pass catchers. If football were played in an excel file with only stats and figures, the Cardinals would be Superbowl contenders. Unfortunately, football is still a sport highlighting the human element, a sport of talent and skill.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is a huge part of the problem of his team’s late-season woes, making some head-scratching decisions in crunch time. The Cardinals are amid a three-game skid, losing to the Rams, Lions, and Colts consecutively.

Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results is the sign of madness, and likewise, Kliff Kingsbury is 100% an airhead that has little football knowledge and zero ability to adapt. As the Cardinals head coach, he’s started seasons 3-3-1, 5-2, and 7-1, only to fall to 2-7, 3-6, and 3-5 respectively each year. It’s evident that teams figure out his schemes, and last season’s collapse from the upper echelon of the NFC to missing the playoffs is a prime example that the Cardinals stink from the head down.

A lot of coaches in the NFL make boneheaded decisions ”“ Matt Rhule switching back and forth from Cam Newton to Sam Darnold within a game, Brandon Staley’s addiction to going for it on fourth down, Ron Rivera had 50 points hung over his head – there’s an endless list. Kliff Kingsbury fits this mold perfectly, and his decision-making in the loss against the Lions was staggeringly bad – choosing to go for fourth downs unsuccessfully in the early game, and then kicking field goals when the game was already out of reach. There’s very little consistency in the play calling. Their loss to the Colts was also riddled with penalties, with twice as many penalties as Frank Reich (a good coach) and the Colts, and 85 yards of penalties.

It’s not possible to talk about Kingsbury’s career without mentioning his college career. Why the Cardinals decided to hire a college coach with a losing record is a mind-boggling decision. And not only was he bad in college, but the playbook for hiring a coach from college is littered with those that fail in the NFL – Matt Rhule, Bill O’Brien, Greg Schiano, Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Chip Kelly, etc. Judging by Cardinals play, Kliff Kingsbury is set to join the ranks of failed college coaches. It’s difficult to find a Pete Carroll or a Jim Harbaugh that can make a difference and turn around a franchise.

Let’s cut the Cardinals some slack, with big-name injuries piling up. The passing offense took a hit with DeAndre Hopkins gracing IR for the regular season, and the leading TD scorer James Conner being day-to-day for a Week 17 matchup against the Cowboys. Who can forget about J.J. Watt on an already ailing defense?

Looking ahead to the Cardinals schedule – traveling to Dallas in Week 17, scheduling to be a huge matchup for both teams looking to better their playoff seeding. If anything can be indicated from the Cowboys destruction of Washington, the Dallas defense should be able to contain the Arizona offense while moving the ball on offense. Unfortunately, the Cowboys hype train is at an all-time high this week so Dallas will inevitably find a way to screw up like they always do. The already eliminated Seahawks are the last game of the season, one that they should easily win since Seattle has nothing left to play for, barring some big off-season decisions.

There’s not too much of a reason to press the panic button on the Cardinals’ season just yet, but fans notice the pattern and might want to wait before calling this team dead before the date with Dallas. As for Kliff Kingsbury, he’s firmly on the hot seat if the Cardinals don’t perform in the playoffs.

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