AFC South

The Houston Texans are interviewing former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as part of their coaching search, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero reported Flores has already spoken with the Texans "multiple times," and he has experience working with Houston general manager Nick Caserio from their time together with the New England Patriots.

Many were surprised when the Dolphins fired Flores. While they missed the playoffs for the third straight year under his watch, they posted a winning record (9-8) for the second successive season.

With the Texans moving on from David Culley, the 40-year-old became an obvious candidate for that post. Beyond a respectable 24-25 record in Miami, he already has a rapport with disgruntled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Flores is also interviewing for the New Orleans Saints' vacancy, which unexpectedly became available with the departure of Sean Payton.

Over the past year and change, the Texans have largely made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Watson remains the subject of 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints filed by women alleging sexual assault and misconduct. He will be deposed in February at the earliest.

Prior to those allegations coming to light, his standoff with the team exposed the internal dysfunction in Houston. Caserio's arrival has done little to quell the concerns about the Texans' long-term outlook.

By finishing 4-13, Houston arguably performed better than expected given how much Watson's absence torpedoed any chance of posting a winning record. Because of that, Culley's ouster was met with some surprise.

Even more perplexing, Josh McCown received a second interview with the Texans as a coaching candidate, per Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. The 42-year-old former quarterback has no coaching experience at the NFL level, so hiring him would be a big gamble.

Should Houston ultimately select Flores, the fanbase might feel a little better about the organization's direction in 2022.

Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell has reportedly emerged as a "key candidate" in the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coaching search.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Jaguars are hoping to have an in-person interview with O'Connell this week if the Rams are eliminated from the playoffs. O'Connell, already a finalist for the Minnesota Vikings' coaching job, was not on the Jaguars' initial round of candidates.

However, the Jacksonville job has been shrouded in uncertainty amid concerns candidates have over working with general manager Trent Baalke. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich had emerged as the favorite for the job but has seemingly fallen back to the pack amid Baalke reservations.

Baalke famously clashed with Jim Harbaugh when the two were with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers chose Baalke over Harbaugh, a move that proved to be a major mistake and led to a brief rebuilding period after Baalke's own dismissal.

It's unclear whether O'Connell is willing to work with Baalke.

The former NFL quarterback has been an offensive assistant coach for the last seven seasons. He has been the Rams offensive coordinator under Sean McVay since 2020, a position McVay did not have on his staff in two of his first three seasons as a head coach.

McVay remains the Rams' play-caller, meaning O'Connell is a candidate for head coaching jobs without ever calling plays at the NFL level. Jay Gruden called the plays for the Washington Football Team during O'Connell's 2019 stint as their offensive coordinator.

While there is no linear path toward being a head coach, it's interesting—if not downright concerning—the Jaguars have seemingly torn up their initial list of candidates to start anew with O'Connell.

Jacksonville spent the 2021 season mired in a state of disarray under Urban Meyer, who was an abject failure in his attempt to transition from the college game to the NFL. Meyer's miscues as a head coach unquestionably did harm to Trevor Lawrence's development as a passer, with the No. 1 overall pick struggling amid a lack of talent and poor scheming.

The Jaguars' next head coach needs to be a home run to undo the mess of the Meyer era, and it doesn't appear their search is headed in a promising direction.

The Houston Texans are reportedly set to hold a second interview with Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Saturday about their head coaching vacancy.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Gannon becomes the second person to speak with the Texans twice. He joins former quarterback Josh McCown, who John McClain of the Houston Chronicle described as the "favorite," with a potential announcement next week.

Houston decided to fire head coach David Culley after just one season following a 4-13 campaign.

The quick hook raised questions about whether the Texans would have a difficult time drumming up interest in the position, especially since the roster Culley was asked to lead didn't have enough high-end talent to seriously contend in 2021.

McCown previously interviewed for the Houston job last year before the front office settled on Culley. He spent his final season as a player with the Texans in 2020.

The 42-year-old Texas native has no coaching experience, but he spent 19 years as a player and said in November 2020 he "definitely" wanted to coach in the future:

If you'd asked me that 10 years ago, I would've said no way, that's not what I want to do at this level. My dream coming out of college had I not been able to play in the NFL was to coach high school football here in Texas. The longer I've been in this game and been around these guys, I see real value in being able to be a part of an organization and compete at the highest level.

Meanwhile, Gannon has nearly two decades of experience on the sideline dating back to 2003, when he started working at his alma mater, the University of Louisville.

The 2021 season marked his first in a coordinator role. He guided the Eagles defense to a 10th-place finish in yards allowed, a sizable improvement from 2020 when they ranked 19th.

Philly head coach Nick Sirianni gave Gannon a vote of confidence when this year's coaching carousel began to spin earlier this month.

"I think he'd be a great head football coach in the NFL," Sirianni told reporters. "I just think he has all the intangibles, all the qualities that I think you need to be a good head football coach. Jonathan has those things."

It's unclear whether the Texans plan on bringing any other coaches back in during their second round of interviews.

Regardless of who's selected, general manager Nick Caserio has a lot of work to do in the months ahead to get the roster to a point where playoff contention is possible in 2022.

Former NFL quarterback Josh McCown earned a second interview with the Houston Texans and is the "first known finalist" for the franchise's vacant head coach position, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo.

McCown is "all in" on becoming Houston's head coach, Pelissero added.

McCown's only coaching experience came in 2019 when he served as quarterbacks coach for his sons' high school football team in North Carolina. He held the position while backing up former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

Despite his lack of experience, McCown has been linked to several openings since 2019. The Eagles considered interviewing him for their head coach position before hiring Nick Sirianni in 2021, per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

In addition, the Texans considered McCown for their top job before hiring David Culley last offseason. McCown wasn't ready to commit to the position, but his thinking is reportedly different this year.

McCown was a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2002. He spent four seasons with the franchise before bouncing around the NFL through 2019, also playing for the Eagles, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.

The 42-year-old compiled a 23-53 record and completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 17,731 yards and 98 touchdowns with 82 interceptions. He appeared in 102 games (76 starts).

In addition to McCown, the Texans are reportedly interested in former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and Florida Atlantic University special assistant and wide receivers coach Hines Ward.

The Texans fired Culley two weeks ago after just one season. He led the team to a 4-13 record. 

Former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio is reportedly a person of interest in the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coaching search.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jaguars sent a private plane to Denver on Monday to pick up Fangio, and he ultimately interviewed for the AFC South team.

The Broncos fired Fangio at the conclusion of the 2021 regular season, while the Jags are looking to replace Urban Meyer, who was fired in the midst of his first season with the team.

In his three seasons as head coach in Denver, Fangio went just 19-30 and failed to take the Broncos to the playoffs.

Fangio is a defensive specialist with plenty of experience as an NFL defensive coordinator, and the Broncos did largely thrive in that area during his tenure.

They were especially good on defense this season, ranking eighth in total defense and third in scoring defense despite finishing with a 7-10 record.

Their biggest issue was offense, as the team never ranked better than 19th in total yardage or 23rd in scoring while Fangio was there.

That largely had to do with the team's inability to find a quality starting quarterback, with Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock both falling short of expectations.

In Jacksonville, Fangio would take over a team that ranked 27th in total offense and 32nd in scoring this season, although there is hope for improvement in the future because of the presence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

The Jaguars desperately need to get it right with their new head coach since the hiring of Meyer was an unmitigated failure.

In addition to the team going 2-11 under his leadership, Meyer was responsible for plenty of controversy, including video of him touching a woman who wasn't his wife at his Ohio restaurant and an allegation from former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo that Meyer kicked him before a game.

If the Jaguars hire Fangio, it will come from a place of familiarity, as Jags general manager Trent Baalke and Fangio were both part of the San Francisco 49ers organization from 2011-14.

In addition to Fangio, the Jaguars have interviewed former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Hackett and Eberflus are reportedly no longer available after accepting head-coaching jobs with the Broncos and Chicago Bears, respectively.

With Jacksonville's list of candidates dwindling, Fangio landing the job isn't out of the question, especially when considering his connection to Baalke.

The Houston Texans will try to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson this offseason, but he won't end up with the New York Giants.

"We're not trading for Deshaun Watson," Giants owner John Mara told reporters Wednesday. 

Watson asked for a trade out of Houston last offseason, and he sat out all of 2021 after 22 women filed lawsuits accusing the 26-year-old of sexual assault or misconduct. The Texans reportedly plan to move the three-time Pro Bowl before the start of the league year on March 16, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Mara added "there's so many reasons" why New York won't be trading for Watson, saying that the allegations are a factor as well as the team's current salary cap situation.

The Giants could have been a fit as they try to shake things up following five straight losing seasons, but it's clear they will look to improve in other ways. 

Though the Giants still must hire a head coach, the front office appears content with Daniel Jones at quarterback. 

Speaking at his introductory press conference Wednesday, new general manager Joe Schoen indicated Jones is still part of the team's plans.

"The kid has physical ability," Schoen told reporters. "We'll build an offense to accentuate what Daniel does best."

Injuries limited Jones to just 11 games in 2021, although he continued to struggle with just 10 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. It came after he threw only 11 touchdown passes across 14 games in 2020.

The 2019 No. 6 overall draft pick has only an 84.3 quarterback rating across three seasons.

Watson had 33 passing touchdowns when he last played in 2020, producing a 104.5 career passer rating in his four seasons.

New York will still avoid the trade, instead hoping the change at head coach will be enough to turn things around for an offense that finished 31st in the NFL in both points scored and total yards.    

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to take their time as they search for a new head coach. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jaguars are still talking to multiple candidates, including Byron Leftwich and Matt Eberflus, but they "are not close to a deal with anyone at this time" because executive leadership is "still going through the process and figuring out" the right person for the job. 

The Jaguars were one of the first teams in the market for a new head coach after firing Urban Meyer on Dec. 16. 

They have cast a wide net in their search with at least seven candidates brought in for an interview: Leftwich, Eberflus, Todd Bowles, Jim Caldwell, Doug Pederson, Kellen Moore and Nathaniel Hackett. 

There has been recent speculation that Leftwich is the primary target in Jacksonville. The 42-year-old has spent the past three seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator. 

Leftwich knows the Jaguars franchise very well, having played for them from 2003 to 2006 after they drafted him seventh overall out of Marshall. 

Tampa Bay has had a top-three scoring offense in each of Leftwich's three seasons with the team. 

While the Jaguars finished an NFL-worst 3-14 in 2021, their head coaching job might be one of the most desirable this offseason. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is only 22 and one year removed from being the most hyped quarterback prospect in the draft since Andrew Luck in 2012. 

Jacksonville will also have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft to potentially add another franchise player.    

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay sent a tweet Tuesday that highlighted the need for elite quarterback play for teams to make a deep run in the playoffs—something that may be seen as a shot at Carson Wentz.

The Colts have been surprisingly noncommittal about whether Wentz will stick around as their starting quarterback in 2022 even though they traded a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick for him a year ago.

General manager Chris Ballard would not commit to Wentz's being the starter and added "our passing game has to be better" at his season-ending press conference. 

Wentz threw for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions during the regular season but struggled mightily down the stretch. He threw for just 333 yards and two scores with an interception as the Colts ended the season with back-to-back losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Colts surrounded Wentz with one of the sport's best offensive lines and the NFL's leading rusher (Jonathan Taylor), but the team couldn't rely on him in must-win situations. With a roster that's equipped for a Super Bowl run aside from the quarterback spot, Indianapolis may get involved in trade talks for a superstar at the position.