NFL coach and general manager openings: Latest rumors on the Jaguars, Falcons, Urban Meyer, Eric Bieniemy and more

With the 2020 NFL regular season over and the wild-card playoff games starting Saturday, all six of the head-coaching jobs that came open in the 2020 cycle remain unfilled. The Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets could hire their coaches soon.

After the Texans hired new general manager Nick Caserio earlier this week, there are six more open GM jobs; the Lions, Falcons, Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Washington Football Team are the teams looking for executives to run their front offices.

Things are changing quickly, but we wanted to run through everything we're hearing about all 12 of these openings, candidates who are -- and are not -- interested in specific jobs and more:

The latest on the Jaguars' two openings

There is strong two-way interest between the Jaguars and Urban Meyer, who interviewed for Jacksonville's head-coaching job Friday. It's not certain that it's a done deal yet, but the perception among other candidates for that job is that nothing will happen there until the Meyer situation gets figured out one way or the other.

Meyer, the former Ohio State, Florida, Utah and Bowling Green head coach who left the Buckeyes after the 2018 season, has been doing research into the procedural differences between the college game and the NFL and has been doing due diligence on potential assistant coaches in case he ends up getting the job.

This really depends on who you talk to. Some people believe he's the favorite there, while others believe this is going nowhere. But it seems as if there has to be a decision on Meyer before the Jags can continue with their search. Jacksonville isn't exactly selling out for Meyer, however. They will have interviewed Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris by the end of the week.

The Jaguars also have an opening at general manager since they fired Dave Caldwell late in the season. Former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, who has been serving as the interim GM, has a chance to keep the job. Another pairing that has been floated in league circles is Meyer with Scott Pioli, who last served as the Falcons' assistant GM from 2014 to 2019. The two have a connection through Bill Belichick, and many around the league believe the Khan family (owner Shad Khan and son Tony) have long been interested in the Patriots' football structure. Pioli fits that mold from his days with Bill Belichick in New England -- he was there from 2000 to 2008 -- and Meyer is almost an extension of Belichick, as the two are close.

Joe Brady is a legit candidate

Joe Brady is trying to make one of the most impressive six-year leaps in recent football memory. In 2015, he was a Penn State graduate assistant. In 2019, he helped LSU to a national title as the passing-game coordinator and wide receivers coach. This week, the 31-year-old Panthers offensive coordinator interviewed for three head-coaching jobs, and a source said he was confident about his chances with the Falcons. That interview went quite well.

The word on Brady is that he's green but incredibly football bright, which shines in an interview setting. Let's pump the brakes on a Sean McVay comparison. McVay was an offensive coordinator at the NFL level for three years before landing the Rams gig. Brady's Panthers offense wasn't exactly explosive in his first year on the job, ranking 21st in total offense due to a late-season slide.

But if team decision-makers are projecting out what their coach will be in three years and can embrace the growing pains, Brady is a prime candidate.

One other note on the Panthers, who fired GM Marty Hurney last month: Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland is a popular interview target of teams with GM openings, but the one team that he is connected to most consistently is Carolina.

The latest on Eric Bieniemy, and why there's some concern

The stage was set for Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to work with Deshaun Watson as Houston's head coach. But with the Texans not requesting permission to even speak with him -- which is sure to rankle an already frustrated Watson, whose voice isn't being heard -- Bieniemy wouldn't again go empty-handed in his search for a head-coach job, would he?

Bieniemy is still well-positioned with five interviews already knocked out during the Chiefs' bye week (Chargers, Jaguars, Jets, Falcons, Lions). Still, some people involved in the process are starting to wonder if more undeserved slights are coming, as Bieniemy could be passed over again.

"That was the job everyone sort of pegged for Bieniemy -- there was a lot of buzz around that," said an NFL source involved in the process. "And now that that appears off the table, it's uncertain where he ends up. That would be a nightmare for the league if he doesn't get one."

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes diversity in the NFL, has pushed for Bieniemy to get a head-coaching job, and he was the most qualified candidate in a 2020 cycle that saw all black coaches passed over. Fair or not, that made him a familiar face in the league's failures to create upward mobility for minorities. Bieniemy is not the only minority candidate interviewing for head-coaching jobs in this cycle. Saleh, Morris, former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, former Lions coach Jim Caldwell, Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn are among the coaches who are part of the interview circuit.

Bieniemy entered the process as a clear-cut favorite after several interviews the past few years off the strength of his work with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. His chances are still good, but losing the option in Houston was unexpected.

There are favorites for the Atlanta GM job

Speaking of Bienemy, after it became clear that he wasn't a candidate in Houston, he still thought he had a good shot in Atlanta, where the Falcons haven't interviewed as many candidates compared to other teams. Others, however, believe he's not the Falcons' top choice. Saleh, Morris and Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith remain possibilities in Atlanta, which still has to hire a GM as well and might want to do that first.

The Falcons have interviewed several GM candidates, and two who are generating a fair bit of buzz in connection with the Falcons' opening are Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes and Saints assistant GM Terry Fontenot. Rams GM Les Snead, who has a good relationship with Falcons president Rich McKay, is a big proponent of Holmes, who lives in the Atlanta area full time. Fontenot is also on the radar in Denver.

Whomever ends up being the new coach and GM in Atlanta will take over a tough project, as the Falcons have major salary cap issues that might require them to find a way to move on from longtime franchise stalwarts such as quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones in the coming years.

Interest in Brian Daboll, Arthur Smith will heat up

Next week will be an important one in the search process for several teams, as it's the week when Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith -- whose teams play this weekend -- will first be allowed to interview. All six teams with openings at head coach have asked permission to interview Smith, whose work with Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee offense over the past two years has opened eyes around the league.

Daboll is believed to be a candidate with the Texans, Jets and Chargers, and he has interviews planned with the latter two teams Sunday, after his team's playoff game with the Colts, according to a source. He has New England connections (was on the coaching staff there from 2000 to 2006 and again from 2013 to 2016) that could help him with the Jack Easterby/Nick Caserio brain trust in Houston. And he went to the same high school as Chargers GM Tom Telesco.

Will George Paton take one of the open GM jobs?

This might finally be the year George Paton takes a GM job. The Vikings' VP of player personnel/assistant GM has bowed out of several GM jobs in the past, most recently turning down an offer from the Browns. But there's a belief he's more ready to make the move than in the past, and his interview with the Lions was in person, in Detroit.

Paton has a strong connection there, too -- Chris Spielman, special adviser on the Lions search, is the brother of Vikings GM Rick Spielman, who has worked with Paton for the better part of two decades. Paton also is interviewing with the Broncos, where his nephew, Rob Paton, is a scout.

A veteran coach to watch in Detroit

Don't discount Marvin Lewis here. We're told Lions brass came away very impressed with him after his interview. Detroit will have options, but Lewis is firmly in the mix. The current Arizona State co-defensive coordinator was fired by the Bengals after the 2018 season, but he had a 131-122-3 record there, taking Cincinnati to the playoffs seven times over 16 seasons.

Updates on two college coaches

Despite interest from teams, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald hasn't made any major moves on an NFL job. He has been on vacation, and there has been minimal buzz about him accepting any overtures. With the Bears job not expected to open, getting Fitzgerald out of Chicago might take some convincing.

Also on the college front, teams have called on Stanford's David Shaw, as they do every year, but he's still very happy at Stanford.

The Vikings could have a coveted opening

One note for the assistant coaching carousel: Don't be surprised if Mike Zimmer at least talks to old friend Hue Jackson for the Vikings' offensive coordinator job if Gary Kubiak retires. "[Kubiak is] taking some time to mentally think about the season and where he's at healthwise, and he'll decide what he wants to do," Zimmer said Tuesday.

Jackson is hoping to get back into coaching. Vikings quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, Gary's son, has done good work with Kirk Cousins and would also get a look.

What makes a good head coach, and how do you find one?

Here are two things I've come across in recent weeks about coaching searches and what makes someone a good candidate. We get caught up in the idea of whether a team should hire an offensive coach or a defensive coach, but the most successful coaches are those who are teachers and leaders.

Earlier this year, before the Giants went out to play the Seahawks (and beat them), I was on the phone with Giants linebacker Blake Martinez and I asked him about first-year Giants coach Joe Judge, who was the Patriots' special-teams coordinator this time last year.

"You never know, because you know it's the Belichick tree and that means grind, grind, grind," Martinez told me. "But every day he's able to teach you something new. Some tip or some new technique that helps you get just a little bit better."

So I asked for an example, and Martinez gave me what I thought was a great one.

"In training camp, every day basically started with an hourlong meeting where he'd take 10 guys on the team and basically show them, 'Hey, this is what you did in individual drills, this is what you did in 7-on-7, this is what you did in team reps.' and show them how it possibly helped or hurt them. So instead of 'I didn't make that play,' it becomes, 'I didn't make that play because of X, Y or Z that happened in individuals or in 7-on-7 or whatever.' So now I know not just what I need to do better, but where and when I need to work on it."

I loved that as an example of what coaching actually is. And if you're a Giants fan, I think it should make you feel pretty good about Judge and your franchise being in good hands going forward.

On Wednesday of this week, I was on the phone with Bills co-owner and team president Kim Pegula and I asked her what she remembered about their reasons for hiring Sean McDermott, who has taken the Bills to the playoffs in three of his first four years as their coach.

"First of all, I am very thankful I don't have to be doing that this year," Pegula told me. "It's such an exhausting process. But with Sean, what really stood out was the amount of detail that he'd lived and that he brought with him. My husband always tells the story that he had these notebooks, very worn and very used, of things he's learned and thought and wanted to remember. It was like he had practiced and had been really ready for this moment to be a head coach. Any coach is going to know X's and O's, but what are the other things -- those other details that go into head coaching? It's so much more than knowing when you're going to go for it or when to throw the challenge flag. I'd be lying if I said we were 100 percent, 'This is going to be the guy forever.' We weren't. But seeing him and [general manager] Brandon Beane and how they've engaged with the whole staff and the development of players, everything that's gone on with their program, it makes us feel like we made the right choice."

Pegula also said she knows there's interest in Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and that, while they don't want to lose him, 'Sean, this about being part of that Andy Reid coaching tree and I don't know what better compliment you could have than having a tree of your own.' Pegula also believes Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, the former coach of the Vikings, should get more attention than he gets as a head-coaching candidate. -- Graziano