Although there are eight teams still playing the most important games of the NFL season, all teams — including the ones that are playing — are going into offseason mode in front offices. The business of the NFL soon overtakes the games to be the main story, and multiple stories are already in play.
I found two coaching situations and two upcoming quarterback negotiations particularly interesting. Here is my knowledge.
Violation of Rooney’s rule
The New England Patriots made the first hire of the 2025 coaching carousel when they brought back former player Mike Vrabel to replace another former player turned coach, Jarod Mayo, who was fired after just one season. Vrabel was a consultant with the Cleveland Browns this season after being fired by the Tennessee Titans, and found himself in demand.
The Patriots hired Vrabel shortly after several interviews with two former black assistant coaches, Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, the only interviews they received. Another black coach, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, declined an opportunity to interview with the Patriots while agreeing to all other requests. Glenn’s downfall was a telltale sign. He is no dummy; he knew the Patriots were in love with Vrabel and had no interest in wasting his time.
This is the largely intractable problem with the Rooney Rule. There is no rule that will solve this problem: an owner wants a certain person to be their head coach and nothing on God’s green earth is going to stop that. When that happens, every other interview – regardless of whether someone is black, white or green – will be a fake interview.
I know the answer, which is to always point to Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and say you don’t know if someone who isn’t thought to be a serious candidate will knock the decision makers’ socks off. But Tomlin, hired two decades ago, is the exception, not the rule.
Vrabel could be a great coach for the Patriots and could absolutely be the right choice. But let’s not kid ourselves: This was not a hire that was in serious compliance with the Rooney Rule.
Cowboys on brand with McCarthy
Jerry Jones’ modus operandi, which has been his hallmark with the conclusion of negotiations for the players’ contract last yearfeatured heavily with his former coach, Mike McCarthy. Jones waited and waited, and didn’t address the situation until the absolute deadline. Unlike the negotiations of star players such as CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott — both recent market-leading deals — this one did not result in a contract, and McCarthy left as a free agent.
My point is that McCarthy did not enter the negotiations with Jones at a disadvantage. He and his agent, Don Yee, must have scouted openings and found interest, which he now has from the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He could then talk to Jones with some confidence that if he didn’t like the tone of those discussions, he could easily walk away.
It’s been about 18 years since I was part of a leadership team that hired McCarthy in Green Bay. He has his warts, but he’s a creative offensive mind, a tough leader from Pittsburgh (he often talks about a summer job as a toll collector on the Pennsylvania Turnpike) and has skin on the wall with the playoffs and a win in Super Bowl. This resume puts it on a short list; he will still have options.
Darnold’s future: relax, appreciate
A few weeks ago, there was a lot of talk about Sam Darnold being a potential $50 million a year player after playing for a bargain $10 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings this season. Now there’s talk of the market being soft on Darnold and the Vikings moving on to JJ McCarthy, their first-round pick who missed his rookie season with an injury.
Both views are recent prejudices at their best. Once we reach the end of February and the beginning of March, there will be a more reasonable analysis to evaluate the past and project the future. This is how teams work; not in the world of fan and media backlash.
I think Darnold will have a decent sized market if he is allowed to enter free agency (and not franchise tagged). There are few productive mid-20s quarterbacks on the open market; there will be interest. Will it be at the high end of $50 million a year? Maybe not. But it will be a far cry from the $10 million he made this year.
As for the Vikings, they have an interesting decision with McCarthy returning. They could move him, have another “bridge” quarterback (which could be former New York Giant Daniel Jones), or that bridge quarterback could be Darnold playing under an exclusive tag of around 41 million dollars.
As for another pending contract negotiation…
Purdy to be paid, but leverage on both sides
Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2021 draft, has given the San Francisco 49ers incredible value over the past three years, a starter barely making $1 million while his peers are making up to 50 times that digit. Now that the CBA is finally allowing him to renegotiate — recalled players are limited until after a player’s third season — it’s definitely time to pay Purdy more commensurate wages.
While Purdy appears to be in line to cash in on the best on the market, the 49ers still have some leverage, and it’s based on that rookie contract, which still has one year left at just over $1 million. So the 49ers can negotiate knowing Purdy can take their deal or go back to his $1 million salary and roll the dice. In other words, they don’t necessarily have to pay $50 million a year. Purdy isn’t going to turn down a deal averaging, say, $35 million to $40 million a year, say, $50 million in 2025, when his alternative is to play for $1 million.
NFL rookie contracts are the management gift that keeps on giving.
