The Browns were likely to part ways with troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel this offseason no matter who became their new head coach, but Hue Jackson securing the job is expected be the final nail in the coffin.
BEREA, Ohio — The Browns were likely to part ways with troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel this offseason no matter who became their new head coach, but Hue Jackson securing the job is expected be the final nail in the coffin.
Jackson, a former Oakland coach and innovative offensive coordinator in Cincinnati the past two seasons, acknowledged during his introductory news conference Wednesday night that Manziel was a topic of conversation in his interviews with the organization.
According to multiple reports by national outlets, Jackson made it clear in those interviews that he would want to move on from Manziel if hired by the Browns.
Jackson took a noncommittal stance publicly.
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“I need to get in this building and have an opportunity to sit down and watch tape,” he said. “I don’t know Johnny personally. I know who he is, but at the same time, I think I have to give everybody on our football team a fair opportunity to see who they are, to truly learn who they are, and then make decisions from there.”
The Browns own the second overall pick in the 2016 draft and probably will have an opportunity to select the top-rated quarterback. Many analysts believe it’ll be California’s Jared Goff.
Asked how well he knows this year’s quarterback class, Jackson said, “I’m going to know them pretty well, pretty soon.”
Of course, the draft isn’t necessarily the only avenue to a quarterback.
The Sacramento Bee pointed out that Cleveland would be a logical destination for Colin Kaepernick should the San Francisco 49ers decide to part with him.
As for Manziel, 23, he has likely worn out his welcome with his off-field behavior. He has also likely hurt his trade value and might simply be waived.
LOS ANGELES — Rams owner Stan Kroenke told the Los Angeles Times that Seahawks owner Paul Allen was an early supporter of his proposal to move the team from St. Louis to Los Angeles.
After not attending an NFL meeting in four years, Allen appeared at the Houston gathering to back Kroenke. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by other owners.
“When I started working on this two years ago, I took Paul through the whole thing,” Kroenke said. “I said, ‘This is what I think we can do here. I’m not sure we can do it all, but here’s what we’re working on.’ He was always interested. Then once we got to a certain point, he definitely got it. He got how good it was.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Giants are hiring offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo as their next coach.
McAdoo, 38, is being given the job a little more than a week after Tom Coughlin stepped down after 12 seasons.
The Giants have liked what McAdoo has done with the offense the past two seasons, helping two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning get back on track.
It didn’t hurt that Manning voiced support for his coach after the season. This would be McAdoo’s first head-coaching job.
It is uncertain whether defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who also interviewed for the top job, will stay.
Notes
• Starting cornerback Sam Shields has returned to Green Bay Packers practice with the team preparing for an NFC divisional playoff game against Arizona.
• Quarterback Landry Jones took the majority of the snaps with the starters for the Pittsburgh Steelers, prepping for Sunday’s playoff visit to Denver just in case Ben Roethlisberger can’t find a way to make it work with a sprained throwing shoulder.
• After a year of “Deflategate,” the New England Patriots aren’t about to let Chandler Jones’ still-unexplained trip to the hospital bother them. A Pro Bowl selection who was fifth in the NFL with 12½ sacks, Jones was admitted to a local hospital and released later the same day with an unspecified emergency that also involved the Foxborough police.