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Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was the Ben Johnson of this year’s loaded head coaching cycle. After firing former head coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins conducted dozens of interviews before finally landing the most sought-after first-time head coach in the league. “Dolphins are hiring former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. “Hafley completed his second interview with the team today and will be their new head coach.” ESPN Sources: Dolphins are hiring former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach. Hafley completed his second interview with the team today and will be their new head coach. pic.twitter.com/SCXhKvQsO7 — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2026 Hafley follows new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami. Sullivan spent 22 years in Green Bay instilling the Super Bowl championship roots. Hafley spent just two years, quickly climbing the coaching ranks after being hired as the Packers’ defensive coordinator in 2024. Jeff Hafley Coaching Resume Hafley’s coaching career began in the early 2000’s with nearly a decade spent at the college level. His first NFL coaching job came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hafley spent two seasons coaching the defensive backs. Hafley reprised the same role with the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers for five seasons before going back to the college coaching scene. He then took the job of defensive coordinator at Boston College, where he stayed for four seasons before eventually being hired by the Packers. With the Packers, he made a name for himself as one of, if not the top, defensive coordinators in the NFL. In 2024, his first year with the job, his defense allowed less than 100 yards of rushing per game and ended the year as a top-10 total defense. The defensive stats took a step back in 2025 as the team struggled with countless injuries. His reputation was not damaged by Green Bay’s regression, as made evident by nearly every team with a head coaching vacancy reaching out to him for an interview. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Miami Dolphins Hire Most Sought After First Time Head Coach, Jeff Hafley appeared first on Heavy Sports.

In a turbulent coaching carousel for the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals may have their next coaching hire right in front of them.Earlier today, the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott after a crushing Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos.This move came as a major surprise. Despite never making the Super Bowl with superstar quarterback Josh Allen, McDermott made the Bills a consistent contender from 2019 onwards.In those seven seasons, McDermott won 10 or more games every year. He won the AFC East five times during that span and made the playoffs from 2019-25.However, it wasn’t enough, apparently, to keep McDermott around. With the hiring of John Harbaugh, McDermott should be the most coveted head coaching candidate available.Despite the Cardinals not being exactly a hot destination, an NFL analyst sees potential in hiring McDermott.What Could Lead to McDermott Going to the Arizona Cardinals?Conor Orr, senior writer for Sports Illustrated, believes that the Cardinals could still be in the running for McDermott.Orr wrote that the timing of Buffalo’s decision could cause chaos for other teams still looking to hire a head coach in this current cycle. Could this chaos benefit the Cardinals?“Similarly, I think this could have positive ramifications for both the Raiders and, especially, the Cardinals,” Orr wrote. “Arizona seemed to be boxed out of the premium candidate market, but McDermott could be a stabilizing force in Arizona, a team that very much resembles the down-and-out Bills when McDermott took over that job in 2017.”Buffalo hired McDermott a season before drafting Allen. In Arizona, the quarterback situation is even more of an issue. With veteran Kyler Murray seemingly on his way out of the desert, and a weak draft at quarterback, any potential coach for Arizona may not have their quarterback of the future on the 2026 roster.After going 3-14 in 2025, fielding one of the worst defenses in football, does McDermott even have the pieces to succeed in Arizona?Who Else is in the Running for Arizona’s Coaching Vacancy?The Cardinals initially requested 13 names for their vacancy before McDermott became available, per Sports Illustrated’s Donnie Druin: Thomas Brown, Matt Burke, Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Klint Kubiak, Mike LaFleur, Jesse Minter, Raheem Morris, Matt Nagy, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula, Arthur Smith and Anthony Weaver.Many of these candidates are still in the playoffs, and therefore are not available yet to interview with teams. The Cardinals will have to wait for the assistants of the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.According to BetOnline and Cardinals insider Kyle Odegard, Joseph is the odds-on favorite to be the next Arizona head coach. While Joseph has familiarity with the roster, being the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019-22, McDermott is the more seasoned option for Arizona.After former head coach Jonathan Gannon failed as a defensive head coach, McDermott would have a lot of work to do with this Arizona team. While McDermott would likely attract a quality offensive coordinator with great experience, would it be enough to bring the Cardinals out of the gutter of the NFC West?McDermott definitely has the best resume out of any of these candidates. The question isn’t whether the Cardinals want him, but whether he wants to coach the Cardinals. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Could Recently-Fired Head Coach be an Option for Cardinals? appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The New England Patriots are moving on, with Drake Maye and company getting the best of the Houston Texans during the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this past weekend.With the Patriots getting the win after battling the elements and a tough Texans defense at Gillette Stadium, New England has advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they’ll take on the Denver Broncos on the road at Empower Field at Mile High.Mack Hollins’ Playing Status Remains Uncertain GettyMack Hollins #13 of the New England Patriots Every team is banged up at this point in the postseason, especially the Broncos, who will have to play without star quarterback Bo Nix due to a season-ending injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills, but the Patriots are hoping to get a key piece back on offense for the AFC Championship Game on the road on Sunday in Denver.Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke to the media on Monday and was asked about the status of wide receiver Mack Hollins, via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. Patriots HC Mike Vrabel when asked if he anticipates Mack Hollins practicing this week: "I can't be certain right now. Still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back." — Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) January 19, 2026 “I can’t be certain right now,” Vrabel said of Hollins’ status. “Still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back.”Although Hollins isn’t Stefon Diggs in terms of impact in the passing game, his return to the field will help Maye and the offense against a solid Broncos defense.In 15 games during the 2025 NFL season, Hollins caught 46 passes for 550 receiving yards and two touchdowns.Mike Vrabel on Facing Jarrett Stidham in AFC Championship Game GettyJarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos In a shocking twist after the Broncos took down the Bills, head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix would be out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle.With Nix’s season ending, Denver will lean on veteran quarterback Jarrett Stidham to shoulder the load under center, which obviously changes the Patriots’ approach. Vrabel addressed this during Monday’s presser.“Just going back to when Josh [McDaniels] had him, I think he sees things really well and I think he’s athletic enough to extend like we talk about a lot of quarterbacks,” Vrabel said of Stidham. “He’s really decisive in the games that we went back and watched, this is even going back to when I was in Tennessee as well.”During an appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel also talked about facing the former Patriots quarterback on Sunday.“He hasn’t thrown a pass since 2023, so we’ll have to kind of figure out,” Vrabel said. “I like Jarrett, we did a lot of work on him in the offseason here in free agency. Josh has coached him, he’s probably ready to go. Obviously he’s preparing as a starter each and every week. Really early in the preparation, not sure how much things will change based on the quarterback that’s in there and what they’re asking him to do.”It’ll be interesting to see how things change for the Broncos heading into this game with Stidham rather than Nix. New England is currently favored (-5.5) to win on the road and advance to the Super Bowl, which isn’t all that surprising given the situation heading into this matchup. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Shares Update on Injured WR Mack Hollins Before Broncos Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Chicago Bears lost the NFC Divisional Round game vs. the Los Angeles Rams in heartbreaking fashion. They were a single completion away from attempting a game-winning field goal. Facing a 2nd-and-8 at the Rams’ 48, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw his third interception of the game. Los Angeles proceeded to move the ball down the field and kick the game-winning field goal themselves. But all of the talk in Chicago has been about the misconnection between Williams and Moore. On Monday, the Bears’ quarterback opened up about what went wrong on that fateful play, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “Small things like that that show up in those moments that you may not have talked about, being on the same page, maybe you talked about it in Week 1 or Week 6, and it shows up in [Week 20],” Williams said. This one will hurt for a bit. Caleb Williams said postgame that he thought DJ Moore would flatten his route on the OT pick. There was a ton of space and it likely would’ve been the kill shot from the Bears. pic.twitter.com/gZ00kgfnT0 — Depressed Bears Fan (@DepBearsFan) January 19, 2026 “You know, it’s something to learn from for myself, a learning experience, it’s something for us to learn from as an offense and as a team. We’ll go do that at some time.” Following the loss, Williams acknowledged that he thought Moore was going to flatten the route. That would have brought him more across the field and not as deep. Instead, he continued the post pattern, while Rams cornerback Kam Curl made a diving play on the ball. Fans and television pundits were quick to criticize Moore for seemingly giving up on the play. Nevertheless, it was a hugely successful season for the Bears. The Ben Johnson hire seems to have worked overnight, and Williams took a massive step forward in his second year in the NFL. The future is bright in Chicago for the first time in a very long time. The post Bears QB Caleb Williams reflects on fatal overtime miscommunication with DJ Moore appeared first on ClutchPoints.