With so much going on around the NFL right now, here are the latest news and rumors around the league from PFN National NFL Insider Aaron Wilson. Make sure to continue to check back here as we update with the most recent NFL news and rumors throughout the day.
NFL News and Rumors: Darrell Bevell leaving Jaguars
Darrell Bevell, who operated as interim coach and offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, won’t be a part of new coach Doug Pederson’s staff. He has drawn interest from multiple NFL teams and is instead going to pursue those opportunities, per league sources.
A former Detroit Lions interim coach, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator, and a four-year starting quarterback at Wisconsin, Bevell has had multiple players follow him to another team, including Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre with the Minnesota Vikings, Tavaris Jackson, Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin with the Seattle Seahawks. Bevell was a strong advocate of drafting Russell Wilson after working him out at his Pro Day and the team won Super Bowl XLVII with him operating as offensive coordinator.
Seattle’s offense ranked in the top 10 in scoring each year for a four-year stretch with Bevell as offensive coordinator and in the top four teams in rushing offense annually. Among the Pro Bowl selections Bevell coached: Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson, Matt Birk, former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson, Favre, Doug Baldwin, Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham, Kenny Golladay, and Frank Ragnow.
Bevell, who has a good reputation in NFL circles as a high-character individual, built a strong relationship with Jaguars rookie quarterback and former top overall pick Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars, beset by off-field drama involving former coach Urban Meyer, including viral videos of him with a younger woman at his Columbus, Ohio, restaurant, had a rough season.
They were impacted by Meyer’s disagreements with the coaches regarding offensive philosophy and his tendency to blame others and not work the long hours he demanded from his staff, according to sources. Injuries to key players like Travis Etienne, the benching controversy involving starting running back James Robinson, and an inexperienced roster didn’t help matters. Bevell went 1-3 as interim coach after Meyer was fired and the team finished 3-14 overall.
NFL News and Rumors: Raiders move on from Trey Scott
The Las Vegas Raiders have moved on from assistant director of player personnel Trey Scott and several other scouts, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
According to a league source, the Raiders have also moved on from senior advisor to the general manager Walter Juliff, director of football research Dave Razanno, and Nolan Nawrocki.
According to sources, the Raiders are expected to make more changes under new general manager Dave Ziegler and assistant general manager Champ Kelly.
The other top members of the Raiders’ scouting department remaining from the Mike Mayock era include director of pro personnel Dwayne Joseph, director of college scouting Jim Abrams, assistant director of player personnel DuJuan Daniels, and assistant director of college scouting Teddy Atlas.
Vikings hiring Deshea Townsend
The Minnesota Vikings are hiring former Chicago Bears secondary coach Deshea Townsend as their new secondary coach, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.
Townsend is a former NFL player and Pittsburgh Steelers fourth-round draft pick who has also been an assistant defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.
A former All-Southeastern Conference defensive back at Alabama, Townsend has also coached cornerbacks at Mississippi State University and for the Tennessee Titans. He finished his career with 21 interceptions, 3 touchdowns, and 15.5 sacks.
NFL News and Rumors: Jaguars retain Bernie Parmalee
The Jacksonville Jaguars retained running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Under new coach Doug Pederson, keeping Parmalee was a priority. Parmalee has a strong relationship with starting running back James Robinson, per sources.
Robinson is recovering from a torn Achilles. He has rushed for 1,837 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 80 passes for 556 yards and 3 scores the past two seasons. The Jaguars drafted Travis Etienne in the first round out of Clemson, but he missed the entire season with a Lisfranc injury.
A former Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator who has also coached for the Raiders, Chiefs, and Dolphins, Parmalee is a College Football Hall of Fame running back from Ball State. He went undrafted and played in the NFL for nine seasons for the Dolphins and New York Jets. He has also coached at Notre Dame.
Parmalee coached Latavius Murray in Oakland when he made the Pro Bowl and coached Ito Smith with the Atlanta Falcons before shifting to special teams.
Texans hiring Grambling OC, QBs coach Ted White as offensive assistant
The Texans are hiring former Grambling State offensive coordinator-quarterbacks coach and Howard University quarterback Ted White as an offensive assistant who’s expected to work with quarterback Davis Mills, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
White is known as a strong teacher who has an extensive background at the quarterback position.
White was a quarterbacks coach with the DC Defenders when the XFL team had Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton as head coach in 2020. Both are former Howard quarterbacks with White passing for a school-record 9,908 yards and 92 touchdown passes.
White, who was a record-setting quarterback at Howard, played for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL and in NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy and Barcelona Dragons.
White has coached at Texas Southern, Southern, Howard, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Prairie View A&M. He has been an offensive coordinator multiple times.
The Baton Rouge native is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.