NFL Rumors: Sam Darnold's new price tag, Glenn's preference, Cowboys coaching search

The NFL playoffs are underway. And while there’s a lot to talk about ahead of the divisional round games this weekend, there’s also a lot to chatter when it comes to teams already focused on the offseason. 

The Dallas Cowboys are always going to find a way to monopolize the headlines and the biggest need for them is addressing their head coaching position. They wasted the week in between their season ending and now working on a deal with Mike McCarthy that seemingly was never going to get done. 

And with a good crop of the coaches already finalists with other positions, their options are limited. It doesn’t help that it's a job very few people probably want when it comes to dealing with Jerry Jones. That said, Jones is still finding candidates he’s interested in interviewing. 

Other than the Cowboys, another coach prospect is making headway as he’s quickly locking down his next move. And then there’s Sam Darnold. The quarterback who revived his career in one regular season flopped in the playoffs. Does that actually affect how much he’s worth? 

We dive into all of that and more of what’s going on in the NFL. 

Jerry Jones only has himself to blame for the Dallas Cowboys coaching search

Jones and the Cowboys have some odd options when it comes to who is going to be the head coach for Dallas next season. The latest name floated to be taking an interview is Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier. 

Frazier as a potential option is an interesting move for Jones. Frazier has only been a head coach in the NFL once with the Minnesota Vikings for three seasons, including one interim season before getting the full time position. 

He has just one winning season as a head coach, his second year with the Vikings. But he hasn’t been a head coach since he was fired after the 2013 season. This is odd for Frazier getting an interview because it feels like the Cowboys would want a more experienced coach. 

The only other reason they wouldn’t is if they went after a former player who was genuinely interested in the position. This doesn’t seem like a good fit at all and could come crashing down if Jones ultimately hires Frazier. 

Along with him, there are rumblings that Robert Saleh is expected to interview for the position, per Ian Rapoport, as well as possibly Kellen Moore and again, Deion Sanders’. 

Clearly, Jones has his eyes set on a defensive coach to take over, which wouldn’t be a bad idea. The Cowboys defense struggled this season under Mike Zimmer. And the Cowboys were spoiled with Dan Quinn. 

Saleh would be a great hire, but as Rapoport said, how would he handle being under a microscope with an overbearing owner?

If the Cowboys do go with a former offensive coordinator, bringing in Kellen Moore wouldn’t be bad. He’s been on staff before and as a former player and assistant coach with the team, he knows what it takes to succeed under Jones. But the jury is still out on if Moore can actually be a good head coach. 

How does Sam Darnold’s playoff debut affect his market value and is his price tag worth it?

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that Darnold’s value is right around the $25-to-$30 million per year range, comparable to both Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. And that feels about right considering it’s not high end, but certainly affordable. 

The thing is, as James Palmer of Bleacher Report said, there’s too many quarterback-needy teams and not enough quarterbacks to go around to simply let two games impact their perception of Darnold. 

Yes, he ended the year on a two-game losing streak, a first-round playoff exit after winning 14 games and seemingly lost the big games this season. But, that doesn’t undo what happened the previous five months of the season.

This draft seems riskier than most to take a quarterback – and definitely one not named Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. 

Ward and Sanders have been frontrunners for the top quarterbacks taken, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any risk involved in getting them. A team like the New York Giants need a quarterback, but more importantly they need a better system around that next quarterback. 

They have Malik Nabers as a top target. Taking a quarterback in this draft knowing it’s going to take time for them to develop seems like a massive risk for a team like them. 

Even for a team like the Tennessee Titans, which are rebuilding but have a good enough foundation, a solid veteran quarterback like Darnold. makes sense Still, it’s a bit of a risk from a financial standpoint. But as Darnold proved this last season, he’s a much better gamble than an unpolished rookie.

Darnold is worth the $30 million or so it’s going to take to get him. He can win in the regular season and take a team to the playoffs. Is he some generational talent? Likely not. Yet, this season proved there’s far more reward than risk to signing him. 

Is Aaron Glenn eyeing the Jets as his first head coaching gig?

For Aaron Glenn to land in New York as the Jets’ next head coach, it would require a couple of things to go right. The most important factor would be a logical owner. Woody Johnson has proved he’s not the best at judgement calls. 

But if the Jets learned anything from what Dan Campbell has done with the Detroit Lions, it is that a passionate, former player might be the recipe for success. Campbell’s passion is second to none and that started when he claimed the Lions were going to be coming after knee caps and ankles in his introductory press conference. 

Glenn has had a front row seat to how Campbell has transformed the Lions from one of the least successful teams in the NFL to potentially returning to the NFC championship game for the second straight season. 

It’s hard to tell if Glenn can be the same type of coach Campbell’s been. He knows how Campbell was able to get the best out of his team from the players up to the general manager. That’s something the Jets have to consider, especially considering Glenn is reportedly theirs to lose. 

Johnson can do the logical thing and hire a coach who wants to be there, was part of a massive rebuild and, in theory, has what it takes to get the Jets back winning. As an alternative, he can find a way to screw it up like he seemingly always does. 

Either way, Glenn pinpointing the Jets as his ideal spot means regardless of the quarterback situation, he knows how he wants to rebuild in New York and if he wants to be there, he should be given the chance to.