Dynasty News, Week 16

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Here's a quick rundown of the top dynasty news that matters.

QB Mac Jones, New England

Last week, Tom Curran of Boston.com wrote that Robert Kraft and the New England brass have already decided to move on from coach and general manager Bill Belichick. The straw that broke the camel's back was the loss to Indianapolis earlier this season in Germany. Per Curran, "When they came out of the loss in Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made. They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year, there would be a parting of the ways for a variety of reasons." To be fair, it has been Belichick the general manager who has let down Belichick the coach. The Patriots are a talent-deficient team. With a great chance for a top-two pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the allure of a high-end rookie passer will allure strong coaching candidates. Last Wednesday, when asked about his future, Belichick responded, "Getting ready for Kansas City." Diana Russini wrote over the weekend, "Most believe at the end of the season there will be a mutual parting of ways" between the Patriots and Belichick. She added a tidbit that the Patriots will not trade for current Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to replace Belichick. Belichick knows his future and is still coaching hard down the stretch. New England has played hard the past few weeks. This is a team that will look much different in 2024.

QB Sam Howell, Washington

Jeremy Fowler reported last week about the future of Washington coach Ron Rivera. According to Fowler, Rivera is "at peace" with his tenuous future and people in the Commanders' building are bracing for "major changes" after the season. Fowler reported, "Owner Josh Harris has developed a good working relationship with Rivera since taking over the franchise in June, but four consecutive losing seasons is next to impossible for a coach to survive, even one with Rivera's stature." Diana Russini followed up on Saturday writing, "At this point, it's understood around the building based on multiple people I have spoken with that Ron Rivera and some front office members will be fired." Washington is primed for a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and is likely to select the franchise's next starting quarterback. The new ownership will replace Rivera and the new coaching staff will select a new quarterback. Hopefully, the changes will result in positive changes for the Commanders' receiving corps.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas

In a recent story that seems so outlandish that it could be true, beat reporter Vinny Bonsignore reported that ex-head coach Jon Gruden could be a " candidate to watch" to potentially return as the team's head coach this coming offseason. That is a wild idea given how Gruden went out. But, Bonsignore's reasoning was, "Gruden's inclusion [as a candidate] is curious at first glance given how his last Raiders tenure ended. But there are reasons to believe he could be a candidate to watch. More than one league source has indicated the NFL could avoid a potential public-relations nightmare by simply letting Gruden be re-hired." Whether it is Gruden or another coach, we expect wholesale changes in Las Vegas as the Raiders transition away from Josh McDaniels, and his mode of roster-building.

QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

During their Thursday night shellacking, many opined about the future of Chargers' coach, Brandon Staley. NFL and Broncos beat reporter Benjamin Allbright tweeted, "Staley has known he was done at season's end, and his players are playing like it. This is a team that has lost several close games this season, opening up Staley for criticism." Ouch, but not unfair. Allbright was then asked why Staley had not yet been fired. He replied, "Why? They don't have anything to play for. No one on staff is a HC candidate for them. Why pay Staley to sit at the house while doubling up someone else's workload?" Lastly, Allbright indicated that Staley and the coaches are not the only ones departing in the offseason. He intimated that general manager Tom Telesco will be gone, too. Well, the game was so lopsided that the Chargers ownership decided to clean house Friday afternoon, relieving both Staley and Telesco of their duties. Telesco took the reins in January 2013 and the team has not lived up to expectations. In his 11 seasons as general manager, Telesco's teams were 84-92 with just 3 playoff appearances in 11 seasons. Whether it is his choice of coaches or players (draft picks and free agents), Telesco has made some questionable decisions. The poor performance of first-round rookie Quentin Johnston has not helped matters. We expect the 2024 squad to not look much like this current team. Justin Herbert may have a different supporting cast. Austin Ekeler will turn 29 years of age and be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The team can move on from Keenan Allen after the season with just $11 million in dead cap. Even if Allen remains in Los Angeles for 2024, he is an unrestricted free agent in 2025. He turns 32 this offseason, but has played incredibly well in 2023. The Chargers can cut Mike Williams with only a $12.5 dead-cap hit. He, too, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Williams will turn 30 next October. The new general manager and head coach will have some big decisions regarding these aging players. Telesco and company did not stock the roster with good young talent. Josh Norris tweeted an interesting point about the future of the franchise, "The Chargers are *technically* $42 million over the cap for 2024 but flat-out cutting Mack, Bosa, Mike Will, Kendricks and SJD puts them nearly $30 million in the positive. Yes, you lose aging stars. But it gives the new HC/GM a way to reset immediately vs spreading the reset out. (While still needing to add a large number of players)." To put this another way, the quartet of Mack, Bosa, Williams, and Allen represent 58% of the 2024 salary cap. They have wasted the advantage gained on Herbert's rookie contract. There will be interest in both jobs, but this roster will need to be built from the bottom up.