NFL-National Football League roundup
Dec 31 (The Sports Xchange) - The Indianapolis Colts fired coach Chuck Pagano on Sunday moments after they closed their 4-12 season with a 22-13 win over the Houston Texans.
In seven seasons at the helm of the Colts, Pagano posted a 53-43 record that included an appearance in the 2014 AFC Championship Game. Indianapolis has failed to make the postseason in three straight seasons.
"Chuck Pagano provided Colts fans with many exciting wins and memories as head coach of the Colts," Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay said in a statement. "Throughout his tenure in Indianapolis, he impacted the lives of the players he coached, those who he worked with in the organization and Colts fans across the globe."
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Amid reports of animosity between Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith and head coach Bill O'Brien, Smith announced he is taking a leave of absence to be with his wife, who is battling breast cancer.
O'Brien and Smith apparently disagree on the direction the franchise should take, with reports that one of the two would have to go. It is unclear at this point whether O'Brien will have a greater say in personnel decisions in Smith's absence.
The Texans finished the season 4-12.
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The Oakland Raiders are expected to pursue former Super Bowl-winning coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden with a lucrative offer that could include an ownership stake in the team, multiple outlets reported Sunday.
The Raiders would be willing to move on from third-year coach Jack Del Rio should the 54-year-old Gruden be available, per reports. The team gave Del Rio a four-year contract extension throughout 2020 in the offseason.
Gruden reportedly has reached out to assistants about putting a possible staff together, including Rich Gannon as quarterbacks coach. Gruden coached the Raiders from 1998-2001 and compiled a 38-26 record. He won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2002 season.
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The Denver Bronco head coach Vance Johnson probably will be let go after just one season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
The Broncos entered Sunday's regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs with a 5-10 record. Schefter reported Sunday that the franchise has yet to make a final decision on Joseph's future.
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The Chicago Bears are expected to part ways with coach John Fox after this season, multiple outlets reported.
The Bears (5-11) finished in the cellar of the NFC North for the third consecutive season under Fox, who was hired by the team in January 2015 after a four-year stint as the Broncos' head coach.
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Free agent wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham was arrested in Missouri on Saturday and charged with DWI, according to the Missouri state highway patrol.
According to the police report, Green-Beckham was arrested shortly before 3 a.m. CT on charges of DWI, failure to display valid plates and a window tint violation.
Green-Beckham last played in 2016 with the Philadelphia Eagles, who released him after he reeled in 36 receptions for 392 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-5, 237-pound Green-Beckham joined the Eagles in a training-camp trade with the Tennessee Titans for offensive tackle Dennis Kelly.
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Philadelphia Eagles punter Donnie Jones did his best to remain warm on a cold Sunday in the City of Brotherly Love.
With kickoff at 17 degrees and wind chill much colder, Jones wisely wore his warm-up sweatpants over his uniform for an extra layer of protection. The only problem for the 37-year-old Jones was he forgot to take them off as he went on the field for a punt with under six minutes to play in the second quarter.
Jones came to his senses before the snap, appropriately disrobed and pinned the Dallas Cowboys inside the 5-yard line.
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Running back Todd Gurley II and defensive tackle Aaron Donald were on the Los Angeles Rams' list of inactive players for Sunday's home game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Sean Mannion started at quarterback in place of Jared Goff.
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For the second consecutive week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without wide receiver DeSean Jackson and defensive end Robert Ayers.
Jackson (ankle) and Ayers (shoulder) were among Tampa Bay's inactives for the game against the New Orleans Saints.
