Good Morning, Broncos fans! So, will Jim Harbaugh be coaching the Raiders next season? Speculation continues to point that way, but Mark Davis is going to have to write a big check to get it done.
According to multiple reports, Harbaugh has already drawn a massive contract offer from his alma mater, Michigan. It's reportedly worth $49M over six years ($8.17M per). Such a figure, if real, would give Harbaugh a 63.4% raise over his Niners salary and make him the highest paid head coach in either college or the NFL.
It's also 57% more than the Wolverines reportedly offered him in 2011.
But reports continually suggest that Harbaugh wants to stay in the NFL, and in California. All signs point to Oakland, meaning news of Michigan's offer is all about leerage and getting Harbaugh a better deal from the Raiders.
Broncos
Fortunately, Brandon Marshall has already shed his walking boot.
Despite his newness to the team, Todd Davis already leapfrogged rookies Lamin Barrow and Corey Nelson. Davis says he overdid it training for his pro day last year, leading to a slower than normal 40 time.
Greg Bedard thinks a physical issue with Peyton Manning contributed to Denver's shift to running so much more, but he doesn't buy those silly claims that the Broncos have permanently morphed into a running team.
Mike Tanier says many center switches - including Denver's - have had dramatic impacts on the 2014 season.
Cian Fahey says Chris Harris's quality is magnified by how Jack Del Rio uses him.
Cecil Lammey expects Denver to again pound the ball on Monday night, but with some more passing mixed in than in recent weeks.
Somehow, Mike Freeman didn't think Manning was a tough MFer until he played through flu-like symptoms on Sunday.
Bengals
Injuries have forced several young defensive players into much bigger roles than they were expected to play for Cincy.
Coley Harvey says the Bengals can't shy away from running the ball against Denver's staunch defense.
Andy Benoit expects Cincy's defense to blitz less frequently against Manning & Co.
News
Philip Rivers is reportedly battling a serious back injury but is expected to play Saturday at San Francisco.
New England placed DT Dominique Easley (knee) on IR; Detroit claimed corner Josh Thomas off waivers from the Jets.
Heading into the final year of his rookie deal, Seattle QB Russell Wilson dumped his agent, Bus Cook.
Jay Cutler
Alex Marvez thinks Tennessee makes the most sense as a destination for Jay Cutler, who has 35 turnovers in his last 22 starts.
As Mike Freeman notes, Cutler has as many career playoff wins as does Tim Tebow.
Johnny Manziel
Doug Farrar studies Johnny Manziel's disastrous debut and says only experience will help him improve.
As one might have expected, it's since been a banner week for Browns fans.
In his latest Breaking Madden, Jon Bois tests the limits of just how long Manziel can extend a play for.
Analysis
As Tim Kawakami and Jarrett Bell note, the Niners' previous (dickish) claims of favoring due process were proven empty by Wednesday's release of Ray McDonald.
Will Leitch, Jack Ross, and Ben Hochman consider Bears safety Chris Conte's thoughts about knowingly giving up 10-15 years of life for an NFL career.
Robert Mays ranks quarterbacks by how much fun they'd be to play backyard football with.
Bucky Brooks laughs off comparisons of Oregon QB Marcus Mariota to Aaron Rodgers; Rob Rang updates his big board.
Maths
The NYT offers a look at the playoff implications within each Week 16 matchup.
New England and Denver are pretty much locked into the AFC's top two seeds.
Brian Burke and Leitch predict a Denver victory.