Chad Greenway has expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota for his 11th NFL season. On Tuesday, Greenway told ESPN's Ben Goessling that he feels **positive about the conversation**. Goessling wrote:
Greenway is a free agent for the first time in his career, and he played well enough to garner interest from some other teams after the free agent market opened on March 9. That interest came at a time where the Vikings signed linebacker Emmanuel Lamur and Travis Lewis to provide depth at the position, and at age 33, Greenway is in the position of contemplating life with another NFL team for the first time. Still, Greenway said Tuesday his goal remains the same.
"It kind of happened on its own, with teams reaching out to us, just because the deal hadn't gotten done," Greenway told Goessling. "We knew that Minnesota had to look at the free agent linebackers when we hit the market, knowing I've been here for a long time. And even if you're a free agent, teams aren't going to look at you and be like, 'Well, you're the No. 1 option, at 33 years old, when you've been with a team for 10 years.' Knowing all those things, the goal has always been to be back here, in the right situation, to be able to compete and be part of a great team."
The day before Greenway spoke with Goessling, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman joined Pro Football Talk Live with Mike Florio for separate interviews. During the segment, both Zimmer and Spielman **made positive remarks** about Greenway's future with the Vikings.
"We still have to work out the contract negotiations and all those things," Zimmer said. "But I love Chad and his leadership and the way he is and what a competitor he is. We'll see how it goes. That's not really my decision. It's between him and management right now."
"We signed a couple of linebackers [Lamur and Lewis] to compete on the weakside," Spielman told Florio. "We're still in the process of hopefully getting Chad Greenway back, and then we'll address that potentially in the draft as well."
Goessling said Greenway understands the timeline and isn't anxious about his contract status. Goessling wrote:
Talks with the Vikings, Greenway said, have "kind of been idle," with the front office at the NFL owners meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, this week. But Greenway admitted his side hasn't been pushing the timetable yet.
Former Vikings coach Monte Kiffin hired by Jaguars
Former Vikings coach Monte Kiffin has accepted a defensive assistant position with the Jacksonville Jaguars. ESPN's Mike DiRocco wrote about **Kiffin’s new title** and the experience he brings to the AFC South team. Although there's a change in roles, Kiffin is not new to the Jaguars organization.
The 76-year-old Kiffin has been assisting Jaguars [Head Coach] Gus Bradley off and on over the past eight months on an unpaid basis. He reviewed film during training camp but also was a consultant during the team's search for a defensive coordinator in January (the Jaguars eventually promoted defensive line coach Todd Wash).
"We are excited about Monte Kiffin joining our staff," Bradley said. "His wealth of experience and knowledge about the game will be a tremendous asset to our entire coaching staff."
Jacksonville will be Kiffin's eighth NFL team after stints with teams including the Packers, Cowboys and Saints. Kiffin served as the Vikings defensive coordinator under Head Coach Jerry Burns during the 1991 season, in which Minnesota finished with an 8-8 record. Kiffin also coached linebackers with the Vikings from 1986-89 and from 1992-94.
Kiffin's longest tenure was for the Buccaneers, whom he helped to a Super Bowl. During his time there, Tampa Bay's defense ranked in the top 10 of the NFL 11 times.
Kiffin's defense carried the franchise to its only Super Bowl title after the 2002 season by leading the NFL in yards allowed, points and interceptions. The Bucs intercepted Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon five times – three for touchdowns – and also sacked him five times in a 48-21 victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The 2016 season will mark Kiffin's 29th in the league.
