Report: Pelini out at LSU
LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is leaving the program after one season in which the Tigers allowed six opponents to gain more than 500 yards, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms of Pelini’s departure were not final and had not been announced. Pelini, who was hired after Dave Aranda left the Tigers to become Baylor’s head coach, signed a four-year contract with LSU worth more than $9 million. He would still be owed nearly $7 million under the terms of his contract, but could agree to a buyout for less than that as coaches routinely do when leaving earlier than planned.
Pro Bowlers picked
Led by their star quarterbacks, the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers each had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens also had seven players chosen. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes joins Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Houston’s Deshaun Watson as the AFC quarterbacks. For the NFC, it’s Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Arizona’s Kyler Murray. The other Chiefs are DE Frank Clark, OT Eric Fisher, WR Tyreek Hill, DT Chris Jones, TE Travis Kelce and SS Tyrann Mathieu.
Chiefs’ rookie RB sidelined
Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered hip and ankle injuries Sunday against New Orleans and will miss the remainder of the regular season, though the Chiefs appear optimistic he could return in the playoffs. X-rays taken after the game were negative. The Chiefs (13-1) are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which would mean a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs. They have regular-season games left against the Falcons and Chargers, both at Arrowhead Stadium. Edwards-Helaire already had carried 14 times for 79 yards when he was forced into the splits while getting tackled in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 32-29 victory over the Saints. Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick, is the league’s third-leading rusher among rookies with 803 yards.
Panthers fire GM
Marty Hurney is out as Carolina’s general manager. The Panthers fired their GM for a second time Monday after the team lost eight of its last nine games and failed to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Hurney’s contract was set to expire after the season. The Panthers are the fifth team this season to fire their general manager, joining the Lions, Jaguars, Texans and Falcons. Owner David Tepper said he is looking for “alignment and collaboration” between the team’s next general manager and first-year Coach Matt Rhule, who signed a seven-year, $62 million contract last year to join the Panthers. Tepper didn’t speculate about Hurney’s replacement but said in terms of a timeline “the earlier, the better” — preferably before the 2021 NFL draft in April.