The St. Louis Rams have agreed to terms with Jeff Fisher to be their next head coach, according to Michael Lombardi of NFL Network and others.
Fisher had been the most prominent candidate connected to any of the current head-coaching vacancies, interviewing with both the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins. Most recently, NFL Network had reported that Fisher was close to joining the Dolphins. Previously, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora had reported that St. Louis was likely to hire Fisher, but later reported that compensation had been an issue between Fisher and the Rams, with Fisher wanting about $7 million per season.
However, the Dolphins and Fisher could not agree on the structure of the organization, league sources said. Fisher was willing to make some compromises, but the Dolphins wanted general manager Jeff Ireland to remain as the No. 1 man in the organization, and ultimately, it helped unseal any potential deal with the Dolphins, according to the sources.
Fisher spent 20 years as the head coach of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, compiling a 142-120 record before leaving the team after the 2010 season. He has a 5-6 record in the postseason, taking the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999, which the team ultimately lost to the St. Louis Rams.
This presents an interesting situation. How will Fisher handle walking the halls of Rams parks, which is essentially a shrine to “The Tackle” and interacting on a frequent basis with alumni from the Greatest Show on Turf.
Fisher also spent a season with the Rams as defensive coordinator in 1991, when the franchise was based in Los Angeles.
The Rams fired coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney after the regular season ended. The Rams sputtered to a 2-14 finish in Spagnuolo’s third season in charge. He left St. Louis with a 10-38 record.
The Dolphins will now likely turn to one of the other candidates mentioned in connection with their vacancy, including interim coach Todd Bowles, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub. Bowles has also been mentioned as a candidate for the Oakland Raiders’ head-coaching job.
