A head job for Henderson?

Bob Glauber

9:21 PM EST, December 24, 2005

You've heard plenty of names mentioned as head coaching candidates -- from Brad Childress of the Eagles to Gregg Williams of the Redskins to Tim Lewis of the Giants. But there's one more you should add, even if it's from an unlikely team -- the Jets.

Defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson is quietly attracting attention from some clubs that will be looking for head coaching candidates, so don't be surprised to see his name come up once the coaching merry-go-round starts spinning next month.

Henderson is a no-nonsense coach whose defense with the Jets has been the team's strong suit the last two seasons. No, the defense hasn't been quite as good this year as it was in 2004, but Henderson's reputation as a solid play-caller and a disciplinarian should put him in the mix for head-coaching jobs that are sure to pop up.

We're already hearing Henderson's name mentioned in connection with expected openings in St. Louis and New Orleans. And if Baltimore makes a change with Brian Billick, Henderson could be considered with the Ravens, for whom he was a defensive assistant before joining the Jets.

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Henderson has a charisma that will help him during the interview process. There's a decent chance he'll either get a job or acquit himself well enough to be a hot candidate next year.

Coaches often have to go through a process in which they interview one year and don't get a job but then are hired a year later. Bill Belichick went through it when he was the Giants' defensive coordinator, Tony Dungy had the same situation when he was the Vikings' defensive coordinator and so did Romeo Crennel when he was New England's defensive coordinator.

Quick hits from around the NFL in the final weeks of a terrific stretch run to the playoffs ...

Worth the price?

Plenty of teams will be looking for free-agent receivers in the offseason, and Colts wideout Reggie Wayne will be available. But some league executives might be scared off by Wayne's asking price -- he'll be looking to become one of the highest-paid receivers -- because they're not sure if Wayne is a latter-day version of Alvin Harper, the former Cowboys receiver who was terrific as the No. 2 to Michael Irvin but flopped when he got a big-money deal from Tampa Bay.

Wayne plays in an offense with a Hall of Fame quarterback in Peyton Manning and a Hall of Fame No. 1 receiver in Marvin Harrison, so he might be over-estimating his value. If Wayne's asking price is too high and teams balk at his demands, it will give the salary cap-strapped Colts a better chance to re-sign him.

Davis nearing finish line

The Panthers put workhorse running back Stephen Davis on injured reserve last week; it signals the end of his run in Carolina, and possibly in the NFL.

It was an open secret in Carolina that Davis had not fully come back from knee surgery last year, and he didn't have the speed and power that once made him a prototypical runner.

If Davis does come back with another team next year, it almost certainly will be as a backup.

Daunte will stay a Viking

There have been some trade rumors surrounding Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, but team sources indicate he won't be playing anywhere else next year.

First of all, his rehab from three torn knee ligaments won't have him ready until the start of next season at the earliest.

And second, the team has every intention of paying him a $6-million roster bonus March 1. The bonus was part of a reworked contract he agreed to last offseason.

Vermeil near the end

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil keeps insisting that he will wait until the end of the season to decide what he wants to do next year, but team insiders expect Vermeil to retire.

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