Adam Schefter

Adam Schefter of ESPN made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Friday morning to talk about the collective bargaining agreement and the Titans’ coaching situation, among other things. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

On Thursday, Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin was asked about the collective bargaining agreement negotiations and seemed uninterested. The hosts asked Schefter if Austin reflected the majority of players.

“I think everybody’s got a different agenda,” Schefter said. “I think right now if you’re Vincent Jackson, if you’re Logan Mankins, if you’re Peyton Manning, somebody whose contract is expiring and you’re set to become a free agent, you damn well care about these negotiations and where they’re going. Because you’re not getting paid until there’s a new deal.

“Miles Austin had a contract extension last fall, a big contract extension with a lot of guaranteed money up front. So, in his own way, I understand where he’s coming from. ‘You know what? Can’t control it. I’ve got my money. I got paid. Whatever it’ll be, it’ll be.’ ”

Schefter also talked about the coaching situation in Tennessee, where the Titans and Jeff Fisher agreed to part ways.

“This would not have been a surprise if it had happened on January 7,” Schefter said. “The fact that it happened on January 27 was a big surprise. It was a big surprise because the Titans basically had said, ‘OK, we’re bringing back Jeff Fisher. We’d like to have him back.’

“But the truth of the matter is there was an uneasy truce between the two sides, and Jeff Fisher was not going to sign a contract extension with Tennessee. Tennessee was not going to offer a contract extension. As somebody in the NFL told me last night, if something’s inevitable, you might as well make the move immediately. And that’s what happened. Both sides knew that eventually this was going to get to a divorce.”

It’s too late for Fisher to find a coaching job for next season now, but Schefter discussed where he might have gone. “He would be coaching one of two places. It would be either Dallas or San Francisco. My guess is Jim Harbaugh was the No. 1 guy for San Francisco, so it wouldn’t have been there. But Jeff Fisher would’ve made things awfully interesting in Dallas.

“And you know what, I think will still make things interesting in Dallas. Because now in 2012, assuming there is a 2011 season, which we don’t know, but you’re looking after next season at a free agent crop of coaches that includes Jeff Fisher, Bill Cowher, who is coming back in 2012, Jon Gruden, who plans to come back in 2012. Now, if you’re a team that has a coach on the hot seat, you’re looking at a crop of coaches that includes Fisher, Gruden and Cowher. There’s some pressure on coaches to win next year.”

The guys asked Schefter if Cowher and Gruden are running the risk of becoming less relevant, a la Brian Billick, by sitting out so long.

“I don’t think it’s going to get to that. I really don’t. Bill Cowher went through a tragedy. He lost his wife last summer. He’s got three daughters. One of them’s getting married this June. And he wants to be there for the whole thing. If he had taken a job, he’d be immersing himself in that, so his daughters would be on their own, the daughter would be preparing for the wedding on her own. That was important to him, and I respect that a lot, that he’s putting family ahead of football. I think, again, in 2012, he’ll be back.

“Jon Gruden has a son that’s finishing his last year of high school. And he’s been great in the Monday Night Football booth. I think that once his kids are out of the house, he’s back on the sideline. And I think that Jeff Fisher after taking a year off will also be back on the sideline. Again, you’re looking at three great coaches ready to get back in.”

As for the Titans, Schefter said there are two guys to keep an eye on in the search for Fisher’s replacement.

“I think the two guys to watch here are their offensive line coach, Mike Munchak, a Hall of Fame offensive lineman. I think he’s the favorite for the job. And then the other one to watch is Mike Heimerdinger. He’s been their offensive coordinator, been under consideration for a head coaching job, battled cancer. He’d be a good guy to kind of transition over to at this point in time. It would give them a lot of positive publicity if they went that route. … Those are two logical candidates. There will be others, but those are two logical ones, with me establishing Munchak as the favorite.”

Schefter said the Titans still plan to trade or release Vince Young even though Fisher is now gone. “That has not changed. This move, I won’t say it had nothing to do with that because clearly that situation was volatile and had a strong bearing on how this all shook out, but the decision for the Titans and Jeff Fisher to amicably part ways has not changed the plans [for Young].”

Schefter also talked about Plaxico Burress, who will be released from prison in the spring, and where he might end up.

“I think the two New York teams are the teams to watch, both of them. The Jets have Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes are both free agents. I think both are going to be pricey to keep. I don’t think Plaxico is going to get a lot of money. I think someone will give him a little bit with a lot of incentives, and I think something like that could work for the Giants. I know they have a lot of other receivers, but their team has never really been the same since he left. He would be a good addition to the Giants and I think the Jets will have some question marks at the wide receiver position, so I think he’d fit there. And I’m sure he’d love to come back to the New Jersey area.”