Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin remains unsigned, meaning the team's most important assistant is still without a contract.

But there is some good news for the Bucs: the chances of Kiffin leaving have likely been reduced. The biggest reason I say this is because it appears Pete Carroll has no intentions of leaving USC for the Falcons, which means there's a lot less chance Kiffin would entertain an offer from Atlanta.

Remember, Kiffin and Carroll are very close friends so, when Carroll was thought to be entertaining the Falcons offer, it certainly was plausible that he'd ask Kiffin to come along had he taken the job. But with Atlanta hiring a general manager over the weekend, it would appear that Carroll's desire to have personnel control can't be accommodated Atlanta. And, when all is done, I'm not so sure the Kiffin-to-Atlanta story making the rounds on Friday wasn't planted by his agent. I have a pretty good reason for alleging that, though I'll keep it to myself.

There are some other staffs that are still in the process of being shaped, but none of those are for teams that seem like a logical destination for Kiffin. And as for Monte going to Oakland to work with his son, head coach Lane Kiffin, we've already told you that the Raiders plan to keep their defensive coordinator after all. Besides, the frugal Raiders would never pay Monte the kind of money he's making here. Some have speculated he makes more as a coordinator than his son does as a head coach.

There's been no comment from Kiffin's camp, but I get the sense this might all just be about the money. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Kiffin has proven himself invaluable to the Bucs, so, if he cost them a few more dollars now, it probably means fewer headaches in the future.