As has become an annual NFL tradition, there are several head coaching vacancies this offseason. So far, eight teams have already fired their head coaches and seven are still looking for a new head coach. It is still early and there may even be a couple more vacancies down the line.
Big-name coaches like Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll have been removed as head coach after long and illustrious careers with their teams as ownerships around the league seek to shake things up and forge a new identity for their organizations.
Jerod Mayo, Belichick’s longtime assistant and former star linebacker, has already been named as the Patriots’ new head coach and many more moves will emerge within the next days and weeks. The newest trend around the NFL has been hiring former players as head coach. Following the success of Dan Campbell, Demeco Ryans, and Antonio Pierce, more and more teams may look to go this route to fill the top spot.
Mayo’s hiring is the latest example of this trend and I expect it to expand even further as more and more assistant coaches around the league are former players. While there are only a handful of former players currently performing the duties of an assistant head coach or a coordinator, which are the usual titles adorned by head coaching candidates, several former players are currently climbing the proverbial coaching ladder and will continue garnering attention during the ensuing coaching cycles of 2025 and 2026.
As for this current hiring cycle, the candidate list is comprised of former head coaches and the upper crust of coordinators around the NFL.
Without further adieu, here are the top 10 head coaching candidates right now:
Bill Belichick, Former Patriots Head Coach
While the writing was on the wall for Belichick’s departure, it is still completely unheard of for a team to move on from a coach this decorated. Belichick is a surefire Hall of Famer and is probably also the best to ever do it in NFL history. Taking an also-ran franchise that had never won a Super Bowl and then winning six? Truly unparalleled. He will be able to go to whichever team he wants, as long as he wants to continue coaching. Given Jerry Jones‘ history with Bill Parcells, whose top protege was Belichick, Dallas represents a perfect fit. The Cowboys have been a perennial playoff team that has not been able to do much in the playoffs. Who better to bring in to fix that than the coach with the most Super Bowls ever?
Predicted 2024 Team: Dallas Cowboys
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Head Coach
The “will he, won’t he?” narrative has been a constant offseason storyline since Jim Harbaugh returned to college to coach his alma mater. After winning this year, it may be the ideal time for him to try his hand at the NFL level again. He was very successful with the 49ers a decade ago and would immediately become a top candidate if he decided to leave Michigan. I am not entirely sure where he would want to go, but I see the Falcons as a pretty good fit. Given his offensive creativity, going to a team that already has weapons like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts may work very well. Plus, when considering the Falcons’ draft position and the litany of top quarterback talent in the draft, the Falcons with Harbaugh may quickly become an offensive powerhouse in the weak NFC South.
Predicted 2024 Team: Atlanta Falcons
Antonio Pierce, Raiders Interim Head Coach
The Raiders would be beyond foolish to let Pierce go after he quickly turned around an ugly season in Vegas. After having worked closely with Herm Edwards and Marvin Lewis, two former NFL head coaches, at Arizona State, Pierce has become the type of leader NFL players look up to. Yet, I would not put it past the Raiders to mess this up and try to get someone like Belichick or Harbaugh and alienate the entire locker room in the process. Hopefully, Pierce does not become the next in a long line of successful interim head coaches who are discarded by their team only to go on and have lots of success elsewhere. Just remember, Dan Campbell was once the Dolphins’ interim head coach and Bruce Arians was once the Colts’ interim Head Coach.
Predicted 2024 Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Ben Johnson, Lions Offensive Coordinator
Johnson has solidified himself as one of the most creative play-callers in the NFL and has played a crucial role in the Lions’ renaissance. The only thing working against him is if the Lions make a long postseason run, keeping him from teams who want to hire a head coach sooner rather than later. Overseeing monumental development from almost every offensive player under him, Johnson will assuredly be a top candidate this offseason and is almost guaranteed to get a head coaching job. The Chargers look like a perfect fit for him as they have most of the pieces already in place and a franchise quarterback in toe. I think a pairing of Johnson and Justin Herber could be a match made in heaven and could even lead to them dethroning the Chiefs.
Predicted 2024 Team: Los Angeles Chargers
Bobby Slowik, Texans Offensive Coordinator
You cannot talk about Bobby Slowik without talking about CJ Stroud. Yet, what may be even crazier is that Slowik ran the 49ers’ offense last season under Kyle Shanahan which saw another rookie quarterback turn into a budding star. Being an integral part of two straight rookie quarterbacks’ unparalleled success is a great way to become a top head coaching candidate in the NFL, and after only one season as an offensive coordinator, that is exactly what Slowik has done.
Slowik’s father was one of Mike Shanahan’s top lieutenants for years and after the then-Redskins let every one of his talented young assistants depart for green pastures, it is time to end that narrative. Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Matt LaFleur were all once assistant coaches in Washington and the organization can fix that horrific blunder by hiring Shanahan’s former passing game coordinator. The Commanders now have a new owner and a new general manager, and they’ll probably continue a complete franchise facelift by adding a new head coach and quarterback. Getting Adam Peters as their new general manager was a masterful move and adding another former 49ers assistant makes a lot of sense.
Predicted 2024 Team: Washington Commanders
Dan Quinn, Cowboys Defensive Coordinator
Here’s where the uncertainty sets in. The first five candidates will be head coaches next season as long as they want to be. The rest of the list is more about fit and situation. Quinn is the most likely out of the rest of the candidates after several seasons as a terrific defensive coordinator. Unlike most other coaching candidates, he took a team to the Super Bowl as a head coach with the Falcons. He’s been very selective up to this point in deciding where to interview, but now that his old team, the Seahawks, has an opening, I see him as their No. 1 choice.
Predicted 2024 Team: Seattle Seahawks
Leslie Frazier, Former Bills Defensive Coordinator
Frazier decided to take a year off. By doing so, he showed just how important he was to the Bills’ defensive success as they struggled mightily during the first half of this season. Frazier was the Vikings’ head coach for three and a half seasons over a decade ago and has never earned another opportunity since then. He’s coordinated some really special defenses over his career and comes from the Andy Reid coaching tree, as well as the Tampa-2 coaching tree.
Mike Vrabel, Former Titans Head Coach
I expect Vrabel to take a year off after getting fired as the Titans’ head coach. He has a 54-45 record and made the playoffs three times. While he will get another chance, I am not sure that will happen this offseason. If he does get hired this offseason, it will most likely be by a team that misses out on the Belichick sweepstakes.
Frank Smith, Dolphins Offensive Coordinator
As the second-in-command of one of the most unique offenses in the NFL, Frank Smith is finally getting plenty of recognition. While hitting a non-playcalling coordinator can be dangerous, it worked out quite well for his boss, Mike McDaniel. Smith has been employed by several of the foremost offensive minds of the last decade, including Sean Payton, Jon Gruden, and McDaniel. He is well versed in West Coast, Perkins-Erhardt, and Spread offensive structures and play designs.
Predicted 2024 Team: Tennessee Titans
Aaron Glenn, Lions Defensive Coordinator
As a former player and a very good one at that, Glenn is not only excellent at coordinating the Lions’ defense but also highly respected by his players and peers. Glenn seems to have all the attributes teams are looking for in head coaches, and I expect him to get a job fairly soon.
Predicted 2024 Team: Carolina Panthers
Honorable Mentions
- Mike Macdonald (Ravens DC)
- Brian Callahan (Bengals OC)
- Anthony Weaver (Ravens Asst. HC)
- Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss HC)
- Brian Johnson (Eagles HC)
- Raheem Morris (Rams DC)
- Steve Wilks (49ers DC)
- Ejiro Evero (Panthers DC)
- Eric Bieniemy (Commanders OC)
- Dave Canales (Buccaneers OC)
- Shane Waldron (Seahawks OC)
- Lou Anarumo (Bengals DC)
- Renaldo Hill (Dolphins PGC)
- Larry Foote (Buccaneers Co-DC)
- Jeff Ulbrich (Jets DC)
- Chris Horton (Ravens STC)
- Todd Monken (Ravens OC)
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