[UPDATE: Miami couldn’t just fire Mike McDaniel with everyone else, could they? The list has been updated to include the Dolphins]
I get it, NFL head coaches usually don’t get fired because a team is good. However, this job cycle in particular seems to be marred by particularly bad QB, GM, and ownership situations that will make it VERY hard for good candidates to take these positions. Yes, the allure of getting the top job (and lots more money) will be too much for some to refuse, but others may stay in cushy coordinator positions for another year while they wait out better jobs possibly coming open in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Miami, and maybe even Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Buffalo down the line. Let’s count down the best job openings right now…
8. Cleveland Browns
The Browns just fired their 2x Coach of the Year after a disaster season in which their franchise crippling sexual predator of a QB wouldn’t be playing so they scooped four 3rd stringers to take his place. The funniest part though was often federally investigated owner Jimmy Haslam claiming he takes responsibility for the bad season but keeping incompetent GM Andrew Berry in his role. They both threw Stefanski under the bus. This job is horrendously bad. They have no young talent and a cap sheet that is so toxic it should petition for TARP funds. No one in their right mind would want to even dip their toe into this cesspool let alone dive in to be the head coach. There is NOTHING redeeming here. It is maybe the worst coaching gig in sports.
7. Las Vegas Raiders
Despite being exponentially more attractive than the Browns job, being the head coach of the Raiders will take a LOT of money for a candidate to ignore the drawbacks. Other than Ashton Jeanty, there is no young talent on this roster. As for vets, the team just had a very public falling out with its best player and will likely trade him in the offseason. That’s ok, clean slates aren’t bad. However, the structure above you is foreboding to say the least. Owner Mark Davis is an easily manipulated dufus who is currently intoxicated by the scent of Tom Brady who is pulling all the strings. He personally brought in friend John Spytek to be GM. As a coach, if Brady thinks you should do something, you will have no choice but to do it. He will be looking over a new coach’s shoulder at all times. Making that worse was that the Raiders were a rudderless and depressing mess all year even with a new head coach. That’s tough to do. Yet somehow it was designed by the new brain trust of Spytek and Brady.
6. Miami Dolphins
I don’t know why it took an extra few days, but Mike McDaniel is out as coach of the Dolphins. There was no reason for him to stick around with a team destined for a full reset. That reset is both a gift and a curse for a potential new coach. On one hand, there is no pressure here. The team knows it is screwed with Tua and his contract which means they have YEARS to get it right. Forget toxic, that thing needs an exorcist to get off their books. In the meantime, they have assets to sell and can probably get their draft pick stock up pretty quick. Speaking of which, they need a new GM too. That’s a good thing.
Here’s the rub though, because they need to go backwards before they go forward, there’s no guarantee that who ever is the coach now will be the coach for the final product. They would need to do a lot of losing before they can think about winning. There is never any context in the NFL, your record is your record. No one cares unless you win. Just look around at the guys who just got fired. Most of them were not dealt good hands and had to fall on the sword.
However, there’s also the possibility that owner Steven Ross doesn’t want to go backwards. He wants a new coach to fix Tua rather than cut him. That might sound nice, but it also means a lot more of the same mediocrity Miami is used to. That doesn’t sound like a good sell.
5. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have some young talent and a high draft pick. That’s good. However, they do not have is a QB since it is pretty clear that they are moving on from Kyler Murray. That’s bad. Unfortunately, with the #3 pick, they will only be in position to draft Ty Simpson rather than Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore. They will also likely not be drafting this high again. Does a coach really want to enter a situation where the only way to have ultimate success is by getting VERY lucky? He will be constrained by likely never having an elite QB, the bane of Cardinals football. They would also be an afterthought out in the desert. Then there’s ownership. Nepo-baby ownership is a recipe for disaster (hell, 4 out of the 7 teams on this list are the kids of their former owner parents) and Arizona is no exception. While not making bad headlines with either fraud investigations (Cleveland) or bad haircuts and cuckold allegations (Raiders), Bidwell did just throw Jonathan Gannon under the bus for his team’s disastrous QB situation. They spent the year with Jacoby Brissett under center for 12 games. Back in 2023, 9 starts went to Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune. I don’t like Gannon, but he never had a chance either. History has a good chance of repeating itself.
4. New York Giants
On one hand, the Giants have a young defense, young offense, a QB in place, and a high draft pick to supplement any position. On the other, Joe Schoen and Giants ownership are a bright red flag. There might be a lot to work with here, but you also might be undercut at every turn. What the Saquon documentary shed light on was that this is a dysfunctional organization that seems to be very happy about being dysfunctional. Schoen has drafted well the last two years, but also has no idea how to construct a roster, massage the salary cap, negotiate, or do the little things to find value. Yet, he stays. Why? Because owner John Mara is a terrible judge of talent and character who routinely makes the wrong decisions in personnel and fan service.
With better ownership, this would be a much more attractive job. I could even see a Jacksonville situation where Liam Coen wouldn’t take the coach job unless Trent Baalke was fired as GM. If Mara decides to fire Schoen, I could see a guy like John Harbaugh wanting to be there. Otherwise, what a tremendous step down from Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta.
3. Tennessee Titans
The Titans and Giants are very close at 3/4. I give the edge to the Titans because I value a cleaner slate and I am banking on Cam Ward being better than Jaxson Dart (plus, let’s face it, I’m an Eagles fan). For me, the Ward vs Dart debate hinges not only on overall talent but their demeanor. Ward is one of the calmest QBs I’ve ever seen. He is Ranger Suarez with a helmet on. Dart is the opposite. While that may have worked to his advantage as a rookie getting noticed in a bigger market, long term it is not a recipe for success. You cannot get evaluated 5 times for concussions as a rookie. That’s not bad luck; it’s playing like an idiot. It may endear you to the fans and your teammates, but it hurts the franchise and your career.
Back to that clean slate. The Titans have about $100m in cap room and that’s before thinking of cutting and trading veterans like Jeffery Simmons, L’Jarius Sneed, and Calvin Ridley. They would bring the total to $150m plus add more draft picks to the mix. A new coach would be banking on Cam Ward and creating a completely new identity in their imagine. Ownership isn’t great, but it also isn’t comically bad like in Cleveland, Las Vegas, and New Jersey.
2. Baltimore Ravens
This job comes with more pressure to win, but also more tools to do it with. The new coach would have a near limitless talent at QB, a GM great at drafting and managing the salary cap, and an owner who doesn’t meddle. However, John Harbaugh was fired because he hadn’t made any noise in the playoffs in years. The immediate goal in Baltimore is the Super Bowl, no less. There will be no learning on this job and no room for error. That’s a tough situation. The ideas you have for Lamar Jackson MUST work.
This job will not be for everyone.
1. Atlanta Falcons
As someone who has been calling for GM Terry Fontenot’s head for 2 years now, it feels weird to claim that this is the most desirable head coaching job. Here’s the thing, most of Fontenot’s bad moves are coming undone. Kirk Cousins will be mercifully cut soon leaving a 26-year-old Michael Penix in his 3rd season and primed for a breakout under the new coach. However, if this doesn’t happen it will be blamed on the previous regime, not the new coach. In fact, considering the double vacancy, the GM and HC will be hired with each other in mind, creating a synergy between the positions that no other vacancy will have. Luckily for both, there is already young talent in place with Drake London , Bijan Robinson, Jalon Walker, and James Pearce and tradable vets in AJ Terrell and Jessie Bates. They might be out draft assets this year, but the ground is fertile here for the future.
Owner Arthur Blank isn’t the greatest, but he doesn’t exactly meddle either. He seems to understand that this team was being poorly run, underachieving, and needed a drastic change rather than a half measure. That should give a new coach the confidence to be able to reset if Penix doesn’t show anything in 2026. The Falcons are the best mix of young talent, job security, and freedom in the 2026 NFL coaching market.
Philly Front Office 
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