The hires last offseason of Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel and Liam Coen transformed the Bears, Patriots and Jaguars, respectively, making contenders of also-rans in the space of a few months. That is what every owner who jettisons a head coach imagines happening for his or her team.
That it so often does not work out that way is a testament to how difficult these decisions are and how much goes into making a regime successful. Who could have imagined that the Raiders' hiring of Pete Carroll would result in a disaster of a season, especially after he was reunited with quarterback Geno Smith? Or that the Cowboys' unconventional route -- they did not interview any of the other top candidates last season, and chose a coach who had last been seen as a hot candidate 15 years ago -- would lead to what was apparently the right hire? Brian Schottenheimer navigated Dallas' pre-season trade of Micah Parsons and the in-season death of Marshawn Kneeland with toughness and humanity, all while boosting the offense into the league's top five.
There were seven openings after the 2024 season and eight following the 2023 season, so nearly half the league has turned over a head coach in the last two offseasons. That's a lot, but hope springs eternal. Here is an assessment of the 10 positions that have been filled this cycle:
THE HIRINGS
Note: Hires are listed below in chronological order with the most recent moves listed first.
HIRING: Mike LaFleur
LaFleur will be the sixth-straight first-time head coach for the Cardinals and he inherits a huge issue to solve immediately: Is it time for the Cardinals to move on from Kyler Murray at quarterback? The Cardinals have the third-overall pick in April's draft. LaFleur did not have play-calling responsibility in Los Angeles under Rams HC Sean McVay, although he did for the Jets. LaFleur has a deep familiarity with the division, having also coached for the 49ers, and he will be expected to rebuild an offense that sagged last season. There is a bit of pressure on LaFleur to execute a very fast turnaround from the three wins last season. Owner Michael Bidwill noted the quick turnarounds with new coaches at several teams this season and indicated he hopes for the same. That’s a tall order in the NFC West, which sent three teams to the playoffs this season, particularly for a team without stability at quarterback. Getting the quarterback situation figured out -- as well as hiring a strong defensive coordinator -- will go a long way toward telling us if a quick turnaround is possible.
HIRING: Klint Kubiak
This deal can’t be officially completed until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, but the intention is clear: to pair a young, offensive mind in Kubiak, the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator, with the presumed first-overall draft pick, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and let them grow together. The first-time head coach will have plenty on his plate beyond mentoring Mendoza. The entire offense needs a reboot -- Las Vegas was last in yards and scoring last season -- the roster was frequently overmatched last season, and the Raiders have a troubling history of instability. Kubiak does inherit running back Ashton Jeanty and elite pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who was furious with the organization at the end of last season when he was shut down for the final two games. (As with all offensive-minded coaches, Kubiak's defensive coordinator hire is critical.) If Kubiak is to succeed, Raiders owner Mark Davis has to show patience, and Las Vegas has to draft well and spend in the right places in free agency. They are in one of the NFL’s toughest divisions, but the expected arrival of Mendoza will give this franchise the burst of hope and energy it hasn’t had in years.
HIRING: Todd Monken
After an exhaustive search, the Browns chose someone whose offense they’ve had to compete against. Monken was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator for three seasons, during which Lamar Jackson was the league’s MVP, then finished second in the voting while being a first-team All-Pro selection, before the relationship seemed to wither in 2025. With no clear quarterback of the future on the Browns roster, but with two first-round draft picks this spring, the Browns clearly opted for someone with an offensive plan and with plenty of experience in working with quarterbacks and developing offenses around them -- whether that turns out to be Shedeur Sanders or a player the team drafts. The big question is whether the highly-successful Jim Schwartz, who was a candidate for the head job and whom the organization hoped to retain, will stay on as defensive coordinator.
HIRING: Joe Brady
It always seemed most likely that the Bills would choose a new head coach who had a close relationship with Josh Allen, since maximizing Allen’s career will be priority No. 1. Elevating offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who has been with the Bills since 2022 and who has garnered significant outside interest ever since he was the passing game coordinator for the 2019 LSU team that won the national championship, makes sense for Allen, who is the reigning league MVP. He is comfortable with him and the offense is established -- that shouldn’t change. The question, of course, is whether Brady will be a good head coach, and more to the point, will he have greater success than Sean McDermott, who was fired because, essentially, he could not get to the Super Bowl. Hiring a staff is Brady’s first test. Will he retain any of McDermott’s staff? How will he put his fingerprints on the organization as a whole? What level of influence on personnel selection will he have with Brandon Beane? The bar for success is extremely high for the Bills and this hire. The signal with this hire, and with Beane’s increased power, is the belief that it was McDermott alone who was keeping the Bills from winning even more. That puts a ton of pressure on Brady.
HIRED: Mike McCarthy
The Steelers have had only three head coaches since 1969 and Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin had a few things in common: They were all in their 30s when they were hired, they came from the defensive side of the ball and had never been a head coach, and all won Super Bowls. McCarthy is a sharp departure in background, but the Steelers hope not in results. At 62, McCarthy, Pittsburgh born and bred (his dad was a Pittsburgh firefighter and police officer, and also owned a local bar; Mike grew up rooting for the Steelers), has been an offensive coach for his entire career. He won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers and this is his third stint coaching one of the NFL’s premier franchises, after also spending five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy brings a wealth of experience, of course. In 18 seasons as a head coach, his teams had losing records just five times. He went to the playoffs nine times with the Packers and for all but one of those seasons, his quarterback was Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers had been open to Rodgers returning next season, although it was assumed he might not be interested after the departure of Tomlin, with whom Rodgers had a strong relationship. The arrival of McCarthy means Rodgers’ return is back in play, and that could allow the Steelers to conduct the competitive rebuild they need by using Rodgers as a bridge to a younger quarterback.
HIRED: Jesse Minter
John Harbaugh hired Jesse Minter in 2017, bringing the Georgia State defensive coordinator onto the Ravens’ staff as a defensive assistant. Nine years later, Minter is replacing Harbaugh. In the intervening years, Minter was, among other things, the defensive coordinator at Michigan for Jim Harbaugh and, for the last two years, was Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator for the Chargers. This season, the unit was in the league’s top 10 in fewest points allowed and fewest yards allowed. Last season, L.A.'s defense was No. 1 in points allowed, making Minter one of the hottest names in this hiring cycle. Much like John Harbaugh when owner Steve Bisciotti hired him, Minter has never been a head coach at any level. But his familiarity with the Ravens, with Bisciotti, with Ozzie Newsome and general manager Eric de Costa, should smooth over some of the normal growing pains of a first-time head coach. His defensive acumen should also stop a downward trend by the Ravens defense over the last two years. His selection of an offensive coordinator will be hugely important, given the presence of Lamar Jackson, who made this the most attractive available job this cycle and who will almost certainly have input into the candidates. The Ravens interviewed, among others, Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury, and if they don’t get head jobs elsewhere, they could be considered for the offensive coordinator role.
HIRED: Robert Saleh
When the Titans chose Saleh to be their next head coach, they followed an early trend in this hiring cycle: Teams are opting for candidates with previous head-coaching experience. Saleh's was with the Jets, and after he was fired, he decided that if he got another opportunity, he would call the defensive plays (he didn't in New York) because he felt too disconnected when he didn't. After a brilliant 2025 campaign as the defensive coordinator for the 49ers -- in which he navigated season-ending injuries to his two best players, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa -- Saleh gets his second chance with Tennessee. Saleh's high energy should invigorate a team that could use an identity and galvanize a group that is likely to include plenty of new faces -- the Titans are flush with salary cap space and have a high draft pick. And, in the best news for Saleh, he is inheriting a quarterback -- former first overall pick Cam Ward -- who showed promise in his rookie season. It is critical that Saleh and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll align on Ward's continued development -- Saleh never had the right coordinator and quarterback at the same time in New York. It's also crucial that he and incumbent general manager Mike Borgonzi work well together to shore up a roster that was often overmatched last season.
HIRED: Jeff Hafley
It may seem like the Dolphins simply opted for the opposite of Mike McDaniel, selecting a defensive coordinator to replace an offensive guru. This hire gives the Dolphins more than defensive acumen, although they need that, too. They needed a coach who could instill some toughness and grit into a team that, fairly or not, has a reputation for not being physical enough and for struggling when playing in cold weather. Hafley coordinated Green Bay’s defense, which was top five in 2024, his first season there, and might have duplicated that in 2025 until Micah Parsons got hurt. Hafley had been so eagerly pursued during this coaching cycle that the Packers have already been preparing for his departure. He will be aligned with the Dolphins new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, who also came from Green Bay. And, perhaps importantly, he was a head coach at Boston College, so he knows how to oversee an entire operation. That’s going to be important, because one of the first major decisions he will have to make with Sullivan is what to do about quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and who should be the next quarterback. Hafley’s mandate is simple. Win playoff games. The Dolphins haven’t since the 2000 season.
HIRED: Kevin Stefanski
What will Kevin Stefanski be like as a head coach with relatively stable quarterbacking? We’re about to find out. Stefanski was a two-time Coach of the Year award winner in Cleveland despite a revolving door at quarterback and having his tenure saddled with the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade. Stefanski had perhaps the worst quarterbacking situation this season. Now he gets Michael Penix Jr. and a whole lot of other talent -- Bijan Robinson is a superstar, there are receivers, there is young defensive talent and there is a very winnable NFC South division. One other thing -- usually new head coaches take over teams that have bottomed out. That’s not the case here. The Falcons were 8-9 last season -- the same record as the division-winning Carolina Panthers -- and finished on a four-game winning streak, indicating this team’s arrow was already pointing up and that they are poised to contend for the playoffs immediately. This is no rebuild. Stefanski’s arrival ramps up the intrigue surrounding Kirk Cousins, with whom he enjoyed great success in Minnesota and who is expected to be released by the Falcons this offseason. Stefanski’s experience should be especially helpful because Matt Ryan is a rookie president of football and the Falcons could also have a first-time general manager.
HIRED: John Harbaugh
It’s not hyperbole to say that landing John Harbaugh as the next head coach represents the best day for the Giants franchise since they last won the Super Bowl 14 years ago. After wandering in the coaching wilderness for a decade, the Giants reeled in the top fish in this year’s cycle, a Super Bowl winner, a tone-setter, a steady leader who will command the entire building and which has set off giddy celebrations from an exhausted fan base. This hire also says a few things. This was the best job available to Harbaugh and he never would have accepted it if he had concerns about collaborating with general manager Joe Schoen, who worked doggedly to convince Harbaugh to take the job. And, despite the recent losing, the Giants ownership of the Mara and Tisch families remains deeply and rightly respected in league circles. Harbaugh is expected to bring along from Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, which is a boon for quarterback Jaxson Dart, given Monken’s previous work with, among others, Lamar Jackson. But more than the Xs and Os, Harbaugh has already brought respectability back to the Giants. It’s been a rough few years for them, particularly the last one. This is a huge win for John Mara, Steve Tisch, Schoen and legions of energized and now hopeful fans.
