The 2025 NFL regular season has come to an end, and the playoffs are officially here. As a result, the head coaching cycle of firing and hiring has just begun. With the shock of two of the longest-tenured coaches in Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh departing from their teams, a whopping nine teams have head coaching vacancies. Below is my list of the top jobs.
Before we get to the list, former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was announced as the new head coach of the New York Giants on January 15. This was one of the most desirable teams on my list, and he was the top candidate for the spot. Giants fans and players should be thrilled about this hire. Harbaugh comes to New York after 18 seasons with the Ravens, where he posted a 180-113 record. Experience and the proven winning track record are something Giants fans should be excited about.
8. Cleveland Browns
This by far must be the worst opening in recent history, as everything about this team is in shambles right now. The quarterback situation with Deshaun Watson, who missed all last season recovering from Achilles surgery, and the debacle of drafting two quarterbacks in last year’s draft with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. The team also does not have the best salary cap situation with having to pay over 170 million between 5 players. But I will say, they have a pretty good defense.
Some key names to look out for that could be the next head coach include former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, current Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and current Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
7. Miami Dolphins
What is appealing about this place other than the weather? They have dreadful quarterback issues with Tua Tagovailoa constantly injured, a struggling defense and a salary cap nightmare. They also play in a division that has a Josh Allen led Buffalo Bills team, and a rising New England Patriots team backed by the MVP frontrunner Drake Maye, which adds to hardest part of taking this job.
John Harbaugh was originally at the top of the list to take this job, as Miami abruptly fired former head coach Mike McDaniel after learning of the firing of Harbaugh. All signs linked these two together. With Harbaugh taking the Giants job, a couple of names to look out for is San Francisco’s defensive coordinator and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and current Rams defensive coordinator
Chris Shula. Yes, that would be the grandson of Don Shula, who coached the Dolphins from 1970 – 1995.
6. Arizona Cardinals
Welcome to the NFC West, where three of the four teams are all in the divisional round of the 2026 playoffs. What does that mean for the Cardinals? You are in the toughest division in football. On top of this, you will need to start fresh, as trading away your quarterback needs to be the first thing on your agenda. Although it seems like Arizona has been being rebuilt for the future, this will be the rebuild of the rebuild.
Top candidate for this job will be a coach already in the division, which is Seattle’s offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Klint is already interviewing for several openings within the league, so Arizona would need to jump on this quick. Other names include Chiefs offensive coordinator and former Bears head coach Matt Nagy and the 49ers’ defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have only had three head coaches in their existence. With the sudden step down of long-tenured coach Mike Tomlin, the next guy will have big shoes to fill and will more than likely take their time as they will want to make sure the next coach will also be here for a long time. Although they just came off an impressive 19 seasons without having a losing record, we may be seeing a rebuild for this team. With no franchise quarterback, Pittsburgh will be looking to sell pieces to acquire draft capital. As unfortunate as it sounds, it is the right thing to do, and the fans need to accept its fate quickly.
A big name to watch here is the Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Former Dolphins head coach made a stop to Pittsburgh as a defensive coach, before joining the Vikings as their defensive coordinator for the last three seasons. The Steelers, being a historically known defensive team, might act fast and bring Flores back to be their head coach. Other names to watch include another defensive minded coach in Jesse Minter from the Chargers and the Rams’ Chris Shula.
4. Tennessee Titans
The only positive with this team right now is they have the number one overall pick from last year’s draft in Cam Ward. Although Ward showed some flashes, the Titans seem to be far off from competing in the playoffs. Much like the Cardinals situation, Tennessee plays in a stacked division where two teams from the AFC South made the playoffs and the other starting the year with a 10-2 record before falling due to injuries. The offensive development of Ward will be key for this team.
Matt Nagy may be the best candidate for this position, as he has worked with Patrick Mahomes in the Chiefs scheme over the last four years. Nagy also led the Chicago Bears to a 12-5 season and a division title in his first year as head coach back in 2018. He was also a key factor in the development of Mitch Trubisky in his rookie contract stint with the Bears. Other names to watch include Kevin Stefanski, Mike McCarthy, Raheem Morris and Steve Spagnuolo.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
This is by no means a pretty picture now, but the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft belongs to the Raiders. All signs point to Heisman quarterback Fernando Mendoza being selected here, which would be a home run for a team who hasn’t had a great quarterback in quite some time. The Raiders are in a unique position in the division with the dynasty of the Chiefs coming to a potential close and having the opportunity to build onto a team that doesn’t feel too far off from competing.
Robert Saleh tops this list for this opening. The current defensive coordinator for the 49ers had a brief stint with the New York Jets, before being let go during the Aaron Rodgers era. Returning to San Francisco, Saleh has led the team to an excellent defense once again. Saleh was also a candidate for the Raiders back when he took the job with the Jets, so his name should make the list again. Other names include Matt Nagy, Kevin Stefanski and Vance Joseph.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Nobody expected this job to be open, as the Ravens were one win away from being crowned the AFC North champions, but with the firing of John Harbaugh, this job is one of the best available. Having Lamar Jackson, a generational talent, under center for this team, it is hard to pass this opportunity up. The Ravens also have some key pieces on defense, making this one of the most complete teams to have a head coach opening.
Although it is within the division, Kevin Stefanski is the top guy for this job. After playing the Ravens twice a year for the past six seasons, he knows exactly what kind of team this is. Stefanski also had 13 different starting quarterbacks in Cleveland, so giving him a franchise guy who runs the offense would be massive. A few names to watch for as well would be names brought up above in Brian Flores, Robert Saleh and Mike McDaniel.
1.Atlanta Falcons
To me, this is the most intriguing team to be the head coach of. An absolute loaded offense, a good defense and an owner who will do absolutely anything to win. The biggest question mark surrounding this team is the quarterback situation. Michael Penix Jr. who would be
coming off a knee injury and an older, very expensive, quarterback in Kirk Cousins. If the coach is confident in either guy, Atlanta is a no brainer.
Everyone should be more than interested in this job, but with John Harbaugh taking the Giants job, I believe Mike McDaniel is the guy for this job. Although he was just let go from the Dolphins, McDaniel is a fantastic offensive play caller, who would strive in this high- powered offense. It will be interesting to see what his decision would be with the quarterback, but I think McDaniel could take this team and compete in a very bad NFC South division. Additional candidates are Klint Kubiak, Matt LaFleur and Jeff Hafley.
In a year where there seems to be more openings than ever, there will be a lot of eyes on each of these teams and a checklist on who will succeed first.
