It never takes long for the dominos to fall after the final snap of the NFL season. Under-performing coaches are shown the door and the hunt for the new captain of the billion dollar ship is on. This year, the Raiders and Jaguars let go of their head coaches during the season, with the Broncos, Vikings, Bears, and Dolphins following suit once it was over. A day later, the Giants showed their coach the door. This leaves seven head coaching jobs available, with a bevy of highly successful replacement options on the market.
Let's take a quick look at the teams hunting for a head coach, and the most likely candidates for each job early in the search.
Las Vegas Raiders
10-7, 2021 AFC 6th Seed
The Raiders are one of the most hyped teams entering the 2020's after moving to Las Vegas, building a flashy new stadium, and luring Jon Gruden from ESPN with a 10-year, $100-million guaranteed contract to coach them. Well, after some scandalous emails broke earlier this season, Gruden resigned from his post (presumably before he was fired, although owner Al Davis seemed extremely opposed to the idea).
Vegas special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia shouldered the head coach duties from that point onwards, culminating in an overtime victory last week against the Chargers and a playoff berth. Bisaccia is not expected to hold on to the position, and the Raiders job is probably the most coveted on the market. Replacing Gruden is a big job for the front office, and which direction they will choose to go remains to be seen. Here's who I think would be the best fits.
1. Kellen Moore, Dallas OC
2. Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay OC
3. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay DC
4. Kevin O'Connell, LA Rams OC
5. Nathaniel Hackett, GB OC
Minnesota Vikings
8-9, 2021 Missed Playoffs
The Vikings are probably the least exciting job opening, but they also have one of the more solid offenses available as well. Cousins hasn't wowed since joining the team but provides enough star power to give the Vikings a fighting chance against anyone when you add his receiving weapons and the explosive Dalvin Cook. They also lost highly drafted tight end Irv Smith Jr to injury for 2021 after letting Minnesota mainstay Kyle Rudolph go in free agency, and the return of a dynamic tight end to the roster also boosts their potential. The defense needs work, despite having talent at nearly every position they do not have the depth to survive the injuries of an NFL season currently. Here's the best options in the Twin Cities.
1. Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City OC
2. Doug Pederson, ex-NFL HC
3. Brain Flores, ex-Miami HC
4. Jim Caldwell, ex-NFL HC
5. Aaron Glenn, Detroit DC
Denver Broncos
7-10, 2021 Missed Playoffs
The Broncos have been pretty bad since they won the Super Bowl in 2015 with Peyton Manning. No team has ever missed the playoffs six straight seasons after winning it all, except the current Broncos. The lack of ownership stability and a revolving door of quarterbacks has squashed the talent of a productive defense that has only gotten better as of late. The addition of Patrick Surtain II and Javonte Williams in the 2021 draft appear to be home run picks so far, and if the team can just acquire a competent quarterback to compliment their other strengths, the Denver job could be one of the more attractive ones out there.
The downside? It's easily the toughest division to win in, as six games a year are against Pat Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Derek Carr-three of the best quarterbacks in the league, who aren't going anywhere for a long time.
1. Dan Quinn, Dallas DC
2. Kevin O'Connell, LA Rams OC
3. Brian Callahan, Cincinnati OC
4. Doug Pederson, ex-NFL HC
5. Jerod Mayo, New England LBC
Jacksonville Jaguars
3-14, 2021 Missed Playoffs
The Jaguars were supposed to have their rebuild coach in Urban Meyer, protected from a bad win record by developing a young QB and roster in general. Well, Meyer managed to screw that up on the field and off, and the Jags relieved him of his duties before the season ended.
After having two first-round picks in 2021, the Jags have the first overall pick again in 2022, adding some incentive to want the job. Nothing like getting your pick of the litter to kick off a head coaching job when you already have the QB position covered. Lawrence looked a little rough in his rookie season, but the flashes were there, and we didn't even see running back Travis Ettienne on the field with him.
1. Jim Caldwell, ex-NFL HC
2. Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay OC
3. Bill O'Brien, ex-NFL HC
4. Nathaniel Hackett, GB OC
5. Doug Pederson, ex-NFL HC
Chicago Bears
6-11, 2021 Missed Playoffs
The Bears job is intriguing because the defense has some undeniable power pieces and the offensive rebuild has already begun with quarterback Justin Fields and standout receiver Darnell Mooney. Everyone was starstruck by TJ Watt's sack totals, but Bears veteran Robert Quinn was right up there with him and we didn't even get to see game-wrecker Khalil Mack on the field for most of the season. Add in ridiculous inside linebacker Roquan Smith and whoever takes the Chicago job has his bed made for him at a lot of positions.
1. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay DC
2. Nathaniel Hackett, GB OC
3. Brian Daboll, Buffalo OC
4. Leslie Frazier, Buffalo DC
5. Matt Eberflus, Indianapolis DC
Miami Dolphins
9-8, 2021 Missed Playoffs
Easily the most surprising firing of Black Monday, the Dolphins released Brian Flores amid rumors of a disconnect between management and the coach concerning quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the offense in general. While the Dolphins railed off an impressive 7-game winning streak they also suffered a 7-game losing streak, and missed the playoffs.
The Dolphins head coaching job is intriguing because the management obviously has a plan, and Tua is a part if it. Flores' connection with the rumors about Miami acquiring Deshaun Watson may also be an indicator that if Flores gets another head coaching opportunity this offseason we may Watson headed that way as well. As far as Miami, they have a solid core and plenty of pieces for success, but much like the Broncos, a new head coach has the daunting task of facing some stiff division competition for years to come.
1. Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay OC
2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan HC
3. Kellen Moore, Dallas OC
4. Brian Daboll, Buffalo OC
5. Dan Quinn, Dallas DC
New York Giants
4-13, 2021 Missed Playoffs
The Giants jumped on the bandwagon late Tuesday, adding Joe Judge to the coaching graveyard after two seasons and ten total wins. The Giants have a highly-drafted quarterback in Daniel Jones and the multi-tool running back Saquan Barkley as building blocks for an incoming head coach, and the fact that the Giants front office waited until Tuesday to fire Judge may have tipped their hand at who they have their eyes on hiring. Is it a coincidence that the New York job became available after Miami unexpectedly fired head coach Brian Flores? Perhaps not.
1. Brain Flores, ex-Miami HC
2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan HC
3. Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City OC
4. Kevin O'Connell, LA Rams OC
5. Vance Joseph, Arizona DC
We will keep you updated as the interview season progresses.
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