A ranking of the open head coaching positions in the NFL, as determined by coaches and executives, in order of desirability.

A ranking of the open head coaching positions in the NFL, as determined by coaches and executives, in order of desirability.

With head-coaching candidates ranging in age from Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh to Pete Carroll or Mike Vrabel, the league has arguably never before witnessed such a collection of talent and experience.

There are a multitude of accomplished coordinators who seem prepared to advance, and the NFL may never have a more favorable environment in which to make a hire.

In light of this, we surveyed six reputable league sources—three from the coaching staff and three from the personnel staff—and requested their rankings of the seven vacant positions in the league as of Thursday.

Significant weight was given to team ownership, roster, and salary-cap load in this evaluation.

The six individuals possess diverse professional backgrounds within the league’s job pipeline.

They range from individuals presently occupying positions at the apex of a franchise to those who are presently on interview lists and are regarded as advancing in rank. The coaching staff incorporated both offensive and defensive viewpoints.

On “Black Monday,” the 2024 NFL head coaching hiring cycle began informally, with only two head coaches (HCs) being terminated during the league’s highly anticipated annual professional bloodletting.

The Atlanta Falcons let go of Arthur Smith shortly after midnight, while the Washington Commanders predictably parted ways with Ron Rivera on Monday morning.

Thursday marked the conclusion of Bill Belichick’s twenty-four-year tenure with the New England Patriots.

Pete Carroll was reassigned by the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, following a fourteen-season tenure, one day after the Tennessee Titans terminated Mike Vrabel.

However, this year’s carousel was already underway for weeks when the head coaches of the Los Angeles Chargers (Brandon Staley), Carolina Panthers (Josh McDaniels), and Las Vegas Raiders (Josh McDaniels) severed the cords.

Scott Fitterer, the general manager of the Panthers, also reached the unemployment line on Monday, six weeks after Reich was terminated.

An estimated quarter of the NFL’s squads need a coaching change during any given season.

Five teams had different head coaches entering 2023 compared to 2022. It had been ten years since that time. There may be another occurrence of double digits this season.

The Raiders have already dismissed two coaches in charge. After just a week into the season, the Raiders conducted a housecleaning by dismissing head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, both of whom had a brief tenure of 25 games.

Following his tenure of 11 games in Carolina, Frank Reich became the first head coach since the 1970 merger to experience being fired in the middle of the season in consecutive seasons.

That honestly (no pun intended) seems like the start of an even stranger coaching cycle for the upcoming offseason.

In October, league owners approved a proposition that would require clubs to postpone in-person head coach talks with candidates currently employed with other NFL clubs until all Divisional Playoff games have concluded.

 This measure intends to level the playing field and prevent tampering with the process of coaching currently employed individuals who are vying for promotions.  In actuality, that will likely only serve to further entrench these negotiations in secrecy.

Irrespective of the timing of these discussions, certain teams will possess more advantageous negotiating positions than others. Significantly better. Which may ultimately transpire to be the distinctive characteristic of this cycle.

The majority of teams change coaches when the situation becomes dire. In some capacity, the majority of these transitioning franchises are undergoing a rebuild. This year, that could not be the case.

There may very well be unanticipated coaching vacancies, including on teams that are contending for the playoffs. In theory, perhaps. Some of those teams’ rosters are, at the very least, not in dire straits and will be desirable landing spots.

This weekend will mark the conclusion of the 2023 regular season; consequently, certain teams are nearing the conclusion of the year.

Such as the supply closet situated beyond the back office of an unremarkable restaurant in a distant city, as opposed to the conventional back room.

Although certain clubs remain hopeful for the Super Bowl due to a potential postseason berth, the overwhelming majority of teams are going to be on the outside peering in as they eagerly await that mad dash for Las Vegas.

This group may contain teams in search of new head coaches or other leadership personnel. As of now, three clubs have fired head coaches during the current season, and it is expected that several more clubs will also look to replace their current coach.