The Top NFL Head Coaching Candidates Teams Will Consider for 2026

Our annual exhaustive list of everyone who could interview for jobs this offseason, and why this could be ‘the year of the defensive genius.’

Jesse Minter, Jeff Hafley and Vance Joseph will all be top candidates this cycle. / Kirby Lee/Imagn Images (Minter); Tork Mason/USA TODAY Network (Hafley); Kyle Terada/Imagn Images (Joseph)

Jump to a topic

1. Big picture thoughts on the 2025–26 coaching carousel
2. Self scouting
3. The top 42 candidates
4. Future coordinators

Welcome to the 2025–26 version of my future head coaches list. Before we get into it, let’s try to explain what we’re doing here. 

There are a lot of names on the list every year because, during a normal NFL coaching cycle, a lot of names change places. We’re trying to create, almost like a draft expert makes a top-100 big board, a list of candidates both for head coaching jobs and possible coordinator jobs, that would exist on a team’s internal dream roster. That means thinking like a head coach building a staff, or an owner making a hire, and asking those in and around the coaching industry to do so as well. 

I have divided this list into two sections: coaches who will interview for head jobs this year and position coaches who will bump up to the coordinator level. (In two circumstances, I have spotlighted special teams coordinators in those sections because in those specific cases both coaches are involved beyond that phase of the game.) Unfortunately, that leaves out current coordinators who are talented and on the rise but, because of certain circumstances (a bad year, a need for more seasoning) would not meet either criteria.

The goal every year is for this list to be a reference point for when your favorite team interviews a candidate with some background and, in many cases, a testimonial from a coach who has worked with that person in the past. Earlier this season, I already came up with tailored lists for the Titans’ and Giants’ jobs when those positions first came open, though some of the additional names below may be relevant to their searches as well.

With that in mind, let’s get into the overview.

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Big picture thoughts on the 2025–26 coaching carousel

• We’re looking at anywhere from five to nine openings across the league. While the Giants may be the early favorite to be considered the top available job, many industry eyes are on the Bengals, where there is massive curiosity about whether Cincinnati will move on from Zac Taylor. The opportunity to work with Joe Burrow is a market shifter.

• Thanks to the Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald and an increasingly plucked sect of young offensive play-callers, this could be the year of the “defensive genius.” We’re seeing more buzz from candidates on the defensive side of the ball than we have in years. 

• Coaching analytics are a thing, and it seems increasingly like best practices suggest taking a year off after losing your job or amicably separating from your club. This is relevant because both the Browns’ Kevin Stefanski and Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel have faced speculation about whether their jobs could come open. Both, in my estimation, would be head coaching candidates (and good ones) for the coming year.

• On that same front, I have heard mixed opinions on the future of McDaniel. I believe McDaniel, like Stefanski, could interview for head coaching jobs if the Dolphins decided to part ways with him. However, I have also heard that McDaniel is beloved in the organization, and the new general manager will have a chance to keep him.

• While I think college coaches, such as Matt Campbell, Marcus Freeman, Kalen DeBoer, Bret Bielema and Steve Sarkisian offer some intrigue at the NFL level, the initial steam of college candidates has slowed drastically over the past few weeks. 

• Speaking of college coaches, I will save you the scrolling and note here that Bill Belichick is not on the list. I do not expect him to garner serious interest from the NFL after his debut season at UNC.

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Self scouting

Last year, our list omitted Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who was a late surprise addition to the market (at least in my opinion), and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer. Five of our “top” candidates did not interview for jobs, though one, Chargers DC Jesse Minter, generated some industry-wide befuddlement. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. When I asked multiple industry sources why Minter did not interview for jobs last year, the refrain was always, “I have no idea. That’s weird.” 

Expect that to change in 2026. Minter is part of a core group of defensive coaches expected to factor significantly into this cycle. 

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

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Lou Anarumo has remained a head coaching candidate after going from the Bengals to the Colts. / Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The top 42 candidates

Lou Anarumo, defensive coordinator, Indianapolis Colts

Anarumo was vindicated in 2025 after being ousted in a Bengals shakeup and moving to the Colts. The Bengals’ defense fell apart despite making some upgrades, while Anarumo’s Colts are a top-10 unit in EPA per play. Anarumo previously interviewed for the Giants’ job and is expected to be a strong candidate there again in 2026. 

What coaches have told me in the past about Anarumo: 

Zac Taylor: “He does a great job engaging and relating to the players. They know he’s going to give them a chance to succeed, put them in a great position to do what they do best with a lot of confidence. He’s got a great relationship with those guys.”

Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, who had Anarumo on staff, said Anarumo is “Staten Island in the best possible way.” Murphy praised Anarumo’s ability to see any roster as a blank slate and formulate the best defense out of those pieces. 

Joe Brady, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills

Brady, 36, has done an admirable job adding a semblance of structure and rhythm to a Buffalo offense quarterbacked by a monolith in Josh Allen. Through Week 14, the Bills have improved in every significant offensive category year over year since the finale of the 2024 season. 

Steeped in the Sean Payton philosophy, which should again be very popular during this cycle, Brady coheadlines a group of choose-your-flavor young play-callers. Brady has had interviews in the past, with three stops in 2025: Chicago, New Orleans and Jacksonville. Brady’s name came on hot late in the Jaguars’ process before Liam Coen’s deal was finalized.

Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers

Evero has been a bright spot on many underperforming teams, having unfortunately gotten his break as a play-calling coordinator with both the Broncos during the pre–Sean Payton era and the Panthers. Still, the reality of Carolina’s defensive turnaround has been stunning. Despite having one of the worst defenses in history last year, the Panthers did not spend a first-round pick on defense and Evero has led a unit that’s allowed 20 or fewer points four times and shut out the division-rival Falcons. 

I am sure Evero will one day become a head coach, as evidenced by the fact that he’s continued to receive interviews even during the darkest seasons. Perhaps Carolina’s turnaround, which currently has the Panthers tied with the Buccaneers atop the NFC South. 

Brian Flores, defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings

Flores has been extremely influential over the past two seasons, particularly, and has helped usher in a sea change in defensive philosophy, with a more attacking approach that has stymied the offensive revolution of the early 2020s. 

Mike Tomlin told me last year about Flores: “He came in [to Pittsburgh in 2022] and did everything we asked him to do. He was always willing to add insight that his experience and capabilities provided, but he was not heavy-handed. I was just really impressed with how he managed the opportunity that he had here and what he brought to us.” 

Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator, Green Bay Packers

“He’s such a genuine person and a good guy,” Blake James, the athletic director for Hafley’s final two seasons at Boston College, told me. “His defensive mind is great, but at the end of the day, people want to work for him because of his approach.

“At Boston College, obviously, we get some super elite talent, but in a lot of cases it’s about finding that diamond in the rough and developing them into the next Luke Kuechly. I only worked with Jeff for two seasons, but look at guys like Zay Flowers. He was really coached up at BC.”

Hafley rides into this season as arguably one of the five top candidates and a heavy favorite for the Giants’ job. He interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching job in 2024. 

Matt Burke, defensive coordinator, Houston Texans

Burke, 49, is a former Dartmouth standout as a player who took over play-calling duties for the Texans this year. Through Week 14, the Texans are the No. 1 defense in the league, with a staggering opposing offensive success rate below 40%. Burke is part of the increasingly popular Jim Schwartz tree, which, at the midpoint of this season, contains nearly every top-five defense. 

Burke’s defense is ranked No. 1 in points allowed, yards allowed and first downs allowed, keeping alive a floundering Texans team that went undefeated in C.J. Stroud’s absence. 

Dan Pitcher, offensive coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals

Teams are going to cast a wide net for potential offensive-minded head coaches this season and Pitcher, the Bengals’ offensive coordinator since 2024 and quarterbacks coach since ‘20, has been a name on the rise. The 38-year-old, a former college quarterback at Colgate and SUNY Cortland has seen his fair share of attrition at the quarterback position in Cincinnati and has helmed successful units with Joe Flacco and Jake Browning when Joe Burrow has been injured. 

Pitcher broke into the NFL on the scouting side with the 2012 Colts. 

“It was evident to me that he was going to be a strong, if not masterful coach down the road. And I just happened to have him at the tail end of a very prolific career for us,” former longtime SUNY Cortland head coach Dan MacNeill told me. “There’s a genuineness and character that he’s about.” 

MacNiell added that Pitcher was always adept, as both a quarterback and a coach, at ensuring that the team’s star players were involved in every play on offense. 

Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator, Denver Broncos

Super Bowl–winning head coach Gary Kubiak tells me of Joseph: “He has a way with these guys. He can relate to any of them. He’s a great communicator. But to me the thing that has made Vance’s career and will continue to make his career is that he’s been through it. He’s been to the top. Now, he’s got the best defense in football. He understands the ebbs and flows, how hard it is. He’s about as seasoned as you can get when you’re looking for somebody to lead a franchise. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen.” 

Joseph perennially has one of the top defenses in the NFL, and since his arrival in Denver has orchestrated one of the league’s best units. Joseph has had success in very difficult situations, be it the NFC West against Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan or now in the AFC West against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. 

Mike McCarthy, former Cowboys and Packers head coach

McCarthy would be looking for the very rare but not unprecedented third head coaching opportunity after becoming a late departure in Dallas after last season. There was some buzz connecting McCarthy to the Saints’ job, though he announced he was removing himself from consideration shortly before reports emerged that Kellen Moore was a heavy favorite to win the job in New Orleans. 

McCarthy, 62, is viewed by some as an early front-runner for the Titans’ vacancy given his experience at the quarterback position and the Titans needing to maximize 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward. Though there are some conflicting opinions emerging that Tennessee may value a younger voice in the building. 

Some of McCarthy’s best work in Dallas came when Cooper Rush had to play at quarterback and Dallas still went 4–3 down the stretch, including a win over the NFC Championship–bound Commanders. 

Kliff Kingsbury will be selective before becoming an NFL head coach for the second time. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders

Kingsbury, 46, is said to be highly selective about his next head coaching opportunity in the NFL. 

As a head coach, he had a 35–40 record with Texas Tech and 28-37-1 with the Arizona Cardinals, though his work with Kyler Murray should be viewed with a much different perspective now that it appears Murray is on his way out in Arizona. Kingsbury is the only coach to have made the playoffs with the 2019 No. 1 pick. 

Kingsbury reignited his NFL career with Dan Quinn in Washington, helping staff a room that has now produced an NCAA head coach in Stanford’s Tavita Pritchard. The Commanders’ no-huddle scheme took the NFL by surprise in 2024, leading to one of the most surprising conference title game runs in recent history. 

Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have had the NFL’s sixth best defense in terms of EPA per play allowed since Minter’s arrival in L.A. last season. Keep in mind that some of the teams ahead of the Chargers now are riding some outsized EPA performances with an incomplete sample size from the 2025 season.

Minter, 42, is the son of longtime NCAA head coach Rick Minter, who is also an analyst on the Chargers’ current staff. Having come through the Ravens’ influential defensive room of the mid-2010s under John Harbaugh, Minter went on to hold play-calling defensive coordinator roles at Vanderbilt and Michigan before joining Jim Harbaugh at the NFL level. 

Minter’s defenses in L.A. have been generating headlines for all the right reasons. He maximizes existing talent well and expertly layers in mid- and late-round picks. The Chargers have already weathered what seems to be yearly injury attrition and are currently projected to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Minter is considered a top-tier candidate this season and has already been labeled a head coach in the making by Jim Harbaugh. 

Brad Idzik, offensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers

Idzik, 34, the son of longtime respected NFL personnel man John Idzik Jr., is an analytical mind valued by Dave Canales not only for his data-driven approach to the game but the way he can develop talent and place talent into advantageous positions. The potentially playoff-bound Panthers have completed a stunning turnaround while simultaneously grooming a young core of players, from first-round talents all the way to undrafted free agents.

Todd Monken, offensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens

Monken, 59, has been the Ravens’ offensive coordinator since 2023 and, before that, was an integral part of the Georgia national championship teams under Kirby Smart. Monken is steeped heavily in both the college and pro game, giving him a leg up when it comes to importing college talent. 

Monken has been a play-caller in the NFL for seven seasons, in which his teams have achieved top-10 finishes in major offensive categories four times. The Ravens have had the NFL’s fifth best offense in terms of EPA per play since Monken took over the post. 

Last year, Kirby Smart told me of Monken: “Todd’s ability to connect with players and teach effectively is elite. He possesses a deep understanding of the game offensively and defensively, allowing him to craft concepts that are really challenging to defend. He has really good instincts and a great feel for the game. Todd was one of the most formidable coaches I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”

Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs

Nagy, 47, has been the Chiefs’ senior offensive assistant, quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator since the conclusion of his Bears head coaching tenure after the 2021 season. A former quarterback who has a longstanding association with Andy Reid, Nagy had two playoff appearances in Chicago with Mitch Trubisky at the quarterback spot. 

When looked back on, his tenure, which includes a top-five offense with top weapons Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, Jordan Howard and Allen Robinson, looks far better in the rearview mirror. Nagy interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching job last season and should be considered a strong bounce-back candidate, with Kansas City’s offense maintaining a top-three spot in EPA per play despite heavy turnover numbers and the aging of its Super Bowl core. 

Adam Stenavich, offensive coordinator, Green Bay Packers

Stenavich, 42, interviewed for the Bears’ head coach opening last season. He’s considered the core of Green Bay’s run game design and works closely with Matt LaFleur on putting together the weekly game plan. 

A former NFL offensive linemen who drove a beer truck before breaking into the coaching ranks, Stenavich has been praised by former players for his ability to teach new concepts and to maintain that difficult balance of authoritative and relatable. Former Packers tackle David Bakhtiari told me last year of Stenavich’s run-game overhaul in Green Bay that brought dynamic run-fake pass blocking to the team for the first time in decades: 

“By connecting with me, talking with me, helping me understand it on a holistic level, it became one of my strongest techniques. Before he got there, we were battered. We were on an island and everyone knew we were passing 50 times a game.” 

Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

Saleh, 46, may have had the best candidacy boost of any coach this season simply by virtue of how his former quarterback and team performed without him. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell dug up the stat that has come to define Saleh’s candidacy for a second head coaching job: In the Jets’ final 17 games with Saleh as head coach, the team was No. 1 in defensive EPA per play allowed and points per drive allowed. In the team’s first 17 games without Saleh, they were the worst team in the NFL by those same metrics. 

Saleh’s injury-battered 49ers defense is eighth in points allowed despite not having its best two players (Nick Bosa and Fred Warner) for most of the season. The 49ers have allowed just 17 points over the past two weeks. Saleh interviewed for openings in Jacksonville and Dallas last season, and was also offered a hefty deal to be the Raiders’ defensive coordinator and heir to Pete Carroll. 

Chris Shula, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams

Shula, 38, has shined as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, rising through the team’s ranks first as an assistant linebackers coach under the newly-hired Sean McVay. Shula won the defensive coordinator job over some stiff competition when Raheem Morris left that post to become the head coach of the Falcons. 

Shula is helming a top-10 defense in terms of rushing success rate and dropback EPA, despite leaning heavily on some reclamation projects in the secondary. The Rams’ defense started to develop into a power down the stretch run in 2024 and has allowed 10 points or fewer in five games so far this season. 

Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach/offensive pass-game coordinator, Denver Broncos

“If I had a son playing quarterback, I’d want him to play for Davis Webb,” Kliff Kingsbury told me of the 30-year-old from Prosper, Texas, who currently serves as both the pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the first-place Broncos. 

Webb was a third-round pick of the Giants in 2017, who played six years in the NFL before immediately jumping into coaching with the Broncos. Out of the troika of young “rising star” offensive coaches—which includes Declan Doyle in Chicago and Grant Udinski in Jacksonville—Webb could be the first to hear his name called for a head coaching interview. Webb played for Kingsbury at Texas Tech. 

“I’m not making this up because he’s a coach now, but his freshman year he had a book of plays that he would keep track of in the NFL and from college that he would show me and we’d talk about,” Kingsbury said. “It has surprised me zero that he’s landed in the profession and he’s moving up very quickly.”

Klayton Adams, offensive coordinator, Dallas Cowboys

Adams, 42, is in his first year as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator for the Cowboys. Adams was previously in Arizona as an offensive line coach with a heavy influence on the team’s running game. Adams has the Cowboys fourth in EPA per play and 11th in both rushing success rate and EPA per rush. 

Adams is one of the headliners of a growing group of coordinators or soon-to-be coordinators (think Adam Stenavich and Hank Fraley) who have risen past the normally hard-ceilinged world of offensive line coaching and into contention for big-time play-calling coordinator jobs. Javonte Williams, Dallas’s reclamation project running back, is currently averaging 4.8 yards per carry. 

Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs

Spagnuolo, 65, is the most decorated coordinator in NFL postseason history and has been responsible for some of the most memorable big-game plans of the past 25 years. The former Rams head coach has seen interest in his candidacy regenerated thanks to an opening with the Giants. Spagnuolo is a former Giants interim head coach and Super Bowl–winning defensive coordinator in New York. He interviewed for the Jets’ and Jaguars’ jobs this past offseason and was also requested for an interview with the Raiders. 

The Spagnuolo effect reared its head against Indianapolis a few weeks ago when the Chiefs became the first team all season to make the Shane Steichen offense look pedestrian. While Spagnuolo’s first head coaching tenure went awry, it was more than a decade ago now and those Rams teams were lost until the hiring of Sean McVay long after Spagnuolo returned to a full-time coordinator role. 

Antonio Pierce, former head coach, Las Vegas Raiders

I expect Pierce to get at least one head coaching interview this cycle. Pierce was 3–2 in an interim position and it’s a tossup as to whether the Raiders meet Pierce’s 2024 win total this year despite obvious upgrades to the talent pool. 

Pierce’s staff got the most out of its lone star offensive player (Brock Bowers) and had one-score losses to both the Rams and the Chiefs (twice) last season. Pierce is a former Giants linebacker who won a Super Bowl with the franchise and will no doubt be a curiosity as the team looks for a coach with some gravitas to iron out a locker room that looks to be in disarray. 

Marcus Freeman’s experience at Notre Dame makes him desirable to NFL teams. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Marcus Freeman, head coach, Notre Dame

I have heard of late that those close to Freeman believe he wants to stay at Notre Dame, but that won’t keep the NFL curiosity in the former Bears draft pick at bay. Freeman has a CEO mindset and has many NFL-level responsibilities at Notre Dame, a program that is more closely aligned operationally to a professional team than other NCAA clubs. 

Keep in mind that the last time the Irish had a coach this successful, Brian Kelly, there was also NFL interest for the same reason. Kelly interviewed for the Eagles’ opening in 2013, the year the team hired Chip Kelly. 

Freeman is just 39 and has a 43–12 record with the Irish, including a surprising run to the national championship game in 2024. 

Kevin Patullo, offensive coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles

Patullo, 44, is in his first season as the offensive coordinator of the Eagles but has made prior appearances on this list before stepping into one of the most difficult jobs in the NFL. 

Patullo’s strength is his ability to think big picture. Nick Sirianni has leaned heavily on the longtime NFL assistant for his ability to help build a staff and craft larger-scale decisions that can impact the team. From that standpoint, Patullo has been instrumental in helping the Eagles survive myriad coordinator and personnel changes over this run of unprecedented success in Philly. 

With the Giants’ job being open, it would be a surprise if a division rival did not bring him in for an interview. 

Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers

Former Steelers offensive lineman Dan Moore told me that Smith possesses the ability to “put a dagger” in his opponents and call plays that harmonize with both player preference and ability. You can read more on one of those calls in particular, as well as a broader case for Smith getting a second shot at the head coaching chair, here.

Smith interviewed for both the Bears’ and Jets’ openings last year and remains high on the list of experienced offensive play-callers that teams will take a look at. 

Though he has bounced from one unappetizing quarterback situation to the next—Desmond Ridder to Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers—the Steelers and Falcons have had benchmarks of top offenses. For example, the 2024 Steelers are Pittsburgh’s only offense to rank in the top 10 in 20-plus-yard plays of the recent Tomlin era that spans multiple coordinators.

Kelvin Sheppard, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

The 37-year-old had an eight-year NFL playing career as a linebacker before joining the coaching ranks in 2021 as a member of Dan Campbell’s inaugural Lions staff. Sheppard has also worked in player development at the college level. 

Since taking over for Aaron Glenn, Sheppard has piloted a defense that is fifth in opponent success rate and seventh in EPA against the run. Widely expected to receive head coaching consideration this year, Sheppard is a player favorite who is quick to defer credit and attention. His recent playing career should heighten his bona fides as the NFL coaching fraternity continues to trend more toward recent ex-players.

Sheppard’s name received some early buzz when the LSU head coaching job opened.

Frank Smith, offensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins

Smith has been a mainstay on our list for the past few seasons, with his former head coach at Butler, Jeff Voris, telling me for a previous list that, “Interviewing him was one of the most unique experiences I ever had. When [Frank and I started together], we hadn’t won a game in two years, an 18-game losing streak. He became my right-hand man, and in four years, we were 11–1, won a championship and he was the offensive coordinator doing the whole thing. I became his assistant coach at some point.”

As the totality of Miami’s roster-building struggles comes into full view, seeing Smith and head coach Mike McDaniel build a successful offense without much in the way of resources continues to be a strong case in Smith’s favor. He last interviewed for a head coaching job with the Panthers in 2024, when they hired Dave Canales. 

Frank Ross, special teams coordinator, Houston Texans

Ross is an incredibly smart special teams coordinator, loved by his players, who successfully transitioned to this new era of kickoffs. Featured on our November magazine cover story about the special teams revolution, Ross is on the front wave of special teams coaches who are again knocking down the door of NFL head coaching jobs. 

The massive shakeup in the special teams world, making kicking, punting and return units an equal third phase of the game has separated the truly elite coaches from those who are staff placeholders babysitting the special teams group while serving the head coach on other projects. 

While longtime Chiefs coordinator Dave Toub represents the great tragedy of recent hiring trends in the NFL, for having never gotten an opportunity to run a team, Ross could stand out if perception turns on special teams coaches this cycle.

Nate Scheelhaase, pass-game coordinator, Los Angeles Rams

Scheelhaase represents one of the candidates who might get a swing at a job before taking the traditional route to play-calling coordinator. The former Illinois quarterback has gone from Matt Campbell’s Iowa State program as a coach to Sean McVay’s hotbed of offensive talent. He is the passing-game coordinator for the Rams in 2025, which could produce an MVP award for Matthew Stafford and is on pace to shatter Stafford’s career high in touchdowns (41, which he posted twice). 

The 35-year-old Scheelhaase was interviewed for coordinator vacancies in Tampa Bay and Jacksonville last season but remains in the most certain coaching incubator we have in the NFL right now: the McVay tree. 

Mike LaFleur, offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams

LaFleur has had a successful run with the Rams after his time with the Jets was prematurely cut short by meddling ownership. While LaFleur was in New York (2021 and ’22), his final season included starts made by four different quarterbacks, and the team finished with a winning record in nine games that Zach Wilson started. Wilson has not caught on elsewhere in the NFL, even with stops in Denver with Sean Payton and Miami with Mike McDaniel. 

LaFleur, the brother of Packers head coach Matt, is 38 but stands out on a list lacking in experienced, high-level offense coordination. 

Anthony Campanile, defensive coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars

While the arrival of Liam Coen has transformed Jacksonville’s offense and helped aid in the stabilization of Trevor Lawrence, it’s been the Jaguars’ defense that has made the most significant difference. Campanile has taken a talented but unproven roster and transformed it into a turnover machine, ranking third in turnovers, first in rushing yards allowed, eighth in rushing yards per attempt and second in interceptions. Campanile, like Nick Sirianni, is from a three-generation coaching dynasty family that spans college, NFL and high school. He’s affable and disarming, and will do well in front of an owner if given an opportunity. 

Steve Sarkisian, head coach, University of Texas

It’s impossible to tell whether the NFL interest in Sarkisian, a former Falcons offensive coordinator, is genuine. Sarkisian was the subject of a firestorm of rumors after NCAA analyst Desmond Howard predicted that the Texas job would open, with the inference that Sarkisian might be eyeing NFL jobs. That prompted swift responses from the athletic director and eventually Sarkisian himself. 

The longtime college coach is sitting in prime real estate now with a developing Arch Manning and a deep pocket of resources at Texas. However, as I’ve noted, the warning signs from previous college-to-NFL imports such as Urban Meyer and Matt Rhule are starting to dim, and teams are looking for an offensive edge in a class of coaches that isn’t particularly deep in offensive scheme artists. 

Jemal Singleton, assistant head coach, Philadelphia Eagles

As one industry source put it: The Eagles keep winning. Teams are going to pop under the hood and try to figure out what is working there. 

Singleton, 50, is originally from Turkey. He started his coaching journey at Air Force. I caught up with Singleton’s former boss, still the head coach of the Falcons, Troy Calhoun.

“Very dependable. So consistent day in and day out, and he’s a guy who is one heck of a worker, too. When I look back, I remember his work ethic and how he was a tremendous teammate. The players knew they could trust him and he was a great teacher who could relate to the guys he coached.” 

Calhoun noted that coaching at the Air Force Academy is unique. Not only are the steps for running backs (the position Singleton coached) intricate in an academy offense, but coaches get less than one hour a day in meetings with players. Singleton had to be efficient and concise—skill set that would serve him well in the NFL. 

Anthony Weaver interviewed for two head coaching jobs last offseason. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins

Weaver, 45, interviewed for both the Saints’ and Bears’ jobs last year. The Dolphins’ defense, since Week 11, has rounded into the top 15 in terms of total EPA and have drastically improved against the run. Weaver is a former assistant head coach of the Ravens and has been a popular name in searches over the past two years especially. 

Wes Phillips, offensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings

Though this is a down year for the Vikings’ offense, Phillips, 46, may be in a position similar to the Colts’ staff that was making it work with a quarterback who wasn’t quite ready for the big stage and took off with a more capable veteran. Phillips was a part of the formative Mike Shanahan staff in Washington and spent time as Sean McVay’s tight ends coach in L.A. before making his way to Minnesota under Kevin O’Connell. In a year that teams will have to get creative if they want an offensive head coach, the son of legendary NFL coach Wade Phillips could prove to be a solution. 

Jim Bob Cooter, offensive coordinator, Indianapolis Colts

Cooter, 41, has been the offensive coordinator for the Colts since 2023, helping oversee the breakthrough season from Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones before Jones was injured. Cooter took a sojourn through stops in New York, Philadelphia and Jacksonville—among others—before arriving in Indianapolis with a focus on the improving run- and pass-game marriage. The Colts remain the most efficient rushing offense in the NFL through 14 weeks. 

Declan Doyle, offensive coordinator, Chicago Bears

Doyle, 29, came up through the Sean Payton school of coaching and moved from a prime position on the Broncos’ staff to Chicago with new head coach Ben Johnson. The Bears’ offense is among the NFL’s most efficient, ranking ninth in EPA per play and fourth in rushing success rate. While he may be a year or two away, the wide-open nature of this year’s candidate pool as it pertains to offensive coaches necessitate a closer look at Doyle, who once held the distinction of youngest position coach in the NFL. 

Grant Udinski, offensive coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars

Udinski, 29, is in his first season as offensive coordinator of the Jaguars. Along with Davis Webb and Declan Doyle, he makes up the previously mentioned trio of young non-play-callers who could be earning head coaching consideration in the coming years, if not sooner. While some teams covet experience, youthfulness and the ability to connect with a rising generation of younger players is also at a premium. 

Udinski was a highly valuable member of Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings staff and his departure to Jacksonville was seen as a major coup for ascending first-year head coach Liam Coen. 

Tommy Rees, offensive coordinator, Cleveland Browns

Rees, 33, was well-liked by Mike Vrabel and could have been a potential offensive coordinator candidate in New England this year where, I imagine, our thoughts on his potential as a head coach in the NFL might have been different. While this may be early for Rees, I want to point out that his history of maximizing quarterbacks is undeniable. The Browns have won games with Rees as the primary play-caller, having both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel under center. As an offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Rees’s team rewrote the school’s record book with Ian Book under center. Jalen Milroe had his best collegiate season when Rees was Alabama’s offensive coordinator. 

This past week’s four-touchdown performance from Sanders was eye-opening, but not just in terms of the prospect.

Jeff Ulbrich, defensive coordinator, Atlanta Falcons

The 48-year-old former NFL linebacker was the Jets’ interim coach last season and weathered an incredibly turbulent situation with increasing pressure from ownership. In Atlanta, while the Falcons may be headed for a regime change, Ulbrich leads a unit that is seventh in pressures despite a defense that relies heavily on rookies and generating pressure from nontraditional sources. Atlanta is ahead of a Packers unit that features Micah Parsons, as well as the Rams and Texans in pressure percentage. Ulbrich has long been associated with the Shanahan tree. 

Mike Kafka, interim head coach, New York Giants

As our goal is to create a comprehensive list of every coach who will interview for a job this cycle, it’s important to include Kafka, who will interview for the Giants’ full-time job upon completion of the regular season. The former Andy Reid quarterback and assistant has fans around the league, though he has been put in a difficult position with which to flex his head coaching bona fides. This Giants team has been rudderless all season—an issue that may be beyond a coach’s reach right now. 

Eddie George, head coach, Bowling Green University

As the Titans’ job is open, we would be remiss not to mention George, the 52-year-old Titans legend who has fast-tracked his way through the lower rungs of college football and now leads the Falcons in the Mid-America Conference. George previously coached Tennessee State, a team that shared a home stadium with the Titans. 

Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Cleveland Browns

Schwartz’s run in Cleveland, in conjunction with the fact that nearly all the top defenses in the NFL this year are in some way connected to his root scheme, make the former Lions head coach a curiosity at the very least this cycle—especially with the Titans’ job open. While everything I’ve heard about the Tennessee job points to the team looking for youth, the 59-year-old Schwartz was a longtime Titans assistant and has relationships in the building. If the team was hoping to import a young play-caller as a future head coach, Schwartz could be an ideal bridge candidate with experience who could instantly stabilize the defense. 

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Future coordinators

Tom Manning, tight ends coach, Indianapolis Colts

Manning, 42, has an integral role in coaching potential Offensive Rookie of the Year Tyler Warren, in addition to serving a vital role in the Colts’ well-married run and pass games. Manning has college and NFL experience as well as football operations experience. 

Spencer Whipple, quarterbacks coach, Jacksonville Jaguars

Whipple, 36, was brought to Jacksonville from Arizona to fill a critical role on Liam Coen’s initial Jaguars staff. The longtime Kliff Kingsbury assistant is on the ground floor of an offensive turnaround that will have major ramifications across the AFC. 

Cam Turner, quarterbacks coach, Indianapolis Colts

Turner, 38, is part of a Colts offensive staff that has helped revive both the career of Daniel Jones and the fortunes of the Colts in this era. Both successes began in the quarterback room. 

Justin Outten, offensive run-game coordinator, Seattle Seahawks 

Outten, 42, has been a kind of Forrest Gump through some of the NFL’s more innovative offensive stops over the past eight years and now sits at the controls of Seattle’s run game, a critical part of the team’s play-action-heavy, explosive passing offense. 

Daronte Jones, defensive backs coach/defensive pass-game coordinator, Minnesota Vikings

Jones, 47, is one of a handful of coaches on Brian Flores’s Vikings staff who are in line for defensive coordinator consideration. He has experience at the high school, college and professional levels and coordinated a defense under Ed Orgeron at LSU. 

Gerald Alexander, defensive backs coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

Alexander, 41, is a 2007 second-round pick of the Lions, who has been coaching since 2013 as a student assistant at Arkansas State. Alexander broke into the NFL in 2020 with Brian Flores’s 10-win Dolphins outfit.

Daniel Bullocks, defensive backs coach/defensive pass-game specialist, San Francisco 49ers

The Lions’ 2006 second-round pick out of Nebraska has been with the 49ers since 2017, lasting through several different regimes, including two different stints with Robert Saleh. 

Ray Brown, defensive backs coach, San Francisco 49ers

Brown was a rising star at the collegiate level, with his final stint at Boston College propelling him to the NFL ranks in San Francisco. During his final season with BC, Brown helped an undermanned unit give up among the fewest points per game in the ACC. 

Karl Scott, defensive backs coach/defensive-pass-game coordinator, Seattle Seahawks

Scott, 40, has been with the Seahawks since the tail end of the Pete Carroll regime and was a key holdover for the Mike Macdonald staff, which is expected to be raided at season’s end. Scott was requested for an interview with the Raiders for their head coaching job. 

Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lewis, a former NFL quarterback, has been requested for multiple offensive coordinator interviews since arriving in Tampa. As the lone mainstay for Baker Mayfield during the team’s recent run of success that has led to coordinators Dave Canales and Liam Coen landing head coaching jobs, Lewis was a strong candidate for the Texans’ offensive coordinator job this past cycle. 

Josh McCown, quarterbacks coach, Minnesota Vikings

Despite the down season in Minnesota and struggles with quarterback J.J. McCarthy, there is an expectation that McCown will get a look at possible play-calling roles in the near future. McCown, who played in the NFL for 16 years, has interviewed for the Texans’ and Jets’ head coach openings in recent years. 

Justin Rascati, offensive pass-game coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals

Rascati’s arrival in Cincinnati last year was timed with the Joe Burrow explosion that led to league highs in completions, yards, touchdowns and yards per game. Rascati is a former college quarterback at Louisville and James Madison, who was rostered in the NFL, CFL and AFL. After working under Kevin O’Connell as an offensive line coach, he pivoted to Cincinnati under Dan Pitcher.

Chris Banjo, special teams coordinator, New York Jets

Banjo, an understudy of the great Mike Westhoff, has been the lone bright spot for the 2025 Jets, weaponizing a kick return game that’s kept a scuttling offense and carved-away defense relevant in games. The 35-year-old has a decade of NFL playing experience on special teams and defense. 

Matt Daniels, special teams coordinator, Minnesota Vikings

Daniels made his debut on the list last year, as both a strong special teams coach and a bright defensive mind with help aiding star coordinator Brian Flores. The 36-year-old undrafted free agent out of Duke played in the NFL for four seasons before breaking into coaching. 

Drew Terrell, pass-game coordinator/wide receivers coach, Arizona Cardinals

Terrell left the Commanders in 2022 for Arizona with a promotion that includes coordination responsibilities. The Stanford receiver and special teams ace has been in the NFL coaching ranks since 2018, climbing the ladder from quality control coach with the Panthers to pass-game coordinator with the Cardinals. 

Thomas Brown, pass-game coordinator/tight ends coach, New England Patriots

Brown, who has gotten head coaching interest in the past, has play-calling offensive coordinator experience and served as the Bears’ interim head coach last season after Matt Eberflus’s firing. He has landed in the perfect place for his skill set, helping propel the white-hot Patriots to a tie for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Brian Johnson, assistant head coach/offensive pass-game coordinator, Washington Commanders

“I like everything about him as a coach and as a player. Competitive. Intelligent. Charismatic. Alpha dog mentality. He’s a leader of leaders. As soon as I had the opportunity to hire him as an assistant coach, I did so,” Kyle Whittingham, the head coach at Utah, told me of Johnson for a previous iteration of this list.

Johnson, the former offensive coordinator of the post–Shane Steichen era Eagles, has risen through the Commanders’ staff as a critical part of its Jayden Daniels–era success. 

Press Taylor, offensive pass-game coordinator, Chicago Bears

Taylor, 37, is in the right place with a surging Bears offense. The former Marshall quarterback and the younger brother of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has been seen as a rising industry star for a few seasons now. Taylor now has experience in one of the most coveted offensive systems in the NFL. 

Shaun Dion Hamilton, linebackers coach, Detroit Lions

The 30-year-old former sixth-round pick out of Alabama has been with the Lions as a defensive assistant since 2022, immediately following his retirement after year one playing for Dan Campbell. Dion Hamilton is one of a few names to watch in Detroit if Kelvin Sheppard becomes a head coach. 

Demarcus Covington, defensive line coach/run-game coordinator, Green Bay Packers

Covington, 36, was a wide receiver at Samford before switching to the defensive side at the collegiate and NFL coaching levels. Covington was the defensive coordinator of the 2024 Patriots before joining Green Bay in 2025. With Packers DC Jeff Hafley a favorite to nab a head coaching job, Covington is a name to watch. 

Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach, Houston Texans

Johnson interviewed for the Raiders’ offensive coordinator job last season. The quarterbacks coach in Houston since 2023, Johnson has facilitated the rise of C.J. Stroud and the impressive spot duty of Davis Mills. The 37-year-old was a Texas A&M standout at quarterback and played professionally from 2011 to ’18. His coaching résumé includes stops with Kyle Shanahan and Kevin O’Connell. 

Dino Vasso, defensive backs coach, Houston Texans

Vasso, 38, broke into the NFL with Andy Reid’s Chiefs in 2013 before bouncing to Philadelphia as a quality control coach and assistant coordinator. Vasso could be a potential successor to Matt Burke if Burke to receive head coaching overtures this winter.

Luke Steckel, tight ends coach, Las Vegas Raiders

Steckel is the son of Les Steckel, the former Vikings head coach and longtime NFL and college coach. The 40-year-old Steckel has been the Raiders’ tight ends coach since 2024. Steckel oversaw the astronomical debut season of star tight end Brock Bowers and has been a rising offensive assistant in the NFL since 2013. 

Hank Fraley, offensive line coach/run-game coordinator, Detroit Lions

Fraley, 48, has future head coach potential. A coveted run-game coordinator and tactical offensive line coach beloved by his players, he received multiple interviews for the Seahawks’ vacant offensive coordinator role last year—a rarity for someone starting on the offensive line. Fraley played 10 seasons in the NFL after going undrafted out of Robert Morris. 

Brian Fleury, run-game coordinator/tight ends coach, San Francisco 49ers

Fleury, a former Towson quarterback turned college defensive coordinator and special teams coach, switched over to the offensive side of the ball in 2020 with the 49ers, becoming an important part of the Shanahan coaching regime with strong knowledge of all three phases. 

Chris Foerster, assistant head coach/offensive line coach, San Francisco 49ers

Foerster, 64, is a longtime NFL offensive line guru who has been one of Kyle Shanahan’s right-hand men since 2018. Foerster was recently promoted to assistant head coach and is an integral part of San Francisco’s machine-like rushing offense and its marriage to the passing game. 

Chandler Whitmer, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, University of Indiana 

Whitmer, 34, has fingerprints on Fernando Mendoza, one of the best young quarterbacks in college football and the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers. Whitmer played quarterback at UConn before breaking into coaching at Ohio State. He spent three seasons as a quality control coach for the Chargers before serving as the Falcons’ pass-game coordinator in 2024. 

Leonard Hankerson, wide receivers coach, San Francisco 49ers

Hankerson, 36, has been the 49ers’ wide receivers coach since 2022. The former third-round pick out of Miami played in the NFL from 2011 to ’15 and has been coaching the position for a decade now. 

Jeff Howard, safeties coach, Seattle Seahawks

A key part of the very sought-after Mike Macdonald defense, Howard, 42, is a former college linebacker who spent six seasons as a valued assistant on the defensive-led Mike Zimmer Vikings. 

Christian Parker, pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach, Philadelphia Eagles

Since 2024 Parker has been at the right hand of Vic Fangio, serving as a critical piece of Philadelphia’s amoebic secondary. Parker also has valued internships underneath Ejiro Eviro in Denver and Fangio prior to that when Fangio was head coach of the Broncos. 

Charlie Bullen, interim defensive coordinator, New York Giants

Bullen, by virtue of being the interim, will likely have a chance to make his case for the job full-time. The 41-year-old is from the increasingly popular Vance Joseph tree and, despite difficult circumstances, has introduced some interesting concepts to the Giants’ defense in the interim role. 

Joe Kasper, safeties coach, Philadelphia Eagles

Kasper, part of the pipeline from John Carroll to the NFL, has been with the Eagles since 2021—with a brief stop in 2023 as the Dolphins’ safeties coach. 

Jake Peetz, offensive pass-game coordinator, Seattle Seahawks

A former quality control coach on the highly influential Washington team that included Matt LaFleur, Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, Peetz has stops with some of the best coaches in recent NFL history, in addition to multiple stints with Nick Saban at Alabama. 

Jim Leonhard, assistant head coach/defensive pass-game coordinator, Denver Broncos

A likely replacement for Vance Joseph if Joseph receives a head coaching job, Leonhard, 43, is a former NFL defensive back known for his involvement in game planning, even as a player. Leonhard served as the interim head coach for his alma mater, Wisconsin, in 2022. 

Chris Harris, defensive pass-game coordinator, New York Jets

Harris, an NFL safety from 2005 to ’12, has been a sought-after secondary coach and coordinator for the past half decade now. The former second-team All-Pro with the Bears has helped steady a Jets team in 2025 that saw both of its star defenders traded at the deadline. 

Mike Rutenberg, defensive pass-game coordinator, Atlanta Falcons

Rutenberg is a linebacker savant who has left a trail of quality players at nearly every destination he’s been. The rise of the versatile Kaden Elliss in Atlanta has coincided with the arrival of Rutenberg and battery mate Jeff Ulbrich. 

Ephraim Banda, safeties coach, Cleveland Browns

Banda, the former Utah State defensive coordinator, has been under Jim Schwartz in Cleveland since 2023. Banda was on the interview list for Shane Steichen this past offseason for defensive coordinator, before the Colts eventually went with Lou Anarumo. 

Aaron Whitecotton, defensive line coach, Dallas Cowboys

Whitecotton came from a physical Jets defense under Robert Saleh to remaking a Cowboys unit from scratch in Dallas before the arrival of Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams. Dallas has been one of the most improved units against the run over the second half of the season. 

Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach, Buffalo Bills

Curry, 46, a former college wide receiver with a seven-year NFL playing career, is now the quarterbacks coach in Buffalo after eight years in New Orleans, where he rose through Sean Payton’s staff to a key offensive role. Curry was interviewed for New Orleans’s offensive coordinator role last season.

Sean Duggan, linebackers coach, Green Bay Packers

Duggan, 32, joined the Packers with Jeff Hafley from Boston College. A linebacker at BC, he’s the youngest position coach on a strong Packers staff that is expected to be heavily researched by other teams this offseason. He was promoted to fill the gap left behind by Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.

Rob Leonard, run-game coordinator/defensive line coach, Las Vegas Raiders

Leonard interviewed for the Raiders’ defensive coordinator job this past offseason and is one of the most popular coaches on the defensive staff, especially with the team’s best defensive player, Maxx Crosby. Leonard helped build Brian Flores’s defensive book as an assistant in Miami. 

Alex Tanney, offensive pass-game coordinator, Indianapolis Colts

Tanney, a former quarterback out of Monmouth College, had a nine-year NFL playing career and immediately went into coaching. He was plucked by Shane Steichen after the pair worked together in Philadelphia, with Tanney rising through the ranks to become quarterbacks coach before leaving for the Colts. 

Scottie Montgomery, assistant head coach/wide receivers coach, Detroit Lions

Montgomery moved from Detroit’s running backs room, where he helped foster the David Montgomery–Jahmyr Gibbs tandem, to the wide receiver room in 2025. Montgomery interviewed for the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator position this past offseason. 

Travis Switzer, offensive run-game coordinator, Baltimore Ravens

Switzer has been the Ravens’ run-game coordinator for the past three seasons. He interviewed for the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator position last offseason before the Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak. An entrenched member of the Ravens’ offensive staff, Switzer was a favorite of current Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald. 

Bobby Slowik, senior pass-game coordinator, Miami Dolphins

Slowik, a head coaching candidate the previous two seasons, is now part of a resurgent Mike McDaniel staff in Miami after two years as the Texans’ offensive coordinator. Slowik interviewed for the Jets’ vacancy in 2024 and is an original member of the Mike Shanahan dream team staff in Washington. 

Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach, New Orleans Saints

Janocko, a former Pitt quarterback, has been in charge of the quarterback rooms of the Bears, Vikings, Saints and now the Seahawks, where the Seattle offense remains one of the best big-play hunting units in the NFL. 

Ashton Grant, quarterbacks coach, New England Patriots

The former NFL wideout and Bill Walsh diversity fellow is a fast-rising star in the coaching ranks, having been brought to New England to coach Drake Maye under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Grant, 29, is one of the youngest position coaches and quarterbacks coaches in the NFL, and Maye is making an MVP bid.

Connor Senger, offensive pass-game coordinator, Arizona Cardinals

Senger is a sharp, rising coach who played quarterback at Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Oshkosh before breaking into coaching. He was twice blocked for outside jobs since joining the Cardinals, leading to the pass-game coordinator promotion prior to the 2025 season. 

Michael Hutchings, safeties coach, Minnesota Vikings

Hutchings, 30, has been with Brian Flores since the coach’s arrival in Minnesota. Since that time, the Vikings have posted some of the best year-in, year-out defenses in the NFL; trend-setting units that employ looks that empower players and draw prospective free agents. 

David Blough, quarterbacks coach, Washington Commanders

Blough is a former NFL quarterback who was promoted to the full-time post after Tavita Pritchard was named head coach at his alma mater, Stanford. Blough is a big-picture thinker with offensive coordinator potential sooner rather than later. The 30-year-old has been with the Commanders since the 2024 season after ending his NFL career in 2023 with the Lions. 

Steve Shimko, quarterbacks coach, Dallas Cowboys

The 35-year-old former Rutgers quarterback is in his first season as Cowboys quarterbacks coach. Shimko served as Jeff Hafley’s offensive coordinator at Boston College and made his way back to the NFL in 2024 as an offensive assistant under Mike McCarthy.

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