Ranking Every 2026 NFL Coaching Vacancy, From Best to Worst

Plus, making first guesses and listing other possibilities for each new hire. Which open jobs will attract the best candidates?

John Harbaugh became one of the most desirable candidates available following his Ravens’ firing, but he leaves behind one of the most intriguing vacancies as well. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

At this point, we cannot be sure what might happen next. A tectonic plate in the coaching world has moved, leaving us to wonder if other seemingly immovable objects are beginning to jar loose. Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Tampa Bay—all of them should at least be monitored until the dust settles. If someone like Mike Tomlin or Matt LaFleur comes on the market, of course plans are going to change, much as they did on Tuesday for several teams when John Harbaugh (and the Ravens job) became available. 

So, keep that in mind as we take our first swing at both ranking the current available openings and assigning each team a lead candidate—along with some other possibilities. Also, keep in mind that the interview process is just beginning. Indeed, a lot of top-flight assistants who are playing this weekend have not gotten request slips put in for them yet. Matt Burke, Nate Scheelhaase and Mike LaFleur, Grant Udinski, Anthony Campianile and so on. 

There are many factors that contribute to what makes a “good” job. The roster, the GM, the people, the facilities, the division. We’ll try and factor all of that in. 

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1. Baltimore Ravens

Why: The Ravens are an elite, blueblood franchise with a top GM, a front office that is a font for talent and have a top five NFL quarterback under contract. They have an owner who kept the previous coach for 18 seasons and a draft strategy that regularly primes the pipe with talent in the middle and late rounds. For these reasons, this is the ideal landing spot for either a veteran head coach or a young head coach who needs guardrails to help him grow into the job.

First-guess head coach: Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers

Minter is currently the favorite to become the next Ravens head coach and he’s the only assistant on the market right now who fits as both a “rising” candidate, a candidate who is known for defensive scheme proficiency (which pairs with the identity of the Ravens) and has ties to the franchise. That is a hard candidacy to ignore. Minter was a defensive assistant in Baltimore from 2017 to ‘19. However, is this too simple? 

Other possibilities: Klint Kubiak, Brian Flores, Chris Shula, Kevin Stefanski, Marcus Freeman

Flores (defensive mastermind) and Shula (strong defensive candidate who could possibly pair with a young Rams offensive coach like Scheelhaase) also offer something to chew on in Baltimore. Freeman, while having recently affirmed his commitment to Notre Dame, may at least want to hear this one out if the Ravens happen to be interested.

Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski could bring his skill set to another franchise—and thrive in a less chaotic environment. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

2. Atlanta Falcons

Why: At this point, I would put Michael Penix Jr. and Jaxson Dart at a similar level of let’s see what happens here. Penix has some serious injury concerns but it’s not like Dart’s season last year was completely worry-free on that front, either. With Malik Nabers also in recovery, I would place Atlanta’s skill position players above the Giants’ offering—enough to make up for New York’s higher upside on defense. 

The ultimate tiebreaker is divisional strength and the ability to win now. The NFC South has sent a sub .500 team to the playoffs twice in the last four seasons. 

First-guess head coach: Kevin Stefanski

Stefanski offers the Falcons a complete picture: A still-young coach who has been through the furnace in Cleveland and will thrive in a less chaotic environment. As one industry source posited: Stefanski seems like the kind of person who would jell with Matt Ryan, who will be heavily involved in this process. Stefanski was a student assistant at the University of Pennsylvania when Ryan was finishing up a storied career at nearby William Penn. The two could find common ground and create a natural bond atop the organization. 

Other possibilities: John Harbaugh (the Falcons were attracted to Bill Belichick’s track record of success the last time around), Klint Kubiak (Matt Ryan had a lot of success in the Shanahan offense), Mike McDaniel (a former Falcons assistant with possible support in the building who would lend a creative eye to Atlanta’s personnel and have a built-in connection with existing DC Jeff Ulbrich). 

3. New York Giants

Why: The Giants are still a revered franchise that has a place in a lot of coaches’ hearts. Add in the fact that this team has a lot of draft capital invested in young, ascending talent and you have a recipe for intrigue. While the NFC East features three great quarterbacks, the Giants don’t seem that far behind from a talent perspective. The building simply needs a blast of fresh air. 

First-guess head coach: Mike McCarthy

Harbaugh coming onto the market was a game-changer for the Giants, a team that could benefit from an experienced coach taking the wheel and evaluating all corners of the organization. Since the departure of Tom Coughlin, the Giants have gambled on an infrastructure being able to support a coach. Unfortunately—and this happens from time to time—it’s a coach who needs to help repair the infrastructure. 

However, the aggressive emergence of Miami onto the coaching market—and a team without a fixed GM—seriously complicates my thoughts on the matter. This scenario is a bit of a disaster for the Giants, who are now looking at the possibility of both Stefanski and Harbaugh landing elsewhere. The Giants stay safe and cling to a proven commodity with success in the division. Again, I feel like this is the worst projection on the list and I don’t expect it to break this way, but this is version 1.0. 

Other possibilities: Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, Vance Joseph, Anthony Campanile

4. Miami Dolphins

Why: Miami is an idyllic setting that is attractive to players and has an excellent support staff already in place. The Dolphins play in a state with almost eternal sunshine and no income taxes. It tends to be a favorite of families as well as prospective free agents. While the division now has both Drake Maye and Josh Allen lording over it, Mike McDaniel was able to hover between seven and 11 wins with Tua Tagovailoa. 

First-guess head coach: John Harbaugh 

Again, we are very likely prisoners of the moment and Harbaugh has yet to interview for any head coaching job. However, the fact of the matter is this: Miami doesn’t yet have a general manager and the Giants do. Harbaugh could steer that process, or the result of said process could influence his ultimate decision. This is the massive swing Stephen Ross has been trying to take since the Brian Flores era but hasn’t been able to connect on. 

Other possibilities: Robert Saleh, Matt LaFleur, Mike McCarthy, Jeff Hafley, Anthony Campanile (Lots of Packer connections here, positing that if the Dolphins’ GM search goes in another direction, Miami could pivot to another big fish in LaFleur, or someone from the coach’s extensive tree). 

5. Tennessee Titans

Why: The Titans are in an enviable market—back when I did a project for Sports Illustrated last year about which team you’d want your child to play quarterback for, Tennessee made the list because of the relative NFL anonymity it offers—and they have a rising star quarterback in Cam Ward. The team is nearly complete in construction of a brand new stadium and coaches in the Nashville area often talk about how great of a place it is to raise a family. The Titans are in an increasingly muddy division, with the Texans, rapidly improving Jaguars and Colts. However, Ward’s arm talent could be the equalizer for the right coach. 

First-guess head coach: Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs

When I checked in on Nagy via a few industry sources, I got split responses on whether the interest in him is real, or simply feels that way because Nagy is connected directly to the team’s general manager. I think the Titans had interest in Marcus Freeman but pivoted once Freeman reupped his commitment to Notre Dame (I recognize that Freeman is still on my list for Baltimore, which is simply a different opening than Tennessee). Nagy brought Mitch Trubisky to the playoffs and is an inventive playcaller who also has experience with a quarterback who probably plays the most like Ward in the NFL—Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, like Ward, is improvisational but there is a way to design a system around him that doesn’t stifle that creativity. 

Other possibilities: Kevin Stefanski (if Klint Kubiak goes to the Falcons), Arthur Smith, Vance Joseph (with Davis Webb as offensive coordinator). 

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is expected to be a candidate for several openings this cycle. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

6. Arizona Cardinals 

Why: The Cardinals are shoved deeply into one of the best-coached divisions in all of sports. And while we could have described the NFC North as a similar murderers’ row a year ago, there is some staying power to Mike Macdonald, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. That makes the situation all the more daunting for a coach hoping to rack up wins and attract talent to an organization that doesn’t have the best track record. 

First-guess head coach: Vance Joseph

In a piece I did on Joseph earlier this week, I noted that in eight of Joseph’s 12 final games against either Shanahan or McVay when he was defensive coordinator of the Cardinals, Joseph held those coaches to 20 points or less. Jonathan Gannon did that three times total in three years. Joseph had head coaching responsibilities in Arizona and would come in as a peace offering to a locker room looking for an emotional change of pace. 

Other possibilities: Brian Flores, Robert Saleh, Mike LaFleur, Nate Scheelhaase

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7. Las Vegas Raiders

Why: The Raiders come in at No. 7 because the roster is in a difficult place and there still isn’t total clarity on how the franchise is going to operate on a day-to-day basis. John Spytek is sharp and, with everything that has surfaced about the Raiders’ dysfunction this past offseason, he appears to be a true adult in the room. Still, the Raiders need to break in a new quarterback, fit a running game to match its personnel and recreate almost a complete defense before it can be competitive.

First-guess head coach: Davis Webb (with Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator) or Kliff Kingsbury (with Davis Webb as offensive coordinator). 

The Raiders are very likely planning on drafting a quarterback at the top of this year’s first round. That means having a coach in place who can not only design an offense that bridges the gap between college and the NFL, but also to be in that quarterback headspace. The team I’ve outlined here would pair Webb with his former college head coach Kingsbury (or the opposite). I spoke to Kingsbury about Webb in our future head coaches list, here. Kingsbury and Brady are also connected. 

Other possibilities: Vance Joseph, Klint Kubiak, Nate Scheelhaase

8. Cleveland Browns

Why: The Browns are in a difficult division, which the team has never won and there is no change atop the football operations. While it’s true that Andrew Berry oversaw a masterful draft in 2025, we don’t know how those players will perform without the talented head coach the team just parted ways with. An incoming head coach inherits the Shedeur Sanders situation, which will require a great deal of finesse. As one industry expert put it: This is not the position for a first-time head coach, and while that may be the case, that won’t prevent people from trying.

First-guess head coach: Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Cleveland Browns

McDaniel is an ideal fit for this role, but would he pass up the chance to score 30-plus points per game with old buddy Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels, or take the Lions’ offensive coordinator job and rehab his career over the course of a season? I just think that Schwartz is the one candidate who knows what he’s in for, and unless Burke—a fellow Ivy Leaguer alongside Berry, both of whom had stops at Harvard as either a coach or player—makes an appearance on their interview dance card, the Browns may not have a candidate willing to embrace all of the uncertainty. 

Other possibilities: Dan Pitcher, Matt Burke, Mike McDaniel

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More coaching analysis from Conor Orr

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