Every NFL head coaching job opening, ranked

Black Monday is the day after the NFL’s regular season ends. On this day, every NFL coach on the hot seat is twiddling their thumbs while hoping that their job is safe, as a number of coaches and front office members get fired directly after the regular season ends. This year, four coaches were fired on Jan. 5, in addition to two general managers. The Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns all moved on from their coaches. The Falcons also moved on from their general manager, as did the Miami Dolphins. The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants are still looking for their next coach after they made mid-season firings, too.

That means that there are six teams that will be searching for a new coach, but how do these coaching vacancies rank in terms of how desirable they are for coaching candidates? Job security, state of the roster, ability to improve the roster, and organizational stability can all play a part in what makes a team an intriguing fit for a coach.

6. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals lost nine straight games to end the season. That is a scary trajectory for whoever the next head coach will be. Roster improvement will also be limited by Kyler Murray’s contract. It seems like the team is ready to move on from the former first overall pick, but teams will likely be hesitant to trade for a player on a $230.5 million deal with two years left.

Perhaps Murray will be back as the starter. He isn’t a bad player, but he certainly hasn’t met pre-draft expectations. Jacoby Brissett is a solid bridge option, but he doesn’t have the it factor required from an NFL quarterback, which is part of the reason the team lost so many games to end the season.

With Arizona picking behind the Raiders and the Jets in the 2026 NFL Draft, they will likely miss out on one of the top quarterbacks in what is somewhat of a two-man class, too. The Cardinals will be just middle of the pack in cap space, and there isn’t much optimism that general manager Monti Ossenfort will be able to do anything with the money they do have available.

Despite joining the team at the same time as former head coach Jonathan Gannon, Ossenfort kept his job. The roster is weirdly constructed and doesn’t fit together all that well. The Cardinals also play in an NFC West that is arguably the best division in the NFL. All of the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers will make a push for the Super Bowl. The silver lining is that the team does employ Trey McBride, arguably the best tight end in the NFL, but not even he can prevent the Cardinals from being the least appealing head coaching destination this year.

5. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have been a disaster of an organization ever since they rejoined the league in 1999. The team has selected draft bust after draft bust, and 42 different players have started at quarterback for the team this century. Taking the Cleveland job would be daunting for any coach because failures are almost expected out of the Browns. The next head coach would not just have to turn a 5-12 team around, but they’d have to help turn an organization around that has been predominantly pathetic for decades.

Kevin Stefanski won two Coach of the Year awards with the Browns, but they only won one playoff game during his six-year tenure. Hindsight may even suggest he won those awards merely because expectations are so low for the Browns that even doing just an okay job was admirable.

Going forward, the Browns might have more question marks at quarterback than any other team. The team drafted both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the later rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, but neither of them did enough to become established as the franchise signal caller. The team also has Deshaun Watson’s disastrous contract on the books for another season. The offensive line is bad, the team is underwhelming at receiver, and who knows if Quinshon Judkins will ever be the same after a gruesome lower-body injury.

The reason the Browns’ job doesn’t rank last here is because of Myles Garrett. The former Defensive Player of the Year winner is about to take home that title again after breaking the single-season sacks record. He might legitimately be the best player in the NFL, and he will make figuring out the defense a lot easier for his next head coach.

Stefanski somehow coached the most games of any Browns coach since the ’60s, but the next coach likely won’t have such a long leash if things aren’t quickly turned around in Cleveland.

4. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons won each of their last four games. While that didn’t save Raheem Morris’ job, it does give some optimism to whoever will be the team’s next coach. The Falcons have made a number of poor decisions in recent years that prevent the team from having a clear path toward contention, though.

Most notably, Atlanta gave Kirk Cousins a massive contract and drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in the same offseason. Penix was just okay after taking over for Cousins, but he ended the year sidelined with an ACL injury. Cousins has had a solid career, but he is 37 years old and well past his prime. If the Falcons ride their momentum into next year, either quarterback could be serviceable enough for the Falcons to compete in the NFC South, which is arguably the weakest division in football.

However, there isn’t much room to improve the roster. Atlanta only has $4.8 million in 2026 cap space, which ranks just 24th in the league. They will also be without their first-round pick because of their trade for James Pearce in last year’s draft. To make matters worse, Kyle Pitts could bolt in free agency after finally reaching his potential this season, too.

Most of the teams on this list were really bad this year, but the Falcons were pretty mediocre. Escaping mediocrity will be the challenge for Atlanta’s next coach, though.

3. Tennessee Titans

The Titans fired Brian Callahan after only six games this past season. They’ve had longer than any other team to start their head coaching search, and Vance Joseph, Matt Nagy, Steve Spagnuolo, Raheem Morris and Lou Anarumo have reportedly already been requested for interviews to fill the vacancy.

The Titans need to get their coaching decision right because they can’t afford to stunt the growth of number one overall pick Cam Ward. The Miami product showed flashes as a rookie, but it is fair to say he disappointed in his first season, and the state of Tennessee’s roster certainly didn’t do him any favors.

Caleb Williams was one of the most highly touted prospects ever, and the number one pick the year before Ward. He also had an underwhelming rookie season, but a coaching change in which the Chicago Bears brought in Ben Johnson took him and his team to the next level. The Titans will hope for similar growth after they get their guy at the helm.

The Titans’ quarterback situation is clear, so they can use a league-leading $113 million in cap space to add veterans that can take the team to the next level. This path could lead to a New England Patriots-esque ascension into contention as soon as next season.

2. New York Giants

Like the Titans, the Giants have a young quarterback in place. Jaxson Dart needs to cut back on his risk-taking, especially when it comes to ensuring he can stay healthy, but he is a physically gifted quarterback with tons of potential. Dart isn’t the only exciting youngster in New York, though.

Cam Skattebo was making waves as a running back before suffering an injury. Malik Nabers’ season also ended prematurely, but he is one of the best receivers in the NFL. When those two come back, the Giants’ offense could be electric. There are also some solid pieces on defense. Brian Burnes, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux can be one of the best pass-rushing groups in the NFL. Burnes was second in the NFL in sacks, and his production wasn’t common knowledge only because of the year that Garrett had sacking the quarterback. Carter and Thibodeaux are both recent top-five picks.

With over $18 million in 2026 cap space to work with, the Giants will be able to build around this young core. The team will be picking fifth in the 2026 NFL Draft, and considering they don’t need a quarterback, they can secure one of the top players at a different position to add to their core.

Expectations are always high for the Giants, but there are perks that come with being in New York. Players want to play there, and the hope is that the next Giants’ coach can help the team contend sooner rather than later.

1. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have the most desirable coaching opening this cycle. The team was the worst team in the NFL this year, but the future is relatively bright. The biggest selling point for this job is that the Raiders have the number one pick. Pete Carroll’s successor will have his pick of the litter to get the franchise quarterback. That is because Las Vegas is picking first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The next coach will be able to mold either Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore into a star. Mendoza plays for Indiana, and Moore plays for Oregon. The two schools face off in the College Football Playoff’s Peach Bowl, which will have big implications on who goes first overall. Mendoza is the Heisman winner and the NCAA’s touchdowns leader. He has a high IQ and incredible accuracy. Moore has more of a knack for deep throws and the big play. The next coach will certainly have a preference, and that makes this job enticing.

The Raiders rank first here for more reasons than just owning the number one pick, though. Brock Bowers should bounce back from a down season in which he was riddled by injuries. He is just a year removed from not only the best rookie tight end season ever, but the best rookie pass-catching season overall in NFL history. Coaches can get creative in how they use Bowers, especially because he is an elite blocker. Ashton Jeanty was one of the best running back prospects in recent memory, too.

If the Raiders can improve a weak offensive line and group of wide receivers, this offense will have the potential to be special with Moore or Mendoza leading the way. The defense even has one of the best players in the NFL on it in Maxx Crosby. Las Vegas will have plenty of chances to improve those weak areas, too, as they have the second-most cap space heading into next year. Having Tom Brady in the building should only make things easier as well, especially when it comes to recruiting free agents.

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