Over the last five offseasons, an average of seven NFL head coaching jobs have opened up each year. The 2023 offseason was an outlier, with only five top gigs becoming available, but we know there will always be several vacancies following Black Monday.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers have already parted ways with Josh McDaniels and Frank Reich, respectively, and there might be more in-season firings before the year concludes.
The 2024 offseason will bring more change and perhaps more new head coaches than we’ve seen in recent memory. Speculatively, the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders could be searching for new head coaches next winter.
While Jim Harbaugh or other college coaches could be in line to take an NFL head coaching job next season, we’ll focus on coordinators currently in the league, separated by which side of the ball they coach.
2024 NFL Head Coaching Candidates | Offensive Coordinators
Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions
Johnson probably could’ve been a head coach last offseason had he wanted to be, but the Lions’ play-caller opted to stick in Detroit for one more season. This year, he’s fought through injuries to Lions skill-position players and offensive linemen to produce another outstanding unit. Johnson will likely be the top candidate for any NFL team searching for a new head coach in 2024.
Brian Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles
Both Eagles 2023 coordinators — Shane Steichen and Sean Desai — landed head coaching jobs during the last hiring cycle, and there’s at least some chance one Philadelphia coordinator could do so again next offseason.
While the Eagles haven’t been quite as efficient as last season, Johnson, the team’s former QB coach, deserves significant credit for helping develop Jalen Hurts. Now that he has a year of play-calling experience under his belt, Johnson could be the next Eagles coordinator to become an HC.
Eric Bieniemy, Washington Commanders
Having interviewed 15 times for head coaching positions since becoming the Chiefs’ OC in 2018, Bieniemy departed Kansas City for Washington over the 2023 offseason. Now that he’s exited Andy Reid’s shadow, is calling his own plays, and has helped turn Sam Howell into a component NFL starter, will Bieniemy finally get a top job?
Frank Smith, Miami Dolphins
The coach with the most boring name in the NFL is helping craft one of the league’s most exciting offenses. Smith doesn’t call plays for the Dolphins, but that shouldn’t stop him from receiving interest from around the NFL following two years of assisting Mike McDaniel. Remember, McDaniel didn’t call plays for the 49ers before he became a head coach, either.
Wes Phillips, Minnesota Vikings
Phillips is dealing with a situation similar to Smith’s. He doesn’t call the offensive plays in Minnesota, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell — extremely successful over the better part of two years — didn’t have play-calling duties under Sean McVay with the Rams. Phillips deserves praise for his work with Kirk Cousins and the rapid onboarding of new QB Josh Dobbs.
Mike Kafka, New York Giants
Things can change quickly in the NFL. Look no further than Kafka, who interviewed for four of the five HC openings in 2023 but now is tied to a Giants offensive debacle. No one expects Kafka to turn undrafted rookie QB Tommy DeVito into an All-Pro, but New York’s offense struggled even with Daniel Jones under center.
It might be difficult for an ownership group to sell its fanbase on the idea of hiring the offensive play-caller for this version of the Giants.
Shane Waldron, Seattle Seahawks
While the Seahawks offense has taken a step back in 2023, they’re still an above-average unit with Geno Smith under center. That would have been an incredible statement heading into last season, and Waldron spearheaded Smith’s breakout campaign. Waldron’s ties to Sean McVay won’t hurt his potential candidacy, either.
Dave Canales, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As Seattle’s QBs coach in 2022, Canales was also essential to Smith’s 30-TD season, and his efforts landed him an offensive play-calling role with the Buccaneers. All he’s done is help revitalize another quarterback’s career, pushing Baker Mayfield to the 18th-best QBR in the league. Pete Carroll, Canales’ mentor for nearly two decades, will surely vouch for the 42-year-old.
Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens
Monken probably should’ve received head coaching interest after turning a Jameis Winston/Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Bucs offense into the 12th-most efficient unit in the NFL five years ago. Since then, he’s won two NCAA titles as Georgia’s OC and returned to the pros to coach Lamar Jackson.
His age (57) will work against him, but Monken would bring the schematic flexibility that teams strive to attain, and he’s consistently earned rave reviews from his players.
Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans
While Slowik is just 36, there’s no arguing with results. The Texans’ OC brought Kyle Shanahan’s offense to Houston and has guided C.J. Stroud to what will be an award-winning campaign. (Whether Stroud takes home Offensive Rookie of the Year or MVP — or both — remains TBD.)
MORE: Which Teams Might Fire Their Head Coach This Year?
Sure, Slowik will hear nepotism complaints, given his youth and the fact that his father, Bob Slowik, was a longtime NFL defensive coordinator. But given how fellow Shanahan acolytes DeMeco Ryans (Slowik’s boss) and McDaniel have worked out as head coaches, Slowik will likely be on HC shortlists.
Adam Stenavich, Green Bay Packers
If Jordan Love and the Packers continue their turnaround and sneak into the playoffs, Stenavich will undoubtedly draw attention around the league. He doesn’t call plays in Green Bay, but as the club’s former OL coach, Stenavich consistently developed mid and late-round picks into starting-caliber linemen.
Stenavich is also a former undrafted free agent who spent time on practice squads and even played in NFL Europe but never appeared in an NFL game, perhaps giving him perspective to relate with current players better than other head coaching candidates.
2024 NFL Head Coaching Candidates | Defensive Coordinators
Mike Macdonald, Baltimore Ravens
Few NFL coordinators have made as much impact as Macdonald this season. The Ravens rank first in yards per play (4.2) and points per drive (1.26) despite battling injuries to key contributors like CB Marlon Humphrey, S Marcus Williams, and EDGE Odafe Oweh. They’re leading the league in sacks (47) with Jadeveon Clowney as their top edge rusher.
Between Baltimore’s statistical success, his experience under the Harbaugh brothers, and his willingness to try anything schematically, Macdonald might be the perfect head coaching candidate.
Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys
Quinn interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Denver Broncos last offseason and probably had a decent chance at landing one of those jobs had the Cowboys not bumped his salary to convince him to stay. Dallas is still dominant on defense, and Quinn is the only coach on this list who’s led a team to a Super Bowl appearance.
Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings
No defense has changed more since 2022 than the Vikings’, and that’s entirely due to Flores, who’s blitzing more than any team in the NFL but also rushing just three at a higher clip than any club. He’s making the pieces work, and Minnesota is up to ninth in defensive DVOA. Flores’ management style drew criticism during his time as the Dolphins’ HC, but he may have softened over the past two years.
Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions
Glenn interviewed with the Cardinals and Colts during the last hiring cycle and should draw interest again in 2024. Detroit’s defense has taken a step back since its early-season dominance, but Glenn deserves plaudits for getting the most out of early-round picks like Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch and unheralded players like Jerry Jacobs and Derrick Barnes.
Raheem Morris, Los Angeles Rams
Raheem Morris has done it all. He became one of the NFL’s youngest head coaches of all time when he took over the Buccaneers at 32 years old. He coached on the offensive side of the ball as the Falcons’ passing game coordinator from 2015-19 and spent five seasons at the collegiate level.
Now, Morris is coordinating a relatively anonymous Rams defense — and somehow has them in the middle of the pack in most defensive metrics. He’s more than earned a second full-time HC opportunity.
Ejiro Evero, Carolina Panthers
Evero is an excellent defensive coordinator, but he needs to get better at choosing his dance partners. Part of the Nathaniel Hackett debacle in Denver in 2022, Evero is now playing out the string for the Frank Reich-less Panthers. He interviewed for every vacancy during the last cycle and will be near the top of most lists in 2024.
Mike Caldwell, Jacksonville Jaguars
A former player who’s worked under three Super Bowl-winning head coaches (Andy Reid, Bruce Arians, and Doug Pederson), Caldwell profiles as an HC candidate before we even get to Jacksonville’s defensive performance. The Jaguars’ D has transformed into a top-10 unit in 2023, with contributions from draft picks like Josh Allen and Travon Walker and free agent additions like Foye Oluokun and Darious Williams.
Steve Wilks, San Francisco 49ers
Wilks took over as Carolina’s interim head coach early in the 2022 campaign and nearly led the club to playoffs, posting a 6-6 mark down the stretch. A finalist for the Panthers’ full-time gig, Wilks has instead kept San Francisco’s defense at an elite level this season. He never received a fair chance with the Cardinals in 2018, but Wilks deserves one now.
Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots
Although he was once viewed as the Patriots’ head coach in waiting, Mayo’s future in New England has presumably been disrupted by the club’s 2023 struggles. Bill Belichick appears increasingly likely to be fired after the season. But it’s unclear if Mayo remains a potential successor or will need to take interviews elsewhere.
Sean Desai, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles’ defense is producing at the same level as it was under ex-DC Jonathan Gannon, and Desai isn’t working with the same talent base, either. He may need one more year as Philadelphia’s coordinator before generating serious HC interest, but Desai interviewed for four DC gigs last year, suggesting teams are intrigued by his résumé.
Jim Schwartz, Cleveland Browns
Schwartz could hardly have reclaimed an NFL DC seat with more authority this season. The Cleveland Browns’ defense ranks first in yards allowed per game (247.9) and opponent scoring rate (23.4%). Myles Garrett is a DPOY candidate, and Clevleand’s defense has helped the club to a 7-4 record despite ongoing offensive issues.
Schwartz may be in that bucket of play-callers that seems destined to be a coordinator for life, especially given that he’s already received one head coaching opportunity (Lions, 2009-13). But he will at least be in the 2024 mix.
Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos
Listing Joseph as a head coaching candidate would have been laughable earlier this season when the Broncos were fresh off allowing 70 points to the Dolphins. But Denver’s defense has turned things around. They rank eighth in points per snap since Week 6 and haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 22 points during that stretch.
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A familiar face with the Broncos, Joseph was fired after just two seasons (2017-18) in Denver during his first head coaching opportunity and deserves another shot.
Teryl Austin, Pittsburgh Steelers
Austin has interviewed for 11 head coaching positions during his NFL career, but most of those meetings took place nearly a decade ago. He’s had to work his way back up the ranks and is now in charge of a Steelers defense that is keeping Pittsburgh in games and the playoff race. If a rival club wants a dose of Mike Tomlin’s magic, Austin might be their best bet.
Steve Spagnuolo, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes used to have to overcome a poor Chiefs defense. But now that Spagnuolo has taken a run of successful draft picks and molded an elite unit, K.C.’s defense is starting to carry the team. Spagnuolo is behind that effort, but his age (63) and the lifetime DC label will hinder his head coaching chances.
Spagnuolo’s last full-time HC opportunity, a 2009-11 run with the St. Louis Rams, yielded mixed results, but he’s built up an impressive résumé since then.
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