After the recent firing of Mike McDaniel, there are eight head coaching vacancies in the National Football League, which means that 25% of NFL teams will be employing a new head coach next season. With one in four teams looking for new head coaches, let's break down the most attractive destinations for head coaching candidates this off-season.
8. Miami Dolphins
This is the least tempting job opening in the NFL today. The weather may be nice in South Florida, but the football team isn’t.
The 'Phins will probably move on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, which means that the projected starter next season will either be Zach Wilson or Quinn Ewers. It seems like Miami will have to give away assets in any type of trade involving Tua because no team is going to want to take on his $56.4 million cap hit next season. If the Dolphins don't trade Tua, then they'll end up releasing him, which would incur a $99.2 million hit in dead money. There’s no winning here and seemingly no way around this contract. Therefore, the new head coach might be stuck with Tua Tagovailoa for next season until the team can cut him in 2027, which would only lead to a $31.8 million dead money hit.
Outside of Tua, there are huge cap hits like Tyreek Hill, a soon-to-be 32-year-old wideout coming off a devastating leg injury. He carries a $51.9 million cap hit next year. There's also edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who is not worth the $31.5 million cap hit he carries into next season.
Beyond running back De'Von Achane, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and the Florida sunshine, there aren't many attractive aspects to this vacancy.
7. Cleveland Browns
If the new HC can figure out a way to work around Deshaun Watson's immense contract, then this could actually be a pretty good opportunity for an up-and-coming coach.
The Browns have an elite defense. Myles Garrett is the clear-cut Defensive Player of the Year after breaking the single-season sack record (23). Cleveland also has a Pro Bowl-level cornerback in Denzel Ward. Rookies like Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger also showed a ton of promise and will likely be high-caliber contributors for years to come.
There are also some bright spots on the offense. Quinshon Judkins has everything it takes to be a number-one running back in the NFL, and maybe even a Pro Bowler someday. The same can be said for Harold Fannin Jr., who finished second amongst rookie tight ends in receptions (72), receiving yards (731), and targets (107). Even quarterback Shedeur Sanders looked decent at times with 1,400 passing yards, eight total touchdowns, and a 3-5 record.
The Deshaun Watson contract is the real roadblock for this team. The good news is that if the Browns can re-work that deal, then they'll be able to free up some money to add more impact players through free agency and the draft.
6. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NFL this season. After starting the year 2-0, they lost 14 of their last 15 games. Do you know how bad you have to be to lose to the Tennessee Titans?!
Similar to the Cleveland Browns, a massive quarterback contract will be the first thing the new head coach has to deal with. Kyler Murray was effectively benched this year and has a $53.7 million cap hit next season. The new head coach will have to come in and decide right away if they will be moving forward with Murray as QB1 or moving on from him in the off-season. That is an unenviable decision because there are merits to both sides. On the one hand, he is a former Pro Bowler who once led his team to the playoffs. On the other hand, he has missed 21 games over the last three seasons. When it comes to Kyler Murray, you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.
Thankfully, the Cardinals have a lot of flexibility from there. They have $44 million in available cap space heading into this off-season, and that number could increase if Arizona is able to trade away Kyler Murray. Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr. make up a really effective group of pass catchers. On defense, Budda Baker is a perennial All-Pro. Simultaneously, there are several young playmakers that I am quite fond of, including Walter Nolen III, Will Johnson, Max Melton, Denzel Burke, and Garrett Williams.
5. Atlanta Falcons
They might be SOL when it comes to draft capital this off-season, but this is an undeniably talented team with a lot of good, young players.
The new coach can build the team's offensive gameplan around running back Bijan Robinson, who led the league in scrimmage yards this season (2,298). Plus, Drake London has emerged as one of the best pass catchers in the NFL after finishing seventh in receiving yards per game during the 2025-26 campaign (76.6). They also added several differencemakers defensively last off-season. Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. have already proven themselves as valuable pieces in the secondary, while rookies James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker combined for 16 sacks this season.
The Falcons also have $32 million to play around with in free agency, but the questions at the quarterback position make this opening less appealing. It's unclear if Michael Penix Jr. is the quarterback of the future after suffering his third torn ACL over the last seven years. At the same time, it sounds like Kirk Cousins wants to move on and play somewhere else where he can be a starter.
Obviously, the Falcons have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but if Atlanta can't figure out what it's doing at the quarterback spot, head coaching candidates will probably want to consider other opportunities.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Atlanta Falcons may be more talented than the Raiders, but their quarterback future is murky, and they don't have a first-round draft pick this year. Based on those factors, Vegas is the fourth-best coaching vacancy on our list.
With the number-one overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Silver and Black can go in a few different directions this Spring. They could make the easy and smart move and take Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall pick. Then again, if their new coach falls in love with Dante Moore, Las Vegas could make a trade with the New York Jets, take Moore with the second-overall pick, and acquire more draft capital. The last - and least likely - scenario is that the Raiders run it back with Geno Smith, trade the number-one pick for a ton of assets, and retool the team. At the end of the day, though, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the Raiders will hold on to the top spot and take Mendoza. After that, they still have nine picks left in the draft, which means they'll be able to add a lot of young talent.
Before they even make their first draft pick, Las Vegas will probably acquire several players through free agency and trades. The Raiders have the second-most available cap space in the league ($110 million), according to spotrac, so they should be able to attract free agents with massive contracts. They also still have Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers on the roster, who are two of the most talented players in the NFL at their positions. We also can’t forget Ashton Jeanty, who still managed to rush for 1,000+ yards behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Those guys will give the new head coach players that they can create gameplans around.
3. Tennessee Titans
The Titans take the third spot on our list over the Raiders for two reasons. First, Tennessee has $3 million more to work with in available cap space than Vegas. Second, Cam Ward has actually shown an ability to perform in the NFL, while the expected number-one pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza, has not proven anything at the next level. As a result, Tennessee gets the nod over Vegas.
The Titans obviously need an influx of talent. Thankfully, they have $113 million to work with when free agency starts up in March. Tennessee will also be able to add a playmaker on offense or defense with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft.
We also need to mention that there are some good players currently on the Titans' roster. Cam Ward is the quarterback of the future and a former number-one overall pick. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is a four-time Pro Bowler and the anchor of Tennessee's defense. They also have proven offensive linemen like JC Latham and Kevin Zeitler, as well as young playmakers like Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Chig Okonkwo.
This will most likely not be a playoff team next season, but a new coach will make this group much more competitive and help them double their win total from this season. Who knows? We could see the Titans featured on the "In The Hunt" graphic when the playoff race picks up next year.
2. New York Giants
The Giants come in as the second-best head coaching vacancy right now because Big Blue has a lot more talent than Tennessee. Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Andrew Thomas, and Dexter Lawrence II have all the talent in the world to elevate this team to the next level. They just need a good coach to come in and give them a swift kick in the ass.
More importantly, it looks like Jaxson Dart is the quarterback of the future for New York. In a season where Dart only played a half a game with a true number-one wideout, he went 4-8, scored 24 total touchdowns, and finished the year with a QBR of 58.7, which ranked 18th in the NFL. The concussions are a little bit troubling, but if the young man can learn to run more safely, then he will be the Giants’ starting quarterback for years to come.
The Giants aren't perfect. They need to retool the offensive line, add some more pass catchers, and make improvements to the secondary. Still, the foundation is there for a new coach to come in and have success right away. The right guy could have this team in the playoffs a year from now.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are built to win right now. Whoever ends up being the head coach of the 2026-27 Ravens will almost assuredly have immediate success, barring catastrophic injuries.
Baltimore was tied with three other teams for the most Pro Bowl selections this season. Defensively, they have elite playmakers like safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith, who are both under contract for several more years. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens' next head coach will be working with a two-time MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson and a future Hall of Famer in running back Derrick Henry. Did we also forget to mention a Pro Bowl center (Tyler Linderbaum) and wide receiver (Zay Flowers)? This is arguably the most talented team in the National Football League.
Getting a chance to call plays for Lamar Jackson is what makes this job so enticing. This is a franchise that has its quarterback position figured out for years to come, which means almost anybody can come in and lead this team to the playoffs at the very least in their first season. This is similar to a George Seifert situation with the San Francisco 49ers. He became the Niners' head coach in 1989 and led his team to a Super Bowl victory in his first season because they already had established stars like Jerry Rice and Joe Montana. That's how this opening with Baltimore should be viewed. The Ravens will have their choice of whoever they want to be the team's next head coach.
