Are you ready to take part in another round of the NFL coach carousel. While playoff football is great, it’s equally entertaining to watch the various NFL teams go through the process of hiring and interviewing their next leaders. While some teams have found their next leaders, there are five more teams that are looking for head coaches. Who will be the risky hire this year? It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.
Other aspects of NFL coaching search are the jobs. What would you do if you were a hot commodity? There are many factors to consider: players, quarterbacks and cap space. We will rank each of the openings for head coaches from best to worst. This includes a surprising opening in New Orleans . There is a new No. 1 replaces the Raiders following the Las Vegas Vegas. Josh McDaniels was chosen, and the Bears (Matt Eberflus), Broncos(Nathaniel Hackett), and Giants (Brian Daboll also recently filled their vacant positions.
1. Miami Dolphins
Although the Dolphins will have the largest cap space in the NFL this season, I have some questions about this opening. Although many didn’t expect Brian Flores would be fired, reports suggest that he was involved in a power struggle against Chris Grier. The 40-year old is expected to be a prominent participant in the coaching carousel. This could indicate that Flores was not the right person to leave the Dolphins. Adam Beasley from Pro Football Network said Flores was “incredibly difficult” to work with and that he had strained relationships with others in the building at times. I don’t care if Grier or Flores were wrong. I am walking into my hypothetical interview with questions to ask.
The verdict is still out on quarterback TuaTagovailoa. Although he did show improvement in Year 2, there were still times when the offense was not on its best foot. You have to admit that there could be a quarterback switch down the road. Miami has Jaylen Waddle , an absolute star and a defense that could rival the best in the league. Who wouldn’t love to live in South Florida!
2. Minnesota Vikings
After 20 seasons, the Vikings made the decision to let Mike Zimmer go. Although it may seem exaggerated, it speaks volumes about the Wilfs’ willingness to give their head coaches a chance. This is something that you should consider valuable, especially when the leash on new head coach gets tighter each year.
Ownership is patient and the Vikings could be in need of a solid rebuild. They are in dire need of major defense upgrades, and they are extremely short on cash . Kirk Cousins will be entering his final year of contract. He is due $35,000,000 in base salary per Spotrac. You’ll need to prepare a plan to fill that role. I am not as afraid of the NFC North now as I was years ago, as Aaron Rodgers may be leaving. Zimmer never let the Vikings lose more than nine games during a season, so they are not the worst team in the NFL. You have some pieces in stars like Justin Jefferson or Dalvin cook. But you will need to be smart about how to handle the draft, free agency, and especially this first offseason.
3. New Orleans Saints
It might surprise you to see the Saints’ head coach position so far down the list. They ended this season with a winning record and have two of the best offensive players in the league, running back Alvin Kamara, and receiving Michael Thomas. They also have a winning culture, as they have never had a losing season since 2016.
These are the benefits of this job. However, the downsides include the massive salary cap headache that the Saints will be facing as they are $74 million above the cap going into the new league season. New Orleans will need to agree to contracts for several of its high-priced players if they want to be able to compete next season. There are also questions about quarterback as Jameis Winston, who led Saints to a record of 5-2 last season before being injured, will be a free agent.
If Tom Brady retires , this job will be even more appealing. This will level the playing field in NFC South, which also includes the Panthers as well as the Falcons. These two franchises have suffered eight consecutive losing seasons.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have a quarterback franchise in Trevor Lawrence. There is plenty of cap room and the No. The Jaguars have a franchise quarterback in a HACKED_LINKs://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/2967185/trevor-lawrence”>Trevor Lawrence, plenty of cap space and the No. This is great, but the problems with this organization go beyond money and draft picks. The Jaguars have been the NFL’s laughing stock for many years. To make fun of Trent Baalke, fans even staged a “clown-out” on Sunday. According to reports, a plane with a banner reading #KlownTown could be seen flying above the stadium. One fan said, “D. Fire Baalke!” during a stadium trivia segment much to everyone’s delight.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco believes that the entire organization must be restructured and the culture has to change. Not only will the new head coach have to rebuild the franchise, but he’ll also have to do it off-field.
5. Houston Texans
Houston’s surprising record of 4-13 is a great indicator of the team’s current state. David Culley was fired after only one season of relative success. This does not reflect well upon the organization and may make it more difficult for Nick Caserio, general manager, to find a top candidate. However, the team is expected to pursue Brian Flores who knows Caserio well from their time together with the Patriots.
Houston is currently battling Deshaun Webster, who has been inactive throughout the year. Although the offense is lacking in weapons, it might have something to do with quarterback Davis Mills. The Texans have some young promising players on defense, particularly Jonathan Greenard or Kamu Grugier Hill. But they will need to add significantly more talent in the offseason.
The positives to this job include the fact the Texans currently hold the No. 3rd overall pick in 2022 NFL Draft. They play in a division without elite quarterback play. This division also includes Jaguars, another team in search of a head coach
