2026 NFL coach hiring predictions, candidates for open jobs - ESPN

It's the middle of January, and eight NFL teams are looking for new head coaches. That's 25% of the league. There's a worthwhile debate about the healthiness of that model, but that's not what we're doing here. We're trying to predict who will land those eight jobs, which is really hard to do at this point. Though I understand fans' eagerness to find out who will be coaching their favorite teams, it's important to remember how early we still are in this process.

For example, assistant coaches for teams that played in wild-card playoff games Saturday or Sunday weren't even allowed to conduct virtual interviews for head coach jobs until Tuesday. If a team wants to interview, say, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Rams coordinators Mike LaFleur and Chris Shula, or Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, they haven't been able to until just now. Saleh is preparing for a game Saturday against the Seahawks on a short week, all while multiple teams have requested permission to interview him for their head coach position. Assistant coaches for teams that played in Monday night's wild-card game can't do virtual head coach interviews until Wednesday. So, if a front office is looking to talk to Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke or Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, it hasn't been able to do that, either.

Finally, are we sure there will be only eight openings? For example, Matt LaFleur and the Packers are discussing an extension, but that doesn't mean he will get one. It wouldn't be unprecedented to see a team or two move on from its head coach this late in the game.

All of that said, predictions are fun, so here are my still-too-early head coach landing spot predictions that are sure to be wrong. They tell me I can come back and update this next week if I want. I'll likely take them up on that.

Former coach: Jonathan Gannon, fired last week after three seasons and a 15-36 record

My prediction for the next Cardinals coach: Klint Kubiak, Seahawks offensive coordinator

Arizona's situation will be a tough sell for the more established candidates, especially because the Cardinals will likely move on from quarterback Kyler Murray. Would the Cards love to get John Harbaugh? Of course. But he will probably find other opportunities more appealing. Arizona needs to be thinking about finding a young star head coach to compete in a division in which Mike Macdonald, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay each just won at least 12 games and are all still alive in the playoffs. Maybe Kubiak has that potential.

Three years ago, Arizona waited out the Eagles' Super Bowl run and hired Gannon, who was Philly's defensive coordinator at the time. If Seattle makes a run to the Super Bowl, the pattern could be repeated with Kubiak. Seattle's offense ranked eighth in yards (351.4) and offensive points scored (25.3) per game this season.

Other known candidates: Vance Joseph, Robert Saleh, Matt Nagy, Thomas Brown, Jeff Hafley

Former coach: Raheem Morris, fired last week after two seasons and a 16-18 record

My prediction for the next Falcons coach: John Harbaugh, former Ravens head coach

Falcons team owner Arthur Blank will be willing to spend what it takes to get the top coach available. The Falcons are also looking for a new GM, and that could be appealing to Harbaugh, as he could have some say regarding who gets the role (though the Falcons just hired former QB Matt Ryan as president of football, and he'll obviously have plenty of say in both decisions).

The question for Harbaugh, or any candidate, is what he thinks of the QB situation in Atlanta. Michael Penix Jr. will be in his third season and coming off a major knee injury, and Kirk Cousins is still hanging around. If a coach thinks they can make that work, Atlanta has a lot to offer.

Other known candidates: Kevin Stefanski, Anthony Weaver, Klint Kubiak, Mike McDaniel, Aden Durde, Ejiro Evero, Jeff Hafley

Former coach: John Harbaugh, fired last week after 18 seasons, a 180-113 regular-season record, a 13-11 playoff record and a Super Bowl title

My prediction for the next Ravens coach: Kevin Stefanski, former Browns head coach

The Ravens know Stefanski from having played against his Browns teams for the past six years (Baltimore was 8-4 against Stefanski-coached Cleveland teams), and Stefanski is a popular candidate on this circuit. He's a mid-Atlantic, East Coast guy who would fit in a place like here or New York. Having Lamar Jackson and a winning culture in place makes Baltimore the most appealing landing spot among the current openings. Stefanski had 13 different starting QBs in Cleveland, but he would get a true franchise passer in Jackson in Baltimore.

Other known candidates: Brian Flores, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, Klint Kubiak, Anthony Weaver, Matt Nagy, Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, Joe Brady

Former coach: Kevin Stefanski, fired last week after six seasons, a 45-56 regular-season record and a 1-2 playoff record

My prediction for the next Browns coach: Mike McDaniel, former Dolphins head coach

All of the intel we have on this one says the Browns are looking for an offensive-minded head coach who won't mind keeping Jim Schwartz as the defensive coordinator. (That makes me wonder why they don't give the head coach job to Schwartz, an outcome I believe is also possible here.)

Cleveland's perpetually challenging quarterback situation could make this job a tough sell, but McDaniel is quirky, creative and confident. And he had success in a challenging QB situation during his first two seasons in Miami. It's not tough to imagine the Browns' front office wanting to tap into McDaniels' ideas about how to design and run an offense.

Other known candidates: John Harbaugh, Todd Monken, Jim Schwartz, Tommy Rees, Dan Pitcher, Nate Scheelhaase, Grant Udinski

Former coach: Pete Carroll, fired last week after one season and a 3-14 record

My prediction for the next Raiders coach: Robert Saleh, former Jets coach and current 49ers defensive coordinator

Saleh has been on Las Vegas' short list in the past, and his work in San Francisco this season has caught a lot of people's attention around the league. His Jets tenure didn't go great, but that's true of most people who coach there. It doesn't sound like teams will let his Jets tenure deter them from talking to him this time around.

Whoever gets this job must have a plan for offensive coordinator and the development of a young quarterback, likely Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. But Saleh is part of that Shanahan/McVay network and should have no trouble putting together an offensive staff. The Raiders were last in the NFL with 14.1 offensive points per game and 245.2 yards per game this season.

Other known candidates: Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, Matt Nagy, Klint Kubiak, Mike LaFleur, Kevin Stefanski, Ejiro Evero

Former coach: Mike McDaniel, fired last week after four seasons, a 35-33 regular-season record and an 0-2 playoff record

My prediction for the next Dolphins coach: Chris Shula, Rams defensive coordinator

Too good, right? Don Shula's grandson coaching Don's old team? Going into this process, I felt very strongly that Shula would get a head coaching opportunity. The Shula/Miami connection is too good to pass up. But the Dolphins' job just opened, and it's too early to know the eventual top candidates. Shula is well-regarded around the league, and there always seems to be at least one McVay assistant who gets a head coach job.

Other known candidates: John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Klint Kubiak, Robert Saleh

Former coach: Brian Daboll, fired in November after 3½ seasons, a 20-40-1 regular-season record and a 1-1 playoff record. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka finished the season as the interim head coach and went 2-5.

My prediction for the next Giants coach: Jeff Hafley, Packers defensive coordinator

Hafley has been high on the Giants' list for a while, according to what I've been told. I think New York will try very hard to get Harbaugh or Stefanski, and the Giants might land one of them. But I placed those guys elsewhere, and I had to make a pick for the Giants based on the rest of the pool.

Hafley has college head coach experience from Boston College, and his work with the Green Bay defense has earned him a lot of attention from NFL teams looking for a head coach. The Giants' defense allowed 5.8 yards per play this season, tied for 26th. Hafley's Packers were at 5.0, tied for eighth best.

Other known candidates: John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Mike Kafka, Steve Spagnuolo, Lou Anarumo, Antonio Pierce, Mike McCarthy, Raheem Morris, Vance Joseph

Former coach: Brian Callahan, fired in October after nearly 1½ seasons and a 4-19 record. Mike McCoy finished the season as the interim head coach and went 2-9.

My prediction for the next Titans coach: Matt Nagy, Chiefs offensive coordinator

This was the first name that got floated as a possibility when Callahan was fired, likely because of Titans GM Mike Borgonzi's connections to Nagy from his time in the Kansas City front office. Nagy is a former Bears head coach who's on his second stint with the Chiefs and helped develop Patrick Mahomes during his first one. Tennessee will be looking for a good offensive head coach to steward the next stage of Cam Ward's development, and Nagy did win a division title in his first year in Chicago.

I think Tennessee casts a wide net, and popular candidates such as Harbaugh, Stefanski and Joseph become strong candidates here, as well. Ward is that well-regarded.

Other known candidates: Kevin Stefanski, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris, Kliff Kingsbury, Vance Joseph, Lou Anarumo, Steve Spagnuolo, Jason Garrett, Robert Saleh, Mike McCarthy, Chris Shula, Jeff Hafley