Now that the 2025-26 NFL regular season has concluded, the NFL coaching carousel has begun. Once the regular season is completed, teams that have not made the playoffs will evaluate their entire team. Team owners, executives, and decision makers will evaluate the head coach once the regular season ends. Many coaches’ fates were decided following the concussion of Week 18. Overall, teams will spend the first few days after the end of the season evaluating if they believe their current head coach and his staff are helping the team progress or holding them back.
Throughout the regular season, many names will be brought up as speculative NFL head coaching candidates. The pool is made up of former head coaches, elite offensive/defensive coordinators, and head coaches from the college level. At this point of the year, the candidates that receive the most buzz are the names likely to land one of the head coaching opportunities.
Teams will be interviewing NFL head coaching candidates over the next few weeks. Prior to Week 18, there were two vacancies open. Now there are eight openings available overall this offseason. Here are the 2026 NFL Head Coaching Candidates that can make the leap from up-and-coming coordinator to head coach.
The biggest riser among head coaching candidates this NFL season is none other than Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. He has been a member of Sean McVay’s staff since 2017. Throughout the years, McVay has promoted Shula from an assistant linebackers coach all the way to being his defensive coordinator. Shula had some big shoes to fill when he took over for Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator.
There is a strong case that the Los Angeles Rams were the most well-rounded team in the league during the regular season. Not only were they dominant on the offensive side of the ball, but their defense was one of the few elite defenses in the league. Shula has played a major role in developing the young talent on this defense over the last few years and transforming it into the elite defense that it was this season.
This feat is extremely impressive considering Los Angeles lost future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald to retirement in 2023. Shula, the Rams have given Shula young talent like Jared Verse, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Omar Speights to replace the aging veterans that are no longer on the team. He been instrumental in turning them into key contributors for a Super Bowl team.
NFL executives love hiring from the McVay coaching tree, and Shula’s family ties could help him land a job. But the final piece to the puzzle that will almost guarantee Shula a job this offseason came from a FOX Sports report from Jay Glazer. He reported that “…he’s (Sean McVay) done more with Chris Shula than all of them combined (other coaches McVay has helped develop). These two guys are best friends. They went to college together. But he lets him in on everything. He may not do that with everyone else, but he does that with Shula. He thinks he’s going to be a star.” That kind of endorsement should single-handedly land Shula a job. Combine that with the performance and development of his side of the ball this season, and he is almost guaranteed to be an NFL head coach next season.
Best Fits: New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins,
Over the last two seasons, Klint Kubiak has become one of the few offensive coordinators with no head coaching experience to become a household name. In 2024, Kubiak became the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. His offense had a blazing start to the year, but injuries cooled the team off and ultimately led to Kubiak not being retained by New Orleans’ new coaching staff, led by Kellen Moore.
Last offseason, Kubiak was one of the hottest offensive coordinator candidates on the market. He landed with a Seahawks team that was looking to retool its offense to elevate the team to the next level. Controversially, Seattle traded away Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf and brought in Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp because they were better scheme fits for Kubiak’s offense. These additions and changes in offensive play calling have put Seattle back in the Super Bowl picture for the first time in about a decade.
For the second season in a row, Kubiak’s offensive play-calling has added a spark to a team stuck in the middle of the pack. Teams are always looking for the next young offensive guru to help develop a young quarterback and a struggling offense. Kubiak has not only spent time under his Super Bowl-winning father, Gary Kubiak, but he has also worked under San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Coach of the Year candidate Mike McDonald. Teams will value Kubiak’s experience and hope he can bring the intangibles that Shanahan and McDonald bring to their teams to their own.
Best Fits: Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens
Joe Brady has to be the longest tenured ‘hot head coaching candidate’ among this year’s candidates. He has been the next great offensive-minded head coach since he coached Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson at LSU in 2019. Since then, Brady had a stint as the offensive coordinator of Matt Rhule’s Carolina Panthers and has made his way up to the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.
When Sean McDermott relieved Ken Dorsey and promoted Joe Brady to offensive coordinator, there was an instant shift in the offensive philosophy. Immediately, Buffalo improved at running the football, and James Cook bloomed into a Pro Bowl running back. This was lacking in Buffalo’s offense for the first few years of the Josh Allen era.
Buffalo has been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL over the last decade. Historically underachieving franchises could look to hire a coach from a team like Buffalo, which has consistently been a playoff and Super Bowl contender. It also benefits Brady that this cycle is lacking depth in offensive coordinator head coaching candidates. If a team is narrowing down their search to offensive-minded coaches, Brady could top its list.
Best Fits: Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans
Back in 2024, when Jim Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, he decided to bring his Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with him. This was high praise from Harbaugh, considering he has a ton of other coaching connections and former assistants in the league to fill that role. Minter has not disappointed in his two seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator. He has gotten the most out of the unit that is still being rebuilt and retooled into what the current Chargers administration has in mind. Before working with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Minter was a defensive assistant with his brother, John Harbaugh, with the Baltimore Ravens from 2017-2020.
In a short span of time, the Los Angeles Chargers have taken the identity of their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, and the brand of football he wants to play. Minter has been a large part of establishing the Harbaugh identity and culture for a Chargers team that needed an identity change in the worst way when they were hired in 2024.
A team that hires Minter hopes to bring the Harbaugh coaching identity/culture to their team by extension. Not only will their team take on a new identity, but Minter is also one of the most respected defensive play-callers in the league. He is expected to be one of the premier head coaching candidates this cycle.
Best Fits: Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers
The last couple of seasons have been a roller coaster for Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. When the Cincinnati Bengals made the Super Bowl back in the 2021-22 season, he emerged as a potential head coaching candidate. He interviewed for multiple jobs during that stretch. However, at the end of the 2024-25 season, Anarumo was fired by Cincinnati after back-to-back disappointing performances by his defense. He was deemed the scapegoat by the Cincinnati Bengals organization for their poor defensive performance.
Anarumo was hired by Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts to replace longtime defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. His defense played well at times in Indianapolis despite suffering major injuries to star defenders Charvarius Ward, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, and DeForest Buckner this season. But Cincinnati’s defense did not improve at all under new defensive coordinator Al Golden.
The performances of both Indianapolis’ and Cincinnati’s defenses this past year should prove that Anarumo should still be regarded as one of the best defensive play-callers in the league and a potential head coaching candidate. Anarumo has shown the ability to develop and get the most out of talented defenders with the potential to develop into stars.
Best Fits: New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins
The Green Bay Packers have been one of the most consistent teams on the offensive side of the ball year after year. The consistent production from this offense has put offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich in the head coach candidate conversation. The majority of his coaching career has been spent with the Green Bay Packers under Matt LaFleur.
Stenavich has developed elite running games with Pro Bowl running backs Aaron Jones and Josh Jacobs since he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022. But Stenavich’s claim to fame during his time with the Green Bay Packers has been his ability to develop offensive linemen. It seems like every year the Packers take a developmental offensive lineman on Day 3 and he develops into a starter or high-floor backup in Green Bay. He has played roles in developing offensive linemen like Zach Tom, Elgton Jenkins, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, and Anthony Belton.
Bringing in a coach like Stenavich isn’t a ‘sexy hire’; he brings a scheme and culture that has consistently produced during the regular season and brought his Packers teams to the playoffs. Teams would be doing themselves a disservice by not bringing in Stenavich for interviews.
Best Fits: New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has gained a lot of steam as a legitimate head coaching candidate this past season. Hafley’s defense has played well over the last two seasons. He made the jump from college football to the NFL despite being one of the more respected coaches in college football during his time at Boston College. Many in league circles trust that Hafley can lead a locker room of NFL veterans the way he did with college athletes in the ACC.
Hafley has retooled this defense in the last couple of seasons, getting production out of young players, including Edgerrin Cooper, Carrington Valentine, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Devonte Wyatt, and Quay Walker. He also got career years out of Micah Parsons and Xavier McKinney in their first years with Green Bay.
Hafley brings a stabilizing presence to whatever team brings him in as the head coach. He should have a positive impact on the defense that he builds, but could also be the ‘CEO’ type coach that a team may look to bring in.
Best Fits: Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals
One of the more surprising playoff teams to emerge this season was the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Liam Cohen’s first year with the team, they had a phenomenal year. Both coordinators, Grant Udinski and Anthony Campanile, are a large reason why the team had such a great year. They both could be sneaky candidates to land head coaching jobs this offseason.
Anthony Campanile was able to maximize all the talent Jacksonville has on defense. They were regarded as one of the best-run defenses in the league. Campanile’s background as a linebacker coach prior to becoming a defensive coordinator played a massive role in Devin Lloyd breaking out and having an All-Pro caliber season this past year.
Campanile is likely a year away from having a legit shot at a head coaching opportunity. But the performance Jacksonville put together during the regular seasons, combined with what they do during the playoffs, could propel Campanile into ‘hot head coaching candidate’ territory.
Best Fits: Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejero Evero has been considered one of the best defensive play callers in the league for the past couple of seasons. Evero has not landed a head coaching opportunity yet despite interviewing for multiple jobs throughout the years. Since there are so many openings available this offseason, Evero could land an opportunity.
Carolina’s defense was not dominant this season. However, their defense vastly improved this season. Evero has been building the Carolina Panthers’ defense the past few seasons, which was a mess before he got there in 2023. His defense was stout this past season. Evero’s defense looks a few pieces away from taking that next step and becoming a dangerous unit that opponents must account for every single week.
Over the course of Evero’s NFL coaching career, he has been a key factor in the development of some great defenses. If he lands a head coaching opportunity, he will have the opportunity to build a defense that can be one of the best in football during his tenure.
Best Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders
A coaching candidate that should be gaining more national attention for the work he has done is Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Aden Durde. In a short period of time, Durde has retooled the Seahawks into one of the best in football. This elite unit has propelled Seattle to the one seed in the NFC.
As a defensive line coach with the Dallas Cowboys, Durde played a role in developing star defensive linemen Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa into the pass rushers they are today. His defense is made up of a combination of young star players and talented veterans who are putting up peak production under Durde’s scheme.
Teams that prioritize rebuilding a defense and having that side of the ball become their identity going forward should look to bring in Durde as their next head coach. His stock could only go up from here, depending on how Seattle finishes the season.
Best Fits: Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals
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