2025 NFL head coach openings with predictions of who could fill them

The NFL coaching carousel is well under way, with firings across the league taking place over the past few days. We have decided to take a stab at predicting who could fill which spot, and take a look at one coach who has kept their job in surprising circumstances.

Matt Eberflus has already been fired by the Bears, and the interim Thomas Brown hasn’t been able to rally his team in a way that suggests he deserves the full-time gig. Eberflus never felt like the right coach for Chicago, and things didn’t work out, with the tipping point being his awful decision-making against the Lions on Thanksgiving.

There have been rumors for months connecting Johnson and Chicago, and we can understand why. He is the best head coaching candidate we have seen for some time, helping to revolutionize the Lions into an offensive juggernaut. Chicago has a lot of offensive pieces in place already, meaning Johnson could get this team on track quickly. Jeremy Fowler has reported Johnson may not make the move from Detroit, which is bad news for Chicago.

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Brian Daboll has managed to keep his job, alongside general manager Joe Schoen, per a statement by the team. We don't understand this decision at all after a series of disastrous personnel decisions by Schoen and an unconvincing coaching job (to say the least) by Daboll in the last couple of years.

Whether Mike Vrabel would want to coach in New York is one thing, given the mess the organization has been in for nearly a decade. Still, the former Titans head coach turned around another struggling organization and may have seen the Giants as an opportunity to rebuild his reputation.

Recent rumors that McCarthy could stay in Dallas seem to be overruled by recent reporting by ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, who has suggested McCarthy could be looking to take over the reins in Chicago. Dallas has too talented a roster for McCarthy to get away with a season as bad as this. Most recently, NFL Network's Jane Slater has suggested McCarthy could be a target for the Bears. Since then, there have been reports the Cowboys have blocked Chicago's interview request, suggesting he may be staying put.

We can’t see Jerry Jones looking to hire a young coach, it just doesn’t seem right somehow. We could, however, see him looking to an experienced offensive mind, just like Todd Monken. Monken has overseen one of the best offenses in football this season in Baltimore and could be looking to make the step-up.

The Saints have managed to solidify their spot as a bad-mediocre team over the past few years through a series of baffling moves. Now, with Dennis Allen fired, they have a chance to bring in some new blood and build a team with a distinct identity.

Aaron Glenn spent five years coaching in New Orleans as the Saints’ defensive backs coach, and we think a reunion could be on the cards. Glenn has turned the Lions’ defense into one of the best in the league and operates with autonomy on his side of the ball. The Saints could do a lot worse than bringing him back into the fold. The Saints have also been connected to Eagles OC Kellen Moore, which would also be an upgrade.

Robert Saleh’s time in charge in New York brought mixed results and culminated with an in-season firing that only seemed to negatively affect the Jets. Saleh is a great defensive mind, but the marriage between him and QB Aaron Rodgers always felt a strange one.

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This may be the hardest prediction to make, given we have very little understanding of what the Jets are planning to do at QB this off season. Still, bringing in Carroll, who was the Jet’s DC in the early 90s, makes sense to us. Carroll can use his experience to be the ‘adult in the room’ at an organization in desperate need for some good leadership. The Jets are interviewing anyone who has ever coached in the NFL, it feels like, so we are getting less and less sure in what direction they might go.

Despite reports by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Doug Pederson was ‘projecting confidence’ after the regular season, Shad Khan confirmed the decision to fire him. Pederson is a good coach, but his refusal to hire anyone but Press Taylor as his offensive coordinator seems to be his downfall. This was a fair decision and gives the Jags a chance to take a swing at an innovative offensive mind.

The Jags shouldn’t have to look too far to find their new head coach, going with the in-state option of Liam Coen. Coen has been instrumental in turning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense into a buzzsaw that currently ranks 6th in EPA/Play, per SumerSports. The Jags have some talented pieces on offense, they should look to maximize them. The Jags have formally requested an interview with Coen and seem to be the only team interested at this point.

Hiring Jerod Mayo as Bill Belichick’s replacement was both bold and a little obvious. Bold as he only has a few year’s coaching experience behind him as an inside linebacker’s coach, but obvious as he has been a part of the ‘Patriot Way’ for his entire playing and coaching career. The Pats rank 27th in defensive EPA/Play, which just isn’t good enough. This was a poisoned chalice from the off, with Mayo being set up to fail.

If the Pats want to keep some semblance of continuity as they go through their transitional seasons, they should look to bring in one of the best defensive minds in football in Brian Flores. He spent over a decade working in Foxborough in a variety of coaching roles and now coaches the second-best defense in football, per EPA/Play. Mike Vrabel is also available and could well be tempted to return to the team where he had so much success as a player.

Despite suggestions from Pierce himself that he may be staying on in Vegas, the team released a statement announcing his firing after just one season in charge. He was never given the tools to succeed in Sin City, making this feel like a harsh decision. Reports suggest Raiders players have been supportive of Pierce since he took over the role.

Joe Brady is currently serving as the Bills’ offensive coordinator and is, by all accounts, doing an excellent job. He does have the luxury of Josh Allen at his disposal, but given the lack of weapons at the skill positions, Brady has done a fantastic job of maximizing the talent available to him. We would have liked to have seen him draft or sign or trade for a QB and see if he could've turned things around.

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