Not all NFL coaching jobs are created equal in terms of setting up the new hire for success. Much like in other businesses, joining an organization with great talent and winning potential is more appealing than jumping into a dysfunctional situation doomed for disappointment.
From the middle of the 2025 season through "Black Monday", six more NFL teams have fired their head coaches, looking for improved results in 2026 and beyond. Last year, the Bears, Jaguars and Patriots ended up living up to being terrific landing spots.
As a helpful guide to the latest interested candidates, here's a ranking of the openings, from best to worst:
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Ranking NFL head-coaching openings for 2026
1. New York Giants (replacing Brian Daboll)
Having a potential long-term franchise QB solution boosts any job. Jaxson Dart is the next guy for the Giants with his dynamic dual threat and determined leadership. This situation is similar to the Eagles hiring Nick Sirianni to attach to Jalen Hurts after moving on from Doug Pederson five years ago. Dart has that kind of winning upside as a passer and runner.
GM Joe Schoen kept his job, likely tied to drafting Dart as a late rookie first-rounder in 2025. He can help the new coach get Dart what he needs in terms of increased offensive support on top of getting Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo back healthy. The defense has an established pass rush, so the work will be improving the back seven. New York has the potential for a quick turnaround to emerge as the latest challenger to Philadelphia.
2. Tennessee Titans (replacing Brian Callahan)
Cam Ward flashed why he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2025 late in the season with offensive-minded interim coach Mike McCoy. He got his young weapons healthy with better line support. It just took him time to develop chemistry with scheme and personnel while also dealing with Callahan being fired during his rookie growth. The Titans do play in a suddenly tough division with the Jaguars, Texans and Colts, but they can bridge the talent gap in a hurry through the draft and having more than $100 million in cap space.
3. Atlanta Falcons (replacing Raheem Morris)
The Falcons were a mild surprise, moving on from Morris after only two seasons. But they seem to have a new grand design under former NFL MVP QB Matt Ryan turned-team president with GM Terry Fontenot also being replaced. Ryan's influence figures to be good for the future of the talented offensive core four of Michael Penix Jr, Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. If there can be some consistency with complementary defensive impact, the Falcons can elevate from being a 7-9 also-ran to a true leader in the weakened NFC South.
MORE: Ranking Falcons' best replacements for Raheem Morris
4. Cleveland Browns (replacing Kevin Stefanski)
The Browns looked like they might stick with Stefanski at some point, with the positive vibes coming with the QB change to Shedeur Sanders and the strong defensive identity stamped by Myles Garrett's successful pursuit of the single-season sack record. But in the end, the Browns got antsy with the roller coaster related to not maximizing limited talent, triggered by another last-place finish.
Cleveland has a terrible cap situation and is a lot more than an easy fixer-upper. Is Sanders the true franchise QB? How much of an overhaul does the offensive line and receiving corps need? Can they replace some key complementary defensive starters to Garrett? How far are they really away from the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals?
Stefanski was a scapegoat for some questionable roster management and cap conundrum that limits the Browns' talent acquisition. The one asset is the haul of draft picks, but there are too many holes to address in the short term to win fast.
MORE: What's next for Kevin Stefanski after Browns firing?
5. Arizona Cardinals (replacing Jonathan Gannon)
The Cardinals don't seem to have a real plan to recover from some offensive underachieving and injury issues. With all the hype over Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr. And James Conner, it was Jacoby Brissett driving the engine most and best down the stretch with Michael Wilson and Trey McBride. Call it purgatory, call it limbo, but just call the Cardinals a team with a ton of uncertainty caught in a division where all the other teams are way ahead and have figured it out with class organizations.
MORE: Ranking best Pete Carroll replacements for Raiders
6. Las Vegas Raiders (replacing Pete Carroll)
The Raiders are this year's Jets, a tenuous job where it's the concerns over ownership and upper management just as responsible for holding things back. Carroll, Chip Kelly and Patrick Graham didn't make much sense as the coaching braintrust from the start, with the experiment blowing up even more than expected. Las Vegas is part-owned by the GOAT QB and there's hope that a franchise rookie QB (Fernando Mendoza?) Can be the savior. But other than Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, the offense needs a lot of work to help that new QB.
That's before getting into a total defensive mess around a now peeved Maxx Crosby. That's a lot on the next coach to change the culture and direction at the same time.
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