Ranking all 32 NFL coaching jobs by tiers, from best (Chiefs) to worst (Raiders)

Vinnie Iyer

Ranking all 32 NFL coaching jobs by tiers, from best (Chiefs) to worst (Raiders) image

Why is there so much head-coaching turnover in the NFL from year to year? It's simple: There are many teams in the league that don't set up their coaches to succeed.

Because you can't fire core players or majority owners and hiring a new general manager or decision-maker comes with a mass organizational overhaul, the coaches became the scapegoats as teams search for that quick turnaround from failure to success.

Unfortunately, how well a coach does is tied to the necessary support from the owner, GM, quarterback situation and personnel. The coach's job is to get the best out of his players, including meshing his offensive and defensive systems well with his talent. But in most cases, to borrow from Bill Parcells, "you can't cook the meal without someone buying the right groceries."

Here's a tier-by-tier look at what teams can help their coach cook the best meals:

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Ranking all 32 NFL coaching jobs by tiers

  • The Super Tier

Sean McVay

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Pros: Andy Reid is set up well with Patrick Mahomes at QB and he still has Steve Spagnuolo on point with the defense. He has a good rapport with GM Brett Veach and Clark Hunt is willing to provide the winning resources.

Cons:  They have to reload a little to get back into Super Bowl contention.

2. Los Angeles Rams

Pros: Sean McVay is buoyed by a big market, Stan Kroenke's willingness to spend and Les Snead making it work via both free agents and the draft. They give McVay all that he needs and he provides great mentorship for his coordinators, despite his still young age (39).

Cons: They soon might need to find their new franchise QB should Matthew Stafford feel an age-related fade finally coming after hitting his peak with durability.

3. San Francisco 49ers

Pros: Between the ownership, GM John Lynch and the traditional commitment to winning, Kyle Shanahan gets what he needs to execute his offense and the team is also great at finding gems on defense.

Cons: Whether it's the Levi's Stadium turf or issues with an electric substation in Santa Clara or just plain bad conditioning luck, the 49ers can't seem to shake a rash of injuries hurting them every other year.

MORE: Ranking 6 best options to replace Sean McDermott

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Pros: Howie Roseman has proved himself multiple times over as an ace reloading GM and Jeffrey Lurie has turned the team into one of the most consistent and smart spenders outside to get help. Jalen Hurts provides a high floor for Nick Sirianni's offense.

Cons: The Eagles seem to have a lot of turnover in personnel and coaching more so than other teams, so the continuity isn't as consistent as it is for other contenders.

5. Seattle Seahawks

Pros: John Schneider keeps showing why he's a top GM, worthy of winning the NFL's executive of the year. The ownership has kept up the competitive spending ways with the Paul Allen Estate having a strong, passionate influence. The home-field advantage and smart personnel scouting also are bonsues.

Cons: The Seahawks have had a great season based on running game and defense but they don't feel like a potential dynasty because of the uncertainty about whether the QB can be a long-term strength with Sam Darnold.

6. New England Patriots

Pros: GM Eliot Wolf has silenced a lot of critics with all the right draft picks and moves to accelerate the turnaround for Mike Vrabel, who also benefits greatly from the New England return of OC Josh McDaniels. Robert Kraft has a high standard of winning set by the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era and is motivated to maintain it.

Cons: The Patriots still need to work on adding more foundational talent for the offense and defense to become a complete contender for more than one season.

7. Baltimore Ravens

Pros: GM Eric DeCosta is a steady personnel man with his strong safety and owner Steve Bisciotti is committed to the resources needed to win. John Harbaugh had great support for a long time and his successor will too.

Cons: There is more transition ahead in not knowing the exact direction to go with Lamar Jackson and the defense.

MORE: NFL's longest tenured head coaches

8. Detroit Lions

Pros: GM Brad Holmes and the Ford Family have done well to make the Lions relevant and fun in the NFL again with their shrewd moves and willing spending. Dan Campbell can put his energy to work with the players who buy into what he's selling, as both an offensive schemer and motivator.

Cons: There have been some recent tough coordinator and assistant drain and injuries, which are also becoming a lingering issue to make Campbell's job tougher.

9. Denver Broncos

Pros: The Broncos have a smart GM in George Paton and have unlimited willing spending resources within the cap under Rob Walton and Greg Penner, who aren't afraid to shell out their Wal-Mart money for whatever Sean Payton needs.

Cons: Denver was rising toward the Super Bowl but now needs to worry about how well Bo Nix can play after his recovery in Year 3 and going forward.

  • The Almost There Tier

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

10. Buffalo Bills

Pros: Whatever the opinion on GM Brandon Beane, the Bills track record of getting to the playoffs with strong teams doesn't happen without a cupboard of talent, but the question now is whether that was more because of fired coach Sean McDermott. Terry Pegula is driven to win bigger and Josh Allen makes life a lot easier for any prospective new coach.

Cons: The Pegulas just set unreasonable Super Bowl or bust expectations for the next coach after McDermott won so much but just fell short of the biggest payoff in the playoffs.

MORE: Ranking 6 best options to replace Sean McDermott

11. Green Bay Packers

Pros: GM Brian Gutekunst has proved to be smart in being aggressive (Micah Parsons) at the right times for outside help and steady with his drafting. The community-owned nature of the organization also offers some extended patience.

Cons: There might be too much believing in the strong status quo where the Packers aren't set up yet to break through for a Super Bowl, adding up to pressure on Matt LaFleur and Gutekunst.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars

Pros: Liam Coen has Trevor Lawrence positioned to play much better long term and his wunderkind GM, James Gladstone, showed early he had a keen eye for supporting core talent. Shad and Tony Khan also are driven to be successful on the field.

Cons: The Jaguars have a youth coming together to serve them who can still grow, including the streaky Lawrence.

13. Houston Texans

Pros: GM Nick Caserio and owner Cal McNair are prideful in putting out a product with defense as the foundation, catering well to the motivational mindset of DeMeco Ryans. They have proved they can make big moves and spend wherever needed most.

Cons: There have been some injury bug issues and now there's some sudden pause about C.J. Stroud's franchise QB status after regression from his rookie season and playoff struggles.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pros: The Glazer Family and GM Jason Licht have established the franchise as consistent playoff contenders in the NFC South and ended up with pushing the right QB buttons, going from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield. They also do well to tap into their past defensive tradition.

Cons: Todd Bowles now needs that defense rebuilt in a hurry and there are some prohibitive age and injuries starting to become a bigger combined obstacle.

15. Washington Commanders

Pros: Between owner Josh Harris and GM Adam Peters, there's leadership and dedication in place to help the franchise that hasn't been there in a long time. They have proved to be aggressive in supporting Dan Quinn early.

Cons: Quinn had to still move on from his coordinators after only two up-and-down seasons and there's work to do on rebuilding the defense in his image.

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16. Minnesota Vikings

Pros: GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in a good mind-meld with Kevin O'Connell, who has a strong staff led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The Vikings have had a good recent draft history and filled holes well in free agency.

Cons: O'Connell still needs to see if he's been dealt the right QB hand to keep winning in oft-injured first-rounder J.J. McCarthy.

17. Chicago Bears

Pros: The Bears have their long-awaited franchise QB for Ben Johnson in Caleb Williams and GM Ryan Poles' steady plan has worked well. There's a proud tradition that the McCaskey family wants to tap into after years of inconsistency.

Cons: The Bears still play in a tough division and the expectations will start to get raised sky-high for Johnson while armed with Williams.

  • The Muddled Middle Tier

18. Indianapolis Colts

Pros: The ownership trio of the late Jim Irsay's daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson — have proved to be very involved in a good way, listening to the needs of GM Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen. Despite missing the playoffs, Indianapolis has the pieces for a turnaround

Cons: Quarterback looked solved with Daniel Jones but now it's a big question after his late Achilles' injury going into free agency. The defense is on the right track but needs more help, too.

19. Dallas Cowboys

Pros: Jerry Jones is more patient than most would think as an owner/GM, sticking with Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy, maybe a little longer than he should have. He's empowering and his hands-on work is less meddling a lot more understanding of what his team needs and where to spend and not overspend.

Cons: Jones also has reasonably high expectations for the coach of America's Team, given some solid talent foundation and a high-paid franchise QB in Dak Prescott. Brian Schottenheimer will see the pressure dialed on him to deliver in Year 2.

20. Los Angeles Chargers

Pros: GM Joe Hortiz brings over the steady Ravens mentality and owner Dean Spanos is rather hands off the football operations after landing and empowering Jim Harbaugh.

Cons: There tends to be some injury misfortune with this team throughout the years and there continues to be something missing from the big-game makeup and execution of the best players.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pros: The Steelers are one of the most organized organizations with a great ownership standard set by the Rooneys. GM Omar Khan has been OK in the transition from Kevin Colbert and Pittsburgh has found ways to be consistent in winning with a defensive foundation.

Cons: Mike Tomlin leaves an uncertain situation at quarterback and there's been something missing for a while to make the Steelers a winning playoff team. The Steelers might need to take hard lumps and get worse to get better. 

MORE: What's next for Mike Tomlin after leaving Steelers?

22. Cincinnati Bengals

Pros: Decision-maker Duke Tobin has made some great free-agent and draft calls and Zac Taylor has been put in a position to rally the team to some feel-good finishes when Joe Burrow has been healthy. There has been great patience shown with Taylor, too.

Cons: The personnel vibes from four years ago have been replaced with some contract concerns and the ownership is steadily more so with calculated frugality than spending sprees. Taylor needs more aggressive moves on his side again.

23. Atlanta Falcons

Pros: The Falcons are going back to the influence of Matt Ryan, this time in the front office and it paid off in drawing offensive-minded Kevin Stefanski to make a budding strength stronger and also attach Michael Penix Jr. With the right coach. Here's also trusting Ryan to land a GM who meshes with Stefanski, creating a Vikings-like situation.

Cons: The Falcons don't have a lot of patience for mediocrity with Arthur Blaken and former GM Terry Fontenot put the team in a bad spot with his offensive-heavy drafting and questionable defensive picks.

  • The Glimmer of Hope Tier

John Harbaugh Giants

24. New York Giants

Pros: The Giants have one of the best ownership groups with John Mara and Steve Tisch and despite the outside noise, were wise to keep GM Joe Schoen with his recent draft track record. They have the power, cachet and willingness to win and that's why they were able to land John Harbaugh.

Cons: The Giants, despite having Jaxson Dart's promise, need a lot more work on the offensive line and defense and need to overcome some past tough coaching stretches.

25. Carolina Panthers

Pros: Owner David Tepper is demanding and pushes his leadership to deliver. He has plenty of money and can spend where needed. After a rough start, GM Dan Morgan might be the right person to find them the personnel to further improve after their breakthrough to the playoffs.

Cons: Tepper will now have raised expectations for Dave Canales and they might be unreasonable given the 8-9 finish. Morgan needs to have another solid year to be trusted and questions do linger about quarterback Bryce Young.

MORE: Why the Bills fired Sean McDermott

26. New Orleans Saints

Pros: Kellen Moore has some pretty good experience from GM Mickey Loomis and ownership on his side, both of whom have seen big winning from this franchise. Tyler Shough might be the right franchise QB to finally succeed Drew Brees.

Cons: Loomis hasn't been locked into his personnel moves through draft and free agency as he once was in the Brees-Sean Payton era. The Saints still need to improve a lot of the roster to make the jump back to true NFC playoff contention.

27. Tennessee Titans

Pros: The Titans have some promise with Cam Ward at QB and Mike Borgonzi at GM, both going into their second seasons. There is a lot of opportunity to turn this thing around sooner rather than later.

Cons: The division has become a lot tougher with the Jaguars, Texans and Colts and Brian Callahan couldn't fare all that well with similar resources, so good luck to Robert Saleh.

28. Arizona Cardinals

Pros: The Cardinals have assembled some good drafts of late and Michael Bidwell is an owner who shows pride in winning. GM Monti Ossenfort also seems willing to get aggressive to turn over the roster.

Cons: The Cardinals went from the promise of Kyler Murray as franchise QB to real concerns about him to the point of needing to reboot seven years later. This is more of a rebuild than a reload ahead.

MORE: Ranking the NFL's open head coaching jobs in 2026

  • The Bottom Tier

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

29. Cleveland Browns

Pros: GM Andrew Berry is smart and the ownership is trying hard to turn around the mentality to winning ways, armed with the best defensive player in the game, Myles Garrett.

Cons: Quarterback is a mess, the division remains tough and the Browns have been slow to rebuild the offensive line and skill positions. Ironically, they became too defensive-minded under Stefanski and have much work to do to be complete.

30. Miami Dolphins

Pros: Owner Stephen Ross is willing to spend and give his team the resources needed to win and isn't afraid to be bold, win or lose. The GM opening provides an opportunity to better set the personnel in a rebuild

Cons: There's something off with the culture in Miami, with the team still looking for its first playoff win in 25-plus years. Mike McDaniel had the excitement early but it fizzled fast. Sustaining a winner will be hard for successor Jeff Hafley.

31. New York Jets

Pros: The Jets are trying their best to change the operations with GM Darren Mougey and giving Aaron Glenn an extended chance to prove himself with more patience.

Cons: Woody Johnson is the new Daniel Snyder, a tough owner for whom to provide winning results with some of his questionable interference. There's plenty of roster work needed and there's no easy solution ahead at quarterback.

32. Las Vegas Raiders

Pros: Tom Brady is the part-owner, so there's someone committed to raising the level of competitiveness.

Cons: Pete Carroll went one-and-done, and his offensive coordinator Chip Kelly didn't even last that long under him. The Raiders are still mostly owned by Mark Davis and GM John Spytek needs to do a lot to prove himself. There's a shaky culture in the shift from Oakland and the coach would be stuck in a tough division to generate wins in the near future.

Senior Writer

Contributing Writer