The NFL offseason is in full swing for just over half the league. This means coach firings, which we've seen already, and preparation for free agency and the NFL Draft. A handful of teams decided the fate of their head coach during the season, while others made a move just after the regular season finale. But not every situation for incoming head coaches is the same. Six teams are searching for a new head coach. Below is how I ranked each head coach availability and why.
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: $39.6 million cap space, 5th youngest team in NFL
What was touted as “the best team in franchise history” by owner Shahid Khan fell flat on its face, leading to a 4-13 record. After a disappointing 2024 and a 22-29 overall record by Doug Pederson, he was fired on Monday. However, the Jaguars chose to retain general manager Trent Baalke in a surprising move.
Jacksonville should stand out among other head coach openings for several reasons. The first is that the Jaguars have found their franchise QB. While other teams on this list like Chicago and New England have as well, Jacksonville has built a better roster around Trevor Lawrence than those mentioned.
When Lawrence is healthy–he missed seven games this season–he’s proven that the Jaguars can be contenders in a weak AFC South and at least a playoff team. He’s thrown for over 4,000 yards and 20+ touchdowns in the last two seasons before 2024. Lawrence signed a lucrative extension in June that will keep him in town until 2030.
Offensively, the potential is there for Jacksonville despite the injuries and poor performance this season. Starting with the promising future of receiver Brian Thomas Jr. He posted rookie franchise records for receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns this year. The team will also hope to get healthier versions of Christian Kirk and Evan Engram who both missed eight games this season due to injury.
Defensively, there’s young talent in spots but as a unit, the Jags haven’t performed. Pederson’s team allowed the sixth-most points per game this season, the second-most total yards per game and ranked last in takeaways per game. Simply put, this defense could not stop anyone in the NFL this season whatsoever.
There are building blocks on that side of the ball though. 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker had his best season as a pro yet, totaling 10.5 sacks, 61 tackles and two forced fumbles. He now has 20.5 sacks over the last two seasons. Josh Hines-Allen (53 sacks in six seasons), Devin Llyod and Tyson Campbell are young names to note as well.
The downside of the Jacksonville job though is its hefty contract commitments. The Jaguars rank 18th in available cap space at just over $42 million which gives them some room to improve the roster. However, they're committing over $40 million per season to Evan Engram, Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk alone (ESPN). They also still owe Arik Armstead money next season before a potential contract out before 2026 when he would have a $14 million base salary.
Lastly, they’ll have to make a decision on former first-round pick Travis Etienne, who is slated to be a free agent after next season.
2) Chicago Bears: $66.6 million cap space, 12th oldest team in NFL
Matt Eberflus was fired just a day after Chicago’s Week 13 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, accumulating a 14-32 record as the head coach. Thomas Brown took over as the team’s interim head coach and finished with a 1-4 record under the title. The Bears finished the season at 5-12.
The roster built around 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams was supposed to be the best situation for a rookie QB in NFL history. That looked to be the case at first as the Bears started 4-2 before dropping 11 straight.
Williams had his growing pains as a rookie but the discourse around his season wasn’t helped by the stellar play of No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels and No. 12 pick Bo Nix. Williams capped off his rookie year with 3, 541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also added 489 rushing yards.
Williams has the supporting cast around him regarding his receivers with DJ Moore, No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen–although slated to be a free agent this offseason–and tight end Cole Kmet. Chicago’s biggest weakness was by far its offensive line.
The Bears’ franchise QB was sacked 68 times this season, the most in the NFL by far and the second-most by a rookie QB in league history. Part of that was simply because the offensive line was awful. Part of it was also due to Williams holding onto the ball too long and trying to extend dead plays.
Chicago's defense performed well at times and had head-scratching games at others. Overall, the secondary was a bright spot, ranking towards the top of most passing-defense statistics other than passing yards per attempt. But the run defense was a liability all season.
The Bears allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game at over 135 yards and the fourth-most yards per rush in the NFL this season. Further, their pass rush was middle-of-the-pack, ranking 16th in sacks.
Montez Sweat, who Chicago traded a second-round pick for in October 2023, had a meager 5.5 sacks this season, his lowest since 2021. Sweat is making a base salary of just under $21 million next season and potentially in 2026. If the Bears' defense is going to turn it around in the future, it has to start with him and star cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
One of the perks of the Chicago job is the team’s cap space. The Bears rank fifth in the NFL in cap space with just over $80 million, allowing them to seriously plug some holes this offseason under their new coach and general manager Ryan Poles.
However, with the strength of the NFC North, it could take some time before the Bears are legitimate contenders in their division. Nonetheless, an offensive-minded head coach likely jumps at the opportunity to build around a talent like Caleb Williams and the weapons around him.
Like other teams with vacancies, Chicago has already requested to speak with several candidates. Including Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Todd Monken of the Ravens among others.
3) New England Patriots: $126.1 million cap space, 16th youngest team in NFL
After the Bill Belichick era came to an end, the Patriots hired former Patriot linebacker and assistant under Belichick, Jerod Mayo. Well after one season and a 4-13 finish, the Patriots fired Mayo just an hour after their Week 18 win over the Bills. The move was a surprise to some and owner Robert Kraft called the decision to fire Mayo “the hardest decision” he’s ever had to make.
The truth is, New England has arguably the worst roster in the entire league. Had they lost to the Bills, who played mostly their backups in Week 18, this team would be picking No. 1 instead of No. 4.
Rookie QB Drake Maye showed potential as a franchise quarterback this season, even with this subpar offense that was around him. He had no true WR1 as his best weapons were tight end Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas and former sixth-round pick, Kayshon Boutte.
The team used a second and fourth-round pick on receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, respectively. But Baker wasn’t good enough to see the field at times. Although Polk appeared in 15 games, he played over 50% of snaps in just six games, all of which came in the first seven weeks of the season. The pair combined for 13 receptions and 99 receiving yards this season.
So, it’s safe to say that whoever takes over the team is going to have to make pass-catchers a priority for the better of the team’s future and to help Maye’s development.
The offensive line was inconsistent and banged up as well. Starting center David Andrews missed the majority of the season as well as Cole Strange, their former first-round pick in 2022. Further, Drake Maye was the 13th most sacked quarterback this season even having only played in 13 games. Maye’s backup Jacoby Brissett played in just eight games this season and was sacked 18 times.
Defensively, it felt like New England got worse as the season went on. Christian Barmore missed 2024 with a heart issue and outside of Christian Gonzalez, this team doesn’t have the necessary talent on that side of the ball.
The Patriots forced 17 turnovers this season, the fifth-fewest in the NFL. They also ranked dead last in total sacks with only 28. Part of that is a result of trading four-time Pro Bowler Matthew Judon. However, Belichick got more production out of this unit last year with nearly the same roster.
The positive for the Patriots is that they have plenty of money and draft capital to upgrade this roster. But with all of the holes, it’s going to take time.
New England currently has the most cap space in the league with $131.6 million to spend on free agents and incoming draft prospects. They also have nine total picks in the 2025 draft, opening the door to add plenty of young talent that will hopefully pan out better than its 2024 class has so far.
4) Las Vegas Raiders: $97.7 million cap space, 12th youngest team
The Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after originally believing that he would remain with the team in 2025. In his lone season as the Raiders’ full-time head coach, Pierce went 4-13. He also served as the team’s interim head coach in 2023. Whoever takes over in Las Vegas will be the team’s third head coach since Jon Gruden resigned in 2021.
Mark Davis’s team is in a tough spot moving forward. They have a cornerstone player on both sides of the ball with record-setting rookie tight end Brock Bowers and All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby. But they’ve had a question mark at quarterback since moving on from Derek Carr. The answers for this season included Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and even Desmond Ridder.
Addressing the QB position is obviously step one for the Raiders, regardless of whether that’s a veteran free agent or using their No. 6 pick on one.
General Manager Tom Telesco will also want to use some of the team’s draft capital or $97 million in cap space on the receiver position. Bowers is a great player but after trading Davante Adams during the season to the Jets, the Raiders were left without a true WR1. Outside of Jakobi Meyers’ 1,000 yards this season, their next leading receiver was Tre Tucker with 539 yards on 47 catches.
Vegas’ rushing attack was also atrocious, ranking dead last in rush yards per game and yards per rush. Zamir White struggled to stay healthy this season and the combination of Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah combined for just over 700 yards.
The Raiders’ defense struggled at times too. They allowed the seventh most points per game in the league and were in the bottom four in takeaways per game. But the secondary was somewhat of a bright spot, ranking around the league average in passing yards allowed per game and passing yards per attempt.
The hard truth for the future HC is that this will be a long rebuild in a loaded division. Three teams in the AFC West hit the 10-win mark or better this season and made the playoffs. And Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs still run the division, likely for the foreseeable future.
5) New York Jets: $26.2 million cap space, 10th oldest team in NFL
Woody Johnson and company won the title for the most disappointing team in the NFL this season by a landslide. After finally getting Aaron Rodgers healthy for a full season, they finished the year 5-12. Amid their struggles, head coach Robert Saleh was fired just five games into the regular season. Just over a month after the firing of Saleh, Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas as well.
The biggest question surrounding this team for 2025 is will Aaron Rodgers return? If he chooses to do so, the next move will be filling out the roster and praying to get as close to contender status as possible. If he chooses to ride off into the sun–or darkness–the Jets will be back to square one, looking for their franchise QB.
I believe he will return for at least one more season with the Jets and his good friend Davante Adams for a final ride. If so, that would put any incoming head coach or GM in a more comfortable situation for at least their first season with the team.
Outside of Rodgers and Adams, the Jets have a good young core. Headlined by Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams and Breece Hall, they have their cornerstone pieces for the Post-Rodgers era.
The main issue for the Jets has lingered for the last few seasons, being their struggles on the offensive line. At age 40, or 41 for the last month or so of the season, Aaron Rodgers was sacked 40 times. That ranked as the ninth-most in the league by any QB and the fifth-most in a single season in Rodgers’ career.
The band-aids of 34-year-old Tyron Smith at left tackle and 33-year-old Morgan Moses at right tackle have not worked. 2024 first-round pick Olu Fashanu played well when healthy but he went down with a foot injury late in the season and was placed on injured reserve.
On the other side of the ball, the Jets shined a season ago but took a slight step back in some areas in 2024. Partially due to injuries from key contributors and Haason Reddick's contract saga that still saw him underperform. However, 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald IV was a bright spot, leading the team with 10.5 sacks. Overall, the defense still has enough to help this team compete.
Whoever comes in as the general manager and head coach will have just under $30 million in cap space to work with. This could also increase after other roster moves and if the team is able to rework Adams’ contract. Along with the cap space, the team holds the No. 7 pick in the draft.
The potential downside to taking the mentioned roles is dealing with the incompetence of Woody Johnson, which has been documented this season. Finding the succession plan for Rodgers would be the top priority as well.
6) New Orleans Saints: $66 million OVER the cap, 5th oldest team in NFL
The Saints were the biggest storyline in the NFL after the first two weeks of the season, starting 2-0 and scoring 40+ points in both outings. But after the hot start, things became cold quickly and they dropped seven straight, firing Dennis Allen one day after their 23-22 loss to Carolina. Darren Rizzi took over for the remainder of the season but the result was more of the same. New Orleans finished the regular season 5-12.
The biggest issue with this roster heading into 2025 is the lack of cap space. The Saints are $66 million over the cap space, limiting them from making many free-agent moves to improve an aging roster. On top of that, QB Derek Carr has already stated that he would not take a pay cut. Carr will have a base salary of $30 million in 2025 and a cap hit of $51.4 million.
Carr has to stay healthy as well. He missed seven games this season in total with absences for a stretch in October and the final four games of the season. But their injury issues don’t stop there. Chris Olave played in just eight games this season and in two of those, he left early with a concussion. All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara was on pace for another fantastic season before injuring his groin in Week 15, resulting in him missing the final three games.
Breakout receiver Rashid Shaheed missed the final 10 games of the year after suffering a torn meniscus in Week 7. Tayson Hill, their most versatile weapon, tore his ACL in Week 13. Simply put, this team had a shot to compete in a weak NFC South but was decimated by injuries.
New Orleans’ defense will need a revamp with their key players aging. Cameron Jordan, the Saints’ all-time sack leader, is 35 and has hinted at retiring soon. Demario Davis, their second-leading tackler all-time, is 35 as well. Starting safety Tyrann Mathieu is 32.
With their current cap situation, it’s hard for New Orleans to do anything other than head towards a full rebuild. The team will likely have to cut some players on larger contracts and eat the dead cap for the time being. The Saints however have extra draft picks resulting from the Marshon Lattimore trade at the deadline. The team will have two picks in the third, fourth and sixth rounds of the 2025 draft.
The next head coach of the Saints will have to be willing to go through a rebuild before turning the roster back into true competitors. With the patience the front office has shown in the past, the future HC should feel safe investing in the long-term outlook. With the status of the NFC South, the ability to get back to playoff contention may not take as long as some expect.
All stats were recieved from ESPN Stats & Info and TeamRankings.com
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