NFL coaching carousel: Predicting where John Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel land in 2026
- - NFL coaching carousel: Predicting where John Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel land in 2026
Jack McKessy, USA TODAYJanuary 13, 2026 at 3:06 AM
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As the NFL playoffs' wild-card round ends, there are eight head coach vacancies around the league. There are more than eight potential coaching candidates to fill those eight spots.
Who might get head coaching jobs for the 2026 season (and beyond)? And who will get left off this merry-go-round and forced to wait another year for a shot at a head coach job?
The head coaching carousel represents one of the sources of the biggest, most noteworthy shake-ups in every NFL offseason. This year, they've been under an especially bright spotlight.
Three teams with new head coaches in 2025 went from 2024 seasons featuring double-digit losses to double-digit wins and playoff appearances this year. Two out of those three teams already won their first playoff game after multi-year hiatuses under those new head coaches as well.
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Each one of the eight teams currently without a head coach are also on the outside of the playoffs looking in. They'll be hoping their new field general can lead them to a similar turnaround in 2026 while avoiding a hiring mistake that could dig them further into a hole.
Here's how USA TODAY Sports predicts the NFL's eight head coaching vacancies will be filled by the time the offseason is over:
makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
">Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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1 / 4Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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NFL coach landing spot predictions 2026Arizona Cardinals: Robert Saleh, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator
Saleh has several feathers in his cap that make him a strong fit for the Cardinals' head coaching job. For one, his defenses have finished in the top five in (fewest) yards allowed in five of the last seven years – twice as the 49ers' defensive coordinator and three times as the Jets' head coach. The two outlying seasons were in 2021, his first year with the Jets, and this year, his first year back with San Francisco for a second stint. The 49ers notably battled injuries to star linebacker Fred Warner and star edge rusher Nick Bosa this year as well.
Saleh has head coaching experience. His 3 1/2-year stint as the Jets' head coach didn't end well, but New York's offense struggled far more than its defense in those years. A better quarterback situation – not currently a given in Arizona with question marks around Kyler Murray – and a pairing with a stronger option at offensive coordinator could lead to a more successful head coaching stint upon a second attempt. Just look at what the 49ers have managed to do with top offensive mind Kyle Shanahan at head coach and Saleh at DC, despite all of the injuries.
Finally, Saleh has tons of experience in the NFC West. He returned to the 49ers in 2025 for his second stint with the team, but it's his fifth overall in division across two stints. Before his first go-round as San Francisco's defensive coordinator, Saleh spent three years as the Seahawks' defensive quality control coach during Seattle's Legion of Boom era.
Atlanta Falcons: Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator
Atlanta faces some big questions this offseason. Not only do the Falcons need to replace their head coach, they need to hire a new general manager and figure out their quarterback situation – second-year Michael Penix Jr. struggled in his first full year as starter before partially tearing his ACL.
Kubiak, the son of former Broncos and Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, is among the best options to help answer at least two of big questions for the Cardinals. The current Seahawks offensive coordinator has been a revelation for his new team
In his first year with the Seahawks, Kubiak built an offense in Seattle that capitalized on the strengths of its players. Quarterback Sam Darnold had 4,000 passing yards in a second straight season, while wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards. Running back Kenneth Walker finished 23 yards short of matching a career-high in rushing, and fellow tailback Zach Charbonnet did set a career high with 730 rushing yards. Second-year tight end A.J. Barner took on a bigger role in the passing offense as he started every game.
Atlanta has some of the most dynamic offensive players with sky-high ceilings in the NFL: running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. In addition, Kubiak has some experience with the NFC South, spending 2024 as the New Orleans Saints' OC.
Baltimore Ravens: Kevin Stefanski, former Cleveland Browns head coach
USA TODAY Sports' Nick Brinkerhoff ranked Stefanski among the best coaching candidates available this offseason, right up there with former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis ranked the Ravens' opening as the best head coaching vacancy available in the NFL given their excellent quarterback situation and roster that featured six Pro Bowlers in 2025.
Experts and analysts expect Baltimore to be in the market for a new offensive mind to work with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Stefanski is one of the top offensive-minded candidates available to bring a different philosophy to the Ravens' offense.
The two-time NFL Coach of the Year led the Browns to two 11-win seasons in his six-year tenure in Cleveland amid years of quarterback turmoil. Stefanski also captained Cleveland to its only playoff win since the franchise was re-established in 1999.
The 2026 Ravens' roster, as it is currently projected, could be the most talented group Stefanski has had a chance to coach, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. That, combined with Stefanski's years of experience as a head coach elsewhere in the AFC North, could mean the Ravens quickly return to perennial playoff contenders after a down 2025 season featuring an 8-9 record.
Cleveland Browns: Mike McDaniel, former Miami Dolphins head coach
The Browns' interest in McDaniel taking over as head coach doesn't only date back to before McDaniel became available, it dates to before Cleveland even fired Stefanski. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Browns were interested in McDaniel as their next head coach as early as Dec. 31 – five days before they fired their then-head coach.
The former 49ers offensive coordinator got his first taste of head coaching experience over the last four seasons in Miami, where he constructed an offense around the limited skill set of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Browns are once again stuck in quarterback limbo with three options that have plenty of their own drawbacks: Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Cleveland has some intriguing offensive pieces outside of their quarterback position, and it could look to an offensive mind like McDaniel to put those pieces together to create a more successful picture on offense. The Browns having a reported interest as early as they did make them an especially clear landing spot for the former Dolphins head coach.
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Las Vegas Raiders: Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator
The Raiders own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a 3-14 season tied for the worst mark in the league. The season featured a firing of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly halfway through and still went poorly enough that Las Vegas dumped former head coach Pete Carroll after just one season at the helm.
The NFL tends to be a league full of pendulum swings and over-corrections. Before the 2025 season, the Raiders swung the pendulum from first-time NFL head coach to a long-time veteran in Carroll. Now that Carroll is out, Las Vegas could look to swing the pendulum back to another young defensive mind looking for his first head coach position.
During Minter's two-year tenure as defensive coordinator, the Chargers allowed the 11th-fewest total yards and fewest points in the NFL in 2024. In 2025, Los Angeles' defense ranked fifth in total yards allowed with the ninth-fewest points allowed to opponents.
Against the New England Patriots and MVP hopeful Drake Maye in the wild-card round, Minter schemed up a defense that forced the quarterback into a season-low 40% completion rate through the first half. Despite a bounce back later on in the game, Maye's performance graded out as one of his worst of the year according to Pro Football Focus. That was just another bullet on Minter's résumé after a couple of years of success in a mighty AFC West division.
Miami Dolphins: Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator
The Dolphins were the most recent team to fire their head coach, parting ways with former head coach Mike McDaniel shortly after the Ravens fired former head coach John Harbaugh. Several experts projected Miami as a favorite to land Harbaugh, but the Dolphins were missing from ESPN's Adam Schefter's reporting on the teams that have been "conducting preliminary and extensive phone calls" with the former Ravens head coach.
Outside of Harbaugh, Shula could be a dream candidate for the Dolphins. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Jan. 10 that Miami had requested an interview with the Rams' defensive coordinator, who is also the grandson of former Dolphins head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula.
Outside of the obvious Shula connection, Chris has also emerged as a top coordinator-to-head-coach candidate because of the strong work he's done with the Rams' defense. In his first season with Los Angeles, Shula helped coach Jared Verse to the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year award. In his follow-up season, the Rams had a top-10 scoring defense.
It may be unlikely that the Dolphins want to hire another first-time head coach after firing McDaniel, but the Shula name and solid résumé the Rams' defensive coordinator has put together could be enough to sway team owner Stephen Ross.
New York Giants: John Harbaugh, former Baltimore Ravens head coach
Harbaugh is the top head coaching candidate on the market, and USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis listed the Giants as the second-best head coaching vacancy in the NFL. The only better vacancy he listed is that of the Ravens, the team that just fired Harbaugh.
The Giants should be expected to pull out all the stops, conducting a full-court press to hire the top candidate of this year's head coaching carousel. As that top candidate, Harbaugh ultimately will have his pick of the litter, but there are reasons to believe New York is among the best possible landing spots.
New York seems to have a franchise quarterback, a No. 1 receiver, a strong running back duo and an excellent pass-rush attack. The Giants also have a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and seven total picks to work with. With all of those pieces in place and potential to add more, New York could see its floor and ceiling both elevated significantly under a CEO-type head coach like Harbaugh plus more talented offensive and defensive coordinators.
Tennessee Titans: Mike McCarthy, former Dallas Cowboys head coach
Tennessee's former head coach, Brian Callahan, saw his tenure fizzle out before his second season reached its midway point. The first-time head coach and former Bengals offensive coordinator went 4-19 in his one-plus season at the Titans' helm, which included gaffes like admitting unfamiliarity with the NFL's catch rules and calling out rookie quarterback Cam Ward. It didn't help that all of that was going on as former head coach Mike Vrabel's found immediate success in his first season as the Patriots' head coach.
The Titans should be in the market for a more veteran, proven commodity at head coach going into Ward's second year. There aren't many experienced, offensive-minded options on the market much better than McCarthy, who last coached the Cowboys between 2020-2024 and has a 174-112-2 record across stints with Dallas and the Packers. The former Cowboys head coach also has 11 playoff wins, tied for 12th-most all-time, and a Super Bowl win in Super Bowl 45.
McCarthy spent the 2025 season out of football, mirroring the one-year hiatus he had in 2019 after parting ways with the Packers. Within two years of taking over the 8-8 Cowboys in 2020, he had Dallas winning 12 games for three straight years. McCarthy would have his work cut out for him with the Titans coming off of a 3-14 year. But getting the chance to build a new offense around quarterback Cam Ward, who flashed as a rookie, should intrigue him, general manager Mike Borgonzi and team owner Amy Adams Strunk.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL head coach predictions: Where John Harbaugh, others will land
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