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Written by: Nicholas Mullick
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-mullick-354076184
The NFL is a very competitive league to get a position in. Especially at Head Coach as there are only 32 jobs to be a head coach in the NFL. In this season there are 8 positions that are head coaching openings. In this article, I will be ranking which job openings are the best or worst situations.
8. New York Giants
The New York Giants made the right move firing Joe Judge as he has been a massive problem since they hired him. Plus Dave Gettleman also retired at the end of last season as well. Both have vacancies but this team and organization is a complete mess. Just look at the salary cap as they are 5 million dollars under the salary cap. So the team financially can’t build during the offseason as a result of the flop spending spree they had last season. Again I ask I don’t know about Daniel Jones as he shows flashes that he could be something if he is coached right. I wonder if they follow suit with the New York Jets and pull a Sam Darnold, trading him for some value while they can. The Giants have a ton of holes on offense in the o-line and injury concerns at receiver plus running back. The defense is on the right track but is still a dumpster fire. Out of all the coaching positions that are available this is clearly the worst one and I won't be shocked if this is the last position that gets filled.
7. Houston Texans
So the Texans have officially decided to fire David Culley after one season being the head coach. Many were surprised including me with this especially as he exceeded expectations by winning 4 games this season with the talent he had. But looking in deeper there were many issues during his tenure. Especially in dealing with the players and the culture of the locker room. To be honest, Culley should have never been hired as the head coach. Especially as it angered Deshaun Waston to the point where he requested to be traded. I will give props that he did get this team more wins than he did. I wonder if he will be coaching again as he is 66 years old but I think he will be getting a job in the NFL again as a positional coach.
But when a coach is one and done it goes to show how much of a mess the organization is. That is a big reason why the Texans are low as they are a complete organizational mess with not much talent on defense and dysfunctional offense. Who knows what will happen with the Deshaun Watson situation but maybe if they can hire Brian Flores as head coach they can attract Watson to play again with the Texans. But this team is a complete mess but at least salary-wise they are fine at around 23.6 million and have the 3rd overall pick. But organization wise they are a dysfunctional mess. Quick question: Why is Jack Easterby still a part of the Houston Texans organization again?
6. Minnesota Vikings
I debated where I will be ranking the Vikings when it comes to available coaching positions. But, I have a big feeling that the Vikings are going to go further and blow it up in the offseason. Especially as I don’t see the Minnisota Vikings winning a Super Bowl with the current unit that they have right now. Especially as the Vikings defense has been in a decline this season and while the offense has impressed it has been inconsistent. Who knows what they will be doing with Kirk Cousins and his awful contract as it has heavily affected their salary cap. By the way, the Vikings have 12 million under the salary cap right now which is a tricky situation for the team to deal with. There is going to be a completely different look to the Vikings next season. There is one thing that is for sure at least they are not the Houston Texans or New York Giants.
5. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears did the right thing by firing both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace. Now the Bears have to hire a new head coach and general manager. This job does have attractiveness as the Bears have a solid offense with a possible franchise QB in Justin Fields and a good running back core (When utilized properly thanks to Matt Nagy). Who knows what the NFC North will be as it is most likely Aaron Rodgers last season with the Green Bay Packers. So the division could get weaker as a result. Plus the Vikings probably blowing it up and the Lions are on the right track with their rebuild. The Chicago Bears do have 34.3 million dollars in salary cap so the team can make additions to improve on offense and defense. That makes the job attractive not only for the coach but for the general manager as well. I would rank them higher but their 1st round pick this season is New York Giants property due to the trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft to acquire Justin Fields. Plus the Bears defense has also heavily regressed as well. The o-line is also a mess and Justin Fields is still a question mark.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Urban Meyer experiment was an unsurprising failure that went on for way too long. Yet again the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching positioning is open again. But there are reasons why this job is attractive. They have a franchise QB in Trevor Lawrence that hopefully is not completely ruined thanks to Urban Meyer. They once again have the 1st overall pick that should help with their rebuild. Plus The Jaguars have 61.3 million dollars in cap space as well. The big problem is the low confidence in Trent Baalke at GM. Especially as he was the guy that self-destructed the San Francisco 49ers with his awful drafting, signings, and trades. Plus the possibility of ruined prospect developments due to the whole Urban Meyer saga. This should be an attractive job but there are 3 more teams that are more attractive.
3. Miami Dolphins
I really want to rank this team lower especially as they made an incompetent decision to Fire Brian Flores who is one of the best coaches in the AFC not named Andy Reid, Bill Belichick, and Mike Tomlin. But I just can't, especially with the Dolphins having the most salary cap at 68.4 million dollars and having a ton of draft capital after trading down in the 2021 NFL Draft (Again thank Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans). The Miami Dolphins defense was one of their strong points last season and their offense showed flashes. So this team has the draft capital, the salary cap, strong defense, and has flashed on defense. What are the main issues with Miami? Well, I have two, the first is the uncertainty of QB Tua Tagovailoa and the second is that Chris Grier is somehow still the GM for the Dolphins. However, this should be a highly marketable job for coaching candidates but they will downgrade at coach after moving on from Brian Flores.
2. Denver Broncos
This is a very intriguing team as one of the bug problems with the Denver Broncos is poor coaching by Vic Fangio. That problem is taken care of and there is a lot to like about with the Denver Broncos. The Defense ran a lot better once the team got rid of Von Miller. The Broncos have draft resources to rebuild the team and bolster the defense. Plus the Broncos have 45.5 million dollars in salary cap for this offseason The Offense shows flashes of brilliance as well. What is missing well is the Quarterback as Teddy Bridgewater can’t stay healthy and Drew Lock is awful plus the team gave up on him last season. If the Denver Broncos get a consistent and competent quarterback then the Broncos could be something. They have to make the right hire at Head Coach and I think that Denver has the ability to do it as they are the second most attractive team with the head coaching position.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
No question with this one as with all the Dark situations that this team had to deal with they still made the playoffs. The team's defense was getting better and the offense was solid. They have a franchise QB in Derek Carr. Plus 30.3 million in cap space to play with during the offseason. The Raiders will be on the search for their full-time head coach and they will be the #1 option in the best coaching position that is available. To be honest It will be interesting to see what GM Mike Mayock also does during the offseason.
So my luck strikes again as apparently the Raiders have announced that Mayock has been fired as the GM of the Las Vegas Raiders. Honestly, it is not a surprise to me as let's be real Mayock’s time as GM was truly done the moment Jon Gruden Resignation happened. Mike Mayock was only hired and given the title GM due to his scouting experience. Jon Gruden had the final say of who was and was not drafted or signed to the team. Excluding DE/EDGE Maxx Crosby, RB Josh Jacobs, WR Hunter Renfrow, S Trevon Moehrig, and CB Nate Hobbs the drafting was horrible. The whole Antonio Brown saga was a disaster. Mishandling the offensive line this season, trading everyone excluding Kolten Miller for pennies on the dollar. In general Mayock was not a good gm.