2025 NFL Head Coach Watchlist: Top NFL Coaching Candidates

Shula, Schmula and seven, schmeven.

Bill Belichick blocked a chance to surpass Don Shula for the most wins by a coach in NFL history and fight for his seventh Super Bowl this week, agreeing to a five-year contract to deliver it. new try college.

Belichick’s upcoming gig coaching North Carolina represents his first college career. It also removes him from this list of NFL head coaches to watch. Yes, the playoffs are just around the corner, but the flip side tells us that the offseason awaits 18 of the 32 teams.

The Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets will be looking for new leadership after firing coaches during the season. Many other organizations—the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, to name two—could follow suit.

These are the best opportunities to follow in line.

Mike Vrabel

Experience and pedigree highlight the qualities of the former New England Patriots quarterback and Tennessee Titans head coach. Those should call out each organization for a new coach or contemplate pulling the plug on their current one.

Vrabel did not coach this season after Tennessee fired him following the 2023 campaign. He went 54-45 in six seasons with the Titans, including three playoff appearances, and won three Super Bowls as a player under Belichick.

His resume is top of the list, hands down.

Ben Johnson

Coaching dismissals often result from a lack of innovation and execution. That wouldn’t be a problem under Johnson, the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator who has orchestrated a top-five scoring offense in his three seasons at the position.

Detroit enters Week 15 as the NFL’s leader in scoring (417) and points per game (32.1) and ranks second with 394.8 yards per game.

The iffy situations of veteran quarterbacks in New Orleans (Derek Carr) and New York (Aaron Rodgers) could complicate things at those spots, but imagine Johnson working alongside Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the draft of 2024.

Aaron Glenn

There’s no point in worrying about it during the NFC’s top-seed run, but the Lions faithful may be more than Honolulu blue this winter, even if the 2024 season ends on a whim.

That’s because Detroit’s defensive coordinator is a prime coaching candidate, too. Glenn’s stability leading the ‘D’ has coincided with the rise of the Lions’ organization, and his fourth season has been his best.

Even with injuries plaguing the depth chart, the Lions are tied with Detroit and Philadelphia for the second-fewest points per game allowed (18). They also rank 10th in defensive yards per game (318.2).

Brian Flores

Another former draft pick with previous head coaching experience, Flores was 24-25 with the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21 but won 19 games over his final two seasons.

His continued solid work as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings makes him an interesting option for another head job.

While the resurgence of quarterback Sam Darnold is a big reason why the Vikings are 11-2 and one game behind the Lions, the defense has been equally magnetic. Minnesota’s unit ranks first in passing yards (20), second in receiving yards (27) and rushing yards allowed per game (87.2) and sixth in scoring (18.5 points per game).

Jesse Minter

Dating has never hurt in an NFL practice game or life in general.

Minter fits the bill in light under the tutelage of both Harbaugh brothers, but he’s clearly more than a lackey. The former Michigan defensive coordinator followed Jim Harbaugh to the NFL after the Wolverines’ national championship and now leads the NFL’s highest-scoring ‘D’ with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Another branch on the Harbaugh coaching tree supports Minter’s selection. His predecessor as Michigan D-coordinator was former Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who left UM to become the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens before heading to Seattle.