NFL head-coach openings buzz: Rumors, candidates, interviews

The NFL playoffs are finally here, which brings interesting matchups and storylines on the road to Super Bowl LVIII. But what about the 18 teams that didn't make the postseason field? They've entered the 2024 offseason, trying to get back on track to take a run at next season's title.

With six of those eliminated franchises looking for new coaches -- including Tennessee, which fired Mike Vrabel on Tuesday -- league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are focusing below on candidates who could make sense for the Titans, Commanders, Falcons, Chargers, Raiders and Panthers. Which direction might those teams go? Could more openings happen soon? And what's going on with the Patriots? It's all here, as Dan and Jeremy empty their notebooks with everything they've heard.

Jump to an intriguing team:
Chargers | Commanders
Falcons | Panthers
Patriots | Raiders | Titans
More: Latest buzz, notes

Let's start with Atlanta: What are you hearing on the Falcons job?

Graziano: I have been told they will have strong interest in Bill Belichick if, as most seem to expect, he and the Patriots part ways. I've also been told people close to Belichick believe it would be a good fit for him. It's a strong roster that, yes, needs to figure out the quarterback position. It's in a relatively calm market where he could be all about the football. And he'd have a team owner who doesn't meddle in day-to-day affairs. Interesting idea, should Belichick and the Patriots split here in the next couple of days.

Fowler: Dan, that's the sense I get with Belichick, too. Heard some of those Falcons rumblings and didn't quite buy them at first, but there appears to be some traction. I'm also not discounting Atlanta getting involved with Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, though I don't think that has happened to this point. This is a quality job with a talented yet underachieving roster. It seems tailored for someone such as Belichick or Harbaugh.

I'm expecting many of the hottest candidates to get a significant look here, but Atlanta will take its time. The presence of general manager Terry Fontenot will be a factor. The Falcons value him.

Graziano: I'm thinking about Fontenot connections from when he was in New Orleans, and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn jumps to the front of my mind. I have no idea what, if any, relationship those two had in New Orleans, but we like to make connections to try to predict what might happen, and those two did overlap there. Glenn was the highest-graded coordinator in the league in a recent NFLPA poll that asked players to rate their coordinators on a 1-to-10 scale. That's not the only criterion, of course, but Glenn is a well-regarded coach who is likely to get a shot at some point. Obviously, I would think Vrabel would be of interest here as well.

Fowler: Yes, Glenn is on the cusp as an established coordinator with leadership qualities and experience on the head-coaching interview circuit. Two of the past three Falcons coaches were defensive-based, so they aren't afraid to go that route. Two of the strongest defensive coordinators -- Dan Quinn (Cowboys) and Raheem Morris (Falcons) -- used to coach there, which probably takes them out of the running, but other high-profile defensive coaches will likely be in the mix. Ravens coordinator Mike Macdonald seems poised to get a head job after his impressive performance this season.

Who could the Commanders target for their opening?

Fowler: Much will depend on the search for the president of football operations. That candidate will likely have a heavy say in who the new coach is, and Washington is moving fast in that area, set to interview five candidates by Wednesday night. The franchise is looking for a blend of analytical and on-field acumen between both figures in a true pairing. I don't get the sense it is tied to one side of the ball for a coach; it is looking for a quality leader.

That's where a strong defensive field -- including Quinn, Morris and Macdonald, each of whom have been requested for an interview -- might have an advantage. I was told not to totally discount Harbaugh for this job, coaching about an hour away from his brother, John, in the greater D.C.-Baltimore area.

Graziano: The presence of former Warriors GM Bob Myers and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman as consultants in this search is interesting. Going beyond the NFL for help certainly indicates team owner Josh Harris will look for the best overall leader, rather than thinking about whether he should get an offensive mind or defensive mind. This is what all teams should be doing -- looking for CEO types at head coach -- though too often we see them go the other way. Harbaugh certainly fits the bill, as would Quinn, who was successful during his stint in Atlanta (2015-20) and knows how to do the job.

I imagine they will at least interview offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, though I don't imagine they're eager to promote from the current staff. It feels like a fresh approach is the way they'll go here -- total reset under new ownership.

Fowler: It's an underrated job, Dan. The Commanders have nearly $80 million in 2024 cap space, five picks in the top 100 of April's draft, including the No. 2 overall pick. If Chicago takes USC's Caleb Williams, Washington could control the draft, either taking the second-best quarterback (likely North Carolina's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels) or fielding trade offers to move down and add more picks. It will attract major head-coaching talent as a result.

What about the newly opened job in Tennessee?

Graziano: This just happened, so it's tough to know for sure, but team owner Amy Adams Strunk strongly indicated in her statement that it has to be someone who is aligned with GM Ran Carthon. So who's in Ran's network, Jeremy? He came from San Francisco, so first-year Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has at least some familiarity with him. I wonder if it's a little soon for Slowik, but Carthon is also new at this and Tennessee feels like a ground-up rebuild so maybe young, talented guys who can learn on the job could be the way to go?

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McAfee details the downfall of Vrabel with the Titans

Pat McAfee reacts to the news that the Tennessee Titans have fired coach Mike Vrabel.

Fowler: Yeah, Dan, Slowik is definitely on the radar, due to the Carthon tie and his job in Houston this year. Another connection is Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, the top lieutenant of Mike McDaniel, who was with Kyle Shanahan for more than a decade. Teams looking to bolster their offense will be intrigued by the Shanahan/McDaniel offensive attack. The new coach doesn't have to be tied to Will Levis, but Strunk in her statement mentioned the presence of a "promising young quarterback." That's why this job screams offensive help -- the personnel on that side of the ball is already pretty bare, so maximizing the offense is crucial. The Titans might not be able to compete in the sweepstakes for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, but there are other options out there.

While we're on the subject of the Titans: It sounds as if Vrabel was willing to give it another year, but the Titans wanted to move on. Per a source close to the coach, "[Vrabel] didn't want out -- this is the owner and whoever else is in [Strunk's] ear." Had Vrabel returned, he would have been on the hot seat after a 6-19 record over his past 25 games. The people I've spoken to believe the perceived icy relationship between Vrabel and Carthon was overblown and that they didn't have problems, a point Carthon accentuated in his press conference Tuesday.

Any updates on the Chargers, Raiders and Panthers openings?

Graziano: My understanding on Carolina is team owner David Tepper is likely to prioritize the coach hire and try to pair him with a general manager. The Panthers are being extremely transparent, publishing lists of the guys they've requested to interview on their team website. The usual suspects are all there. Industry speculation has for months indicated that Johnson could end up being Carolina's top choice, but their net is wide.

Fowler: For sure, Dan, the sense leaguewide is Carolina would love to find a way to get Johnson, who interviewed there a year ago but opted out of all head-coaching opportunities. He will have better options than the Panthers, however. The majority of their nine coaching candidates are on the offensive side, and Baltimore's Todd Monken is the only one from that group above the age of 42. A young offensive mind is clearly on the table. Pairing one with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and an analytical-and-cap-based GM makes sense. Five of their eight initial GM candidates come from that ilk.

Las Vegas will be interesting, as the Raiders haven't launched their coaching search in earnest yet. Interim Antonio Pierce is all but assured a hard look, and the belief is the Raiders have some level of interest in Harbaugh. It's early, but if there are two leading candidates, those are probably the two.

Graziano: Agreed. I wonder about the Raiders as a potential Belichick spot, just because of team owner Mark Davis' reputation for wanting a star-caliber coach, but I think Harbaugh is more likely if Davis goes that route. Pierce definitely has a shot to keep the job long-term (especially if Harbaugh ends up elsewhere).

What about the Chargers? Everyone says they're a top landing spot because of quarterback Justin Herbert, but they have serious cap problems and major roster decisions to make, and it might be a tougher job than it looks like on its face. They're looking for a coach/GM combo too, the same way the Raiders, Panthers and potentially the Patriots are. Herbert will likely be a draw, especially for offensive-minded coaches, but the Chargers have a reputation for not being willing to spend on top-line coaches historically.

Fowler: Those are valid concerns, and this roster isn't as talented as it might seem on the surface. It could be a tough slog in Year 1. Herbert is something to build on, though, and the Chargers could create cap space by moving on from a few veterans or extending a others. They also have a recent history of winning seasons, including four of the past seven. They are competitive, quite regularly.

I'm told the Chargers' interest in Harbaugh is real, and that Johnson will be a player here, too. You have to think those two will be heavily in the mix. In the meantime, the team has interviewed in-house candidates Giff Smith and Kellen Moore.

What else are you hearing this week?

Fowler: The Patriots coaching staff is mostly out of the building as the organization awaits clarity on Bill Belichick's future. Belichick, who wasn't in the building much Tuesday, has told his staff it can get away and that they would all reconvene at a later date, sort of a business-as-usual stance. I've talked to a few people with the team who wonder whether the longer this drags out actually increases the chances Belichick returns for one more year, though certainly everyone is bracing for potential change. The belief is team owner Robert Kraft is sensitive to the narrative that he'd fire one of the best coaches in history, so this will be handled delicately, which begs the question: What if Belichick doesn't agree to an amicable split, placing the onus on Kraft to fire him or let him coach out his contract? That's a question that might need to be answered in real time. I'm not sensing much momentum for a Belichick trade to a new team, but we shall see.

Graziano: If the New England job comes open, the three names I'm watching (in no particular order) are Vrabel, Jerod Mayo and Brian Flores. All have roots there:

• Mayo is on the current staff and has been long thought of as the heir apparent, but ownership might end up having reservations about promoting someone from the staff of a team that just went 4-13.

• Vrabel was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame earlier this season for his contributions as a player and would be appealing to ownership and the fan base.

• Flores, the Vikings defensive coordinator and former Dolphins coach, who still has a pending lawsuit against the league for its minority hiring practices, was on the New England coaching staff from 2008 to 2018 and is well-regarded in the building. I do wonder if the lawsuit would have to be resolved before Kraft would hire him, but it's possible it could be resolved in a way that smooths the waters enough.

If Belichick goes, the Pats also will be looking for a GM, since Belichick has filled that role for more than 20 years as well. Former Patriots executives Scott Pioli and Nick Caserio have been rumored for that job, but Caserio is doing well as GM of the Texans and has strongly denied rumors he would consider going back to Foxborough. Internally, scouting director Eliot Wolf and player personnel director Matt Groh could get looks for the GM job. There's a lot about this situation that remains fluid. Especially since, at this writing, Belichick is still there!