Inside the 2025 NFL Coaching Moves
The NFL has turned upside down in the first week of the offseason; every head coach hates to see Black Monday on the calendar, which is the first Monday after you have been eliminated. Historic coaches are going this year, highlighted by John Harbaugh and followed by Mike Tomlin. Other notable coaches who have been let go are Kevin Stefanski, Pete Carroll, Raheem Morris, and Mike McDaniel, among many others.
In the NFL and in college football, coaches are starting to be held to higher standards and for shorter periods of time. With coaches getting fired faster, it will cause more of a win-now mentality built from coaches and organizations looking to win games immediately, not setting up for the best of success in the future.
One example is former Giants head coach Brian Daboll. His first year with the organization, he won the 2022 AP coach of the year, and three years later, he was out of the Big Apple, fired in the middle of the season with a young and injured team and a rookie quarterback.
You can’t start slow anymore, which is leading to more coaches being fired each year. The stability of teams with younger head coaches is hard with all of the pressure. The teams don’t look years down the line in their franchise; they want to do what’s best now so they can keep their head above water and keep their jobs, which is a new area in the NFL.
With all the head coach firings, the coaching hiring process begins, and this year, there is a legendary pool of candidates. The first team to hire a coach was the Giants on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Giants met with John Harbaugh, who is the big fish in the sea for NFL head coaches. After a long meeting with him, he left the facility for a scheduled meeting with the Titans and the Falcons later that week. He decided to take the Giants’ job that night. Harbaugh wanted a team with a quarterback and young pieces, along with draft picks, to build up the team.
The Atlanta Falcons hired former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski is an offense-minded head coach who led the Browns to the playoffs but was never a fit in Cleveland. Stafanski was a great hire for Atlanta, giving them a leader and a quarterback-friendly head coach who can continue Michael Penix’s development.
One of the biggest headlines of the offseason thus far was former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down as head coach after another disappointing playoff performance. The Steelers hired former super bowl winning head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy is an offensive-minded head coach who does well developing quarterbacks. The hiring of McCarthy was a surprise to a lot of fans and me, who thought the Steelers might go for a younger coach with there being a lot of young coordinators on the market. Instead, they went to a coach with a similar style and resume to Mike Tomlin.
The Tennessee Titans hired former Jets head coach and, more recently, former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Saleh is a high energy defensive minded head coach and is a great fit for the Titans organization. Saleh’s defense was one of the best in the league in San Francisco, and he hopes to translate the same results with his young defensive core in Tennessee.
The Ravens hired former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as their head coach. Minter is very similar to the Titans’ hire of Robert Saleh due to them both being high energy defensive minded head coaches. Minter’s defense in Los Angeles was a top 10 defense. Minter is going to thrive in Baltimore with their young defensive stars. The Baltimore defense was ranked at the bottom of the league for the last few seasons, and Minter is a great fit to turn the defense around.
Jeff Hafley was hired as the new head coach for the Dolphins. The Dolphins went in a totally different direction than their old head coach, Mike Mcdaniel who was offensive-minded. Hafley is all defense and was the Packers’ defensive coordinator last year. I think it is an interesting approach, bringing in a defensive-minded head coach as the Dolphins continue to struggle with quarterback issues.
The Raiders hired Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Klick Kubiac as their head coach. Kubiac had a fantastic season this year, leading the Seahawks with one of the best offenses in the league and winning Super Bowl 60. Kubiac is a great fit for Las Vegas with all of their young offensive talent and a high chance they draft the Heisman trophy winner and National champion Fernado Mandoza, and would be great for his development.
The Buffalo Bills stay in-house and hire their long-tenured offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady has been key to the success of Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense, who have been ranked as one of the best for many seasons. And will continue that win-now phase for Buffalo.
The Browns hired former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Monken was rumored to be hired for the Giants’ offensive coordinator position, but took the Browns Head coaching job instead, and is an old-school-style coach and is expected to run a very disciplined team in Cleveland.
The NFL head coaching job has changed a lot in the past five seasons, especially for rookie or new head coaches. Teams are looking less into the future, and coaches are trying their best to keep their jobs by winning immediately. With this new pool of head coaches, this first season is going to be crucial for their future with their new franchises.
https://www.thebiglead.com/nfl-teams-with-new-head-coaches-heading-into-the-2026-season-v/ (Source)
