Grading NFL Coaching Hires 2026: Ranking Best, Worst Hires of NFL Coaching Carousel

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Grading NFL Coaching Hires 2026: Ranking Best, Worst Hires of NFL Coaching Carousel

Matt Johnson · Sportsnaut

Mon, Feb 2, 2026 ·

13 min read

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The NFL coaching carousel has come to a stop, with hirings by the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals marking the filling of the 10 head-coaching vacancies this offseason. Grading NFL coaching hires in the days and weeks after they are made is always more of a fun exercise than a predictor of success, but it is still worth comparing the moves made by teams and the situations they have put their new head coaches into.

Let's dive into our NFL coaching hires grades, ranking the best and worst head-coaching hires from the 2026 NFL coaching carousel.

1. Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens : B+

Grading NFL Coaching Hires 2026 — Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images

The highest consensus grade in the NFL coaching carousel is being given to the New York Giants for the hiring of John Harbaugh. Long-term, we think the Baltimore Ravens made the best move. This team's biggest weakness in 2025 was its defense, so Baltimore went out and brought in one of the best defensive minds in the NFL to oversee a turnaround. This is also a return home for him.

Jesse Minter, 42, has spent the majority of his coaching career learning from the Harbaugh brothers. He worked in Baltimore from 2017 to 2020 as a defensive assistant and then defensive backs coach under Harbaugh and Wink Martindale. After a year at Vanderbilt, Jim Harbaugh hired him as the Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator. There, he orchestrated one of the best defenses in college football and ultimately won a national championship before following Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers .

He inherited a defense that, prior to his arrival, ranked 24th in defensive EPA per play (0.019) and 23rd in success rate (44.3%), while ranking 26th in yards per play allowed (5.5) and 18th in scoring rate (36%). Over the last two seasons under Minter, the Chargers ranked sixth in defensive EPA per play (-0.065) and success rate (41.9%), while finishing 10th in yards per play allowed (5.0) and scoring rate (36.2%) in 2025. Minter is exactly the caliber of defensive coach Baltimore needed to turn that unit around. What prevents this hire from receiving an A-minus grade is the massive gamble on the unproven Declan Doyle as offensive play-caller.

2. Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta Falcons : B+

The Atlanta Falcons ' offseason kicked off with several excellent moves. Arthur Blank decided to clean house, firing both his general manager and head coach, something other franchises around the league could learn from. He also finally pushed executive Rich McKay out of football operations. Now, we see the risk in making former quarterback Matt Ryan the new president of football. However, Atlanta also balanced that move by hiring Ian Cunningham as general manager and Kevin Stefanski as head coach.

Skeptics of the Stefanski hiring will rightfully point to the fact that he went 8-26 in his last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns and had four losing seasons in six years. Let's also keep in mind that we are talking about a franchise that has been so bad, Stefanski's 45-56 record makes him the fourth-winningest coach in franchise history, and he has the highest winning percentage among Browns head coaches since the Bill Belichick era (1991–95) in Cleveland. He accomplished far more than anyone reasonably expected there.

Stefanski brings the offensive pedigree that the Falcons needed. As for the defense, he ensured that a unit that made massive year-to-year improvements from 2024 to 2025 should be able to maintain that by retaining defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. There is real uncertainty at the quarterback position moving forward, but Stefanski has led playoff teams before in the same spot. Plus, he can center this offense around Bijan Robinson . In a very winnable division, the Falcons made the hire that should make them the favorites to win the NFC South in the next two years.

3. John Harbaugh, New York Giants: B+

We certainly recognize why many who are grading the NFL coaching hires in 2026 believe the New York Giants hit a home run with John Harbaugh. He is 14th all-time in regular-season wins (180) and boasts a career winning percentage (.614) that puts him in the company of Sean McVay, Tom Landry, and Bill Walsh. That offers the path to a proverbial floor that this storied franchise has not had since the Tom Coughlin years.

However, there is also some context here that feels required. Harbaugh posted a 22–26 record (.458) from 2015 to 2017, and Baltimore had a 4–5 record entering its Week 10 bye in 2018. At that time, Harbaugh was dangerously close to being fired, which forced him to start Lamar Jackson . The team finished the year 6–1 with Jackson, and the rest is history.

Harbaugh's success prior to that—72–40 with a Super Bowl ring—certainly matters. Of course, it is also worth acknowledging that happened over a decade ago. He has built a solid Giants coaching staff and should reasonably elevate the team to winning seven or eight games, but it is also fair to question if being away from a two-time MVP quarterback and one of the best front offices in the NFL will result in more of the 2015–18 Harbaugh showing up for the Giants. Still, this remains a B-plus hire.

4. Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans : B

It is not unreasonable to think the Tennessee Titans publicly floated the idea of hiring Matt Nagy as head coach—which would have been a "disaster-class" move—to make their true intention seem better. If that is the case, kudos to the organization for the PR move. With that said, Robert Saleh brings many of the qualities the Titans organization needs.

Saleh is similar to Kevin Stefanski in that his coaching record—20–36 with the New York Jets —is a greater indictment of the organization he worked for than of Saleh himself. To that point, he had the highest winning percentage among Jets head coaches in the last decade, and that is even with Zach Wilson serving as his quarterback for two seasons.

In terms of Saleh's leadership, he is right up there with Mike Vrabel. He also brings an excellent defensive background and, now that he has committed to calling plays again, we expect to see a more effective defense from Tennessee moving forward. Plus, Saleh also hit a home run with the hiring of Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. Daboll is precisely the kind of play-caller that quarterback Cam Ward needed. This Titans coaching staff is an excellent first step toward the franchise turning things around on the field.

5. Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas Raiders: B

If you took the organization's history and power structure out of the mix, the Las Vegas Raiders would have had one of the most coveted jobs in the NFL coaching carousel. Unfortunately, this club has had 13 different head coaches since 2003, with two playoff appearances and no postseason wins to show for it. As for the organizational hierarchy, it certainly seems as if Tom Brady will be allowed to get involved in matters whenever he sees fit. Those are the drawbacks of this job.

Now for the benefits. An offense with running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers as the building blocks is a great start. We're also already factoring in that quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the face of this franchise, giving the Raiders head coach a ready-made starter who is ready for an NFL offense to be placed on his shoulders. The offensive line needs work, but Las Vegas does have ample cap space and a new offensive line coach will make a world of difference.

That's what Klint Kubiak is walking into, a great situation. We're talking about an offensive play-caller who proved instrumental to the Seattle Seahawks reaching the Super Bowl. He also showed versatility in 2025. In the first half of the season, Seattle's offense averaged 246.1 passing yards and 1.9 passing touchdowns per game with a 112.6 QB rating and a 39.2 percent third-down conversion rate. From Weeks 11–18, Kubiak transitioned to a more run-heavy attack that averaged 133.4 rushing yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry with a 40.4 percent third-down conversion rate. Kubiak's offense finished the regular season ranked fourth in yards per play average (5.9) and sixth in scorign rate (45.9 percent). This was a very strong hire by Las Vegas.

6. Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh Steelers : C+

Bringing in Mike McCarthy is where things get more interesting regarding our grading of NFL coaching hires. On the one hand, he has the 15th-most wins (174) in NFL history, a career .608 winning percentage, and ranks 12th all-time in postseason wins (11). Pair that with his track record of helping modernize organizations and mentor quarterbacks, and he is an excellent head-coaching hire for teams that need stability and to take steps toward relevancy.

Neither of those feels like something the Pittsburgh Steelers lacked with Mike Tomlin. The legendary Steelers coach left Pittsburgh, seemingly in part because of the focus on him not winning a playoff game in nearly a decade. McCarthy has just one more playoff win in that same span, with Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott as his quarterbacks. We also do not love the fact that he will be the play-caller for the Steelers offense.

Especially if Aaron Rodgers returns, this feels like the Steelers are just spinning their wheels and the organization is accepting being stagnant. There is no viable path right now to finding a long-term quarterback, there are some aging leaders on defense, and the AFC may be even stronger in 2026. Really, the McCarthy hiring felt like a panic move by a franchise that had no fallback plan for when Tomlin retired.

7. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills : C+

It both seems like the Buffalo Bills made an impulse decision to fire head coach Sean McDermott and then went through a bit of a faux process with the predetermined outcome of promoting Joe Brady. While that is not the worst move a franchise could make—some others, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , probably even wish they had done it—it can be a recipe for failure.

There's really not much to be said about the offense. Brady will remain the play-caller, so the floor for this unit should remain the same as long as James Cook and Josh Allen are healthy. Where the ceiling gets raised is if president of football operations Brandon Beane earns his recent promotion and actually invests in the receiving corps. Doing so would solve one of Buffalo's biggest problems.

What remains as the big question mark is this defense. Postseason success became an issue for this unit, but injuries also plagued Buffalo defensively for years. Even with key starters seemingly always missing time, McDermott typically fielded an above-average defense. Maybe new Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard can take this group to new heights, as he did during his time in college with the Wisconsin Badgers. For now, though, he is unproven, and that brings in a layer of unpredictability heading into Allen's age-30 season.

8. Jeff Hafley, Miami Dolphins : C+

Time will tell whether or not the Miami Dolphins made the right decision to fire head coach Mike McDaniel. What's evident is that owner Stephen Ross wants to try and create the Green Bay Packers model, as demonstrated by hiring Miami's general manager, head coach, defensive coordinator and other assistants from Green Bay.

In his only previous stint as head coach, Jeff Hafley had relatively modest results in college. His .458 winning percentage at Boston College is lower than those of his two predecessors, but it is in line with the program's head coaches from 1994 to 2012. Prior to that, he was well-regarded as a defensive backs coach in the NFL.

Beyond the uncertainty of being a first-time NFL head coach, our worry with Hafley is that his defense in Green Bay plummeted after the injuries to Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt . He is inheriting a Dolphins defense that does not have much blue-chip talent and boasts arguably the worst secondary in the NFL. Pair that with there being no clear starting quarterback in 2026 and salary-cap issues for the foreseeable future, and it is unclear how Hafley is supposed to deliver even a seven-win season in either of the next two years.

9. Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns: C

Needless to say, the Cleveland Browns ' head-coaching vacancy was not exactly coveted this offseason. That is captured by three of the organization's top targets almost immediately pulling out of the search process and several others reportedly being scared off by the involvement of owner Jimmy Haslam. That's how you wind up with Todd Monken being named the new Browns head coach.

The 60-year-old coach certainly deserves credit for the historic success he had in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. Monken also proved key to the Georgia Bulldogs winning consecutive CFP national championships, and the Browns offense was functional the last time he was with the organization. Now for the issues. First, he has not been a head coach at any level since 2015, and his time in college came before players were paid. There are legitimate reasons to question if he is the right leader for this role. He is also inheriting an offense with minimal quality starters, and he might lose defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. We would not be at all surprised if Monken is fired by the end of the 2027 season.

10. Mike LaFleur, Arizona Cardinals: C

The Arizona Cardinals were the proverbial runt of the litter in the NFL coaching carousel. Nine head-coaching vacancies were filled before they had their finalists, and their top choice, Klint Kubiak, wasted no time picking the Raiders over the Cardinals. So, after an exhaustive coaching search, Arizona landed on Mike LaFleur.

There are appealing things about his resume. He worked under Kyle Shanahan for years, first with the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2016 and then with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2020. LaFleur also spent three seasons learning from Sean McVay, so he has had golden opportunities to be mentored by two of the best head coaches in the NFL with his offense influenced by masterminds.

Out of respect for the fact that he was saddled with Zach Wilson during his tenure as the New York Jets offensive coordinator, we will say that LaFleur is a wild card when it comes to play-calling. That becomes an even bigger gamble since he is 38 years old and does not have much experience as a leader. To make matters worse for him, this is a bad situation to inherit. Both sides are taking a massive gamble on one another, and the odds are heavily on this partnership ending in less than three years.

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