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Ranking NFL's six* open head coaching jobs after Black Monday's toll
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- Ranking NFL's six* open head coaching jobs after Black Monday's toll
The NFL's coaching carousel has been greased for weeks. But it started to really crank Sunday night, when the Falcons fired head man Raheem Morris after just two seasons. (GM Terry Fontenot was also dismissed following five years rife with bizarre and, ultimately, fruitless personnel decisions.) Two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski was ousted by the Browns on Monday morning. Pete Carroll was unsurprisingly sacked by the Raiders shortly thereafter, followed by Jonathan Gannon's demise in the Arizona desert .
That makes six HC openings as of Black Monday – which is closer to a shade of Battleship Gray – with the new vacancies joining those of the Giants and Titans , those clubs offing their former coaches long before the 2025 regular season ended.
History – at least dating to the inception of the Super Bowl era in 1966 – tells us six or seven teams make sweeping coaching changes in a typical offseason, and 2026 is already tracking accordingly on that front.
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But while acknowledging more axes may fall in the coming days and maybe even weeks, let's assess the *six jobs which are presently open − ranked from most attractive to least. (*Subject to change.)
1. New York Giants
Quarterback situation
Jaxson Dart 's rookie season was a mixed bag, his swagger a nice fit in the Big Apple even if his typically reckless on-field approach too often undermined his health and availability. After the Giants traded back into last year's first round to obtain Dart, it will be incumbent on the next coach and his staff to rein in the young slinger enough to reasonably protect himself while also giving him sufficient leeway to leverage his multi-dimensional play-making ability and get this offense truly humming. Russell Wilson 's one-year stay is up, but Jameis Winston remains in 2026 as one of the league's top backups.
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Roster
The team's enviable young core is damaged but not irreparably so. Incandescent WR Malik Nabers (ACL) and rookie RB Cam Skattebo (ankle) didn't survive the 2025 season. OLB Abdul Carter , the third overall pick of last year's draft, could wind up being the best player on the team – but he's got plenty to work on in terms of his professionalism, on and off the field. Veteran OLB Brian Burns , DL Dexter Lawrence II and LT Andrew Thomas are all Pro Bowl-caliber players. The defense needs extensive work behind its front, and Thomas is the only player whose name should be written in pen on the O-line … when he's healthy enough to play.
Salary cap
GM Joe Schoen, who's running the coaching search and will retain his post despite coach Brian Daboll's firing in November, is currently set to have about $11 million in cap space, per Over The Cap . It's a figure that has the Giants middle of the pack league-wide, but the clubs above them have significantly more spending power – especially if they decide to target WR Wan'Dale Robinson, who's coming off his first 1,000-yard season, or frontline Cor'Dale Flott, who are both headed for free agency.
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2026 NFL draft
In contention for the No. 1 overall pick barely a week ago, the Giants will now select fifth in this year's first round. They still owe the Houston Texans their third-rounder to consummate last year's draft night deal to get Dart .
Outlook
Despite largely residing in the wilderness since they won Super Bowl 46 to cap the 2011 season, the Giants remain one of the league's flagship franchises and a plum job – even if the organizational stability they boasted for years seems to have largely evaporated. Schoen has made questionable decisions during the draft and free agency but has also amassed an ample amount of talented players to win – and maybe fairly quickly if the right coach is able to translate potential into production.
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2. Cleveland Browns
Quarterback situation
Insert shrug emoji? As much national interest as they generated in 2025, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders − mostly Sanders − were a mixed bag as rookies. They have fairly distinct skills sets, yet both flashed their positive traits while also raising enough questions to suggest neither is likely to be instantly anointed QB1 in 2026 by Stefanski's successor. Deshaun Watson is under contract for one more season – for a fully guaranteed $46 million – and returned to practice late in the season after undergoing multiple Achilles surgeries after originally being injured during the 2024 season. He could obviously rejoin the mix, yet also (still) seems like a problematic figure – in a football context and otherwise – as the next staff tries to get this club back to the playoffs. Going fishing for another option in the 2026 draft is certainly on the table.
Roster
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It's fair to call DE Myles Garrett legendary at this point, and he might legitimately be the best player in the NFL. He's also one whose prime is being wasted and only a year removed from requesting a trade after expressing a belief he'd never win a Super Bowl in Cleveland – which tracks given no player ever has. Yet there's a lot to like around Garrett, particularly a highly promising 2025 draft class that includes DT Mason Graham , LB Carson Schwesinger , TE Harold Fannin Jr., WR Isaiah Bond , RBs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson … and maybe one or both quarterbacks. WR Jerry Jeudy and CB Denzel Ward are generally among the league's better players at their respective positions, though 2025 wasn't a banner year for either. With Gs Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio out of contract, it's high time to reconstruct the offensive line – particularly if GM Andrew Berry and the next coach target another young QB.
Salary cap
Currently, Berry will need to trim more than $12 million to simply be cap-compliant once free agency starts, and he and the team won't get relief from ownership's Watson gaffe for another year – whether or not he's on the roster in 2026. TE David Njoku is the most high-profile pending free agent, but Fannin and the cap crunch likely make him expendable.
2026 NFL draft
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The Browns own the sixth overall pick this year plus the first-rounder of the Jacksonville Jaguars , wherever that lands. Berry could put together a package to target a specific quarterback, but such a gambit could be quite expensive given what appears like a dearth of high-end prospects at the position this year . And continuing to load up on needed talent elsewhere wouldn't be a bad fallback as Cleveland resets − while also potentially giving Sanders, Gabriel or someone else the opportunity to run with the reins a little longer.
Outlook
Dismissing Stefanski was a bold (and perhaps misguided) choice given what he'd accomplished despite the drawbacks of this job – especially after he and Berry got saddled with Watson and had to prematurely offload Baker Mayfield . Moving forward, quarterback remains the obvious issue holding back a team that will likely continue to look up at the rest of the AFC North until it's solved. But , if it gets rectified by Berry and the next coach in short order, this team could emerge as a powerhouse in almost no time.
3. Tennessee Titans
Quarterback situation
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Cam Ward , the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, was basically treated to a learning experience as a rookie. He was hamstrung by the lack of talent around him, to say nothing of the consequential chaos that firing coach Brian Callahan at midseason created. Ward made his fair share of mistakes, too, taking way too many sacks – which certainly isn't to suggest all of the league-high 55 he absorbed were his fault – while also regularly reverting to his college habit of trying to extend plays that probably wouldn't have good outcomes under most circumstances. But given the challenges he faced, it's hard to give Ward a fair evaluation for 2025 – and, to his credit, he remained accountable and didn't back away from the leadership chops that helped make him such a coveted prospect to begin with.
Will Levis , the 33rd overall pick of the 2023 draft, presents an interesting dilemma. This team obviously belongs to Ward, which would theoretically make Levis, who's under contract for 2026, somewhat intriguing trade bait entering an offseason when quarterback-needy teams may not have a lot of alternatives. But he's also coming off surgery to his throwing shoulder, which kept him on injured reserve for all of 2025. It might be worth trying to showcase Levis in the preseason in hopes of getting something in return for him.
Roster
Ward needs to be a foundational piece and should get at least another two years to prove as much. Otherwise, there's not much to hang your hat on here aside from Pro Bowl DT Jeffery Simmons , whom the team refused to trade at last year's deadline, and maybe OL Peter Skoronski . Much of the damage here was done via misguided forays into free agency by the front office that preceded first-year GM Mike Borgonzi.
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Salary cap
Borgonzi is projected to have upwards of $105 million to spend in free agency this year, more fiscal resourcing than any other team has. However he'd probably be wise to be far more measured than his predecessors given this team seems at least a year away from being a year away. Borgonzi's time in Kansas City would suggest he'll spend intentionally in the short term while establishing a new culture as he focuses on drafting the players who will need to get the Titans off the mat.
2026 NFL draft
Tennessee's 3-14 record once again tied for the league's worst. But this year, the tiebreakers didn't pan out in Borgonzi's favor, the Titans slotted with the No. 4 pick. They'll certainly get an excellent prospect, just no opportunity to leverage the value of a first or second overall selection.
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Outlook
Borgonzi should have plenty of discretion to chart a path as he now gets to pick his own guy to run the team. But it will be interesting to see how things play out given the disconnect in the recent past between former coach Mike Vrabel, the front office and ownership. And there probably will be some pressure to try and microwave a winner here as the franchise plans to move into its new stadium in 2027 − preferably with a bang.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback situation
It's bad. Right now. The decision to trade for and extend Geno Smith last year smacked of an organization unwilling to embrace an obviously needed rebuild. Aidan O'Connell and Kenny Pickett seem like quality backups at best – and there's probably not much reason for Pickett to re-sign here. All that aside, a team that holds the No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft seems almost certain to invest anew at the position, whether it's for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza or someone else.
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2026 mock draft as regular season ends: Projecting first round with early order set
Roster
It's bad. Right now. Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby has long been a loyal warrior, but even he was disillusioned by the end of the 2025 campaign given how his injury situation was handled. Kolton Miller is a solid left tackle. He's also 30 and missed 13 games this season. Recent first-rounders Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty should be cornerstones – but good luck finding a winner that was built around a tight end and running back, respectively ... and the decision to select Jeanty sixth overall last year deserves even more scrutiny now than it did at the time.
Salary cap
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It's great. Right now. The Raiders also have upwards of $100 million in their free agency coffers. But whether it's minority owner Tom Brady or GM John Spytek who earmarks those funds, they'd be wise to not throw more good money after bad at a talent deficit that obviously requires longer-term thinking and an infusion of young players from the draft.
2026 NFL draft
Vegas won't pick atop every round but pretty close to it. The Raiders also picked up a fourth-rounder for dealing WR Jakobi Meyers , who was unabashedly eager to leave Sin City, at the trade deadline . The big question is whether they actually to pull the trigger for a quarterback off the top … or try to flip the pick and address their numerous needs elsewhere before replacing Smith in earnest further down the road.
Outlook
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This operation is nicely set up to rise from the ashes … provided it recognizes it's covered in ashes and shouldn't be pursuing coaches in their seventies. But it's also worth monitoring how things proceed. It's widely assumed Brady is calling a lot of the shots behind the scenes even as Spytek and Carroll were the ones front and center answering questions about the franchise's direction and philosophy − and still hard to say what those are exactly after a categorically disastrous and wasted year.
5. Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback situation
Uh, yeah. What seemed like a powder keg two years ago when Fontenot signed Kirk Cousins to a massive free agent contract before taking oft-injured Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in the 2024 draft – without revealing that strategy to Cousins from the jump – has indeed blown up in this franchise's face. Penix hardly set the league on fire in his second season and is now dealing with his latest ACL injury, one that seems likely to keep him off the field at the start of next season. Meanwhile, Cousins now knows he's a placeholder but may very well be needed in that role given the unknowns with Penix. However Cousins does only have $10 million guaranteed remaining on the final two years of his contract, which should theoretically make him far easier to trade or release if the next regime so chooses.
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Roster
There are certainly some studs in house. RB Bijan Robinson , WR Drake London and G Chris Lindstrom all rank among the best players at their respective positions – Robinson seemingly on the cusp of being one of the league's faces. Rookie pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. and S Xavier Watts gave the defense a much-needed boost and should form its nucleus for years to come. The cupboard's hardly bare beyond that, though much will depend on how the existing depth chart aligns with the preferences of the next decision makers.
Salary cap
Fontenot's replacement will have to trim about $4 million off the books before free agency begins in March, a pretty easy lift. The issue is that Atlanta has little bandwidth to retain pending free agents like TE Kyle Pitts , OLB Arnold Ebiketie or RB Tyler Allgeier – a valuable sidekick who spares Robinson a lot of the harder miles. London is already somewhat overdue for a contract extension, and Robinson is newly eligible for one – and his price tag could get astronomical, relative to his position, the longer the team waits to reward him. Unloading Cousins in some fashion would cause a lot of money to flow back into the budget – but such a decision obviously comes with its own ramifications.
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2026 NFL draft
A year after the shocking selection of Penix, Fontenot dealt back into the bottom of the 2025 draft's first round for Pearce – and he unequivocally has the makings of a good player, leading the Falcons with 10½ sacks. But the opportunity cost of what seemed like something of a desperate reach at the time is the loss of this year's Round 1 choice – No. 13 overall – which now belongs to the Los Angeles Rams . Fontenot also spent this year's fifth-rounder in a separate trade in 2025 – but that's aging well so far given it put Atlanta in position to choose Watts.
Outlook
The quarterbacking morass is a major issue – and that probably would have been the case even if Penix was fully healthy. There are some enticing components of this roster, though another of Fontenot's unorthodox strategies – which hasn't borne the desired results – was pouring so much first-round capital into offensive skill players. The good news is that winning the NFC South should remain a bar that's not all that difficult to clear – and Atlanta was only one win shy of doing it this season. But whether or not the Falcons are sensibly constructed for the long haul is another question entirely, as desperate as 83-year-old owner Arthur Blank is to win the franchise's first Super Bowl.
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6. Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback situation
Unclear as it was whether deposed Gannon would move forward with Kyler Murray , it's equally unclear if another coaching staff would embrace a player who tends to freelance and hasn't done much to craft a rep as the locker room CEO most successful NFL quarterbacks are. Murray is guaranteed $36.8 million in 2026, and cutting him would incur a cap hit of nearly $55 million – though that's hardly prohibitive in this era of the ballooning salary scale. A decision on his future could be further accelerated given nearly $20 million more will be guaranteed to Murray in 2027 if he remains on the roster on March 15. The two-time Pro Bowler and top pick of the 2019 draft is also only 28 and might yet fetch something on the trade market – especially if the Cards are willing to eat some money to facilitate a transaction.
But moving on from him – if that winds up being the eventual course of action – isn't as daunting a prospect on the field given career backup and occasional bridge QB Jacoby Brissett remains under contract after operating the offense at a much higher efficiency level than Murray did in 2025.
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Roster
The makings of a really good passing game are in place (though a more balanced offense would likely benefit the greater good). Trey McBride has emerged as the league's best receiving tight end, WR Michael Wilson was a revelation late in the season, and Paris Johnson is a top-shelf left tackle. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to be something of a disappointment – especially relative to draft mates like Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. and even Ladd McConkey . First-round DL Walter Nolen III only appeared in six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Elsewhere OLBs Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins had solid seasons. Otherwise, there's a lot of work to be done here on both sides of the ball.
Salary cap
Similar to the Giants, GM Monti Ossenfort has some spending power with a projected $21 million budget. While that's much more than some teams have, it's a lot less than those that are shaping up as the significant free agent power brokers in 2026. Murray's situation also seems bound to have further impact here.
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2026 NFL draft
Ossenfort has a full complement of picks, including No. 3 overall – though that would likely force him to reach for a quarterback this year if that's the way the franchise wants to go. Like the three other 3-14 teams from the 2025 season, the Cards will rotate near the top of every round.
Outlook
It appeared like they were building toward a positive crescendo under Gannon. But Murray's health – and whatever else is going on there – a torrent of other injuries and simple bad luck (in the form of eight losses by one score) caused the bottom to fall out over the past few months. Arizona 's issues are further amplified by its membership in the NFC West, which currently serves as the home of three of the league's very best teams. The road back to relevance here seems to remain long and winding.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL's six open head coaching jobs in 2026 ranked, including Giants
