There will be plenty of NFL head coach openings this offseason, but who are the names you should start learning ahead of Black Monday?
With Black Monday approaching, NFL insiders are hinting that we could see a bloodbath unlike years prior. Jay Glazer said on the FOX pregame show that as many as 14 teams could be looking for coaches this offseason, for varying degrees of reason. Bruce Arians might retire and create an opening in Arizona whereas the Raiders seem to be 50/50 on firing Jack Del Rio.
Needless to say, there will be openings this winter which means a slew of coordinators will get a shot at the biggest job of their lives.
Not all of the potential openings are addressed here. This isn’t about individual teams, it’s about the candidates you should be paying closer and closer attention to as the season winds down. Also, these are realistic potential options for teams — there’s no Bill Cowher here. I’ll be honest with you and admit Jon Gruden is on the list but the growing rumors need to be addressed.
Josh McDaniels
Current Job: Patriots Offensive Coordinator
Logical Suitors: Colts, Giants, Jets, Bears
Just like in the weakest NBA Draft class, there’s always one guy that is the consensus top choice. Josh McDaniels is a slam dunk to get a head coaching job this offseason and it would be shocking if he didn’t. The question is where will he go, and that really depends on the amount of control he can have.
Chicago is a logical option because of the young quarterback factor — but it’s a guy McDaniels didn’t hand pick. If he agreed to coach the Bears, that’s a glowing endorsement of Mitchell Trubisky’s potential.
Indianapolis is the most logical choice since it offers McDaniels the best of both worlds. Either he gets Andrew Luck back and gets to coach him to his fullest potential, or he’ll be in a position to draft a successor. It’s a win-win, especially with Chris Ballard running the show in the front office. Both New York jobs are intriguing because they offer potential Belichick-like control while also allowing McDaniels to stay close to home.