The NFL coaching carousel has officially stopped, as every team has made its big hire of note.
Despite 10 NFL teams making a change at the helm last offseason, nothing is going to stop owners from firing their head coaches.
No, there were not 10 openings this cycle; only half that amount. This is because there were not enough quality candidates to be had this offseason. Although we only got five, keep in mind this one very important thing: There are only 32 of these jobs to be had. While owners should give the coaching candidate pool plenty of time to be properly replenished, it is easier to point the finger.
As the coaching carousel has finally halted, here is who has been fired and who has been hired.
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Carolina Panthers go with the first starting quarterback in team history.
- Page 2: Indianapolis Colts hire yet another Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordiantor.
- Page 3: Denver Broncos took to television to fix their unbelievably lackluster offense.
- Page 4: Houston Texans hire their former star linebacker to lead them out of irrelevancy.
- Page 5: Arizona Cardinals hire the defensive coordinator off the losing Super Bowl team.
NFL coaching carousel tracker 2023: Who’s been fired? Who’s been hired?
Carolina Panthers: Matt Rhule -> Frank Reich
The Carolina Panthers were the first team to pull the plug on their head coach. Newish owner David Tepper made a bold move to pry former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule out of Waco, despite only having had one year of NFL experience prior to 2020. Even though he never had a franchise quarterback at the helm, Rhule was let go because of Carolina’s persistent offensive ineptitude.
While Rhule returned to the college game by taking over for Scott Frost at Nebraska, his run in Charlotte was a forgettable one. Rhule went 11-27 in parts of three years at Carolina, including a 1-4 mark before getting whacked a third of the way through the 2022 NFL season. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks took over in the interim, going a commendable 6-6 in his first 12 games.
Although Wilks was a candidate to have the interim tag removed, Tepper went big game hunting. He hired former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich to be his guy going forward. Reich returns to Charlotte where he was the first starting quarterback on the expansion team. He threw the first touchdown pass in Panthers history before Kerry Collins took over after Week 3 in 1995.
This is an interesting hire for the Panthers. Reich had opportunities to be an offensive coordinator at many places, but viewed himself as a head coach. He bet on himself to beat out Wilks for the job at the end of the day. For Reich to have success in Carolina, he needs to align himself with a franchise quarterback. Losing Andrew Luck to retirement prematurely in Indianapolis ruined him.
With Carolina in one of the weakest divisions in football, Reich could get this turned around fast.
Indianapolis Colts: Frank Reich -> Shane Steichen
While there was no surprise over the Indianapolis Colts moving on from Frank Reich midseason, their impulsive owner Jim Irsay going with Ring of Honor member Jeff Saturday over anybody on Reich’s staff in the interim was not only unprecedented, it was unheard of! Reich needed to go because he was not going to win the AFC South crown after a 3-5-1 start during his fifth season.
Sure, you can say Reich did not have a franchise quarterback during his Indianapolis run, but he did have plenty of talent at the position. From Andrew Luck, to Jacoby Brissett, to Philip Rivers, to Carson Wentz, to Matt Ryan, Reich was unable to win enough games in five seasons to claim a division title. He went 40-33-1 during his Colts tenure, but was never victorious in Jacksonville…
Although there was actually a sliver of hope for Saturday to get the gig full-time, Irsay did his due diligence by conducting an incredibly thorough coaching search. After three rounds of interviews, it became apparent former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was going to be their guy. Given that Philadelphia played in Super Bowl 57, the Colts needed to wait patiently.
After hiring and firing a former Eagles offensive coordinator, the Colts hired another one. Keep in mind that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was Reich’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis before getting his own team two years ago. On paper, this hire could work out, but it still reeks of the impulsiveness that has become commonplace with Irsay. He just wanted a new Reich, apparently.
One thing is for certain, Steichen has to draft a franchise quarterback at No. 4 overall this spring.
Denver Broncos: Nathaniel Hackett -> Sean Payton
There is no other way around it. Nathaniel Hackett was a complete disaster leading the Denver Broncos. Hired by the Broncos to help bring Aaron Rodgers to Denver, they ended up with a totally washed Russell Wilson instead. So over his skis, Hackett went a disastrous 4-11 in 15 games as the Broncos head coach. He was the fifth NFL head coach to not make it through his first season…
In a weird twist, the Broncos named senior assistant Jerry Rosburg the interim head coach. Rosburg was the guy Hackett brought onto his staff to help manage the game clock. Regardless, Denver how has new ownership with The Waltons taking over. They did not hire Hackett in the first place. Their preference was always to hire a coach with previous head-coaching experience.
The dollars had to make sense first, but Denver did in fact make a home-run hire by negotiating a trade with the New Orleans Saints for Sean Payton’s rights. It cost them their 2023 first-round pick by way of the Miami Dolphins from the Bradley Chubb trade, as well as next year’s second. Denver also acquired the Saints’ third-round pick to sweeten the deal. What a move they made!
Payton is a hall-of-fame-level head coach, but Denver has been one of the worst franchises in the NFL over the last half decade. He will be tasked with getting the most out of Wilson in the latter part of his “prime”. For better or worse, this hiring makes the Broncos interesting and must-watch TV next year. Will it work out? Who knows, but you do have to admire the Broncos’ big swing here.
Payton was hired to end the Broncos’ lengthy playoff drought and bring Denver back to relevance.
Houston Texans: Lovie Smith -> DeMeco Ryans
It never really felt like Lovie Smith had a chance. The Houston Texans decided to make it back-to-back one-and-dones at head coach by moving on from Smith after only one season. The former Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach went a miserable 3-13-1 in his lone season at the helm in Houston. All three of his wins came on the road in-division.
Armed with the No. 2 overall pick and the No. 12 pick coming over from the Cleveland Browns as part of the Deshaun Watson trade, Houston has the ammunition to get better in a hurry should Cal McNair hire the right head coach. The Texans may have been an underrated job in this cycle, but having four head coaches in three years, including 2020 interim Romeo Crennel, is a terrible look.
Admittedly, we had a feeling DeMeco Ryans’ strong connection to the Texans’ franchise was too good to overlook. He was a hot commodity during the hiring cycle. It felt inevitable that he would get his own team after coordinating the San Francisco 49ers defense to perfection the last two years. Ryans was drafted by the Texans out of Alabama and had his best years as a pro with them.
For the first time in years, Houston has some hope. This had been a dead franchise ever since the Texans blew a sizable lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Playoffs. They were in dire need of some positivity on the sidelines. There was not a better hire the Texans could have made at the time over Ryans. They have to draft well, but this team may get better in a hurry under him.
Very rarely do we use the words Texans and optimistic in the same sentence, but look at us now!
Arizona Cardinals: Kliff Kingsbury -> Jonathan Gannon
This needed to happen. To be frank, it was odd for Kliff Kingsbury to be hired as the Arizona Cardinals head coach in the first place. After not achieving bowl eligibility at his alma mater of Texas Tech with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback, Kingsbury took over in The Valley for Kyler Murray reasons. His 2021 team was a strong one, but Kingsbury went 28-37-1 in four seasons.
With long-time general manager Steve Keim taking an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons and not excepted to return in 2023, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill will have to make two huge hires this offseason. Although Murray is coming off a season-ending injury, the talented, but mercurial quarterback is certainly worth building a winning team around. Who will coach him?
Arizona was the last team to fire its former head coach, so it is only fitting the Cardinals were the last team to hire its new one. Bidwill waited until after the hosting Super Bowl before prying defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon away from the Philadelphia Eagles. He interviewed very well for the job, beating out the other finalist for the gig in Lou Anarumo of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Gannon’s defense was a big reason behind the Birds’ return to prominence under Nick Sirianni. Although he interviewed with the Houston Texans this year and last, it was clear was not going to beat out former star linebacker DeMeco Ryans for the job. It felt all along that the Cardinals wanted to go with a savvy defensive mind with this hire. They clearly got one with Gannon now.
Expect for the Cardinals to probably take the best defensive player available when picking at No. 3.