The New York Giants got their guy. John Harbaugh reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth over $100 million, ensuring he'll be leading Jaxson Dart and Co. for the next half-decade. Say what you want about how things ended with the Baltimore Ravens, but Harbaugh, a Super Bowl-winning head coach who consistently had the Ravens in the postseason race during his nearly two-decade-long run as Baltimore's head coach, is the right fit to turn the Giants around.
There's a reason he was as sought after as he was, and Harbaugh's decision will impact the rest of this offseason's head coaching carousel. With that in mind, let's predict how the other teams with head coaching vacancies will respond.
Arizona Cardinals
Head coach prediction: Klint Kubiak
Major changes are needed for the Arizona Cardinals after a disastrous 2025 season, and replacing Jonathan Gannon with Klint Kubiak would constitute a significant shift. There are reasons to believe this fit makes a lot of sense.
The Cardinals might not have a quarterback with it being likely that they're going to trade Kyler Murray away, but they do have exciting offensive pieces like Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride and Paris Johnson Jr. for a bright offensive mind like Kubiak to get excited about. Additionally, the Cardinals might prioritize Kubiak, an offensive coordinator who has thrived with the Seattle Seahawks, due to his familiarity with the NFC West.
Ultimately, the Cardinals should find their own version of Mike Macdonald, Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan to lead the way for the next decade or longer. The 38-year-old Kubiak, who has thrived as a coordinator and has had success in the NFC West, figures to be a great fit.
Atlanta Falcons
Head coach prediction: Mike McDaniel
The Atlanta Falcons have one of the most appealing jobs for head coaching candidates to consider, with lots of talent on both sides of the ball. It's the offensive talent, though, headlined by Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Michael Penix Jr. that would be especially appealing for what should be one of the most highly touted head coaching candidates of this year's cycle.
Things ended poorly with the Miami Dolphins, but at the end of the day, we saw McDaniel get a lot out of a Dolphins offense led by a quarterback as limited as any in Tua Tagovailoa. I'm not here to say Penix is a perfect quarterback by any means, but he has more upside and is paired with elite weapons.
There's reason to believe McDaniel can be the head coach to get the most out of what should be a very talented offense, and that alone could be what gets the Falcons on top of the NFC South.
Baltimore Ravens
Head coach prediction: Kevin Stefanski
There is not a job more attractive for a head coaching candidate than that of the Baltimore Ravens, and for that, they should get their pick of any of the available options. They'd be foolish to pass on Kevin Stefanski, assuming he'd be interested in the role.
Not only is Stefanski familiar with the AFC North, but he's a two-time Coach of the Year winner. Sure, he didn't win much with the Cleveland Browns at the end of his tenure, but can you really blame him for that considering what he had to work with?
Give Stefanski Lamar Jackson and an extremely talented Ravens roster, and the wins should follow. Stefanski was dealt a bad hand and will make the most of a good one.
Cleveland Browns
Head coach prediction: Jim Schwartz
On one hand, the Cleveland Browns should probably clean house and get a new regime in town to try and reverse the franchise's fortunes. On the other hand, the Browns have one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL already in-house. Will they really let Jim Schwartz land elsewhere?
As bad as the Browns were this past season, they allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (283.6) and were in the upper half of the league in points allowed per game. This defense was good. Myles Garrett obviously had a lot to do with that, but Schwartz has consistently gotten a lot out of this Browns' defense.
The Browns' situation is bad enough to drive the premier head coaching candidates elsewhere, so giving Schwartz, a proven defensive mind, a shot, isn't the worst idea.
Las Vegas Raiders
Head coach prediction: Brian Flores
The Las Vegas Raiders' Pete Carroll experiment was a disaster, and now they need someone to help facilitate a rebuild and get the most out of young players. With that in mind, why not give Brian Flores a shot?
Flores finished two of his three seasons as a head coach with the Miami Dolphins with a winning record. Since being fired by the Dolphins, Flores has led one of the NFL's best defenses with the Minnesota Vikings.
Normally, I'd want to pair a No. 1 pick, likely to be quarterback Fernando Mendoza, with an offensive-minded head coach, but it's really hard to pass up on Flores, who also has a relationship with minority owner Tom Brady dating back to their days with the New England Patriots.
Miami Dolphins
Head coach prediction: Jeff Hafley
The Miami Dolphins can go in several directions after firing McDaniel, but based on how their offseason began, it's hard to ignore Jeff Hafley. The Dolphins hired Jon-Eric Sullivan, formerly in the Green Bay Packers' organization, to be their new general manager. With that in mind, why not go with a Packers connection like defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be the head coach?
Sure, the Packers' defense crumbled down the stretch, but injuries to Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt didn't exactly help their cause. Hafley led a stout defense in Green Bay for the most part, and he should do good things in Miami as well.
In the NFL, it's often about who you know. Hafley has a relationship with their new GM, and his track record is solid. This fit makes too much sense.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Head coach prediction: Jesse Minter
It's hard to predict what the Pittsburgh Steelers, an organization that's hired three head coaches since 1969, will do, but all three of their head coaches in that span have some commonality. All three of them were defensive-minded head coaches under the age of 40. Given how well it's worked for the most part, why stray away from that?
Sure, the Steelers needed a new voice, but that doesn't mean they have to reinvent the wheel. Jesse Minter is a bit older than the others were, but he's still just 42. He has just two years of experience as a coordinator, but he's led elite defenses with the Los Angeles Chargers in both of his years.
The Steelers are going to want their next head coach to be in the role for a long time based on how they've operated, and Minter is as exciting as any young coordinator in the league.
Tennessee Titans
Head coach prediction: Matt Nagy
This is perhaps the easiest fit to predict. The Tennessee Titans have been linked to Matt Nagy really since firing head coach Brian Callahan midseason, and it isn't hard to see why. GM Mike Borgonzi worked in the Kansas City Chiefs' front office before landing in Tennessee, and Nagy has spent the last three seasons as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator. Again, it's often about who you know.
Nagy checks a lot of boxes. He has head coaching experience, and even won a division title with the Chicago Bears in his first of four seasons there. He's an offensive-minded coach, which bodes well for Cam Ward, the face of the franchise. Working alongside Patrick Mahomes doesn't hurt either.
The Titans may aim higher to give Cam Ward the best chance to succeed, but if they fail, Nagy isn't the worst fallback.
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