Black Monday is upon us, and already we've seen four new teams — the Browns, Raiders, Falcons and Cardinals — join the Giants and Titans among those in need a head coach in 2026. All six are wagering that there's someone out there who's more qualified to lead their rosters into a new era of contention (or, in the case of Cleveland and Las Vegas, basic competency). But which candidates might they target?
By now, you're probably familiar with the retreads in this cycle, your Mike McCarthys and Kevin Stefanskis. For those seeking something fresher, though, we've ranked our choices for the top 12 assistant coaches in the NFL right now — as well as where they might fit best in the coaching carousel.
Honorable mentions: Colts DC Lou Anarumo, Broncos DC Vance Joseph, Giants OC Mike Kafka, Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile
1. Robert Saleh, San Francisco 49ers DC
Not to say that Saleh was perfect, but at this point it should be abundantly clear that what went wrong with the Jets went well beyond any of his shortcomings as a head coach. And the fact remains that wherever he goes, playoff-caliber defense follows — even if his depth chart gets decimated by injuries, as has been the case in San Francisco this season.
He deserves credit for adapting to fit his (limited) personnel in a way that's kept the Niners competitive, and he's always had the loyalty of his locker rooms. If there's a red flag here, it has to do with who he'd hire as his offensive coordinator, but it's worth remembering that Aaron Rodgers is the one who stuck him with Nathaniel Hackett (and no one was making Zach Wilson work).
Where he should end up: Dolphins, Ravens
2. Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers DC
Picking from the Harbaugh tree worked out pretty well for Seattle with Mike Macdonald, so why not go after their other bright young defensive mind (who happens to have succeeded Macdonald as the DC at Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to a national title)? Minter is young, sure, and there's a ton we don't know about how he'd build out a whole staff. But he's consistently done more with less over his two years with the Chargers, fielding a top-10 unit with limited personnel, and he's learned from among the best when it comes to building a program.
Where he should end up: Raiders, Giants
3. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills OC
This cycle is light on proven scheme lords; most of the offensive minds in this year's carousel are either retreads or come with limited track records as play-callers. Brady is the notable exception, and before you point to Brian Daboll and crack wise about how the team that hires him won't get Josh Allen as part of the deal, understand that Brady's success in Buffalo has as much to do with his work in the run game as it does his MVP candidate QB. He set college football on fire at LSU in 2019, and he did better work than people remember with the Panthers in 2020 before he was sacrificed at the altar of Matt Rhule's ego.
Where he should end up: Browns, Falcons
4. Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders OC
Go ahead, laugh all you want. I get the Air Raid merchant allegations, and I remember how his time in Arizona ended. But Kingsbury didn't get enough credit for the work he did tailoring last year's Commanders offense around the skill set of Jayden Daniels (and a frankly mediocre roster) he definitely hasn't gotten enough credit for making Marcus Mariota viable in the year of our lord 2025. It's hard to besmirch his QB track record, especially knowing what we now know about Kyler Murray, and being able to develop the most important position in sports goes a long way.
Where he should end up: Browns, Giants
5. Steve Spagnuolo, Kansas City Chiefs DC
Do I think Spagnuolo could or should jump for a second chance at a head coaching gig? Not really, no. He's 65 years old, his first go-round did not end well, and seriously: Would you take the risk of leaving Patrick Mahomes in order to head to Cleveland? I could maybe see a reunion with the Giants, but really, Spagnuolo is just here because he's been the single most important defensive figure in the NFL for nearly a decade now. His unit has backslid along with everything else in Kansas City this year, but attention must be paid.
Where he should end up: Right next to Patrick Mahomes
6. Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings DC
Flores is quite possibly the only branch to survive off of the Bill Belichick coaching tree, and there might not be more of a floor-raiser on defense in the entire NFL. (His Vikings units have been so good over the last couple of years that you forget just what we all thought of this roster before he showed up and turned Andrew Van Ginkel into a Pro Bowler.) That goes a long way, and he did post two winning seasons before being controversially fired by the Dolphins the last time he was a head coach. Then again, he also had a difficult time putting a functional offensive infrastructure in place, which could scare some teams off.
Where he should end up: Raiders, Bengals, Dolphins (in a parallel universe)
7. Jeff Hafley, Green Bay Packers DC
It seems like Packers fans have mixed feelings about Hafley, and to be honest I'm not sure why. He orchestrated a top-five unit last season in terms of EPA per play, and he was off to a gangbusters start this season before injuries eventually took their toll. He's also done it while unlocking new levels of play at just about every level of the defense; not a ton was expected of guys like safety Evan Williams and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper before he helped turn them into very good players. How badly he struggled to find a stable offense during his stint as head coach at Boston College should give teams pause, but hopefully some time with Matt LaFleur can help there. If you already feel pretty good about your quarterback (or you just don't have one and need someone to establish a culture), you could do a lot worse.
Where he should end up: Cardinals, Raiders
8. Anthony Weaver, Miami Dolphins DC
If this seems counterintuitive at first glance, it really shouldn't. Weaver built a top-10 defense last season by EPA per play, and while Miami hasn't been anywhere near that effective in 2025, he deserves credit for preventing the bottom from falling out while coaching a woefully undermanned roster amid a lost year. He cuts a calm, stabilizing figure, a reputation that's backed up by his work amid a turbulent Dolphins locker room. In some ways, he's a bit like Hafley, although without quite as strong schematic chops.
Where he should end up: Cardinals, Raiders
9. Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens OC
Again: It's pretty slim pickings when it comes to offensive play-callers who are also viable head coaching candidates. Monken has been the top guy before at the college level, and we've all been too quick to forget just how great a job he did in nearly guiding Lamar Jackson to back-to-back MVP Awards over his first two seasons in Baltimore. (He also dragged Georgia's offense into the modern age while winning a national title with Stetson Bennett, so his ability to adapt to his personnal shouldn't be in question.)
He's not sexy, and he'll probably wind up getting passed over in this cycle. If your team has been wandering the offensive wilderness for years, though, it could do worse than a guy who's proven he can score a ton of points with the right pieces in place.
Where he should end up: Giants, Titans
10. Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks OC
This might seem a bit low for a guy guiding the offense for the NFC's top seed, but I don't fully trust Kubiak as an offensive scheme lord just yet. Seattle is currently just 15th in EPA per play, feasting on downfield shots to Jaxon Smith-Njigba but incapable of finding consistency in the running game — a curious combination for a guy who grew up on the Shanahan coaching tree. What's particularly concerning is that the story was largely the same last season with the Saints, leaving us to wonder whether this is just who Kubiak is as a play-caller. His connections, thanks to his last name and his time under Kyle Shanahan, are enticing, but I need to see it for at least one more year to fully buy in.
Where he should end up: Titans, Giants
11. Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams DC
Speaking of precocious young coaches with famous last names. Shula is admittedly one of the league's foremost nepo babies, but you do eventually need to prove you can coach, and he's done that in a major way over the last two seasons with the Rams. This was a defensive depth chart largely decimated in the wake of Aaron Donald's retirement, and the growth they've shown from 2024 to 2025 — and the young players who've developed under Shula's watch — is awfully impressive. Combine that with his connections to the Sean McVay offensive tree, and there's a lot to like here.
Where he should end up: Cardinals, Giants
12. Klayton Adams, Dallas Cowboys OC
This is admittedly a bit of an off-the-wall pick. Not only is this Adams' first season as an offensive coordinator, but he's never been a play-caller at the NFL level, with Brian Schottenheimer serving that role in Dallas this year. But I'm intrigued by Adams' resume all the same: It doesn't feel like a coincidence that the Cardinals' running game collapsed once he left town, especially considering the improvement the Cowboys have seen in that department (and along the offensive line). He hasn't done enough to merit serious head coaching consideration just yet, but there's a chance he's the real deal, and it's always better to be a year early than a year late.