Ranking Remaining NFL Head Coach Vacancies

Frank Reich’s hiring by the Carolina Panthers on Thursday was the first domino to fall in the NFL’s 2023 coaching cycle. Reich’s tenure with the Indianapolis Colts looked promising at times, with uncertainly at the quarterback position holding back sustained success. Carolina doesn’t offer a quarterback situation to get excited about, but Reich will attempt to instill continuity and confidence in that position. He’s well respected throughout the league and has ties to the Panthers’ franchise.

Four jobs remain, with second interviews currently ongoing for each opening. The hot name to monitor is Sean Payton, who is highly sought after by multiple clubs. The New Orleans Saints still hold his rights, and it is reported that any team wanting to hire Payton will need to offer up potentially first-round draft capital to the Saints. We’ll rank the remaining openings and outline where each team has its eyes focused.

1. Denver Broncos

The Broncos were the disappointment of 2022, and there is no question about that. A team with championship expectations and a perceived loaded roster completely crashed and burned, but there is still an opportunity here. Getting Russell Wilson back to even a shell of his former self would be an upgrade from last year, so inserting a calming presence to stabilize an organization in distress will be key. With new ownership and a large market, there is plenty to desire about this opening if the roster can live up to expectations. 49ers defensive coordinator Demeco Ryans is the reported front-runner for this job, with the highly coveted former NFL linebacker being viewed as one of the league’s brightest young coaches.

2. Indianapolis Colts

After the Carson Wentz experiment failed, the Colts had playoff expectations after acquiring Matt Ryan to nail down the quarterback position for the short-term future. Frank Reich lost his job midseason, and the team controversially brought in Jeff Saturday from ESPN to be the interim head coach. The Colts’ roster showed it wasn’t ready to compete, but they have an aggressive owner in Jim Irsay, who has demonstrated a commitment to get his team back into contention. They’ll be active in the quarterback market, whether that is moving up the draft board or in the trade market. It is reported that Irsay has a fondness for Jeff Saturday and wants to keep him full-time despite disagreements within the organization. Still, they’ll be conducting several second interviews this week. 

3. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona is in an interesting position. They fully committed to Kyler Murray this past offseason despite numerous questions about his hunger and drive. Around him, the roster is old and lacks young talent. Nonetheless, this job all comes down to finding the best fit to get the most out of their franchise quarterback, who they’re handcuffed to for years. The competition sounds like a two-horse race between Sean Payton and Brian Flores as it currently sits, with the Cardinals weary about giving up draft capital, their third overall pick, namely, to bring in Payton. Murray needs an established NFL offensive mind, so getting Payton in the building should be the top priority for Arizona’s newly hired GM.

4. Houston Texans 

No one should want this job. Houston has done their head coach dirty in two straight seasons, firing David Culley and Lovie Smith after each overachieved when dealt a bad hand. Still, it’s a head coaching vacancy in the NFL that someone would love to have. The roster is amid a full rebuild, with the second overall pick looking to be the slot of their soon-to-be franchise quarterback. This job will take patience if the Texans give their coach more than a season. Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is currently the betting favorite to land this job and was also a finalist last year before Smith was hired. Gannon led one of the league’s best defenses in 2022, breaking numerous sack records. It is only a matter of time before he leads a franchise.

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