Ranking the Best NFL Head Coach Candidates 2026

As of January 8, eight NFL teams are searching for new head coaches. 

The Titans and Giants made mid-season changes. 

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the following teams elected to change coaches: Miami, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Arizona and Baltimore. 

Who presents the best candidacy for this year’s hiring cycle? Below are my predictions for head coaching candidates this year.

Ranking the Best NFL Head Coaching Candidates 2026

Joe Brady

Skeptics says that coordinating a Bills offense led by Josh Allen is a comparably easier challenge. 

Still, Brady has excelled as Bills offensive coordunator. This year marks his second full season as Buffalo’s coordinator after a mid-season promotion in 2023. 

Under Brady, Buffalo has finished no worse than sixth in points per game. The unit has also proven to be one of the most efficient ground games, ranking first in yards in 2024. 

Klint Kubiak

Kubiak transformed the Seattle offense in his first year as coordinator. 

Sam Darnold’s renaissance has continued in the Pacific Northwest. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an NFL Offensive Player of the Year threat. 

Interestingly, Kubiak’s offense has failed to establish the run game. That proved a hallmark of his time in New Orleans. 

Still, an offense that ranks second in points per game should generate attention for Kubiak. 

Chris Shula

In 2024, the Rams defense was a liability. The team ranked 26th in defensive DVOA and 17th in points per game. 

This season, the opposite is true. Despite coordinating the league’s cheapest defense, Shula led the unit to a top-10 DVOA and points per game ranking. 

All of that has come while playing a very difficult set of opposing offenses. 

For teams looking to bolster their defense – read: New York Giants – Shula offers intrigue as a coaching hire. 

Matt Burke

This year’s schedule has put Houston’s defense through the wringer. Through Week 14, the defense had faced the league’s fifth-hardest set of offenses. 

Still, Burke’s defense emerged from that slate second in defensive DVOA. Before making opponent adjustments, the Texans defense still ranked second! 

Head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former defensive coordinator, undoubtedly helps that success. But Burke has now spent two years coordinating one of the league’s best defenses. 

Don’t be surprised if Burke garners attention for top roles this Spring. 

Brian Flores

Could Flores receive another chance to lead a team? 

It wasn’t the on-field product that spelled the end of Flores’ tenure in Miami. Like Burke, Flores now coordinates one of the league’s best defenses. 

In 2024, the Vikings ranked second in defensive DVOA, fifth in points allowed and first in takeaways. This season, the team has remained above average in all of those categories. 

As one of the few candidates with head coaching experience, Flores could depart Minnesota this offseason. 

Kevin Stefanski

A two-time Coach of the Year winner, at minimum, should immediately find another job. Whether that comes as a leader or coordinator remains to be determined. 

Prior to 2024, Stefanski established himself as a strong run game coordinator. 

As Vikings offensive coordinator in 2019, he coordinated an offense that placed in the 84th percentile in rushing yards. 

Upon joining Cleveland, his offense ranked no worse than sixth in rushing yards each of his first three seasons. 

A sub-par offense – Tennessee, Las Vegas or the Giants – could benefit from hiring Stefanski.