It’s time for that annual conundrum for NFL franchises seeking a new head coach: The best candidates are often coordinators on teams making deep playoff runs, so are hiring teams willing to wait that extra few weeks to fill their openings?
That’s likely the case again this year, with six head coaching openings — the Bears, Saints, Raiders, Jaguars, Jets and Patriots — and potentially one or two more before it all shakes out. So with the playoffs starting, we offer up eight coordinators whose postseason runs, good or bad, will impact their ability to take the next step and be offered a head coaching position.
BEN JOHNSON, Lions OC, age 38
He’s arguably the brass ring of the group, having been coveted for NFL jobs the past two offseasons and exercising rare patience in waiting for the right opening to accept. Could that mean staying in the NFC North with the Bears? With an established quarterback like Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville or a promising young one like Drake Maye in New England? The Lions were the top-scoring offense in the NFL this year, and to some extent, Detroit could get shut out after the bye week and he’d still have multiple offers to choose from. But with each win and each explosive offensive showing on a huge platform, Johnson makes the case for NFL teams to wait for him — or wink-wink, work out a deal on the side and keep it quiet — and take the most anticipated step up of this hiring cycle.
BEST FIT: Bears
AARON GLENN, Lions DC, 52
Sunday’s impressive win over the Vikings to clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed earned Detroit and Glenn a week off in the playoffs, and it solidified his position as perhaps the most coveted of the defensive assistants. Several teams have already requested permission to interview him virtually during the bye week, and he has strong connections with those teams, having played for the Jets and Saints and coached for New Orleans as well. Glenn is working with a Detroit defense decimated by injuries, but a strong playoff showing would help his standing for these openings.
BEST FIT: Saints
LIAM COEN, Bucs OC, 39
Coen is probably the fastest riser of this group. A year ago, he was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky, but he worked under Sean McVay as a Rams assistant before that. His first year in Tampa has been remarkable, with the run game rising from 32nd in the league last season to fourth in yards/game, and even more improvement from Baker Mayfield, who threw 41 touchdown passes. Coen’s predecessor, Dave Canales, turned a single season in Tampa into the Panthers‘ head coaching job last year and made progress in his first year, so this could be seen as a stepping-stone, especially if the Bucs can win a playoff game or two. If the seeds hold, they’d face three teams they beat in the regular season — Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit — to get to the Super Bowl.
BEST FIT: Back with Bucs
TODD MONKEN, Ravens OC, 58
Baltimore has a potential repeat MVP in Lamar Jackson, and this is the second year that Monken has worked with him. This season, Monken added a balance to the passing game with the NFL’s best rushing attack. The Ravens hosted a conference championship last year and lost to the Chiefs, but if they were the road spoiler and earned a trip to New Orleans, Monken would be the best beneficiary of that as a coaching candidate. He’s been a head coach at Southern Miss, he’s won college national championships as a coordinator at Georgia and now, he has found consistent success with the Ravens.
BEST FIT: Jaguars
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BRIAN FLORES, Vikings DC, 43
Flores has been a head coach before, going 24-25 with the Dolphins from 2019-21, so he has more experience than most of the assistants he’s up against. Minnesota’s defense has been outstanding, tied for the NFL lead in takeaways and helping the Vikings to a 14-3 record, the best ever for a wild card. They’re favored as they travel to face the Rams this weekend, and a strong showing against what is the lowest-scoring offense out of 14 playoff teams would help elevate his status. Flores has an ongoing lawsuit against the NFL, citing bias in his firing by the Dolphins, and it’s hard to know if that might impact his candidacy to return to the head coaching ranks.
BEST FIT: Jets
VANCE JOSEPH, Broncos DC, 52
Like Flores, Joseph has been a head coach before, and it didn’t necessarily go well, with an 11-21 record with the Broncos from 2017-18. He’s come back to Denver and put together a great season to get the Broncos back into the playoffs — third in scoring defense, seventh in total defense, the kind you need to make the postseason with a rookie quarterback. Joseph has already been connected to multiple jobs, but if the Broncos could go to Buffalo and keep the Bills offense in check and advance — yes, it’s a big if — he’ll be one of the assistants getting the most praise next week.
BEST FIT: Back with Broncos
MATT NAGY, Chiefs OC, 46
It’s funny that of all the successful teams this season, the one whose assistants don’t get much buzz is the Chiefs, who are 15-2 and seeking a third straight championship. Unlike defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Nagy wasn’t that bad as a head coach — 34-31 in four years in Chicago, two playoff appearances. Andy Reid’s coaching tree hasn’t sprouted many successful coaches, but if Kansas City rolls to a third championship, teams will want to go after Reid’s top assistants to help find the same culture and winning environment for their franchise.
BEST FIT: Raiders
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KLIFF KINGSBURY, Commanders OC, 45
Remember all the talk about the “Kliff cliff” when Washington trailed off with three straight losses in late November? The Commanders have bounced back to win five in a row, scoring 30 points a game with a rookie quarterback. If Jayden Daniels can continue that in the playoffs, another team with a young QB might look at Kingsbury and see opportunity. And don’t frget that Kingsbury worked directly with Caleb Williams at USC in 2023. The Washington OC seems on the outside looking in right now, but if the Commanders can pull off two playoff wins, the former Cardinals head coach will be taking interviews to get back to running a team.
BEST FIT: Back with Commanders
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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