'22 Coaching Cycle

The conclusion of the 2021-22 NFL Season is here, which for some also means the conclusion of their time with the teams they are employed by. Luckily for me as a Jets fan, I don't have to worry about the Jets going through a head coaching search this offseason.

Heading into the. final week of the season, we already knew for sure about two jobs that would be open, the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. As I write this a little after noon on Black Monday in the NFL, we now know of at least four more jobs that will be open; Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and (shockingly) Miami Dolphins.

Most people knew the Broncos and Bears jobs would be open, with suspicion about the Vikings. However, the Miami Dolphins firing Brian Flores after 3 only seasons is the biggest shocker of the day.

There could still be at least one more head coach opening depending on what teams like the Houston Texans, New York Giants (even though right now it looks like Joe Judge keeps his job), and Seattle Seahawks do.

With that said, what do these jobs look like? Who are some of the best candidates out there? Which job (as of now) is the best HC job?

What Happens Next?

The Jaguars have a bit of a head start to their search since they fired Urban Meyer a couple weeks ago and they are not in the playoffs. The job does not look too bad from outsiders view. Trevor Lawrence was just drafted with the number one overall pick a year ago and the team will have the number one pick again this year.

The Jaguars do have some pieces there from football perspective. However it is the Front Office and Ownership that a potential coach should be more worried about. Also, whoever is hired will have to get rid of the stench left by Meyer on the organization.

Jaguars should try to get an experienced coach, like Jim Caldwell, who knows how to turn programs around. Look at the Detroit Lions. Caldwell was fired from the Lions after a 9-7 season, and the team has not sniffed a winning record since. Caldwell should be number one for the Jaguars, but Tampa Bay OC Byron Leftwich should be high on their wish-list too.

Leftwich was a first round pick by the Jaguars in 2003, but even more than that he has helped turn the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense into a juggernaut. Having Tom Brady as your quarterback helps, but the offense was successful with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Only if Winston didn't turn the ball over 30 times.

Raiders will be in the head coach market once their season is over, but the team should truly consider keeping Rich Bisaccia. The Raiders could have crumbled weeks ago and no one would blame them. From Gruden to Ruggs, the team has been dealt a terrible hand and yet was still able to just clinched a playoff spot last night on Sunday Night Football.

Michigan's head man, Jim Harbaugh, has been heavily rumored for the job and I would not be against that for the Raiders if they do not keep Bisaccia.

Both Denver and Minnesota could be lucrative jobs as well, but some may view others more favorably. Denver has a solid defense, a young offense, but unfortunately no QB. In a division where you currently play Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Derek Carr each twice a year it may be very difficult to get a coach to come to Denver.

For Chicago, they at least believe they have a quarterback in rookie Justin Fields. Whoever comes into the Windy City will be tasked with developing Fields. Harbaugh has been rumored for the Bears job as well because of his past connections to Chicago. His rival HC, Ryan Day from Ohio State has quietly been rumored as well, however that seems less likely. Could you imagine though if Day left Columbus to go coach Fields in Chicago again?

An offensive-minded coach is probably the move for Chicago. A guy like Green Bay Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett or Buffalo Bills OC Brian DaBoll could be in the mix in Chicago.

The biggest shocker, to me, is the Miami Dolphins. Brian Flores was tasked with rebuilding the Dolphins after the mess that Adam Gase had left in Miami. His first year was supposed to be a tank, but instead the team was competitive down the stretch, The following year, even with disfunction at QB was on the door step of the playoffs and won 10 games. This year the team started 1-7 and finished the year 9-8. One of the most impressive things to me though is that Flores went 4-2 against his former boss, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

There may have been a power struggle and coach and GM may not have been on the same page. But Flores proved to be the right guy after years of trying to find the right guy. And now *POOF* he is gone, with GM Chris Grier keeping his job.

I do not understand how Grier, who built the current Dolphins team has kept his job over Flores. Grier drafted Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert, built a lackluster o-line, and besides Waddle what other weapons do the Dolphins have that really WOW you? With the ammo the Dolphins had a few years ago, the team should have better pieces than this.

It is really hard to see where the Dolphins go from here. Obviously whoever it is will have to be on board with Grier and also probably be chained to Tua as well.

Owner Stephen Ross quickly turned down rumors of Jim Harbaugh, who coaches Ross's alma matter. I saw a rumor for Jim Caldwell earlier as well. Brian Flores would be a great fit for that...oh wait.

It is difficult for me to get a gage of what the Dolphins might do going forward. The Jaguars will probably find someone who can cleanse the culture, like Caldwell. Bears will more than likely go offensive-mind. Broncos and Vikings could go a number of directions as well. I see Vikings going with a younger, possibly offensive minded coach as well. Raiders should keep Bisaccia but could see Harbaugh there as well.

Potential Candidates

Jim Harbaugh has been heavily rumored as of late. Allegedly telling recruits he is listening to NFL offers doesn't help either. He has a knack for turning losers into winners and has done it just about everywhere he has gone.

Jim Caldwell and Doug Pederson are two of the former head coaches that could get looks too. Caldwell should get a job this coaching cycle because he has a history, like Harbaugh, of turning bad teams around. He can be that "culture cleanser" that Jacksonville needs.

Defensive coaches like Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, and Bills DC Leslie Frazier will be in the mix for some jobs, however I do not know if either one moves. All are former head coaches and will wait for the absolute best opportunity for them. Bowles specifically will probably stay in Tampa with hopes of taking over once Bruce Arians retires.

Every year there is always a rush to get the "next best" offensive minded coach. I don't really see a Kyle Shanahan or Kliff Kingsbury or even a Arthur Smith this year, but there are still some quality offensive coordinators to look at. These are some that could get looks:

Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich

Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett

Bills OC Brian DaBoll

Chiefs OC Eric Bienemy

Cowboys OC Kellen Moore

Patriots OC Josh McDaniels

Other guys to keep your eye out on is Alabama OC Bill O'Brien (former Texans HC) and also Colts DC Matt Eberflus.

Best HC Job Opening

It really comes down to what you want. Do you want a team with a young QB that you can mold? Jacksonville and Chicago both come to mind. Do you want a veteran team that may be a few pieces away? Denver, Minnesota, and even Vegas are right there. They each have enough pieces to excite a candidate. So here are my personal rankings for the head coaching job:

- Minnesota Vikings

- Las Vegas Raiders (once season is over)

- Chicago Bears

- Jacksonville Jaguars

- Denver Broncos

- Miami Dolphins

There can be a lot of debate about this list. Like Miami Dolphins being last?! They just fired Brian Flores because he had did not have a good relationship with a mediocre at best GM. No HC has finished 4 full seasons at the Dolphins head coach since Dave Wannestedt in the early 2000's. The firing of Flores would scare me as a candidate.

Why is the Vikings job the top job? Vikings cleaned house. It will be a new GM and HC who will hopefully be in sync. The team has a solid defense and pretty good offensive weapons. Justin Jefferson is probably close to being Top 5 WR ALREADY after 2 years. Dalvin Cook when healthy is a top RB. The ownership is pretty patient as well. The pieces are there. Depending on what the next regime decides to do a QB will probably be the deciding factor on if the Vikings can get out of "purple purgatory" or not.

Raiders are playing in the playoffs this week. They have a QB. They have weapons. Defense is solid. I would say that is very attractive.

Bears and Jaguars both come down to if you trust the young QB or not. If you like Fields or Lawrence then they are good jobs. If not then move on.

Broncos, like mentioned earlier, are just in a tough division. There are pieces but no QB. Not having a QB in THAT division, good luck.

There could still be a few teams added to this list, but as of now this is how I would rank them

What Comes Next?

Still awaiting to here, for sure, the job status of Joe Judge with the New York Giants and also Houston Texans HC David Culley. It appears that both might be safe. But should they be?

I am in the boat that says Judge should be gone. It appears he has lost the locker room and with a GM opening there in New York, why not just clean house? Instead you are asking a potential GM candidate to attach their future to Joe Judge and also probably QB Daniel Jones. Definitely will impact the choice of GM. Trust me, as a Jets fan I have seen this play out poorly i.e. John Idzik with Rex Ryan.

Culley should be probably keep his job in Houston. That was a tough situation, tons of disfunction, and a big dark cloud around the quarterback situation with everything going on with Deshaun Watson. However, amidst all of that, Culley led a competitive team down the stretch that beat a Los Angeles Chargers team that was still vying for a playoff spot.

If Culley is fired, it is probably because GM Nick Casserio wants to bring in a New England guy of his own, like Patriots OC Josh McDaniels. Lions fans should know how that feels seeing as that is how they got Matt Patricia, because of then GM Bob Quinn.

Seattle is kind of a wild card too but it seems like Pete Carroll will probably get at least one more year.

Buckle up though, the head coaching carousal is just beginning. There will probably be another surprise or two if that be a firing or hiring. You can always count on the NFL being entertaining, and that is especially true during the offseason.