Pro Football Rumors
Hours after we learned of his preseason extension, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero received requests to interview for head coach positions with the Raiders (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and Falcons (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). Evero has received some head coaching interest in two of the past three offseasons, but this is the first we’ve seen of his name in this year’s cycle.
In 2023, Evero’s defense being a lone bright spot in Denver led to him receiving his first head coaching interest, securing interviews for all five vacancies in Arizona, Carolina, Denver, Houston, and Indianapolis. He conducted second interviews with the Texans and Colts and was even rumored to be a finalist for the Cardinals’ job, but ultimately, he accepted a new defensive coordinator position under Frank Reich in Carolina.
The following coaching cycle, continued defensive coaching success with the Panthers kept Evero’s name in the running for open head coaching jobs. Of the eight vacancies in 2024, Evero interviewed for three of them. All three teams (Falcons, Panthers, and Seahawks) brough him back to conduct a second interview, but once again, he returned to his coordinator gig with the Panthers for new head coach Dave Canales.
After featuring so prominently in the previous two coaching cycles, it was surprising to see the 2025 cycle come and go without hearing Evero’s name. This may have been a result of Evero’s defense in Carolina suffering some lows that we hadn’t seen before in the coach’s recent tenure as coordinator. In 2024, the Panthers finished dead last in total defense, scoring defense, and rushing defense while finishing 23rd in pass defense. While not outstanding in 2025, the Panthers defense rebounded strongly and Evero is once again being recognized with head coaching interest.
The Falcons have already interviewed four candidates, splitting philosophies evenly with two offensive-minded candidates and two defensive-minded candidates. The team’s requested interviews with three other candidates and, including Evero, all four are defensive minded. It’s interesting to see Atlanta bring Evero in for an interview. His defense swept the Falcons in the regular season, including a 30-0 shutout in Charlotte.
The Raiders have interviewed five candidates for the head coaching job at this point in time, and all but one were offensive-minded coaches. They also have an interview planned with another offensive-minded candidate, but they’ve put out requests to interview two defensive-minded coaches, in addition to Evero.
Follow along with Pro Football Rumors’ 2026 NFL Head Coaching Tracker to see the latest on each candidate’s prospects and each team’s candidates.
