Five Head Coaching Vacancies Expected After This Season, Top Candidates Could Include Mike McCarthy, Kliff Kingsbury

The Titans have kicked off an early discussion about the NFL head coaching cycle after they became the first team with a vacancy, firing HC Brian Callahan after just six games.

According to Josina Anderson, a league source expects there to be five head coaching vacancies when it’s all said and done after this season, including the Titans.

Anderson didn’t specify any teams but mentioned that one has a star player who is expressing frustration to ownership, and another is a team that is currently flying under the radar in terms of the narratives.

Various reports have mentioned Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is on shaky ground, and depending on how things go for Miami after a 1-5 start McDaniel could be the next coach fired during the season.

The Browns, Giants and Cardinals are among the other teams that could be worth monitoring for potential coaching vacancies, with a combined 5-13 record so far.

As far as potential top coaching candidates, the Athletic’s Jeff Howe has a list of 12:

1. Former Cowboys and Packers HC Mike McCarthy
2. Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury
3. Vikings DC Brian Flores
4. Chargers DC Jesse Minter
5. Bills OC Joe Brady
6. Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak
7. Packers DC Jeff Hafley
8. Chiefs OC Matt Nagy
9. Steelers OC Arthur Smith
10. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo
11. Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile
12. Falcons OC Zac Robinson

McCarthy, 61, began his NFL coaching career with the Chiefs back in 1993 as an offensive quality control coordinator. He bounced around with the Packers, Saints and 49ers before the Packers hired him as their head coach in 2006.

The Packers made the decision to move on from McCarthy following a disappointing loss to the Cardinals in Week 13 of 2018. He was out of football in 2019 before being hired by the Cowboys in 2020.

McCarthy and the Cowboys were unable to reach an agreement on an extension, which led to the two parties parting ways.

During his 13-year tenure in Green Bay, McCarthy led the Packers to a record of 125-77-2 (61.8 percent), which includes nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 2010.

McCarthy posted a record of 49-35 (58.3 percent) in five years with the Cowboys, with three playoff appearances and a 1-3 record in the postseason.

Kingsbury, 46, was hired as the Texas Tech head coach back in 2013 and spent six years in the position before he was fired. USC hired him as their offensive coordinator but he resigned from the job after just a month after receiving interest from the NFL. The Cardinals subsequently hired him.

After four seasons in Arizona, Kingsbury was let go and returned to USC as the quarterback coach. In 2024, the Commanders hired him as their offensive coordinator.

During his six seasons at Texas Tech, Kingsbury led them to a record of 35-40 (46.7 percent), which included three bowl game appearances.

For his NFL head coaching career, Kingsbury led the Cardinals to an overall...