Sportsnaut
The 2026 NFL coaching carousel is underway, with six teams having fired their head coaches to create vacancies across the National Football League. There also could be others depending on how the NFL playoffs shake out. For now, we’re ranking NFL coaching vacancies and evaluate each opening available.
Let’s dive into our NFL coaching vacancy rankings, listing them from best to worst.
If the New York Giants fired general manager Joe Schoen, creating a clean slate with a GM and head coach on the same timeline, this would unquestionably be the best job available. Schoen’s presence is the one knock on this opening. New York has a 22-45-1 record with Schoen as its general manager, including a .255 winning percentage over the last three seasons. So, if he were to be fired next offseason, suddenly you have a new general manager who didn’t pick the head coach.
Outside of that, this is an appealing job. Ownership gave Brian Daboll into his fourth season, so it stands to reason that the next head coach should have at least three years of job security. More importantly, the next Giants head coach inherits a roster with Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers, Theo Johnson, Andrew Thomas, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter. New York will also have the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Related: NFL Cap Space By Team 2026, including New York Giants Cap Space
What prevents the Atlanta Falcons from landing the No. 1 spot on our NFL coaching vacancy rankings is the uncertainty at quarterback. Kirk Cousins will be 38 years old in August and third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be 26 years old next fall after having spent all offseason recovering from a third ACL tear. So, let’s just assume the Falcons don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback and go from there.
Now let’s get into the positives. Atlanta’s next head coach gets to build an offense around Bijan Robinson, the best running back in the NFL, who has produced 4,185 scrimmage yards and 26 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. When dropping back to pass, behind a solid offensive line, there’s a No. 1 wideout in Drake London and a viable offensive weapon in Kyle Pitts. Just as important, the Falcons now boast the talent defensively (Jessie Bates, A.J. Terrell, James Pearce Jr., Javon Walker, Xavier Watts and Divine Deablo) to boast an above-average unit going forward. That’s more than enough to potentially win the NFC South in 2026, and a winnable division means a lot more job security—just ask Todd Bowles.
Related: Atlanta Falcons Coaching Candidates 2026
We’ll start with the negatives regarding the Tennessee Titans’ coaching vacancy. First, it’s owner Amy Adams Strunk who seems to have quite the penchant for being impatient with constant turnover at head coach and general manager. Second, the Titans roster is easily the worst in the NFL and...
