NFL Trade Rumors
It’s hard to believe that at one point it seemed like there would be just four head coaching vacancies, which would have been the fewest in a hiring cycle since all the way back in 2010. Instead, this is as buzzy a coaching carousel as we’ve had the last few years, with a pool that’s been juiced by multiple proven commodities like John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski and Mike McDaniel. We might not even be done, with Packers HC Matt LaFleur still in some degree of limbo as I write this and a chance of change in a couple other cities.
Both the Packers and LaFleur would shoot near the top of the lists for top available vacancy and candidate, respectively. There are some complicated layers to that situation, though, so for now we’ll keep the focus on the eight known job openings and try to piece together which candidates could land where.
The first step in that exercise is ranking the vacancies. Generally the most sought-after candidates land in the best jobs, and that causes a domino effect down the line as other pairings click into place. There can be some subjectivity involved when it comes to determining “the best” openings, though. For instance, DeMeco Ryans was a top candidate a few years ago and landed with the Texans, who weren’t necessarily viewed as a priority destination after firing three head coaches in three years. But Ryans was drafted by Houston and played there for six years, so there was a sentimental angle no other team could play.
The best candidates landing in the best jobs doesn’t guarantee anything when it comes to results, as coaching hires are a famously inexact science, but it’s a good starting point when trying to predict how the puzzle comes together. Once the top options are off the board, fit becomes something that will matter significantly. This is where an unknown like Dan Campbell or Dave Canales (or Joe Judge if you want to take a more pessimistic view) can separate themselves from the pack and land the opportunity of a lifetime.
At the end of the day, there are only 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL, so no matter how undesirable a job may appear, someone is going to give it a shot.
A quick note before diving in — we’ve got candidate lists for all eight vacancies and where those searches stand so far in our 2026 NFL Head Coach & GM Tracker.
By cutting Harbaugh loose, the Ravens did the equivalent of chucking a cinderblock into a pond, with ripple effects that will touch every corner of this hiring cycle. Harbaugh had been in Baltimore for 18 years and was the second-longest tenured head coach (behind only Steelers HC Mike Tomlin). He ranks 14th in NFL history with 180 career wins, and is one of just six active coaches with a Super Bowl ring. Proven coaching commodities like that don’t become available every year,...
