Inside The Star
Once the regular season clock struck all zeroes in Week 18, NFL teams began making moves with the future of their franchises in mind.
Overall, there were nine head coach openings available across the league before former Ravens HC John Harbaugh agreed to terms with the New York Giants.
That left eight before the Divisional round kicks off, and we covered the first four head coaching vacancies yesterday when we began this topic.
Head coaching opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, and some will be attractive, and others not so much.
The lower tier jobs available right now (Cleveland, Arizona, Tennessee) likely go to coordinators who are getting their first head coaching opportunity.
Other more attractive destinations like Baltimore or Pittsburgh will bring in candidates with more of an established reputation.
The head coaching search is an exciting time for teams, but let’s review once again why these jobs are open in the first place.
Here are the remaining four open head coaching positions, as promised.
Departed Head Coach: Pete Carroll (1 season)
The Las Vegas Raiders wasted no time starting a new era.
Just one 3-14 season after being hired, 74-year old Pete Carroll has been relieved of his duties.
The Raiders fell well short of expectations. Carroll might not have been expected to go deep into the playoffs, but just three wins has forced Vegas to move in another direction.
Carroll will likely get some head coach interviews elsewhere, or possibly offers for a consult role.
Departed Head Coach: Mike McDaniel (4 seasons)
I don’t believe many in South Beach expected the Miami Dolphins to miss the playoffs in 2025, but a 7-10 season was the result.
The consequence of that losing season is being paid by now former HC Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel has been cut loose after four years in Miami and two playoff appearances.
The problem is those postseason appearances occurred in McDaniel’s first two seasons, and his last two seasons were misses.
Miami still has some playmakers on both sides of the ball, and the quality of living in Miami should attract many suitors to replace McDaniel.
Departed Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (19 seasons)
The initial reports out of Pittsburgh were that Mike Tomlin decided to step down after 19 seasons.
Exact details have not been released, but the rumor mill has also started.
There is a theory floating around social media that the Rooney family (owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers) forced Tomlin to step down, but those are rumors without substance.
Tomlin was the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, and the Steelers will undoubtedly be thorough in their search for the fourth head coach in franchise history.
As for Tomlin, if he truly did step down, I don’t imagine he would be taking any offers for interviews with inquiring franchises.
Should he put his name back on the market, he will have plenty of suitors to choose from.
**Departed...
