Every NFL offseason, there are anywhere from five to ten teams who fire their head coach, and jump into the deep end of the rebuilding pool in trying to find the next leader of their organization. Thankfully, It’s been a couple years now since the Houston Texans have had to ride the hamster wheel that is the NFL’s coaching carousel, and I’d be stunned if they had to jump on it again any time soon. DeMeco Ryans is an excellent head coach.
However, the Texans’ absence from this head coach hiring cycle doesn’t mean it isn’t compelling for Texans fans. There’s at least one AFC South team looking for a head coach, and the other team here in Texas is also on the hunt for their next guy. It’s definitely more fun to follow the coaching carousel when your team is not ON it.
So, with that said, let’s look at the odds board for the six current openings, and outline the major storylines for each one as we head into interview season:
Bears Next Full Time Head Coach
Ben Johnson 4/5
Mike McCarthy 2/1
Kliff Kingsbury 7/1
Pete Carroll 7/1
Aaron Glenn 9/1
Joe Brady 9/1
Brian Flores 10/1
Matt Campbell 12/1
Todd Monken 12/1
Marcus Freeman 14/1
FAVORITE THOUGHT: Ben Johnson has foregone accepting interviews the last two cycles, because he appears to be waiting for the ideal job to come along. This time around, it appears that he is ready to take the leap. He’d be inheriting a former number one overall pick at QB in Caleb Williams. Maybe he can do for Williams what he did for Jared Goff, another former number one overall pick whose career Johnson rescued.
MOST INTRIGUING DARK HORSE: The Bears reportedly have done a ton of research on Marcus Freeman, whose season coaching Notre Dame has been one of the best coaching jobs at any level of the sport. I doubt Freeman would leave South Bend, where the Notre Dame brass just gave him a lucrative extension.
Cowboys Next Full Time Head Coach
Kellen Moore 5/2
Deion Sanders 3/1
Kliff Kingsbury 5/1
Joe Brady 7/1
Lincoln Riley 9/1
Ben Johnson 10/1
Bill Belichick 10/1
Brian Flores 14/1
Lane Kiffin 14/1
Bobby Slowik 16/1
FAVORITE THOUGHT: Kellen Moore is a former Cowboys coordinator, who is two teams removed from his time in Dallas, having spent time with the Chargers and this past season with the Eagles. His season is still going, so the Cowboys may have to wait to fully scope out Moore, but he has worked with Dak Prescott before.
MOST INTRIGUING DARK HORSE: Easily Deion Sanders, who would immediately reestablish the sizzle in Dallas after several years of Mike McCarthy at the helm. I have no idea if Sanders would bring any steak with that sizzle, but he did a phenomenal job at Colorado at the collegiate level.
Jaguars Next Full Time Head Coach
Liam Coen 10/11
Ben Johnson 11/10
Robert Saleh 6/1
Joe Brady 13/2
Aaron Glenn 7/1
Mike McCarthy 12/1
Kellen Moore 16/1
Todd Monken 16/1
FAVORITE THOUGHT: Liam Coen was able to keep the Baker Mayfield resurrection going after Dave Canales left the Bucs for the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield threw for 41 touchdowns and was among the top five in the league in several passing categories. If Coen lands the job hhen it’s because Jags owner Shad Khan thinks he can do the same for Trevor Lawrence.
MOST INTRIGUING DARK HORSE: Robert Saleh was unceremoniously dumped by the Jets after five weeks this past season, with a career record of 20-36. A second chance in Jacksonville, in the same division with former Niners coworker DeMeco Ryans would be intriguing.
Raiders Next Full Time Head Coach
Ben Johnson 3/2
Deion Sanders 2/1
Pete Carroll 5/1
Robert Saleh 13/2
Brian Flores 7/1
Steve Spagnuolo 7/1
Kliff Kingsbury 8/1
Todd Monken 9/1
Aaron Glenn 12/1
Mike McCarthy 16/1
Vance Joseph 20/1
Bill Belichick 33/1
Kevin O’Connell 33/1
FAVORITE THOUGHT: Johnson is the favorite for this gig, in addition to the Bears job. The difference here is that the quarterback situation is a mess, and the Raiders pick sixth overall, unlikely to land either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward without an expensive trade up.
MOST INTRIGUING DARK HORSE: Pete Carroll won a Super Bowl in Seattle, and he’s been sitting on the sidelines this season watching the coaching landscape unfold. Carroll is in his mid-70s, but acts much younger and would bring a good energy to the building. In the end, they’re still the Raiders, though, so who knows what happens?
Jets Full Time Head Coach
Aaron Glenn 3/2
Brian Flores 3/1
Jeff Ulbrich 7/2
Joe Brady 5/1
Ron Rivera 7/1
Rex Ryan 8/1
Mike McCarthy 16/1
Josh McCown 22/1
Steve Spagnuolo 25/1
Arthur Smith 28/1
Matt Nagy 28/1
FAVORITE THOUGHT: Aaron Glenn was drafted by the Jets, and played most of his career there. He’s done an outstanding job in Detroit this season, where the Lions defense has been ravaged with injuries, and they are still playing at a high level. This would be a home run for the Jets.
MOST INTRIGUING DARK HORSE: Rex Ryan declared himself the best man for the job on a radio appearance in New York last week. From there, he made a complete ass of himself incorrectly predicting the outcome of the Chargers-Texans game.
Saints Next Full Time Head Coach
Aaron Glenn 1/2
Joe Brady 2/1
Kellen Moore 13/2
Kliff Kingsbury 7/1
Mike McCarthy 7/1
David Shaw 12/1
Bobby Slowik 16/1
Mike Kafka 22/1
FAVORITE THOUGHT: Glenn played a season in New Orleans, and he’d be just as good a hire for them, as he would be for the Jets. He’s excellent.
MOST INTRIGUING DARK HORSE: Hey, it’s Bobby Slowik’s name on the big board! To date, the only team to request an interview with Slowik is the Jets, and I doubt he lands one of these jobs, but perhaps a long Texans playoff run reinvigorates his job market.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
