When you have a well coached football team, it’s usually not only because you have a great head coach, but also said head coach has hired an outstanding staff, proficient in developing talent. This is the situation in which the Houston Texans find themselves — DeMeco Ryans is an outstanding head coach, and his staff is, by and large, very good.
One consequence of having such a good staff is that other, more poorly coached teams will look to pilfer your staff, and possibly hire one of your coordinators to be a head coach, or one of your position coaches to become a coordinator. To that end, teams took a good, hard look at Bobby Slowik this past month as a possible head coaching candidate.
Ultimately, Slowik chose to remain in Houston. Bullet, dodged! However, teams will come calling again next offseason, and it is very likely that , if Slowik is offered a job, he takes it next time around. The only thing that might keep Slowik from getting a head coaching job is stiff competition from other candidates next year. Let’s take a look at a handful of them:
UNEMPLOYED HEAD COACHES
BILL BELICHICK, former Patriots head coach
Belichick had mutual interest in one job opening in this cycle, and that was the Atlanta Falcons’ opening. For whatever reason, that didn’t work out, and now Belichick will be on the outside looking into the NFL for the first time in almost 50 years. I would suspect he will be a prime candidate next season, if he can overcome some of the big hang ups team have about how he handled QB Mac Jones’ demotion, as well as Belichcik’s desire for total control of the operation, including personnel.
PETE CARROLL, former Seahawks head coach
Pete Carroll’s departure from Seattle was a mild surprise. He’s probably the most energetic 70-something on the planet, and might be the right fit for a team looking for more of a “player’s coach.” In this case, it would be quite the accomplished “player’s coach.”
MIKE VRABEL, former Titans head coach
I think most folks around the league are still wondering why exactly Tennessee moved on from Vrabel. Is Brian Callahan really an upgrade? Vrabel should be the most sought after candidate in the next job cycle, a year from now.
MOTOR CITY DUO
BEN JOHNSON, Lions offensive coordinator
AARON GLENN, Lions defensive coordinator
Johnson has been one of the top candidates for TWO job cycles now, and both times he has opted to return to Detroit to ostensibly finish what he started with head coach Dan Campbell. Similarly, Glenn has had a ton of interest for a couple years, but hasn’t been able to land a head coaching job. If the Lions remain in the Super Bowl hunt, both Johnson and Glenn will be top of list for many teams.
BIG COORDINATOR NAMES
ANTHONY WEAVER, Dolphins defensive coordinator
Weaver was with the Texans as a line coach for a couple years, before ascending to defensive coordinator for one dismal season in 2020. He went to Baltimore in 2021, and was able to rehab his career as John Harbaugh’s defensive line coach, and now he is back to a coordinator’s role with the Dolphins. Weaver interviewed for a handful of head coaching jobs this cycle, and should garner interest again in 2025.
ERIC BIENIEMY, former Commanders and Chiefs offensive coordinator
I’m throwing Bieniemy’s name in here, because he gets mentioned every year, but then ultimately his candidacy fizzles. Right now, he is without a job. In my opinion, the ship has sailed on Bieniemy as a head coach, but his name will get thrown around for his work with Pat Mahomes in Kansas City.
LOU ANARUMO, Bengals defensive coordinator
Speaking of Mahomes, Anarumo’s name had the most heat a couple years ago when the Bengals shut down Mahomes in the 2021 AFC Title Game. Since then, he’s gotten some buzz in league circles, but hasn’t gotten the promotion yet. The Bengals should be back to Super Bowl contender next season with Joe Burrow back healthy, and Anarumo should benefit from that, even though he coaches the defense and not Burrow.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
