Black Monday has passed, and in its immediate aftermath, several NFL head coaching positions became available. Two teams dismissed their coaches during the 2025‑26 regular season, while four others parted ways with theirs shortly after the year ended.
Then, the Baltimore Ravens dropped a bombshell on Tuesday. After 18 seasons, they decided to fire John Harbaugh, who was only the third head coach in franchise history and led them to the Super Bowl in 2013.
In total, seven head coaches have been fired during the 2026 NFL offseason:
- Cleveland Browns: Kevin Stefanski;
- Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Gannon;
- Las Vegas Raiders: Pete Carroll;
- New York Giants: Brian Daboll;
- Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan;
- Baltimore Ravens: John Harbaugh; and
- Atlanta Falcons: Raheem Morris.
The following is a ranking of each opening based on its appeal to prospective candidates.
7) Arizona Cardinals
This may seem like a harsh ranking for the Arizona Cardinals, and there are valid reasons to be interested in this job. They went 8-9 just one season ago, so there is an indication they have plenty of talent on the roster. They are 2-8 in one-score games, so while they are losing a lot of games, they have enough ability to keep games competitive amid bad coaching.
That said, it could be a tough road toward making the Cardinals one of the top teams in the NFL. For starters, their quarterback situation is a mess. Kyler Murray figures to be on his way out this offseason, and with little to no cap relief from releasing him, Arizona has to hope a team is desperate enough to take on his bad contract.
6) Tennessee Titans
One cannot help but feel for Cam Ward this year. He has not been perfect in his rookie year, but the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is currently surrounded by an offense that has the third-worst PFSN Offense Impact Dcore in the league. As a result, the Tennessee Titans sit with a 3-13 record and are in jeopardy of replicating their record from the 2024 season.
Despite their lackluster roster, Ward has thrown for six touchdowns with no interceptions and has two games with passer ratings above 100 in his last three games. It feels like he is finally starting to turn a corner. Tennessee has a few other talented youngsters like Peter Skoronski, J.C. Latham, Chimere Dike, Cedric Gray, and T’Vondre Sweat, too.
In terms of blue-chip talent, the Titans have Jeffery Simmons, and that is about it. That means they do not have much in the way of proven contributors to elevate them out of irrelevancy, nor do they have much in terms of trade bait. That said, they lead the NFL in 2026 cap space with over $105 million, so that could soon change.
5) Cleveland Browns
Let us get one thing straight: Fixing the Cleveland Browns will not be an easy task. It is a goal many have tried and failed to achieve, and this go-around also figures to be difficult after their 4-12 record in the 2025 NFL season. That said, there is reason to be optimistic for the future.
A lot of it comes down to the Browns’ draft capital and the recent 2025 class. They have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft thanks to their draft-day trade-down last season. They also have plenty of existing young standouts, and many of them came from this past draft. Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Carson Schwesinger, and Harold Fannin Jr. all look like potential building blocks.
The Browns not ranking any higher comes down mainly to two things: quarterback instability and cap inflexibility. Albeit on a limited sample size, Shedeur Sanders ranks 44th among 45 qualified NFL QBs in PFSN’s NFL QB Impact Metric. Cleveland is also more than $11 million in the red in cap space this offseason, with Deshaun Watson’s contract giving them a cap hit of more than $80 million in 2026.
4) Atlanta Falcons
There are a few factors playing against the Atlanta Falcons as a potential head-coaching landing spot. The primary one, of course, is the quarterback position. They will likely move off Kirk Cousins’ contract this offseason, but that leaves Michael Penix Jr. as their undisputed starter. He had a disappointing 2025 and suffered a partially torn ACL to add to his list of knee injuries.
Though Penix is a major question mark going into Year 3 of his NFL career, the Falcons still have a lot to like on their roster. For one, they have drafted well in recent years, even though their coaching hires ultimately cost former general manager Terry Fontenot his job. Players like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, James Pearce Jr., Xavier Watts and Jalon Walker provide a strong, young nucleus for this team.
It also helps that the Falcons play in the weakest division in the NFL. The NFC South sent the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs with an 8-9 record. Atlanta went 8-9 this season with lackluster coaching, and there is no reason to think it cannot win the division in 2026 with an upgrade in that department. The immediate chance to make the playoffs is much stronger with the Falcons than it is with most teams on this list.
3) Las Vegas Raiders
By PFSN’s power rankings, the Las Vegas Raiders are the worst team in the NFL. They have bottom-ten units on both sides of the ball, they are 2-14 with one game left in the season, and seven of their losses have come by 15 points or more. So why is their head-coaching job enticing?
A lot of it comes down to the Raiders having the inside track on the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That pick figures to be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman this year and has sent the Hoosiers into the College Football Playoff semifinals. Selecting him would give Las Vegas a lengthy window with a rookie QB contract.
Additionally, the Raiders have two blue-chip young prospects in Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. Running an offense with those two and Mendoza would be a strong starting point for a rebuilding team. They also have over $100 million in cap space in the 2026 offseason, which gives them plenty of resources to improve their roster.
2) New York Giants
Right after Black Monday, the New York Giants initially stood out as the best landing spot for an NFL head coaching candidate in the 2026 offseason. They might not have the best record this year out of the seven teams on this list, but there is arguably the clearest path to success with this spot compared to the others.
For one, the Giants already have plenty of young talent on their roster. Jaxson Dart has looked the part in his rookie campaign, giving their next head coach a promising young QB to work with. They feature plenty of other young standouts like Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas, Abdul Carter, and Cam Skattebo. Star veterans like Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence provide additional value on defense, too.
The Giants are 1-7 in one-score games, and while that shows their roster still has work to do, it also shows they can play many teams close, similar to what was previously mentioned with the Cardinals. They are much better than their current 3-13 record indicates, but that poor record will also net them a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. There is a lot to like in New York, and it should be a job in high demand.
1) Baltimore Ravens
After the Baltimore Ravens’ decision to fire longtime coach John Harbaugh, they instantly become the most attractive head coaching option for candidates on the market right now. While there are many reasons for this, the strongest argument comes down to only two words: Lamar Jackson.
Of the seven head-coaching openings right now, the Ravens are the only team with a proven, veteran option at quarterback. Not only that, but their veteran also happens to be a two-time NFL MVP in the prime of his career. The chance to coach Jackson alone makes Baltimore the most attractive job opening available.
Elsewhere, the Ravens had six Pro Bowlers this year, including top talents like Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, Zay Flowers, and Tyler Linderbaum, the latter of whom is a surefire extension candidate. Baltimore had an 8-9 record this year due to Jackson missing extensive time with injury. Make no mistake about it: This is an AFC contender when its quarterback is healthy, and it is a dream opening for any prospective head coach.
