Ranking all 32 NFL Coaches going into next season
- ThatManChe
- 3 minutes ago
- 11 min read
The annual NFL Coaches photo dropped on Sunday, so let’s go through and rank the NFL Coaches going into the 2025-26 NFL Season. This list was made up of three main aspects: Winning, Player Development, and Culture. Let’s get into it.
Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
Reid is still the best coach in the NFL. He may not be the most flashy guy, but he just simply knows how to put his team in a position to win nearly every game the Chiefs play and is also coming off another AFC Title.
Sean Mcvay (Los Angeles Rams)
Mcvay is a coach who is a little more flashy. The best offensive mind in the NFL, in my opinion, Mcvay is a guy who just gets the best out of his whole team. People didn’t realize how close the Rams were to pulling off a remarkable comeback at Philadelphia in the Snow this past postseason. Mcvay will always be at the top of this list throughout the rest of his career.
Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
Sirianni is coming off his best year yet as a Head Coach. The Eagles were dominant on both sides of the ball all year and were just so good at everything it seemed. The Eagles will be right back next year in a position to win a Super Bowl and a key reason for that is because of not just Sirianni but the whole coaching staff he has put together.
Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
Campbell is very similar to Nick Sirianni in many ways. The only reason he is behind him is because of that Super Bowl. Campbell will need to replace two elite coordinators next season and will have a lot of pressure to win in the playoffs, but we all know Campbell is someone who won’t mind the pressure.
Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders)
Dan Quinn is someone who is simply a great leader. The Commanders just came out of nowhere and a big part of that is because of him. He is also someone who has had some great accolades over the years and I assume he will continue to build something special with the Commanders.
Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings)
KOC might not be someone with a great amount of accolades, but he just got a COTY award under his belt and has built a very great culture in Minnesota. He and the Vikings have had some big questions to answer this off-season, but for years to come, I expect the Vikings to always be a solid team with KOC at the helm.
Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
The Bills just came up short this past season but will be right back in the playoffs next season, I assume. McDermott has had some issues in the deeper parts of the playoffs and has a very elite quarterback, but to be fair, the Bills roster isn’t that elite compared to other AFC squads. That never seems to be a problem, as McDermott always has them in the playoffs and beating more talented rosters. McDermott will be a head coach in the NFL for years to come, whether it be in Buffalo or somewhere else; plenty of teams would always love to have a head coach like him.
Kyle Shanahan (San Fransisco 49ers)
Shanahan and the 49ers had it rough last season. That doesn’t distract from the fact that he is still one of the best offensive minds in the game and has made 2 Super Bowls in the last 6 years. I fully expect the 49ers to bounce back next season and get back to winning playoff games due to the easy schedule from being last place in the NFC West.
Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
Sean Payton and the Broncos had an elite season, making the playoffs when no one expected it. Some of the credit has to go to Vance Joseph and that defense, but Payton has put together a very elite culture and has had a very successful career in the NFL as an Head Coach, making him crack the top 10 on this list.
DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
Ryans has had a very successful start to his career. Winning 2 playoff games in the past 2 seasons, the first one being with a rookie QB and when no one at all expected it. Expect DeMeco and the Texans to always be competing for the playoffs and championships, especially in that weaker division, for years to come.
John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
Harbaugh is similar to McDermott in many ways. The only reason he is behind him is because of losing to him this past season. He will probably be on the hot seat big time if another early playoff exit occurs. Harbaugh, in my opinion, is the Doc Rivers of the NFL. Even if he were to be fired, plenty of NFL teams would love to have him at the helm.
Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Tomlin, who has been on the hot seat for the past 2 seasons, has had one of the best careers a Head Coach can have. His .500 or higher record streak is still going and may never be broken by anyone. Tomlin has had his fair share of issues in the playoffs recently; that’s what puts him so low on this list. It doesn’t help the fact that the Steelers front office is mediocre and cannot get the QB position right either.
Pete Carroll (Las Vegas Raiders)
Carroll is an elite coach in the NFL. He was the perfect hire for the Raiders, and if he can get them on track within the next 2 seasons, he will skyrocket on this list. He doesn’t have too much coaching time left, but if he can end his career on a high note in Vegas, it could impact his legacy in a great way, and even if not, he will still be remembered for how great he was in Seattle. Carroll has had his defensive issues the past 2-3 seasons he was with the Seahawks, but his teams just always have talent; not many more people are better at drafting and developing talent than he is.
Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers)
Harbaugh knows what he is doing; it is that simple. He and his staff helped turn the Chargers franchise around this past season which ended with a disappointing postseason loss. Expect the Chargers to always be a solid team under him. It is just going to be hard to translate that squad into a team that can compete for championships. The talent is on the lower side, and Herbert may be a QB that he won’t be able to win with. Time will tell, but the Chargers will always be competitive under coach Harbaugh.
Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
The Browns may be a mess right now, but they still do have a very solid Head Coach, Stefanski has won 2 COTY awards and is one of the more elite offensive minds in the NFL. People also don’t realize that he is only 42 years old still. If the Browns draft a QB with the 2nd overall pick this draft and he can develop under Stefanski, that QB would have all the potential in the world. The incompetence of ownership and management in Cleveland can’t be a distraction from the fact that Stefanski is a coach who can win championships.
Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots)
Vrabel overall is a pretty good coach. He is a tough leader and a great culture builder. Vrabel had some issues in his last 2 seasons in Tennessee; that is what puts him in the middle of this list. New England did hire the right man, but it might take some time for him to assemble that roster and produce a team that can be competitive.
Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
Taylor is a coach who has had an odd career to this point. A rocky start to his career, a couple of elite seasons and a Super Bowl appearance, then 2 consecutive very disappointing seasons. If Taylor and the Bengals can make another run this next season and win a lot of games, Taylor will skyrocket up this list. When you have prime Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase and you don’t make the playoffs in 2 consecutive years, that is a major concern.
Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)
McDaniel is in a pretty similar position to Stefanski and the Browns in many ways. Chris Grier is one of the worst General Managers in the NFL, and McDaniel has had some success with the roster he was given. He will be on the hot seat next season as Miami may be near for a clean house and rebuild if they do not make the playoffs next season. If that happens, I expect McDaniel to get another shot as an HC shortly after, as he is still young and will have some experience under his belt.
Matt Lafleur (Green Bay Packers)
Lafleur has had some solid success but plenty of issues also. Lafleur is so low on this list for 2 reasons. The first reason is how the Packers ended this past season, losing to the Bears at home and then being 1st-round exits. The second reason is he had Prime Aaron Rodgers for more than 3 seasons and wasn’t even able to make a Super Bowl, and at the time the whole NFC was weaker for the most part. Like McDaniel, Lafleur is on the hot seat big time going into next season.
Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)
Steichen has not had the best start to his career, but he is not just any other young HC. The Colts biggest issue is the GM, Chris Ballard; he has not done a good job at assembling that roster at all. Steichen has shown at times he can be brilliant, and at other times he is a liability. He has a unique offensive mind and was a few plays away from making the playoffs 2 seasons ago. This next season will determine if Steichen will be the Colts HC long-term, and if not, I expect him to get another shot in his career eventually.
Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Bowles is not a good Head Coach in my opinion. He has a pretty talented defense, but the results don’t prove it. For the past 2-3 seasons he has been carried by his offensive coordinators. Bowles will probably continue to make the playoffs with Tampa because of the weak division, but the Buccaneers could do better, and Bowles may be what is holding them back.
Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers)
Canales is like Steichen in many ways; he hasn't had the most success quite yet but has shown some elite flashes. Canales handled the Bryce Young situation the best he could this past season, and towards the end of the year, Bryce Young showed some elite development, especially in week 18. Give him another year or 2 to continue to help build that roster up, and the Panthers may be back.
Brian Daboll (New York Giants)
Daboll is a bit higher on this list than what other people would agree with. Daboll might be in a mess right now and not have a job after this season, but he still has had some success. Daboll, helped develop Josh Allen and then led the Giants to a special season in 2022 and won COTY. Daboll has just been placed in a bad situation with the dysfunction of the Giant's management.
Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks)
The Seahawks Head Coach, who was put in a tough situation last year, Macdonald did solid job. He went 10-7 but missed the playoffs. His defense was pretty solid all year, but it just seems that he was not an upgrade from Pete Carroll. Macdonald needs to figure out the offense and with Sam Darnold, it won’t be guaranteed. If Darnold couldn’t win the big games in Minnesota it would be a tough time for him in Seattle.
Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears)
Johnson may not have coached a snap of football for the Bears yet, but it’s everything else that keeps him ahead of some people. He won assistant of the year and was just one of the better HC candidates in recent memory. Ben Johnson being paired with Caleb Williams and a dynamic Bears offense could be lethal for years to come.
Aaron Glenn (New York Jets)
Glenn, like Johnson, will be a 1st-year head coach next season. Aaron Glenn was the best candidate the Jets could have hired, a former player for the Jets. Glenn will bring a tough mentality to New York, and he’s already shown that he will do things his way, parting ways with Aaron Rodgers and signing Justin Fields. Glenn might be the guy who can snap that Jets playoff drought and will be a fun candidate to monitor in the coming years.
Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons)
Morris is someone who shouldn’t still have a job. The Falcons defense really could not have been much worse, being a bottom 5 unit in the NFL for the most part, and the thing was the Falcons offense was very solid all year long even with a mid-season QB change. I do not think there is an NFL team with a hotter seat to make the playoffs next season, especially in that below-average division; a clean house could be incoming if they fail to make expectations once again.
Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Coen is someone who will also be a first-year Head Coach but has had some solid success up to this point in his career. Some very nice seasons as an OC, and he comes from the Sean McVay tree. The Jaguars had a mess of an offseason at the start but shocked some people hiring Coen and Gladstone. I expect Coen to become a very solid NFL coach, to fix Trevor Lawrence, and to get the Jaguars back to playing playoff football in the coming years.
Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals)
Gannon is someone who is in a very similar situation as Shane Steichen. Both will be on the hot seat big time this year, but they are in bad positions. The Colts and Cardinals management have done a poor job over the past 2-3 seasons assembling a team. Gannon is someone who may be a solid HC, but it just hasn’t worked out so far in Arizona. Gannon has to prove himself this upcoming season if he wants to keep his job.
Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans)
Callahan, the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, had a mess of a first season, which led to Tennessee getting the number 1 overall pick. Callahan is so low on this list because the Titans certainly don’t have a good roster, but it definitely isn’t a bottom-five roster in the NFL, yet they still have that first overall pick this month. Callahan needs to get a QB this draft and help lead him to becoming that franchise QB.
Photo Via Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints)
The former Eagles OC is somebody who was eventually going to become an NFL head coach. He has had solid success at plenty of different places in his career but will now look to turn the Saints around. It is disappointing that the Saints front office is one of the worst in football, but they do have some talent. It might take a few years for Moore to get going, but if he can get a franchise QB, the sky's the limit.
Brian Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys)
The new Dallas Cowboys head coach has a lot of work to do to get his name moved up on this list. His resume does not stand out, and he is being dragged into a win-now situation. It won’t help that he is in a poorly run organization, but if Schottenheimer can’t hit the ground running within the first 2 seasons, he won’t have a job; he is already on the hot seat big time going into next year.
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