During or after the 2023 NFL season, eight teams decided to open up their head coaching position. As of February 1st, all of the open spaces have been filled.
The Commanders fired their previous coach Ron Rivera, who had been with the team since 2020 and led them to no overwhelming success. On February 1st, they hired Dan Quinn, the previous defensive coordinator of the Cowboys. Quinn previously coached the Falcons for five seasons, ending with a winning record and one Super Bowl appearance in 2016.
The Seahawks moved on from Pete Carroll, who had been the head coach for over ten years – since 2010. Carroll got promoted to Vice President of Football Operations & Advisor at the end of the Seahawks 2023 season due to his long term commitment to the team and success with said team. With Pete Carroll, the Seahawks boasted an all time winning record, as well as securing their first Super Bowl win in franchise history. On January 31st, the Seahawks hired the former Ravens defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald. Macdonald will be the league’s youngest head coach, and proudly holds a reputation as one of the best defensive minds in the league, leading the Ravens to be the number one ranked team defensively in 2023.
The Falcons fired Arthur Smith, and hired Raheem Morris on January 25th, making history as the teams first African-American head coach. He previously led the team to a 4-7 record, and was not offered the full time job.
The Panthers hired former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales on January 25th as well, after firing Frank Reich. The team hopes that Canales can help develop Bryce Young into a star, as he did with Russel Wilson, Geno Smith, and Baker Mayfield.
The Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh, bringing him back to the NFL after leading the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship at the collegiate level. As a collegiate coach Harbaugh was dominant, holding a 144-42 record. Harbaugh also coached the 49er’s from 2011-14, and led them to a Super Bowl where they lost to his brother John, the head coach of the Ravens at the time. The Chargers fired their previous coach Brandon Staley, on December 15th, following a blowout loss to the Raiders in week 15.
The Raiders also moved on from their head coach, hiring Antonio Pierce in place of Josh McDaniels in hopes to revitalize the struggling Las Vegas offense. The Titans, also in hopes to revive a dying offense, hired Bengals OC Brian Callahan in place of Mike Vrabel.
Finally, the Patriots parted ways with long time head coach Bill Belicheck, who led the Patriots to a dominant 20+ year run as one of the most feared teams in the league, alongside hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady. With the two, the patriots won six Super Bowls, as well as holding incredibly dominant regular season records, being one of the few teams to have a perfect regular season under their belt. The Patriots have moved on to Jerod Mayo, the previous linebacker coach under Belichick.
