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Coaching carousel is complete — let’s grade each hire

All 32 NFL teams have their head coaches for the 2025 season. Each of them hope that they’ll have theirs beyond that, but we know that won’t happen. Could any from this offseason cycle be one-and-done? Will one of them be the next great HC for years to come? Here are our grades for all of the 2025 HC hires.

Chicago Bears hire Ben Johnson: This was a home run hire for the Bears. It was one they absolutely had to make after drafting quarterback Caleb Williams first overall last year. While Williams had his moments and a decent stat line in 2024, Chicago needs him to be the elite player it hopes he can be. Johnson should be the guy to get him there after transforming Jared Goff into a fringe MVP candidate over the past two seasons with the Lions. Johnson is one of the bright, young offensive masterminds in the NFL, and he had a great example of how to handle players as a HC while serving under Dan Campbell in Detroit. Grade: A

New England Patriots hire Mike Vrabel: Vrabel led the Tennessee Titans to a winning record in four of his six seasons as their HC, including finishing the 2021 season as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. He won two playoffs games during that span, including making it to the AFC Championship Game in 2019. Vrabel accomplished all that without having a franchise QB. If Drake Maye is that for the Patriots, Vrabel will turn them into an absolute force. He may need a year to change the culture and acquire enough talent, but he’ll get things turned around sooner rather than later. Grade: A

Las Vegas Raiders hire Pete Carroll: A coach like Carroll is exactly what the Raiders have needed for a long time. He knows what it takes to turn a franchise around, as he did with the Seattle Seahawks year ago. The cupboard isn’t bare in Vegas, but it desperately needs a franchise QB. There might not be a can’t-miss prospect in this year’s draft, but remember that Carroll found a diamond in the rough in Russell Wilson. Carroll may be 73-years-old, but he has as much energy and enthusiasm as any young coach. If nothing else, he will raise the team’s floor and make the Raiders competitive. Grade: B

New York Jets hire Aaron Glenn: Glenn has definitely paid his dues to get here, playing in the NFL for 14 years and coaching as an assistant for 10. He seems like a coach who commands respect among his players, but I have questions about his schematics. During his four-year tenure as the Lions’ defensive coordinator, they finished in the bottom half of the league in total defense each season, including dead last in 2022. Those rankings aren’t the be-all, end-all, but Glenn’s unit was always Detroit’s weak link. I also have concerns about his choice of offensive coordinator in Tanner Engstrand — who has never called plays before — as well offensive line coach Steve Heiden, who has never coached offensive line in his career. Grade: C

New Orleans Saints hire Kellen Moore: Moore is another bright, young offensive mind, helping lead the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense to a Super Bowl title. He utilized star running back Saquon Barkley well, and QB Jalen Hurts had his lowest amount of interceptions and highest QB rating of his career with Moore as his OC. The main holdup I have with Moore is how quickly he has moved through the coaching ranks. He’s only been an NFL coach for seven years and is just 36 years old. It could be too much, too soon for Moore, especially considering what he’s inheriting in New Orleans. The Saints’ salary cap situation is a mess, and they’re likely stuck with an aging, underachieving Derek Carr at QB. Grade: C

Jacksonville Jaguars hire Liam Coen: Coen has a crazy coaching history, coaching for nine different teams in both the NFL and college ranks since 2010, and switching teams every year since 2020. I suppose that makes for a lot of experience, but it could also be cause for a red flag. To Coen’s credit, he took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense from 23rd overall in 2023 to third in 2024, and QB Baker Mayfield had a career-year with 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. Coen’s success in Jacksonville will be measured by whether he can elevate Trevor Lawrence like he did with Mayfield. The way Coen handled his departure from the Bucs raised some character concerns, and he also loses points for his goofy “Duval” viral moment. Grade: C

Dallas Cowboys hire Brian Schottenheimer: Schottenheimer’s father Marty was a great HC, but that doesn’t mean Brian will be. There’s a reason why he is just now getting his first crack at being a HC after 28 years as an assistant. As an OC with four different teams, Schottenheimer never put together a top tier offensive unit. In fact, his offenses finished in the bottom 12 of the league six times. A strong argument could be made that the only reason Schottenheimer got the job was because of how badly Cowboys owner Jerry Jones fumbled the process. That isn’t Schottenheimer’s fault, and you can’t blame him for taking the gig, but there’s just not a lot of go off of to think that he’ll be successful in Dallas. Grade: D

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2025 NFL free agency primer: Teams are gearing up to get their guys

2025 NFL free agency primer: Teams are gearing up to get their guys

The NFL’s free agent legal tampering period begins on March 10, with signings able to become official on March 12, marking the start of the new league year. Teams are beginning to do things that will clear the way for their free agency plans.

• Franchise tags: Our Wendell Ferreira listed the seven players who are most likely to get hit with the franchise tag this offseason.
• Salary cap increase: The NFL announced that the 2025 salary cap will fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million, much to the befit of teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Saints.
• Chiefs guard Trey Smith’s status: Arguably the best offensive lineman set to hit free agency this year, the Chiefs are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Smith.
• Elite safety likely to hit the open market: The Dolphins probably won’t use their franchise tag on Jevon Holland.
• Franchise tag still in play for Sam Darnold: The Minnesota Vikings pushed back the void date on cornerback Byron Murphy’s contract, but not Darnold’s, keeping the possibility of the franchise tag alive for him.
• Vikings RB Aaron Jones has options: We list seven potential landing spots for Jones during the offseason.
• Chris Godwin likely staying put: The veteran wide receiver will probably remain with the Buccaneers.
• Panthers keep QB2: Carolina re-signed backup QB Andy Dalton to a two-year contract.

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