This year’s NFL coaching carousel has been one for the books, and we don’t even have our first hire yet. There are eight jobs currently open, and there are a ton of candidates lined up and ready to land somewhere new in 2026.

With the interviewing season underway, it’s time to make some predictions on which coaches will land at each spot. It’s nearly impossible to predict with so many candidates out there, but based on some of the information we already know, here are my best guesses.

Updated with the Steelers’ opening after Mike Tomlin was fired.

Baltimore Ravens: Kevin Stefanski

Interview Requests: Klint Kubiak, Anthony Weaver, Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, Brian Flores, Matt Nagy, Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Brady, Robert Saleh, Kevin Stefanski, and Mike McDaniel

Kevin Stefanski is probably the top coach available not named John Harbaugh, and with Harbaugh not on the table for Baltimore, given he was just shown the door, Stefanski lands at the best job available. After years of abysmal quarterback play in Cleveland, Stefanski gets to coach one of the most electric quarterbacks in NFL history in Lamar Jackson. This would be an extremely fun pairing, so I hope this one comes true.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Jesse Minter

I could very well see the Steelers landing a Stefanski or maybe even a Harbaugh, but because I don’t want to redo this entire article, I’m going to go with Jesse Minter. He’s one of the bright, young defensive minds in the league, and he’s going to end up as a head coach within the next year or two. He’s been great at Michigan and now in the pros with the Chargers, and his players seem to love him.

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Atlanta Falcons: Klint Kubiak

Interview Requests: Kevin Stefanski, Klint Kubiak, Anthony Weaver, Jeff Hafley, Aden Durde, Ejiro Evero, Mike McDaniel

I love this landing spot for Klint Kubiak. He’s being fast-tracked to a head coaching position after two years as an offensive coordinator, so if he takes a job this offseason, I think it’ll be with a team that has a lot of pieces on offense. The Atlanta Falcons have Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, which already makes them very attractive, but they also have a defense that has a lot of pieces in place. This is a team he can take over and bring to the playoffs in year one if he gets it right at the quarterback position.

New York Giants: John Harbaugh

Interview Requests: Kevin Stefanski, Lou Anarumo, Klint Kubiak, Mike McCarthy, Raheem Morris, Vance Joseph, Antonio Pierce, Darren Rizzi

John Harbaugh is the top coaching candidate available, and with the best job not an option for him, I think he ends up in Atlanta or New York. I think Atlanta is more likely to go with the up-and-comer than New York, so I have Harbaugh landing here and Kubiak going to Atlanta. This is arguably the best job available outside of Baltimore. They have a top-five pick, their franchise quarterback, some fun offensive weapons and a very good defensive line. They are just a few key pieces away from competing, and with someone like Harbaugh at the helm, it shouldn’t take too long to fix.

Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

Interview Requests: Klint Kubiak, Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, Robert Saleh

I’m not fully sold on Jeff Hafley becoming an NFL head coach this cycle, but with the Miami Dolphins hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan, the Green Bay Packers‘ vice president of player personnel, as their GM, I think this could make a lot of sense. He’s worked with Hafley for two years now, so their connection could give Hafley a leg up on the rest of the competition. I could see them going for someone with head coaching history, but Hafley’s connection to the GM gets him the job.

Tennessee Titans: Mike McCarthy

Interview Requests: Lou Anarumo, Jason Garrett, Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Kliff Kingsbury, Mike McCarthy, Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, Raheem Morris, Matt Nagy, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula, Arthur Smith, Steve Spagnuolo, Kevin Stefanski

After taking their shot and missing epically on Brian Callahan, I think the Tennessee Titans will opt for a more experienced head coach to help stabilize them and get them back to the postseason. I know Mike McCarthy isn’t viewed as this playoff winner who can take you to the Super Bowl, but Tennessee doesn’t need that right now. They just need to build a roster that can compete and make it back to the postseason. Once you get there, you can decide if McCarthy is the guy for your team long-term.

Arizona Cardinals: Robert Saleh

Interview Requests: Thomas Brown, Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Klint Kubiak, Raheem Morris, Matt Nagy, Robert Saleh, Anthony Weaver

Robert Saleh got a raw deal with the Jets. He didn’t deserve to get fired, but he was fired because of bad ownership, and now he’s thriving in San Francisco. Nobody knows that better than the Arizona Cardinals, who scored 15 and 22 points against his defense this year. They thought they had their defensive-minded head coach a few years ago in Jonathan Gannon, but that failed miserably. Now they try again with Robert Saleh, and I’d expect it to go much smoother this time around.

Las Vegas Raiders: Mike McDaniel

Interview Requests: Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Klint Kubiak, Jesse Minter, Matt Nagy, Nate Scheelhaase, Davis Webb

Here’s what I think is going to happen. Everyone is going to want to bring Mike McDaniel in as an offensive coordinator. I don’t think many teams really want him as a head coach. However, someone, and in this scenario, Las Vegas may offer him a head coaching job. The Raiders have some fun offensive pieces with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, and have the first overall pick. If McDaniel likes Mendoza, he could very well end up in Sin City.

Cleveland Browns: Jim Schwartz

Interview Requests: Aden Durde, Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, Todd Monken, Dan Pitcher, Tommy Rees, Nate Scheelhaase, Jim Schwartz

Not many head coaching candidates are going to want any part of the Cleveland Browns. They have negative cap space in 2026 and don’t have any desirable pieces on offense. It’s going to be hard to sway any of those big names to come to Cleveland, which is why I think they end up promoting their defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, who has worked wonders with their defense. He can fill in the gap until they’re more stable and ready to take a big swing at a head coach.