The NFL head coach carousel is going to continue spinning round and round in 2023, but with two weeks remaining in the 2022 season, there are already three jobs available. How many more openings will we see come January, 2023? If history has told us anything, perhaps we can expect at least another 3-5 openings to emerge, perhaps more than that.
The Denver Broncos became the latest team to fire their coach in-season, letting go of rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett joined a very short list of coaches to be fired during their first year on the job, a list that includes the abject disaster that was Urban Meyer last year in Jacksonville. He’s just the second coach since 1994 with such a distinction.
Without looking at some of the jobs that could become available in the next few weeks, how would we rank the available jobs in the NFL right now?
NFL head coach vacancies currently available (listed from most recent)
- Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts
- Carolina Panthers
All three of these franchises are 1/32. There are few NFL head coaching jobs and all are coveted but to varying degrees. Let’s take a look at some of the best — and worst — things these gigs have going for them.
Denver Broncos
Pros:
- Richest owners in American professional sports
- A recent commitment to $100 million stadium renovation
- Passionate fan base
- Rich winning tradition (3 Super Bowls)
- Ownership commitment to giving all necessary resources
- Top-5 defense
- Strong overall roster
Cons:
- Russell Wilson’s decline in 2022
- Russell Wilson’s contract
- Need to maneuver to create salary cap space
- 6 draft picks in 2023
- AFC West is brutal
For the short-term, the Denver Broncos’ job might not appear as desirable as others given the situation with Russell Wilson and their immediate draft capital. The Broncos do currently have three selections in the top 70 if things finish the way they are right now, but they don’t have a second-round pick and their first-round pick is the 49ers’ pick.
Still, I think Broncos ownership will be very aggressive and I think they will allocate the necessary funds to get whatever coach they want and make this a desirable destination, even if that includes potentially giving over some control of the roster.
Carolina Panthers
Pros:
- Ownership with deep pockets
- Opportunity to reshape the roster as the HC sees fit
- Strong 2023 NFL Draft capital (4 picks in top 100)
- Good defensive pieces on the roster
- NFC South is ripe for the taking
Cons:
- Team traded away key pieces in 2022 (Namely, McCaffrey)
- HC will likely get to pick QB, but who?
- Less than $2M in projected 2023 cap space currently
- Very few building blocks offensively
The Carolina Panthers’ job is a pretty attractive one because over the course of the last handful of months, they have made this job somewhat of a blank canvas for someone to come in and paint as they see fit. They have a GM, Scott Fitterer, in place, but the Panthers would probably be willing to grant roster authority to a new head coach and I doubt David Tepper would spare any expense to get his top target.
Playing in the NFC is helpful, playing in the NFC South is even more helpful. I think this is a very attractive job for someone to come in and set the culture how they want it to be. The QB position must be the first order of business for whatever the new brain trust looks like.
What we’ve seen from the Panthers is a willingness to be aggressive and go after positions of need no matter if it’s in free agency, through trades, or the NFL Draft. They have already proven their willingness to do what it takes to win, even if they did a little bit of tanking in 2022 roster-wise.
Still, that tanking didn’t prevent Steve Wilks from doing an absolutely outstanding job. From that vantage point, you might look at this job as an NFL head coach candidate and say that Steve Wilks deserves to be the top candidate, so perhaps other candidates will leave it alone and hope that the Panthers make the right decision, allowing Wilks to build on the strong finish we’ve seen in 2022.
Indianapolis Colts
Pros:
- Good amount of 2023 cap space
- Solid pieces on the roster (both sides of the ball)
- Potential top-5 draft pick (in range for QBs?)
- Aggressive ownership
- AFC South is pretty wide-open
Cons:
- One of the oldest rosters in the league
- Meddling ownership
- No answer at QB at this point in time
- Chris Ballard in the GM chair
I struggle a bit wondering whether or not the Colts are the best job on this list or the worst job on it. We’ve seen that meddling ownership on the football side of things can be really problematic at times, and you’ve seen now Jim Irsay put on display the fullness of what he’s capable of by hiring Jeff Saturday out of nowhere to replace a very respected coach in Frank Reich mid-season.
Furthermore, I think Chris Ballard has had a really tough time getting things right from his GM seat. Will he remain beyond this season?
I think with GM powers along with it, this Colts job could be the most attractive vacancy regardless. The expectation for the Colts will be to win quickly, but will Jim Irsay be quick on the trigger with this next hire? I think he’s obviously going to look high-profile and I do think this job is an attractive one with some good pieces on the roster and assets available. Not to mention, a pretty reasonable division to deal with.
Ranking these 3 available NFL head coaching jobs
- Indianapolis Colts (if GM role is attached)
- Denver Broncos
- Carolina Panthers
The only reason why the Colts are at no. 1 right now is that I think they have the best combination of current division strength, a blank canvas at quarterback, strong pieces defensively, some strong pieces offensively, and an aggressive (albeit meddlesome) owner.
The Broncos get the no. 2 spot because they are the most storied franchise on this list with new ownership that will spare no expense to get the candidate they want. At the end of the day, the football situation is part of the equation but it’s not everything. Money talks and the Broncos are prepared to pay a lot.
The Panthers may have the worst roster on paper out of these three teams and yet they have played the best this season, which is an indicator they currently have the best coach of the three. Given their ownership’s deep pockets as well as the fact that they also have some nice pieces defensively, this job is not unattractive, by any means.