24. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears should have been in the head coach market in 2024 when they had so much going for them. They had cap space and were willing to spend. Their defense was on a heater at the end of the 2023 season. They held the #1 pick in the draft where Caleb Williams was a slam dunk selection. They had two top-10 picks.
The Bears obviously are still an attractive potential landing spot but the 2024 season did nothing to make them more attractive to prospective candidates out there.
And yet, they might still land one of the best ones. The Bears need to make sure they bring in the best possible head coach candidate for Caleb Williams’s development, but they are also in a weird situation. Chicago has retained Ryan Poles despite some massive errors up to this point and they are letting him help pick this next head coach. He absolutely has to get it right or the Bears will be in an ugly situation a year from now yet again.
23. New England Patriots
For my money, the New England Patriots might just have the single most attractive head coaching vacancy. And for the second straight year, it feels like New England has completely telegraphed its intentions.
Everyone knew the Pats were going to hire Jerod Mayo last year to replace Bill Belichick. Their hand-picked coach-in-waiting lasted just one year with the team before Robert Kraft decided to move on, and they are the first team to make their next hire.
Mike Vrabel was always going to be the most obvious choice here for New England, a guy who has hoisted the Lombardi for this franchise before and who has also recently been a coach of the year. So why did he land one of the most attractive jobs out there?
Well, I think a head coach coming in is going to have significant roster say. They already have a franchise QB in Drake Maye in place, but on top of that, some of the most cap space in the entire league. The Patriots are going to be active and aggressive this offseason in surrounding Maye and I think the next head coach (likely Vrabel) is going to benefit from his second-year breakout in a big way.