There’s nothing like a good offseason list of NFL Power Rankings to bring fans of every team together. It’s nice to have something to finally unanimously agree upon, isn’t it?
Our latest NFL Power Rankings are going to take a look at the always highly contested head coach/quarterback duos across the NFL landscape. Which teams have the best duos? Who has the worst?
Our judging criteria will be an obvious mix of what these duos have already proven together, projecting into the future a bit, and we will give as much weight to both the head coach and quarterback as possible. Some of these duos will be ranked higher or lower on the list because of one or the other, which is sure to cause some fun debate.
NFL Power Rankings: Every head coach-quarterback duo ranked worst to best in 2025
32. New Orleans Saints: Kellen Moore & Spencer Rattler/Tyler Shough
The New Orleans Saints are combining a rookie head coach with an inexperienced or rookie quarterback in 2025. That’s not always a bad combination automatically, but in this team’s context, it’s much easier to see the Saints being competitive for the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft than being in the mix for a playoff spot, even in a rather weak division in the NFC South.
31. Cleveland Browns: Kevin Stefanski & Joe Flacco
I hate to be so negative about the combination of Kevin Stefanski and Joe Flacco, because these two made it to the playoffs just a couple of seasons ago. Maybe I should be putting them higher, but part of this ranking is the longevity of this duo. It was one thing to catch lightning in a bottle during a time of desperation for the Browns. This is something else.
30. Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan & Cam Ward
The Titans have a young and unproven head coach in Brian Callahan, and he’s now got himself a talented #1 overall pick to work with. Cam Ward could be the reason this duo really vaults into the upper half of the league sooner rather than later, but the jury is still out and there is a lot of work to be done. We haven’t seen anything from Callahan as a head coach to justify a ranking any higher than this, even with Ward’s talent.
29. New York Jets: Aaron Glenn & Justin Fields
Aaron Glenn is rightfully getting his first opportunity as an NFL head coach with the New York Jets, and his career as a head coach will begin with Justin Fields as his starting quarterback. I have said all offseason that I felt the addition of Fields was a worthwhile dart throw for the Jets, who are clearly punting the long-term situation to next year. And you never know with Fields. He could still be a viable franchise QB option and the Jets are fixing to find out.
28. Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen & Anthony Richardson
Shane Steichen is carrying this ranking significantly, and that’s saying something. The Colts have such an impressive collection of offensive talent that it would be shocking for any quarterback to fail, especially with the QB whisperer that is Steichen. Anthony Richardson has barely been able to stay on the field through his first two NFL seasons, for a variety of reasons. He’s gotten hurt, he’s played bad, and he’s gotten fatigued. He’s got to figure it out or he won’t beat Daniel Jones coming out of camp.
27. New York Giants: Brian Daboll & Russell Wilson
Brian Daboll helped the Giants reach the playoffs in 2022 and Russell Wilson helped the Steelers reach the playoffs just last year. That counts for something, but not for much at this point. Both of these guys feel like they are on the cusp of being fired (in Daboll’s case) and done starting (in Wilson’s case). I don’t like this duo for any reason except desperation. You never know when that’s going to bring out the best in someone.
26. Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales & Bryce Young
Dave Canales was part of reviving Geno Smith’s career before he was part of reviving Baker Mayfield’s career. If what we saw down the stretch last year was any indication, he might have helped revive Bryce Young’s career, at least to a degree. While Young was not definitively a bust like it seemed Smith and Mayfield were, he was looking like he was on a fast track to journeyman status. These two might have something cooking in 2025.
25. Seattle Seahawks: Mike Macdonald & Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold was one of the NFL’s biggest success stories last year and Mike Macdonald decided to clean house on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. Everyone is interested to see if Darnold can keep things going without being tethered to Kevin O’Connell, especially because he sort of came crashing back to earth as the season progressed in 2024. And he won’t have Justin Jefferson anymore, either.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin & Mason Rudolph
I want to be as respectful to Mike Tomlin as possible with this list, so he’s the tide raising the boats in the harbor here. If Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback, I think the duo of Tomlin and Rodgers is unquestionably in the top 16 and it feels like Rodgers is motivated to come back soon. But with Mason Rudolph out there, this team would have to scrape and claw and fight for those nine wins they’ve become accustomed to under Tomlin. It would arguably be his greatest challenge yet.
23. Atlanta Falcons: Raheem Morris & Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons have one of the most intriguing head coach and quarterback duos in the league. Despite an in-season quarterback change, Raheem Morris almost led the Falcons to an NFC South title in his first year on the job. He made an incredibly difficult but correct decision to bench Kirk Cousins when he did, and the conviction he and GM Terry Fontenot had about Penix Jr. seems to have been spot on. I could see them being the top sleeper duo in the league.
22. Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson & Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears might have made the best head coach hire in the entire 2025 offseason, and Caleb Williams sure hopes so. Nobody took more sacks last year with more time in the pocket than Williams, who desperately needs a head coach like Johnson to come in and help speed up his internal clock. However they make it happen, I think these two are going to figure out a way to work really well together because Johnson is a mastermind at enhancing his players’ strengths.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars: Liam Coen & Trevor Lawrence
There are a couple of things with this ranking. I think it would be totally fair to disagree with this. Admittedly, when I think of Trevor Lawrence, I’m still living in 2022 and the first half of 2023 a little bit. I can’t help but believe the best with him. And while Liam Coen might be goofy in some ways, he’s been great for his quarterbacks. I think these two are going to work really well together and this organization will take a step forward in 2025.
20. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Gannon & Kyler Murray
I like Jonahtan Gannon and Kyler Murray a lot. I don’t love either guy right now. The Cardinals have a chance to make some noise in the NFC West if they can get the best out of both of these guys, and I thought they would be much better in 2024 based on what we saw in 2023. Gannon had his guys fighting and competing in games they had no business competing in. They lost five of their nine games last year by seven points or less and need more out of Murray.
19. Las Vegas Raiders: Pete Carroll & Geno Smith
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the only teams anywhere near the middle or top half of this list with both a new head coach and a new starting quarterback. Luckily for them, Pete Carroll and Geno Smith have worked together before and they are capable of helping this Raiders team get to nine wins. That should be considered the baseline expectation given the reputations that precede these guys but the Raiders have a bad enough roster defensively that they could bottom out to no fault of Smith and Carroll at all.
18. Dallas Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer & Dak Prescott
Cowboys fans might not like this ranking, but based on what we know and what we saw last year, it’s fair. Brian Schottenheimer is an unproven and frankly underwhelming head coach option for the Cowboys. He’s going to have to prove his way out of that one. Dak Prescott has become a bigger injury risk than anyone would like to see from him, and he was turning the ball over at the second-highest rate of his career before he went down with injury last year.
17. Minnesota Vikings: Kevin O’Connell & JJ McCarthy
Kevin O’Connell is doing a ton of heavy lifting here with JJ McCarthy entering his first year as a starter in the NFL. O’Connell has won a lot of games in his time with the Vikings already and has surpassed expectations pretty much every year as a head coach so far. McCarthy is a very young quarterback coming off of a major history and O’Connell is not a puppeteer. I am expecting some growing pains, but I also have a lot of faith in O’Connell.
16. Miami Dolphins: Mike McDaniel & Tua Tagovailoa
The duo of Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa remains one of the top working relationships among head coach and quarterback in the NFL, but they are ranked in the middle of this list because one can’t seemingly do well without the other. It feels like these guys are great complements to each other, but McDaniel’s Dolphins teams have not been competitive enough offensively without Tua and Tua was a disaster before McDaniel arrived.
15. New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel & Drake Maye
Here we have what I would consider to be maybe the hottest take of the entire list. Mike Vrabel is a good head coach, and I’d put him up there with Ben Johnson as the best overall hires of the offseason. The former coach of the year had the Titans playing meaningful games in January not that long ago. He’s a great fit for the Patriots, and Drake Maye is obviously one of the young QBs in the NFL right now expected to break out in a big way in 2025.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles & Baker Mayfield
The duo of Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield has proven to be quite effective, although Bowles is having to deal once again with the departure of a good offensive coordinator. The loss of Dave Canales caused worry among Baker Mayfield’s biggest supporters, as well as the recent loss of Liam Coen. It’s possible that the fate of both these guys now depends on the work of Josh Grizzard, the latest OC in Tampa Bay.
13. Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh & Justin Herbert
Jim Harbaugh has his way of doing things, and it seemingly couldn’t be more opposite of the laid-back Justin Herbert. We saw these two work pretty well together this past season, but neither of them could escape “Chargering” at the end of the season. Harbaugh’s teams have always been phenomenal in the NFL (and at the collegiate level) so I expect this duo to be tough again in 2025.
12. Denver Broncos: Sean Payton & Bo Nix
Sean Payton has done such an underrated job with the Denver Broncos in his first two years on the job. With Russell Wilson on the decline, he found a way to turn a 1-6 start into an 8-9 finish for the Broncos, contending for the playoffs until a collapse late in the year from Wilson. He and Bo Nix ended the Broncos’ playoff drought last year and did it with $90 million in dead cap. These two work well together and are capable of rising much higher on this list after 2025.
11. Houston Texans: DeMeco Ryans & CJ Stroud
The duo of DeMeco Ryans and CJ Stroud has gotten the Texans back to AFC contention rather quickly. They have a firm grip on the AFC South heading into the 2025 season and I don’t know how much of a challenge they’re going to get from any other team in that division. As far ahead of their division rivals as they seem to be, the next step for this duo is going to be figuring out how to join the ranks of the AFC’s elite.
10. Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn & Jayden Daniels
From last place in the NFC East in 2023 to contending with the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in their first year on the job together. You have to tip your cap to Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels, who made it all the way to the NFC Championship game in 2024 and will have massive expectations heaped upon them in 2025. Quinn has been to a Super Bowl as a head coach in the past, and the moment doesn’t seem too big for Daniels. These two should be a great duo for the foreseeable future.
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor & Joe Burrow
The head coach heavily influences some of the duos on this list, but here is an example where we have the quarterback doing some seriously heavy lifting. I’m not saying that Zac Taylor is a bad head coach, but I think he’s a very average head coach (at best) and that Burrow and the rest of the players on this offensive roster are carrying this team. They weren’t able to carry them into the postseason last year, but if anything, that’s an indictment of Taylor more than Burrow.
8. San Francisco 49ers: Kyle Shanahan & Brock Purdy
I think this is another ranking on this list that will get absolutely blasted by a lot of people, but the duo of Shanahan and Purdy has been a contender for the majority of their relationship on the field, including an NFC title just two seasons ago. They had this team on the doorstep of beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Purdy was recently rewarded with a massive contract, and while he might be a product of Shanahan’s system to a degree, these two obviously work very well together.
7. Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell & Jared Goff
Dan Campbell is one of the best head coaches in the entire NFL and Jared Goff is one of the league’s most underrated quarterbacks. We’re going to see these two guys put to the ultimate test in 2025, however, as Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have bolted for head coaching jobs of their own. Without those stellar coordinators, are these two going to be as effective at what they do? Goff may be forced to be more of a playmaker without Johnson in his ear setting him up.
6. Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur & Jordan Love
Prior to the Packers making the switch from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love, I think it would have been fair to say that LaFleur had a lot to prove as a head coach. He went from being perceived as a pawn and borderline hindrance to Aaron Rodgers to being one of the unquestioned top head coaches in the NFL. And Jordan Love is a great fit for his offense. The Packers have never really known anything but prosperity in the head coach and quarterback spots, and this duo is one of the best in the league.
5. Buffalo Bills: Sean McDermott & Josh Allen
Sean McDermott is a fine head coach but Josh Allen is the league MVP and it feels like one of these guys is more of an advantage than the other. McDermott deserves a lot of credit for his longevity with the Bills at this point but both of these guys are under a lot of pressure to deliver late in January right now. The Bills are in the difficult purgatory of knowing they have the right QB and seemingly the right head coach, but not being able to get the job done when it matters most. And the head coach will always get blamed first.
4. Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay & Matthew Stafford
For my money, I’m taking Sean McVay as the best overall head coach in the NFL. I just don’t think there’s anybody who does a better job of playing the chess game, assembling a staff around him, identifying talent for his team, and developing guys with every sort of NFL Draft pedigree you can think of. Not only that, but McVay is able to develop the UDFAs just as well as he can manage the superstars. He and Matthew Stafford won a Super Bowl their first year together and I think they’re positioned to win another in 2025.
3. Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Sirianni & Jalen Hurts
There are a lot of folks out there who don’t love Nick Sirianni as a head coach and plenty of others who dislike Jalen Hurts as a standalone starting quarterback in the NFL. Yet somehow, these guys work extremely well together. They do a great job of playing their roles and doing their jobs consistently. Sirianni has surrounded himself with great coaches and Hurts made a great adjustment to his game last year to limit mistakes. And it resulted in another Lombardi for Philly.
2. Baltimore Ravens: John Harbaugh & Lamar Jackson
The luster has worn off of John Harbaugh’s Super Bowl win back in the 2012 season a little bit, but he’s undoubtedly still one of the best all-around head coaches in the NFL. Harbaugh has the most dynamic quarterback in the NFL as his team’s leader, and I think the Ravens are poised to be the NFL’s best team in 2025 as a result. It’s tough to see these guys losing more than two or three games and there’s only one head coach/QB duo in the league with a better working relationship.
1. Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid & Patrick Mahomes
Andy Reid has always been a great head coach in the NFL, but Patrick Mahomes obviously unlocked his very best as a coach. Reid has been in his bag ever since Mahomes took over as the Chiefs’ starter back in 2018, and it’s resulted in the NFL’s latest dynasty. Although these two guys have seen their offensive numbers take a dip over the last couple of years, there’s no question that they are the best head coach-quarterback duo in the league right now, with the hardware to back it up.