6. Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers knew they had to bring in the right guy to replace Mike Tomlin, who will go into the Hall of Fame one day as one of the best head coaches in the history of the league. Even though Tomlin never had a losing season with the Steelers, it seemed like that simply wasn't good enough anymore, so the team brought in McCarthy for a spark.
McCarthy has been one of the winningest head coaches in the NFL in his time with both the Packers and Cowboys. His winning percentage of .611 is the 10th-best among active NFL head coaches in the league right now.
And while it was plenty long ago at this point, he does have a Super Bowl win to his name. And he did it with the guy he once again has at QB: Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers are banking on a repeat of history, and that McCarthy can usher in a new era at QB when Rodgers hangs it up. As a Pittsburgh native, this job means everything to McCarthy.
5. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh doesn't have the biggest sample size of all head coaches in the AFC, but he does have the highest career regular season winning percentage of any head coach in the AFC at .679.
Harbaugh is quirky, but he's smart. He knows how to build teams from the inside out, and he's done that with the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately, the offensive line has suffered far too many injuries, and that area has been a weak spot the Chargers haven't been able to overcome.
There is a longstanding "curse" with the Chargers when it comes to January football that Harbaugh is being paid a lot of money to cure. Harbaugh has to change the meaning of "Chargering" and he might have the right guy calling the offense to get it done: Mike McDaniel.
It feels like there's a proverbial floor Harbaugh brings to the table. He's a truly elite head coach.
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