NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the best head coaching jobs thus far in 2024

There have been some marvelous head coaching jobs thus far in the 2024 NFL Season. Let's power rank the best ones. Being a head coach in the NFL is some tough work, and it's a huge reason why there are around five openings every single cycle.

However, if you look across the NFL, you can clearly see some high-end coaching performances being done thus far. Through five weeks in the 2024 NFL Season, let's power rank the five best head coaching performances.

NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the best head coaching jobs thus far in 2024
5. Brian Daboll, New York Giants (2-3)

Brian Daboll is a sensational head coach that is doing everything he can with Daniel Jones, who is not a franchise quarterback. He's got Jones playing some efficient football this year, and the New York Giants are 2-3 and are just not a total disaster.

The offenive personnel outside of Malik Nabers is bad, and the team still needs to find a franchise passer, but Daboll being able to do this with Daniel Jones and this team is insane.

4. Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks (3-2)*

I put an asterisk next to Mike Macdonald's name as the Seattle Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football, and I am typing this before the game has begun. While I do not think Seattle is quite as good as the NFL landscape seems to think they are, having them at 3-2 as a rookie head coach with average QB play is pretty impressive.

I am not sure if Macdonald is going to work out for the long-term, but it's looking relatively promising after five games. I'd imagine that Seattle looks to upgrade at QB. I could see them targeting a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft, as Macdonald seems to have a great grip on the defense at least.

3. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos (3-2)

The Denver Broncos seemed to be in no man's land after their 0-2 start, but a three-game winning streak has the Denver Broncos at a 3-2 mark with a rookie QB. Bo Nix has not thrown an interception in three games and has a passer rating close to 90 during that stretch, so the QB is growing and the team is just as well-coached as anyone in the NFL.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is also doing quite the job on his side of the ball, but when you look at the Denver Broncos, you can just tell that the staff knows what they are doing.

2. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders (4-1)

Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders are 4-1 on the season and are just humming. The defense is beginning to put things together and the offense is elite with a rookie QB under center. Jayden Daniel is well on his way to the Offensive Rookie of the Year and perhaps even the NFL MVP award if he can keep this up.

The Commanders being 4-1 given how bad they were last year is nothing short of a miracle. It's clear that Dan Quinn was the right hire and Daniels was the right pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It'll be interesting to see if the offense is able to keep this up or if opposing defenses will begin to figure them out some.

1. Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings (5-0)

But there has been no head coach in the NFL who has done the job that Kevin O'Connell has. The Minnesota Vikings probably did not even expect to be this good. They signed Sam Darnold in the offseason and drafted JJ McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft, so they put a clear plan in place at QB.

With McCarthy out for the year with a torn meniscus, the Vikings started Darnold, and through five games, not only are they undefeated, but Darnold is playing at an MVP level. The Vikings' defense is also among the best in the NFL, and this operation is just buzzing on both sides of the ball.

Kevin O'Connell is well on his way to a Coach of the Year award if the Vikings can keep this up, and he's obviously the easy choice for the top spot on the head coach rankings.