There are quite a few good, reliable head coaches in the NFL, but how many of them are truly elite? Let's rank the top five for the 2024 season. It feels like most head coaching hires simply do not work out in the NFL for the long haul, so when a team hires a good head coach, they typically do what it takes to always been them around.
There are anywhere from 5-8ish head coaching openings every single season, so it's a tough business. However, some teams made the right hire and sport one of the best head coaches in the NFL. Who are the five best for the 2024 NFL Season?
NFL power rankings: These are the 5 best head coaches for the 2024 season
5. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh has won just two playoff games since 2015, so there is a valid concern as to whether Harbaugh has hit a ceiling as a head coach. The Baltimore Ravens are always a well-coached, well-run team, but it might be time for some new blood.
Nonetheless, John Harbaugh has led his Ravens teams to five double-digit wins over the last six seasons, so the wins are there, but the playoff success hasn't been. If John Harbaugh were to get fired today, about 28 other NFL teams would line up to acquire his services.
He is surely on the doorstep of the Hall of Fame.
4. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell's Detroit Lions have gone 21-13 over the last two seasons, including a 12-win season in 2023, which also saw them make it to the NFC Championship Game. Campbell's rugged attitude and personality is exactly what the Detroit Lions franchise needed, and with one of the best rosters in the NFL, the Lions feel like a legitimate Super Bowl contender in 2024 and beyond.
And it feels like Campbell is the one coach that every player in the league would love to suit up for.
3. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay's 2023 Los Angeles Rams team was easily the best coaching job of his career. He brought immediate change to the LA Rams when he got hired back in 2017, as he's compiled a total record of 77-49. With six winning seasons in seven years, McVay is already building a HOF career, and he's still just 38 years old.
His 2024 season with the LA Rams may be the last hoo-rah they have with Matthew Stafford under center, as the veteran QB is getting older. Make no mistake, McVay is one of the best in the business and will continue to be one of the best for years to come.
2. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Now a two-time Super Bowl appearing head coach, Kyle Shanahan may end up with a bust in Canton one day. He's been the San Francisco 49ers head coach since 2017 and has four double-digit winning seasons over the last five years. A few of his not-so-great years in SF were actually due to some brutal injury luck.
He's won 55.7% of his regular season games and a stellar 66.7% of his postseason games. At some point, Shanahan has to win a Super Bowl, right?
1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
There is no question, and no argument to not have Andy Reid at the top of the head coach power rankings. He's helped the Kansas City Chiefs win three Super Bowls over the last five seasons. And while star QB Patrick Mahomes is surely playing a massive part in that, Reid has been doing this head coacing thing for decades, and is one of the five best all-time.
Big Red's time as head coach may be nearing it's end, perhaps within the next five seasons, but his resume speaks for itself, and aging this far into his career is clearly not impacting his ability, as he's been able to adapt to the ever-changing NFL.