The NFL hiring — and firing — cycle is upon us as the regular season concludes. The Giants and Titans already have openings at head coach while the Dolphins are the lone team without a GM.
Recent history tells us there will be six to eight head coach vacancies and two to four GM openings. But in talking with sources around the league, it is definitely harder to get to that total at GM than it is at head coach.
The NFL has tried to slow the hiring process down the last few years. Since it’s been 12 months since we have gone through this, here’s a quick refresher on the upcoming calendar:
- Teams will start requesting interviews with candidates early this week, and teams can interview candidates on teams who aren’t playing in the wild-card round beginning Tuesday (in the case of the four teams playing Saturday night) and Wednesday (for everyone else playing Sunday).
- In-person interviews can’t begin until Jan. 19 unless the coach is not employed by a team, and a second in-person interview can’t take place until Jan. 26.
- And in order to complete the hiring process, teams must comply with the Rooney Rule which dictates interviewing, in person, at least two external candidates who are people of color or women.
No matter what, be sure to remember that your favorite team is “casting a wide net” looking for “the right person that fits” them regardless of background, because your team “will leave no stone unturned” to make sure they “get this right” with the goal of “building a sustained winner.”
Here’s what I’m hearing at head coach
Browns, Stefanski headed for splitsville
The Cleveland Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski appeared destined for a breakup after six seasons. A two-time NFL Coach of the Year, Stefanski is 44-56 at the helm in Cleveland with two winning seasons and two playoff appearances.
At 43, Stefanski remains a young coach who is well thought of across the league, and few would be surprised if he winds up getting another head-coaching gig this cycle. In consecutive losing seasons Stefanski has handed off play-calling duties to his offensive coordinator, with last year going to Ken Dorsey and this year to Tommy Rees. It will be interesting to see how he handles that at his next stop should the expected take place.
The Pete Carroll era will end quickly in Vegas
The downward spiral that has been this season for the Las Vegas Raiders can’t come quickly enough, and signs point to this being a one-and-done season for legendary head coach Pete Carroll. Put simply, it hasn’t worked in Vegas. Carroll wasn’t Tom Brady’s first choice there, and the end result was a hodgepodge of differing coaching philosophies on top of a different personnel philosophy. Carroll fired two coordinators, including an offensive coordinator who is due $12 million from Mark Davis over the next two years, but kept his two sons who oversee underperforming groups. But his leadership showed through the past few weeks when the decision to place Maxx Crosby on IR could have ignited a powder keg.
Armed with the No. 1 overall pick, the Raiders are expected to again be led by Brady in the interview process this month. It was curious a year ago when the Raiders did not involve team president Sandra Douglass Morgan in much of the interview process. A recent trend in the league has been involving a diverse set of high-ranking executives in the process to make a sound organizational decision. Perhaps the team could benefit from having her voice — or even her ear — be one input in the process of finding the new leader of the team.
Jets likely to give Glenn second chance
Might Aaron Glenn be a second one-and-done coach in the league this year? It is highly unlikely. It has been a bad, bad year for Gang Green, but sources don’t sense Woody Johnson is inclined to cut bait on Glenn even if the performance on the field was below expectations. Glenn will soon prepare for defensive coordinator interviews, and there’s likely to be more staff shakeup after this season. The belief is Johnson wants to see what Glenn can do with a quarterback in Year 2, and the Jets have more ammunition than any other team to go get one.
Morris’ fate up in the air in ATL
No one is willing to confidently call Raheem Morris “safe” this cycle. The late-season jolt has helped his case for a third season after the team underachieved on the field at nearly every area except pass rush. Atlanta finishes its season Sunday against the Saints. Would a fourth consecutive win — with a chance to spur a three-way tie in the NFC South that would not include a playoff berth — be enough to buy Morris a third year?
Might Arizona stand pat?
Is Arizona It is not for certain the Cardinals will retain third-year coach Jonathan Gannon, though many have said to me that Michael Bidwill may be unwilling to pay three fired coaches at one time, as well as the fact the offense has been playing “with a practice squad” as one source put it. Gannon has handled himself well in press conferences that aren’t easy. There are big decisions Arizona has to make about its future, including at QB with Kyler Murray.
McDaniel expected back in Miami
As we have been reporting for weeks, it would be a surprise if Mike McDaniel is not back with Miami next season. That’s the way things have been shaping up for more than a month, and last week’s win with rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers helped reinforce that.
Big Red not going anywhere
No, Andy Reid is not retiring. He is set to make $20 million per year for the rest of the decade and still has Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
Late skid should not sink Bowles
Buccaneers ownership usually waits until the end of the season to evaluate head coaches. It seems unlikely Tampa would part with Todd Bowles after paying him a three-year extension in the offseason. Bowles is 34-33 in Tampa, along with three playoff appearances that he hopes to make four after this weekend. Staff changes, however this season turns out, are likely, at the very least.
Coaching implications of Sunday night
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The colossal Sunday night game against the Ravens and Steelers is an elimination game for the two teams, but not necessarily for the two coaches. If Mike Tomlin is not the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers next year, it will be his decision, as reported previously. He also has a no-trade clause, and the mechanics of a trade would be difficult to pull off because it would mean the Steelers would have to start a search late in the cycle’s calendar. Meanwhile, sources tend to believe John Harbaugh would be back in 2026 regardless of Sunday’s result. He signed an extension this past offseason that takes him through the 2028 season.
What I’m hearing at general manager
The type Miami wants in it next GM
The Dolphins appear to be moving forward with Mike McDaniel, as was the case last month. The search for a GM has been underway, and I’m told the Dolphins have been adding and removing names from their internal list recently.
Miami will look to add a GM who can work in concert with the head coach and Brandon Shore, the team’s SVP of football and business administration, to make a sort of football triumvirate. I’m told a person having a prominent role in this decision will be Daniel Sillman, a sports executive who is owner Stephen Ross’s son-in-law. Ross will lead the search for the next GM with help from Sillman and team president/CEO Tom Garfinkel, league sources say. (An earlier version of this story said Sillman and Garfinkel would lead the process, and this has been corrected above.)
And as reported Thursday night, they will also have with them Troy Aikman in the interview room. Aikman has been in broadcast production meetings for two decades and so he has been asking questions to all 32 teams for years, gaining valuable insight into organizations to be used in an instance just like this. Who knows if it’ll work, but the thought process behind it is sound.
I expect Schoen to hire NYG’s new coach
Big Blue continues to move as though GM Joe Schoen will remain in 2026, which is the final year of his contract. Last month I reported it remained status quo with ownership and Schoen, and talk of the Giants not getting their top coaching candidate because of Schoen’s presence was overblown. The Giants remain a desirable job, especially considering their competition this cycle.
I also don’t believe there are any frontrunners just yet for the gig, though Mike McCarthy and Antonio Pierce are expected to get interviews. I would expect owner John Mara to make an announcement regarding his decision on Schoen’s future at some point after Sunday.
Easy to understand why Atlanta may fire Fontenot
When the Falcons dropped to 4-9 a week ago it seemed like Terry Fontenot’s fate had been sealed in Atlanta. But now the Falcons have rattled off three straight wins and could wind up with the same record as the division champs. Fontenot’s latest draft class could have three players — Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts — finish in the top five of Defensive Rookie of the Year voting (regardless of how many picks it took to get all those guys).
The Falcons are working with a consulting firm, but owner Arthur Blank has a large sports portfolio where that firm works with other entities as well. If Fontenot is relieved of his duties, it will be because the Falcons were unable to win the division in his five years there and may have spent a lot of premium capital to still not have the quarterback figured out for Week 1 of 2026. But the current 7-9 record in Atlanta reflects a collective failure there, and from this draft class to the potential Offensive Player of the Year in Bijan Robinson, there is clearly talent on the roster.
Latest in Indy? Your guess is as good as mine
It seems to me that whatever you hear out of Indianapolis regarding GM Chris Ballard is guesswork. Jim Irsay had decades of precedent he had built up.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon is now running the place, and she’s now faced with a major decision regarding her GM after another late-season collapse. They have made the playoffs twice in his nine years at the helm but have no divisional championships. It is the longest stretch of any general manager currently employed by a team.
Philip Rivers expresses no regrets in NFL return despite Colts 0-3 finish: ‘It’s been an absolute blast’
Brad Crawford
Each of the 13 current GMs who have held their post since at least the start of the 2019 season has won his division at least once except for Ballard. They missed on Anthony Richardson and the Sauce Gardner trade was going to be hard for Ballard to win even if he stayed healthy. Still, the Colts had some bad luck and tough breaks this season, and there are plenty around the league who could see Indy running it back again.
Berry drafting well enough to keep his job
While indications are the Browns will move on from Stefanski, it seems GM Andrew Berry will remain in his seat. Berry’s draft class has produced so far, with likely Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger leading the way, followed by top-five Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Harold Fannin Jr. and a draft-day trade with the Jaguars that has aged nicely for Cleveland.
Berry must shoulder his share of the blame for the failed seasons in Cleveland, but it seems like he will continue captaining the team. It’s possible he gets even more job duties now that Paul DePodesta has left the organization. Some around the league have wondered if Berry would actually get a promotion that would create a GM role, similar to the structure in Tennessee.
Candidates from losing teams you should be tracking
Consider this my annual reminder to teams with head coach and GM vacancies — and all positions, for that matter — to still consider candidates from losing teams. I hear every year how teams eliminate candidates from consideration because of their current team’s win-loss record. I have already heard it this year. That is reductive.
If teams are truly “casting wide nets” to identify “the best candidate,” then they would not summarily dismiss someone *just* because his team had a tough year.
For head coach candidates who are only below .500 groups, teams would still do well to consider guys like Bengals OC Dan Pitcher, the Chiefs coordinators, Titans DC Dennard Wilson and Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury. The same goes for GM for the likes of Giants AGM Brandon Brown, Browns AGM Glenn Cook, Commanders AGM Lance Newmark, Saints execs Khai Harley and Michael Parenton, Cowboys VP Will McClay, Chiefs execs Mike Bradway and Tim Terry and Cincinnati execs Steve Radicevic and Trey Brown, among many others.
Is this the year Cunningham lands GM job?
No matter how many open GM gigs there are this cycle, a name you are likely to hear is Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.
Cunningham had the job in Arizona three years ago but declined the offer. He has been a finalist with the Commanders and Jaguars since, with interviews elsewhere too.
Cunningham has the pedigree for a GM gig. His father was a long-time sports agent and executive. He’s a cousin of tennis and American sports legend Arthur Ashe. He played football at Virginia and had a cup of coffee with the Chiefs before turning to the personnel side of things. He grew up under Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore where he won one Super Bowl, then hopped to Philadelphia under Howie Roseman where he won another ring. And since 2022 he has been at the right hand of Ryan Poles rebuilding the Chicago Bears into the potential Super Bowl contender.
So he’s seen old- and new-school approaches to scouting and team building. He’s been instrumental introducing new technologies and processes in Chicago. Cunningham has played, scouted colleges and pros, been part of a major draft trade, evaluated a No. 1 quarterback, been part of a head-coaching search, won Super Bowls and led turnarounds.
Cunningham has checked just about every box you can for a potential first-time GM. We’ll see if this is finally his year.
Explaining Tennessee’s front office announcement
The Titans did more reorganizing this week when they made clearer the roles of Chad Brinker and Mike Borgonzi. The league office had a devil of a time determining if the Titans GM position was a true GM post last year, and there was instruction from the league to delineate titles a bit more. Borgonzi, as GM, will lead the search for the head coach as Brinker remains president of football operations.
Owner Amy Adams Strunk has empowered Brinker to run football, and he hired Borgonzi just 12 months ago. It is logical to believe that the two men will see things similarly when it comes to choosing the next head coach.
