TEAM OUT IN ANALYSIS
New England Patriots Jerod Mayo Mike Vrabel Vrabel and the Patriots are quite familiar with one another, with the former linebacker winning three Super Bowls with the franchise. He was looked at as the favorite immediately after the firing of Mayo, so this result isn’t totally surprising. The former NFL Coach of the Year is expected to bring a buttoned-up operation to New England and has been regarded as one of the top in-game managers in the league dating back to his days as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
Chicago Bears Matt Eberflus Ben Johnson The Bears got their quarterback of the future when they selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft. Now, they have the man to steer the next few years of his career. Johnson made a name for himself by putting his players in position to succeed, and the Bears desperately need for him to do exactly that with Williams, who had an up-and-down rookie year.
Dallas Cowboys Mike McCarthy Brian Schottenheimer America’s Team didn’t go outside of the building to replace McCarthy, who missed the playoffs in 2024 after enduring another Dak Prescott injury. Instead, Jerry Jones promoted McCarthy’s offensive coordinator, the son of former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
New York Jets Robert Saleh Aaron Glenn The Jets are bringing back a former franchise star in Glenn, who has risen up the coaching ranks since his playing days ended. Glenn comes over from the Lions, where he led them from 26th in points per possession to eighth in one season, despite having six defensive starters on injured reserve. Glenn was drafted by the Jets in 1994 and made two of his three Pro Bowls with the team.
Jacksonville Jaguars Doug Pederson Liam Coen The Jaguars did what they needed to do to haul in their top remaining coaching candidate by firing Baalke. Coen coached Baker Mayfield into throwing a career-high 41 touchdown passes, tied for the second-most in the league this season, in his first year working with the journeyman quarterback. Tampa Bay also had a top-five scoring offense (29.5 points per game) in his sole season with the Bucs despite Mike Evans missing three games. Jacksonville hopes to see similar results between Coen and 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence.
Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce Pete Carroll Las Vegas flipped from a first-time NFL head coach in Pierce to Carroll, who will be the league’s oldest head coach ever at the age of 74 in 2025. He did arrive in Seattle in 2010 and then guide them to their first Super Bowl title just four seasons later. Carroll’s presence could help stabilize a franchise that has been a volatile organization of late. Raiders minority owner Tom Brady helped hire one of the most known commodities available to kick start his Las Vegas tenure, one in which he’s just as fired up to win as he was in New England.