Who is the best coach right now? It should come as no surprise that Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs leads our rankings of the best NFL coaches in 2024. However, the rest of our list is a mixture of championship-caliber coaches and some young leaders who have already delivered phenomenal results early in their tenures.
It truly is a great era for NFL head coaches. While we cut our list off at 10, there are Super Bowl-winning coaches, brilliant minds and up-and-comers who just missed it. Even near the top of our NFL head coach rankings, it’s a close call between guys with head-to-head matchups often making a difference.
Here’s our rankings of the best NFL coaches in 2024.
10.) Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski found himself on the edge of the NFL coaching hot seat heading into the 2023 season, coming off a combined 15-19 record from 2021-’22. However, the Cleveland Browns head coach demonstrated in 2023 why he’s one of the best NFL coaches today. Even putting aside the fact he’s a two-time Coach of the Year winner, Stefanski helped Baker Mayfield post a 95.9 QB rating then oversaw the Browns winning their first playoff game in 27 years. This past season, Stefanski adjusted his offense mid-season to help Joe Flacco come out of retirement and win NFL Comeback Player of the Year with a 90.2 QB rating. That’s why Stefanski is one of the best minds in football.
- Kevin Stefanski coaching record: 37-30, 1-2 in NFL playoffs
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9.) Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
Of the best NFL coaches in 2024, there’s no one we’d want to hang out with more than Mike McDaniel. Putting his engaging and fun personality aside, Tua Tagovailoa had an 88.8 QB rating and averaged 6.6 yards per attempt in 23 games before McDaniel’s arrival. With the Miami Dolphins coach and play-caller, Tagovailoa has a 102.9 QB rating and averaged 8.5 ypa in the last 2 seasons. We do feel like there’s an even more entertaining version of McDaniels’ offense if he had a more dynamic quarterback than Tagovailoa, but the Dolphins’ fan-favorite has proven he’s one of the top NFL head coaches.
- Mike McDaniel coaching record: 20-14, 0-2 in NFL playoffs
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8.) Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh wins everywhere he goes. Fresh off a national championship and undefeated season with the Michigan Wolverines, leaving behind a .720 winning percentage. Harbaugh is back in the NFL. While the pro game hasn’t seen him since 2014 and a lot can change in a decade, let’s not forget that Harbaugh currently has the fifth-highest winning percentage (.695) in NFL history.
- Jim Harbaugh NFL coaching record: 44-19-1, 5-3 in NFL playoffs
Harbaugh connects with players, knows how to lead a locker room through ups and downs and he certainly knows how to pick up-and-coming coaches (Mike Macdonald, Jesse Minter, Vic Fangio and David Shaw). The Chargers might not have the roster to contend immediately, but Harbaugh is already building the culture to get them there. It won’t be long before Los Angeles is a Super Bowl threat.
7.) Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
We’ll be the first to admit we thought Dan Campbell might need to be replaced midway through the 2022 season. Entering November 2022, the Detroit Lions were 4-19-1 and hope seemed lost. It’s a lesson in patience when a head coach is building a good culture and there’s buy-in throughout the organization. Since November 2022, Detroit is 20-7 with an NFC Championship Game appearance that saw them come one play away from a Super Bowl berth.
- Dan Campbell coaching record: 24-26-1 with Detroit Lions, 2-1 in NFL playoffs
What makes Campbell one of the best NFL coaches in 2024 isn’t his offensive or defensive mind, it’s the ability to get an entire locker room, coaching staff and front office to buy into a vision and never waver. Plus, Campbell has a great eye for coaches (Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn) and his aggressiveness on fourth downs and near the goal line is the perfect combo of analytics and gut.
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6.) Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
In the final two seasons with Mike McCarthy, the Green Bay Packers went 11-16-1 with Aaron Rodgers posting a 97.5 QB rating. Matt LaFleur was not a popular hire when Green Bay chose him, but the Packers went 13-3 in his first year at the helm. In the next two seasons, the Packers went a combined 26-7 in the regular season with Rodgers winning two MVPs behind a 116.7 QB rating.
- Matt LaFleur coaching record: 56-27, 3-4 in NFL playoffs
If there were any questions about whether or not LaFleur’s success was a byproduct of Rodgers’ presence, the 2024 season proved otherwise. The Packers were one of the youngest playoff teams (25.58 average age) in NFL history last year and Jordan Love blossomed into a franchise-caliber quarterback in the second half of the season (112.7 QB rating). LaFleur’s winning percentage (.675) is 11th all-time right behind Don Shula (.677). Even with some playoff disappointments, the resume easily makes LaFleur one of the best NFL coaches right now.
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5.) Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers being a competitive team is inevitable every year. While it’s been over a decade since he won a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLIII), Tomlin holds the third-longest record for consecutive seasons without a losing record (17), behind only Bill Belichick (19) and Tom Landry (21). Tomlin has maintained that streak through a broken-down Ben Roethlisberger along with misfit quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett.
- Mike Tomlin coaching record: 173-100-2, 8-10 in NFL playoffs
Another quality that makes Tomlin one of the best NFL coaches of his era is his ability to keep winning and somehow keep a locker room together despite rostering some volatile personalities. If the Steelers make the mistake of allowing Tomlin’s contract to expire following the 2024 NFL season, he’ll be out of work for less than a week and have multiple head-coach offers.
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4.) John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh has bragging rights over his brother in our NFL head coach rankings 2024. The Baltimore Ravens coach boasts a resume that includes a Super Bowl ring (Super Bowl XLVIII), an AP NFL Coach of the Year award (2019) and the NFL record for most road playoff wins (8). He is also tied for the eighth-most playoff wins (12) among coaches in NFL history. This ranking is a bit of a career achievement recognition for Harbaugh, as we also have to point out that Baltimore has reached the AFC Championship Game just once since the Ravens last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
- John Harbaugh coaching record: 160-99, 12-10 in NFL playoffs
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3.) Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Of the best NFL coaches in 2024, Sean McVay is probably the one we’d most want to play for. In 2023, he completely transformed his offense and adapted to what he had to work with on the Los Angeles Rams roster. He’s also the youngest NFL coach to win a Super Bowl (36 years old). Plus, McVay is one of just nine head coaches in NFL history with a .600-plus winning percentage in the regular season and playoffs across five-plus seasons. (Vince Lombardi, Curly Lambeau, Andy Reid, Bruce Arians, George Halas, Bill Belichick, Joe Gibbs and Bill Walsh).
- Sean McVay coaching record: 70-45, 7-4 in NFL playoffs
McVay has already demonstrated that he can make massive changes to his offense in order to adjust to both his personnel and what NFL defenses throw at him. That’s crucial for long-term success. He maximizes the players on the roster and he seems to be very well-liked by everyone he works with. The only shame for football is that McVay, now 38, has made it clear he won’t coach into his 60s.
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2.) Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
If the NFL held a universal draft tomorrow, Kyle Shanahan would be taken within the first 12 picks. The San Francisco 49ers coach has helped make Brock Purdy look like an MVP, Jimmy Garoppolo post high-end numbers and he somehow squeezed an 87.2 QB rating out of Nick Mullens in 19 games from 2018-’20. That level of quarterback wizardry is unfathomable and is exactly why he would be picked so high if every NFL coach and player were thrown into a universal draft.
- Kyle Shanahan coaching record: 64-51, 8-4 in NFL playoffs
Those skeptical of Shanahan will obviously point to his letdowns in the Super Bowl, both as the 49ers’ coach and the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator. What also can’t be denied is that none of those teams reach that big game without him. Of course, what puts Shanahan below Andy Reid in our NFL head coach rankings is both the head-to-head record and the reputation that Shanahan can be a challenging coach to play for. With all that said, he can be the top NFL coach when Reid retires.
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1.) Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid is the best NFL coach right now. While the Kansas City Chiefs weren’t one of the best NFL dynasties ever with Reid until Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback, it’s not like everyone saw three Super Bowls coming beforehand. Reid’s Chiefs have the second-longest streak of consecutive conference title game appearances (six) and three Super Bowl wins in the last five years is Patriots-like. Big Red will get to hang around in Kansas City as long as he wants and he should be viewed as the best NFL coach right now until he retires.
- Andy Reid coaching record: 128-51 with Kansas City Chiefs, 16-7 in NFL playoffs
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