Regrading NFL coaching hires 2024: Best, worst hires

The NFL coaching carousel 2025 is just around the corner and with every head-coaching hire comes immediate grades and analysis of the deal. While a fair evaluation of NFL coaching hires takes several years, with Dan Campbell providing the perfect example, that first season can tell you a lot. As the 2024 NFL season draws to a close, we’re regrading NFL coaching hires from this past offseason with a look ahead to the future.

Let’s dive into our grades and rankings from the NFL coaching carousel in 2024.

Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers: A+

We loved the Los Angeles Chargers decision to go all-out for Jim Harbaugh, viewing it as one of the best moves from the NFL coaching carousel in 2024. However, given the lack of depth and overall talent on the Chargers roster, we were extremely skeptical this team would be good right away. Harbaugh proved why he’s one of the best head coaches of his era.

Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, overhauled a unit that finished as a bottom-10 unit in 2023 and is now going to end this season as one of the best NFL defenses in 2024. Harbaugh turned a five-win team the previous year into a 10-win club that punched its playoff ticket in Week 17. The future is bright in Los Angeles and it won’t be long before this is one of the best NFL teams.

Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders: A

We gave the Washington Commanders the lowest grade of the NFL coaching hires for picking Dan Quinn. After all, he was the team’s fallback option and it felt like Washington settled for a coach who could only deliver marginal improvements. Quinn’s decision to hire Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator also generated some criticism.

The 2024 NFL season shows why early coaching grades can often be so wrong. Quinn brought a much-needed culture change to the Commanders organization and Kingsbury helped this offense take a step forward. While a majority of the credit still goes to quarterback Jayden Daniels, Quinn made this defense a lot better and he’s responsible for many of the decisions that turned a 4-13 team into a 10-win team with its first playoff appearance since 2020.

Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers: A-

Dave Canales didn’t generate a ton of head-coaching interest this past offseason but the Carolina Panthers quickly recognized he was the right head coach for them. The results didn’t look great early on, but the second half of the season offers tremendous hope for the Panthers’ future.

Canales has proven to be a quarterback whisperer, as his work with Bryce Young this season demonstrates. After being benched, Young reclaimed his crown as the Panthers starting quarterback in Week 8. From Weeks 10-16, he posted a 7-3 TD-INT line with an 84.9 QB rating and his play steadily improved each week. Canales also maximized running back Chuba Hubbard and there’s a lot of hope on the horizon with the young offensive weapons developing in this offense.

Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks: B+

It was always going to take time for the Seattle Seahawks players to learn Mike Macdonald’s system. There were real growing pains in the first half of the season, leading to Seattle having one of the worst defenses in the NFL heading into Week 10. Hard work and patience paid off, though, leading to remarkable improvement in the second half.

Also Read: Worst NFL owners right now

Seattle Seahawks defense (Weeks 4-9): 261 pass ypg allowed, 13-4 TD-INT, 8.4 ypa, 68.7% completion rate, 108 QB rating, 1.7 sacks per game, 151 rush ypg allowed, 4.9 ypc
Seattle Seahawks defense (Weeks 11-17): 188.7 pass ypg allowed, 10-6 TD-INT, 6.4 ypa, 64.2% completion rate, 85.9 QB rating, 3 sacks per game, 102 rush ypg allowed, 4.3 ypc

We’re excited to see what the Seahawks defense can do in 2025, especially since the front office will find more help to make Macdonald’s scheme work even better. As for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, he’ll need to make adjustments in his second season but it’s also hard to judge him fairly given the Seahawks offensive line limited what he can do. Macdonald was the right hire at the time for Seattle and we’re even more confident now that this team will keep improving.

Related: NFL coaching candidates 2025

Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons: C+

On the one hand, the Atlanta Falcons won more games under Raheem Morris than they ever did in a single season with Arthur Smith. However, part of that has to do with a relatively soft schedule and playing in the NFC South. Morris also had to deal with the Kirk Cousins-Michael Penix Jr. situation, complicating matters further.

Related: NFL power rankings

We’re still a fan of Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and believe, with Penix under center in 2025, that Atlanta’s offense will look much better. However, we remain just as baffled months later by Morris’ decision to hire Jimmy Lake as the Falcons defensive coordinator. Morris needs to replace Lake this offseason, there’s no other way around it. For now, the Morris hire clings to a C+ but he hasn’t inspired a lot of confidence for the future nor should he be on the hot seat entering 2025.

Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans: D+

Will Levis was even worse under first-year head coach Brian Callahan than he was during his rookie season with Mike Vrabel. Callahan took plenty of public shots at his second-year quarterback this season, raising some questions about whether or not he has the leadership qualities to be a successful head coach who can maintain the respect of the locker room.

It also doesn’t help matters that the Bengals offense thrived after losing its offensive coordinator, while the Titans couldn’t even crack 19 points per game. You’d at least like to see some redeeming qualities from a first-year head coach that offer something to feel good about in the years to come. That’s never been on display with Callahan and it’s why he’ll be on the hot seat in 2025.

Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders: F

It turns out NFL teams shouldn’t name their linebackers coach the head coach just because players are threatening to demand a trade if he isn’t hired. Maxx Crosby was among the loudest voices demanding Antonio Pierce be kept around after a successful stint as interim head coach. The end result was this team performed even worse under Pierce than it did with Josh McDaniels.

Pierce fired his offensive coordinator, a hire many criticized, just months after picking him to run the offense. He also surrounded himself with one of the largest coaching staffs in the NFL, yet Las Vegas was arguably the worst-coached team in 2024. Pierce certainly did far less damage to the Raiders than he did at his last coaching gig (Arizona State), but the end result needs to be the same. Pierce has to be fired after the season ends and players shouldn’t have much input in the Raiders coaching search.

Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots: F

There wasn’t even a New England Patriots coaching search in 2024. Immediately after firing Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft promoted Jerod Mayo to head coach. It seemed like a good hire at the time, since Mayo was viewed as an up-and-comer who impressed teams in head-coaching interviews with his football IQ and leadership. Neither of those qualities has been on display this season.

The Patriots defense went from a top-10 unit in 2023 under Belichick to one of the 10 worst NFL defenses this season. The thing is, the roster didn’t change much so it was just Mayo’s coaching that doomed New England defensively. The Patriots’ head coach also had a bad habit of throwing players and assistants under the bus during post-game press conferences only to walk it back a day later. Kraft is known for being a loyal owner, but Mayo has been a disaster of a hire. It’s in New England’s best interest to make a change and conduct a thorough coaching search this time around.