The 2026 NFL coaching carousel is underway, with six teams having fired their head coaches to create vacancies across the National Football League. There also could be others depending on how the NFL playoffs shake out. For now, we’re ranking NFL coaching vacancies and evaluate each opening available.
Let’s dive into our NFL coaching vacancy rankings, listing them from best to worst.
1. New York Giants
If the New York Giants fired general manager Joe Schoen, creating a clean slate with a GM and head coach on the same timeline, this would unquestionably be the best job available. Schoen’s presence is the one knock on this opening. New York has a 22-45-1 record with Schoen as its general manager, including a .255 winning percentage over the last three seasons. So, if he were to be fired next offseason, suddenly you have a new general manager who didn’t pick the head coach.
Outside of that, this is an appealing job. Ownership gave Brian Daboll into his fourth season, so it stands to reason that the next head coach should have at least three years of job security. More importantly, the next Giants head coach inherits a roster with Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers, Theo Johnson, Andrew Thomas, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter. New York will also have the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Related: NFL Cap Space By Team 2026, including New York Giants Cap Space
2. Atlanta Falcons
What prevents the Atlanta Falcons from landing the No. 1 spot on our NFL coaching vacancy rankings is the uncertainty at quarterback. Kirk Cousins will be 38 years old in August and third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be 26 years old next fall after having spent all offseason recovering from a third ACL tear. So, let’s just assume the Falcons don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback and go from there.
Now let’s get into the positives. Atlanta’s next head coach gets to build an offense around Bijan Robinson, the best running back in the NFL, who has produced 4,185 scrimmage yards and 26 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. When dropping back to pass, behind a solid offensive line, there’s a No. 1 wideout in Drake London and a viable offensive weapon in Kyle Pitts. Just as important, the Falcons now boast the talent defensively (Jessie Bates, A.J. Terrell, James Pearce Jr., Javon Walker, Xavier Watts and Divine Deablo) to boast an above-average unit going forward. That’s more than enough to potentially win the NFC South in 2026, and a winnable division means a lot more job security—just ask Todd Bowles.
Related: Atlanta Falcons Coaching Candidates 2026
3. Tennessee Titans
We’ll start with the negatives regarding the Tennessee Titans’ coaching vacancy. First, it’s owner Amy Adams Strunk who seems to have quite the penchant for being impatient with constant turnover at head coach and general manager. Second, the Titans roster is easily the worst in the NFL and that requires a multi-year rebuild with this team at least two years away from playoff contention. That’s fine with an owner who is willing to let a rebuild happen naturally, but we’ve seen no evidence to believe Strunk is that.
What the Titans can offer is premium draft capital and more than $100 million in cap space to work with this offseason. That’s a lot of ammunition to rebuild this roster on both sides of the ball, especially in a free-agent class that offers plenty of starting depth but not a ton of blue-chip talent. Most importantly, you have a quarterback in Cam Ward who showed real franchise-caliber tools despite being surrounded by the worst supporting cast in the NFL. Cap space, draft capital and a quarterback, those are nice building blocks for a head coach to work with.
Read More: 2026 NFL Draft Order and Picks By Team
4. Arizona Cardinals
The next Arizona Cardinals head coach is stuck in the NFC West. Sharing a division with three of the best head coaches in the NFL right now and having to compete against rosters constructed by three excellent general managers puts you in an immediate hole. Similar to New York, there’s also the possibility that the next Cardinals head coach could be holding a job in 2027 with a new general manager who had nothing to do with his hiring. That’s not a recipe for longevity in the toughest division in the NFL.
The defense needs more work, especially with Walter Nolen (knee) and Garrett Williams (Achilles) in the early stages of recovery from major injuries, but there’s at least enticing talent. Oh, you can also feel pretty comfortable that owner Michael Bidwill won’t want to be firing—and paying—another staff anytime soon.
Read More: 2026 NFL Power Rankings, Offseason Evaluations for Eliminated Teams
5. Las Vegas Raiders
Yes, the Las Vegas Raiders made the right decision to fire Pete Carroll. The problem is that this organization historically goes through head coaches like the Cleveland Browns do quarterbacks. Carroll, Antonio Pierce and Josh McDaniels all didn’t make it through their second season. Let’s also keep in mind that Las Vegas had arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL this past season, it boasts a bottom-three receiving corps and the team has finished with a point differential of -100 or worse in four of the last eight seasons.
Now for the positives. With the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the next Raiders head coach will have Fernando Mendoza. He’s a pro-ready starter who would be stepping into an offense with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, two of the best building blocks at their position in the NFL. Las Vegas also boasts ample cap space to invest in the offensive line and defense. This is a good job if you focus on the present, but the history of the Raiders organization pushes it down a few spots.
Related: Ranking Options in 2026 NFL QB Carousel
6. Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski was more than happy to get away from the Cleveland Browns. It also says a lot that he immediately became the most in-demand name in the NFL coaching carousel. Fittingly, thanks to a few late-season wins, Stefanski also took this team out of a realistic position to land one of the two clear-cut top quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.
In terms of what we like about the Browns’ situation, it’s a short list. Myles Garrett leads one of the league’s best defenses, and that unit can single-handedly win a few games. Plus, with Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger, there are young building blocks in that front seven. We also love tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and like running back Quinshon Judkins, but there isn’t a suitable offensive line nor a starting-caliber quarterback on the Browns roster right now. Cleveland will not be getting its first, second or third choice among this year’s head-coaching candidates. Well, the Browns will say they got their guy, but rejection will be common.
