Ranking the 6 new NFL coaches: Who has made the best hire so far?
With just one vacancy with the New Orleans Saints to go, we're almost finished with the 2025 NFL coaching cycle.
Six NFL teams have made coaching changes and found their successors, with some hires making much more sense than others.
We've got insights into all of the coaches who have landed jobs in this cycle, starting with Dallas' perplexing promotion and ending with the big move in the Windy City.
Let's go through and rank all six of the NFL coaching hires so far, and we'll update this list once we know who will assume head coaching duties in New Orleans.
6. Dallas Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer
Grade: C
Schottenheimer hasn’t really done anything in the NFL so far to suggest he’s the kind of Kyle Shanahan-level coach who can elevate your roster with his schematic prowess, so adding more talent is key. It’s not fair to Schottenheimer to write off what he’s capable of as a head coach, but it’s also a struggle right now to understand how this will be all that different for Dallas than the last few years have been. For that, we’ll grade the Cowboys promoting Schottenheimer with a C. — Cory Woodroof
5. Las Vegas Raiders: Pete Carroll
Grade: B-
Carroll’s late-stage Seahawks averaged 9.5 wins per season from 2017 to 2023 but managed a single playoff victory in that stretch. With so much work to be done, it’s fair to wonder whether heightened mediocrity is the best Carroll can do. It’s also fair to wonder if Las Vegas, having missed out on Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and Liam Coen, could have done any better. For that reason, Carroll’s hiring nets a B-. — Christian D'Andrea
4. New York Jets: Aaron Glenn
Grade: B
A franchise known for dysfunction made a strong decision that likely had nothing to do with Glenn’s Madden awareness rating. After drifting rudderless without [Robert] Saleh they’ve got an adult in the room once more. That will raise their floor — potentially enough to keep them from finding a franchise quarterback in the draft. Will it be enough to meaningfully improve on the 7-10 stasis of the recent past? It’s way too soon to tell. But Glenn is a smart, easily defensible choice. That earns the Jets a solid “B” at the end of their coaching search. — D'Andrea
3. New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel
Grade: B+
[Vrabel's] track record suggests he’s well attuned to a league that’s seeing more and more value from run-heavy gameplans that open up passing lanes for young(ish) quarterbacks — see Justin Herbert in Los Angeles or Lamar Jackson’s latest masterpiece in Baltimore. This was the most logical hire a team in dire need of an easy win could make. For that reason, the Patriots’ hiring of Mike Vrabel rates a B+. — D'Andrea
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Liam Coen
Grade: A-
Coen spurned a return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a job in Jacksonville where he'll be tasked with maximizing quarterback Trevor Lawrence's potential after a downward turn in the latter's career. The circumstances around his hire were frustrating if you're a Bucs fan, but the move makes plenty of sense for the Jags.
Tampa Bay had one of the best offenses in the NFL this season, and Coen should have plenty of fun scheming up a Jaguars offense with electric young talents like wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and running back Travis Etienne. The Jacksonville defense needs a lot of work; the coaching hire on that side of the ball will be crucial. Nevertheless, this is a real win for Jacksonville. After nearly losing Coen, the Jaguars got their guy. For that, we'll grade this hire as an A-. — Woodroof
1. Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson
Grade: A+
Johnson is the flashiest play-caller to land an NFL head coaching job since Kyle Shanahan joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, and Shanahan has never had a quarterback as talented as Williams at his disposal. This should get Bears fans incredibly excited for what could be.
However, this is just the start. Johnson’s ability to translate his success as a coordinator to being a head coach is yet to be determined. Building a good offensive line is imperative, and failure there could quickly derail a potentially glowing future in the Windy City. As long as the right offensive line is set in place, Johnson’s tenure with the Bears should be an exciting one. For that,the Bears hiring Johnson gets an A+. — Woodroof
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking the 6 new NFL coaches: Who has made the best hire so far?
