Ranking the Best Potentially Available NFL Head Coaching Jobs for 2023 Season
The 2022 NFL campaign hasn't even ended yet, but several head coaching jobs already need to be filled for next season.
The Denver Broncos became the latest team to part ways with their head coach—joining the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers—before playing out the string. With Nathaniel Hackett out of the picture, Denver immediately becomes one of the hottest spots for a high-profile candidate to land.
Not every franchise can secure a head coach perceived to be in the upper echelon, however. Some clubs simply aren't as attractive because of their roster construction, front office makeup, ownership group, financial situation and other factors.
With that in mind, here is a ranking of best head coaching jobs already available or likely to soon become so.
No. 4: Arizona Cardinals
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The Arizona Cardinals are a mess, and it's going to take a ton of work to get this organization back on track.
While it could remain Kliff Kingsbury's job, it's looking likely the fourth-year head coach's time in the desert is ending. Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post reported league execs "are anticipating" the Cardinals will move in a different direction before next season.
Arizona went into this year with the hope of building on a disappointing wild-card exit but is just 4-11 with two games left. Injuries have played a part in this disheartening showing, but the team is also tied to a quarterback who didn't perform at a high level.
With Kyler Murray under contract until the 2028 after he signed a massive five-year extension this past summer, Arizona's next head coach won't have much of a choice on who their signal-caller will be.
While the Cardinals do have some talented pieces to build around—notably a pair of elite wideouts in Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins—there are more questions than answers heading into 2023.
Long-time GM Steve Keim is on an indefinite health-related leave of absence and has a strong chance of being axed this offseason as well. The next head coach could benefit from establishing a fresh relationship with a first-year GM as they look to build the team together.
A full regime change may help entice some of the better candidates to Arizona, but the combination of the Bidwill family's lackluster ownership reputation, Murray's potential albatross of a contract and having seen Kingsbury—once one of the top head coaching candidates in the league—go just 28-35-1 in his first 64 games could scare off the best ones.
No. 3: Carolina Panthers
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The Carolina Panthers were a dumpster fire under former head coach Matt Rhule.
While interim head coach Steve Wilks has brought some stability and improbably has the team competing for a playoff spot with two weeks left, Carolina has a long way to go before it can be considered a true contender.
Wilks deserves accolades for inheriting a 1-4 squad that was going nowhere fast and taking it to a 5-5 record in his first 10 games, but he might not get the interim part of his job title stripped.
After firing Rhule in early October, owner David Tepper said Wilks could be in consideration for the long-term head coaching gig if he "does an incredible job."
While ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wilks has been gaining support around the league to keep this gig, his last head coaching stint resulted in a 3-13 record with the 2018 Cardinals, and it's possible ownership will want to go a different direction.
At minimum, the Panthers will have to interview two external minority candidates to fulfill the Rooney rule before they can promote Wilks. It's conceivable that Carolina's brass will take this coaching search seriously if Wilks ends the year on a low note and fails to get his squad into the playoffs.
With the second-most cap space in the league and young talent to build around such as rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, edge-rusher Brian Burns and wideout DJ Moore, Carolina has reason to be excited about its future.
Regardless of who takes over on the sidelines, the most important task this offseason will be to find a suitable franchise quarterback.
The Panthers failed to draft a rookie or acquire a veteran to capably fill the role this year, settling for an ill-fated Baker Mayfield acquisition before eventually turning back to their other reclamation project, Sam Darnold.
While Darnold has gone 3-1 since resuming the starting role, a league source told Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer that Wilks would like "new blood" at quarterback who has "dynamic traits" if the coach gets a chance to stick around for 2023 and beyond.
No. 2: Indianapolis Colts
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While few were shocked that former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich was fired following a 3-5-1 start—even after making two playoff appearances in his first four seasons—it was ownership's choice of replacing him with franchise legend Jeff Saturday, who had never coached at the college or pro levels, that raised more than a few eyebrows.
The experiment has failed to pan out in spectacular fashion. Saturday has gone just 1-5, including being on the wrong end of the largest comeback in NFL history after his squad blew a 33-0 lead to the Minnesota Vikings this month.
It's becoming quite clear that Saturday will not have a viable chance to ditch the interim tag, leaving Indianapolis to conduct what should be a wide-spanning head coaching search this offseason.
The Colts should lure some decent candidates because of their roster makeup alone. The team has Jonathan Taylor—the league's reigning rushing champion—in addition to some quality pieces such as Quenton Nelson on the offensive line and a strong defense.
As with the Panthers, Indianapolis' biggest need heading into 2023 is under center. The team has attempted to cut corners several times by bringing in veteran castoffs such as Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan to fill the void left by Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement in 2019.
It's clear that strategy isn't working, and the team needs to either trade for a true franchise quarterback or draft one. It probably won't help the process that general manager Chris Ballard—the architect of those poorly thought-out QB decisions—recently received a vote of confidence from owner Jim Irsay.
Keeping Ballard, who is under contract through 2026, could sour some candidates on this opening—especially those who want to play a bigger role in roster construction—but this is still an attractive job in relation to some of the other available jobs.
Because of the franchise's pedigree and ready-to-win roster that only truly lacked health and a good quarterback in 2022, the Colts should find a quality head coach quickly.
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No. 1: Denver Broncos
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The Denver Broncos went into 2022 with a seemingly realistic chance of not only ending a six-year playoff drought but also contending for a fourth Super Bowl title.
The team brought in a head coach in Nathaniel Hackett, who back-to-back NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers heavily praised. While Denver couldn't convince the future Hall of Famer to join his former offensive coordinator, it did swing a blockbuster trade to pry perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
The pairing failed in spectacular fashion. Hackett was heavily criticized for his questionable decision-making from the first week, and Wilson looked like a shadow of his former self for a majority of the campaign. Hackett was mercifully relieved of his duties after he went just 4-11, opening the door for a new head coach to take over in 2023.
There should be no shortage of interest in this job. Readers overwhelmingly agree that this is the top available gig, with nearly 44 percent calling it the best of the three current openings.
It doesn't hurt that the franchise gained the league's deepest pockets after it was sold to a wealthy group this summer that already showed it's willing to spend big by shelling out $245 million to lock up Wilson on a five-year extension.
Denver also has some of the most devoted fans in the NFL, boasting a home sellout streak that dates back to 1970.
Once you factor in that the Broncos have a great defense—including one of the most feared secondaries in the league—in addition to up-and-coming offensive talent such as running back Javonte Williams and receiver Jerry Jeudy to build around, there is a chance the fortunes of this franchise quickly change.
It will just take the right hand to guide Denver back to prominence. Hackett wasn't the answer, but the team will have plenty of options this offseason.
CBS Sports' Josina Anderson revealed the shortlist of names that Denver is discussing for the head coaching vacancy, a group that includes some of the projected top candidates such as former Saints head coach Sean Payton and current Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.
Salary-cap info via Spotrac.
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