NFL Rumors: Latest Gossip Surrounding 2025 Head Coaching Vacancies

The NFL coaching carousel is spinning at full tilt.

Six different head coaching jobs are open, which says nothing of the myriad coordinator and assistant positions that have been vacated since the curtain dropped on the 2024 regular season.

With so much movement on the horizon, it's no surprise to see the rumor mill awash with activity. Let's break down the latest coaching buzz, then, and dissect what these rumblings might mean about some of these vacancies.

Busy Weekend Brewing for Ben Johnson?

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 22: Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions looks on before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson just helped the Detroit Lions do the impossible. Or what had been impossible to this point, at least.

Fueled by an explosive attack that produced a league-leading 564 points this season, the Lions reeled off a franchise-record 15 wins and captured their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NFC. While there have been a million and one factors behind this success, Johnson's creativity and innovative play-calling are clearly big pieces of the puzzle.

The rest of the football world has obviously taken notice. According to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, the 38-year-old has interviews scheduled with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots on Friday and with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Johnson, in other words, has his pick of the litter here, and he could honestly be drawn in any direction. The Patriots and Bears just spent early picks on quarterbacks last year with Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, respectively; the Raiders have a breakout star in tight end Brock Bowers and the No. 6 pick to expand their talent base; and the Jaguars already have a franchise QB in Trevor Lawrence.

Johnson can, should and almost certainly will explore all of his options, including staying in his current position on a potential perennial contender.

If forced to give a prediction, our crystal ball likes the Bears' chances of winning these sweepstakes, but they certainly aren't overwhelming favorites.

Mike McCarthy Staying in Dallas?

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Mike McCarthy is entering the final days of his current contract as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. His tenure with the team could extend beyond it, though.

Dallas recently denied the Chicago Bears' request for an interview with the 61-year-old, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, and have kept "in constant communication" with him since the season ended, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

"They are in constant communication, all the way back from yesterday, the day before, lengthy meetings... They're really trying to figure out where the organization goes from here and how they would move forward," Rapoport said. "If you're not going to bring back Mike McCarthy, you wouldn't have those meetings... It's really just a matter of if they can agree on the number of years, can they agree on the money and can they agree just on moving forward together and what it would look like."

While things can be unpredictable in Dallas, McCarthy has done enough to at least warrant consideration for keeping around. Prior to this season's disappointment, he had coached the Cowboys to three consecutive 12-win campaigns, though the team did only win a single playoff game over that stretch.

Mike Vrabel a Heavy Favorite in New England?

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CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 21: Coaching consultant Mike Vrabel of the Cleveland Browns looks on prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field on November 21, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

The best days of Mike Vrabel's playing career were spent with the New England Patriots. Could the same be said of his coaching career one day?

It sounds like we might be about to found it, as The Athletic's Chad Graff reported the 49-year-old remains "the front-runner" in the Patriots' fast-paced coaching search.

"Though things can change with important interviews looming, Vrabel is still seen as the front-runner for the job, according to league sources," Graff wrote. "His ties to the organization, past success with the Tennessee Titans and relationship with the Krafts have made him the favorite to become the franchise's 16th head coach."

New England fired Jerod Mayo, another former Patriots linebacker like Vrabel, after his first season as head coach.

Vrabel, who spent this past season as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns, coached the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023, assembling a 54-45 overall record and leading them to the conference championship game.

The Patriots are aiming to find a "program-builder" after Bill Belichick's choppy exit and Mayo's brief sideline stint. It sure sounds like they think Vrabel could be up to the task.