Who Are the Top NFL HC Candidates? Latest Rumors Amid Giants, Titans Openings

The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants have a large field to choose from when considering who will be taking over as head coach ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano provided insight Wednesday into what Fowler described as a "more wide open" class of head coaching candidates than after the 2024 season.

The list of potential candidates includes current coordinators with a background in NFL head coaching, Fowler noted.

Per Fowler, those candidates include defensive coordinators like Vance Joseph (Denver Broncos), Robert Saleh (San Francisco 49ers) and Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings), as well as offensive coordinators like Matt Nagy (Kansas City Chiefs), Kliff Kingsbury (Washington Commanders) and Arthur Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers).

Graziano questioned whether Kingsbury will get legitimate looks given that the Commanders have followed up last year's trip to the NFC Championship game with a 3-8 record through Week 11.

He backed Joseph, however, as a name he belives could "end up being the guy at the top of a bunch of these lists."

Fowler also named former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as a candidate for a new position in 2026.

Coordinators without NFL head coaching experience named by Fowler and Graziano included offensive coordinators like the Buffalo Bills' Joe Brady, Seattle Seahawks' Klint Kubiak, Indianapolis Colts' Jim Bob Cooter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Josh Grizzard, Baltimore Ravens' Todd Monken, Jacksonville Jaguars' Grant Udinski and Carolina Panthers' Brad Idzik.

Defensive coordinators mentioned included the Los Angeles Chargers' Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Rams' Chris Shula, Green Bay Packers' Jeff Hafley and Seahawks' Aden Durde.

Potential candidates outside the main coordinator positions listed by Graziano and Fowler included Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, according to Fowler and Graziano.

The Titans and Giants are currently the only NFL teams without full-time head coaches. The Titans are being led in the interim by Mike McCoy, who has yet to record a win in four games at the helm.

The Giants are meanwhile being coached by Mike Kafka, who Fowler wrote "should have opportunities leaguewide and could push for the Giants job full time with a strong finish."

Seven head coaches were hired ahead of the 2025 season.

Four were former coordinators poached from opponents (former Eagles OC Kellen Moore joined the New Orleans Saints and former Buccaneers OC Liam Coen went to Jacksonville, while the Lions produced two first-time head coaches as Ben Johnson went Chicago and Aaron Glenn joined the Jets).

Two were former head coaches getting their next opportunity (former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel went to the Patriots, and former Seahawks boss Pete Carroll joined the Raiders). The Cowboys went with an internal candidate by promoting for OC Brian Schottenheimer.

As Fowler put it, the 2025 cycle was dominated by "clear-cut standouts" in Johnson and Vrabel.

This season, it sounds like there are fewer early indications as to which candidates will be most highly sought-after by teams in need of a new leader next season.

Kafka's performance down the stretch, which could influence whether the Giants promote him or search for an outside candidate, will play a role in how the head coaching carousel shakes out this winter.