Ranking the 2026 NFL Head Coach Openings After Bills Promote Joe Brady

The NFL's coaching carousel is spinning at a dizzying rate in 2026, and the New York Giants kicked off the first hire of the cycle by reportedly agreeing to a five-year contract with John Harbaugh.

The Atlanta Falcons made Kevin Stefanski the second hire of the cycle, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Over 25 percent of the head coaching jobs opened up after Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers stepped down—the nine open jobs to start the cycle were tied for the most in a single season since a third of the league's coaches (11) got the gate in 2009.

Most of those vacancies are now filled, with the Buffalo Bills the latest domino to fall after the team promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach.

All of the remaining jobs are highly coveted, if only because only 32 such jobs exist in the world. But the openings are most certainly not created equal. Each has its pluses, whether it's talent on the roster, oodles of salary cap space or abundant draft capital. Each also has its minuses, whether it's issues at quarterback, other holes on the roster, question marks in the front office or a lack of resources with which to improve the team.

Taking all those advantages and disadvantages into account, here's a ranking of the NFL's available head coaching jobs from the least desirable to the most.

Three guesses where it starts—and the first two don't count.

3. Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Long-suffering Cleveland Browns fans are no doubt hopeful the team will make a splash hire at head coach that reverses the franchise's fortunes.

The fact that Browns fans still have hope says a lot about their loyalty, given how little there is for a prospective coach to like about this opening.

Cleveland's roster is a mess on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line is equal parts aging and porous. The skill-position talent is arguably the weakest of any team with an opening. And the quarterback situation is a disaster.

There also aren't many resources with which to fix all those holes. Thanks largely to the debacle that was the Deshaun Watson trade, the Browns have the second-worst cap situation of a team with an opening at head coach. Per Over the Cap, Cleveland is over $15 million in the red against the projected 2026 salary cap.

The Browns have retained general manager Andrew Berry and want the new head coach to retain defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz if he doesn't land a HC job elsewhere, leaving the hire to navigate substantial holdovers from the previous regime and an owner in Jimmy Haslam known for his heavy involvement.

2. Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh

Cardinals TE Trey McBride

The Arizona Cardinals offer some appeal to a prospective head coach.

There is some young talent on the roster in the likes of tight end Trey McBride and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. The Redbirds have over $27 million in cap space. And the weather in the Valley of the Sun is delightful in the fall.

However, that appeal runs out pretty quickly.

Like Cleveland, Arizona didn't clean house. General manager Monti Ossenfort has been retained. The Cardinals haven't experienced much success in recent years—they have endured four straight losing seasons and haven't won a postseason game in over a decade. And with six games each year against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, turning things around will be a significant challenge.

The biggest issue in the desert is uncertainty at the quarterback position. From all indications, the Cardinals are ready to move on from Kyler Murray.

Given the five-year, $230.5 million extension he signed in 2022, trading or releasing the 28-year-old will blast a huge hole in the team's cap space and leave journeyman Jacoby Brissett as the team's likely starter under center in 2026.

1. Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Raiders edge Maxx Crosby

The head coach who takes over the Las Vegas Raiders will inherit some genuine advantages.

The Raiders have the league's third-most cap space—nearly $90 million—and play in a state-of-the-art stadium in Las Vegas. The greatest quarterback in NFL history is now part of the ownership group, adding both cachet and influence to the organization. On top of that, the Raiders hold the No. 1 pick and can choose any prospect in the 2026 draft class, likely Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Of course, that last part is also a sizable problem, because having the first pick in the 2026 draft means the Raiders were the league's worst team in 2025.

There are some building blocks on the roster in players such as tight end Brock Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty and edge-rusher Maxx Crosby. However, the Raiders were dead-last in the league in total offense last year and 25th in scoring defense a year ago. There is work to be done on both sides of the ball.

And with Las Vegas playing in a division with the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, engineering a quick turnaround won't be an easy task.