Raiders, Browns, Cardinals' Top HC Candidates After Joe Brady Named Bills HC

There are only three open head coaching positions remaining in the NFL.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the Buffalo Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach.

Brady will now succeed Sean McDermott, who was fired after the Bills' divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos.

The Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals are now the only NFL teams that have yet to name a head coach ahead of the 2026 season. The Raiders had completed a second interview with Brady earlier this week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Las Vegas has also held second interviews with Broncos passing game coordinator Davis Webb and Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Ever, as well as initial interviews with former Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, per NBC Sports' Josh Alper.

The Browns have held second interviews with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported last weekend the Cardinals consider their top candidates to be former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile and Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

The Raiders are seeking a replacement for Pete Carroll, who was fired after leading the team to a 3-14 finish in his lone season as head coach.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported Tuesday that Webb and Daboll "are the leading candidates in Las Vegas" after both missed out on the Bills job.

Webb spent two seasons as the Broncos' quarterback coach before adding pass game coordinator to his title ahead of the 2025 season.

The Broncos ranked 11th in passing yards and 16th in passing touchdowns behind Bo Nix this season.

Daboll was fired after Week 10 of his fourth season with the Giants following a 2-8 start to the season.

He joined the Giants in 2022 having spent time leading the offenses in Cleveland, Miami, Kansas City and Buffalo.

The Raiders could hope either Webb or Daboll's experience could help them build a more competitive offense around whoever plays quarterback in Las Vegas next season.

If the Raiders ultimately hire Webb, Daboll is expected to join the Tennessee Titans and serve as offensive coordinator on Robert Saleh's coaching staff, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Udinski withdrew his name from consideration for the Browns job and agreed to a new contract with a raise in Jacksonville earlier this week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Michael DiRocco.

The Jaguars OC was also interested in the Bills' coaching job, although that is off the table following Brady's hiring, per DiRocco.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported Tuesday that Schwartz, Monken, Scheelhaase and Washington Commanders running backs coach Anthony Lynn were "still in" the Browns' search.

According to Cabot, the Browns have "discussed" the possibility of Schwartz as defensive coordinator, both as part of a pairing with Monken and with other candidates.

The Browns are seeking a replacement for Kevin Stefanski, who took a job as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons shortly after his dismissal following six seasons in Cleveland.

Cleveland is being led for a seventh season by general manager Andrew Berry, who has remained with the franchise following Stefanski's dismissal. After landing on a strong rookie class last spring, Berry will hope to set up his next head coach by landing on the franchise's 10 picks in the 2026 draft.

Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

The Cardinals have been tied to multiple head coaching candidates who have since been hired by other teams, including Brady as well as Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh and Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz previously reported the Cardinals were expected to have "a hard time attracting a top-tier coaching candidate because history has shown they haven't spent big money on coaches."

The Cardinals could hope to lock in a candidate now that all of the top head coaching openings are off the board.

Rapoport previously reported that LaFleur held an in-person interview with the Cardinals on Monday and was scheduled for another Tuesday.

Schefter reported he expects all head coaching jobs to be filled this week and possibly by Wednesday.

Whoever is ultimately hired by the Cardinals will be entering an uncertain situation, given Kyler Murray's unknown future with the franchise, with the pressure to turn things around quickly. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said earlier this month he hoped to see a quick turnaround "in the first year, not in the second year" under his next head coach.