Ranking the 10 Best Coaching Hires of the 2026 NFL Offseason

The 2026 NFL coaching carousel is almost finished spinning. Nine of the 10 head coaching vacancies have officially been filled, the final head coach has been selected, and staffs are being solidified around the league.

There's already been so much turnover in 2026 that, regardless of how things pan out for each coaching hire, fans are sure to look back on the offseason as one of change.

It's far too early to tell who got it right, but that's not going to stop us from picking our early winners of the latest coaching cycle.

You'll find our top 10 here, ranked based on factors like franchise trajectory, roster makeup, coaching background, past results, and any other relevant team-specific factors.

10. Cardinals Hire Head Coach Mike LaFleur

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

It would seem the Arizona Cardinals didn't get their preferred candidate in Mike LaFleur. They announced the move not long after news broke that the Las Vegas Raiders planned to hire Klint Kubiak.

However, Cardinals fans should still feel very good about how things unfolded. Arizona was the last team to fill its vacancy, and it's getting a seasoned offensive-minded coach coming from two of the most respected coaching trees in the NFL.

LaFleur, who most recently served as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator, spent multiple years under both Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay before getting his first opportunity to be a head coach.

Whether the Cardinals try to salvage Kyler Murray or start over at quarterback, going with an offensive coach made a ton of sense. And if the 38-year-old can replicate the success of Shanahan and McVay, Arizona could have its guy for the next two decades.

9. Packers Land DC Jonathan Gannon

AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh

The Green Bay Packers didn't fire head coach Matt LaFleur after blowing an 18-point lead to the rival Chicago Bears in the divisional round. They didn't fire defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, either, as he left to become the Miami Dolphins head coach.

While fans may debate how big a role Hafley had in Green Bay's collapse, it's hard to argue that Jonathan Gannon isn't a quality replacement. While he didn't pan out as the Cardinals' head coach, he did solid work as the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator prior to his stint in Arizona.

Philly had a top-10 overall defense in 2021. The next year, the Eagles had the league's second-ranked defense, racked up an incredible 69 sacks, and reached Super Bowl LVII.

Gannon will know how to craft an elite pass rush around Micah Parsons—once he's recovered from last season's torn Achilles. If he can bring a championship-caliber defense to Green Bay, the Packers may find themselves in the Super Bowl sooner rather than later.

8. Ravens Hire Head Coach Jesse Minter

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

It's entirely fair to wonder whether the Baltimore Ravens' decision to fire John Harbaugh after 18 years was wise. However, franchise owner Steve Bisciotti believed the timing was right to go in a different direction.

"I just hope you respect me enough to know that 100%, my instincts told me that this was the time," Bisciotti said, per Clifton Brown of the team's official website.

We won't debate the merits of making a change for the sake of change here, but given Bisciotti's desire to shake things up, Jesse Minter was the perfect choice.

There's always some risk involved in hiring a guy with no head coaching experience. However, Minter has an impressive defensive background and four years of experience coaching in Baltimore.

The 42-year-old knows the franchise. And after coaching a top-five defense for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025, he should have Baltimore's lackluster defense on the right track in short order.

7. Chargers Lure DC Chris O'Leary

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The hiring of defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary may fly under the radar a bit, but it was a brilliant move by Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers.

L.A. needed someone to take over after Jesse Minter took the Baltimore job, and O'Leary was a logical choice.

The 34-year-old served as L.A.'s safeties coach in 2024 before leaving to take over as Western Michigan's defensive coordinator. Under his watch, the Broncos finished ninth in the country in points per game allowed this past season en route to a MAC Championship.

While the 2024 season marked his only year of NFL coaching experience, he began his coaching career in 2015. He spent three years as Notre Dame's safeties coach before joining Harbaugh and the Chargers two seasons ago.

O'Leary is an ascending defensive mind, and his experience working with Harbaugh and coaching some of the Chargers' best defenders should help make for a successful transition in 2026.

6. Chiefs Bring Back OC Eric Bieniemy

AP Photo/Ed Zurga

A lot went wrong for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025, but their biggest issues involved injuries and an inconsistent offense. The rehiring of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy may help address one of those issues.

The 56-year-old is back after a three-year absence that saw him working with the Washington Commanders, UCLA Bruins, and Chicago Bears. He's replacing Matt Nagy, whose contract expired at the end of the season.

While Andy Reid calls the offensive plays in Kansas City, Bieniemy served as offensive coordinator for five seasons, three Super Bowl runs, and two Super Bowl wins. This past season, he served as Chicago's running backs coach and helped field an offense that ranked third in rushing and third in yards per carry.

The Chiefs may not jump right back into the Super Bowl conversation next season—in part because Patrick Mahomes will be recovering from a torn ACL—but having Bieniemy back in the fold should help them creep back toward being the offensive powerhouse they were a few years ago.

5. Falcons Hire Head Coach Kevin Stefanski

AP Photo/Jeff Dean

Mere hours after the Giants landed Harbaugh, the Falcons snapped up Kevin Stefanski. It was a sensible hire, given Atlanta's need to break through and into the postseason.

Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year, got the Cleveland Browns into the playoffs twice in his six seasons with the club. That's twice as many playoff berths as the Falcons have had since losing Super Bowl LI.

If there's a knock on the 43-year-old, it's that he's never successfully developed a young quarterback. Assuming Atlanta still believes in Michael Penix Jr., that will be one of his duties over the next few years.

Of course, Stefanski was also saddled with a rotating cast of quarterbacks and an ever-declining offensive skill group in Cleveland.

He has wasted little time in assembling an impressive staff. With a great overall roster, he should have Atlanta battling for a division title right away.

4. Buccaneers Hire OC Zac Robinson

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to win their fifth straight division title, in part because their vaunted offense took a big step backward in 2025.

Tampa lost offensive coordinators Dave Canales and Liam Coen in successive offseasons, and 2025 coordinator Josh Grizzard proved not to be the right fit.

Injuries also played a role, but even when the Bucs were healthy, the offense often felt disjointed and reliant on Baker Mayfield making things happen late.

Zac Robinson, another former McVay disciple, should help Tampa's offense return to playoff form in 2026. He worked with Mayfield during his brief 2022 stint in L.A., and he has valuable experience coaching in the NFC South.

As Atlanta's offensive coordinator over the past two seasons, Robinson helped Bijan Robinson become one of the league's biggest game-changers. If he can get Tampa's running game back to where it was in 2024 while accentuating Mayfield's best traits, the Bucs should be back in the playoff mix.

3. Raiders Set to Land Head Coach Klint Kubiak

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We're cheating just a tad here because the Raiders haven't actually hired Klint Kubiak away from the Seattle Seahawks just yet. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, though, he "intends to try to work out a deal" to become Las Vegas head coach.

If the 38-year-old does put pen to paper, it will be a near-ideal hire for the Raiders. He doesn't have head coaching experience, but he's a bright young offensive mind who has Seattle's third-ranked scoring offense headed to the Super Bowl.

Kubiak is also the son of longtime NFL coach Gary Kubiak, meaning he should have the relationships needed to assemble a quality staff.

The Raiders are widely expected to use the first overall selection in April's draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Pairing the Heisman Trophy winner with Kubiak is a logical choice and should bring a sense of optimism back to Las Vegas, as Bleacher Report's Moe Moton noted recently.

"Assuming Kubiak and Mendoza are on the way, the Raiders can finally close the gap to their AFC West rivals and build a foundation that transforms the team from a laughingstock into a playoff contender," he wrote.

2. Chargers Snag OC Mike McDaniel

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The Chargers didn't have to replace offensive coordinator Greg Roman. After he failed to get the most out of Justin Herbert and a strong supporting cast in 2025, though, they did.

And to replace Roman, Los Angeles snagged Mike McDaniel, who, after being fired by Miami, was drawing interest for another head coaching gig.

The 42-year-old's tenure with the Dolphins wasn't successful overall, but he got them to the playoffs twice and helped Tua Tagovailoa record the only Pro Bowl campaign of his career.

Of course, McDaniel cut his teeth under Shanahan and was a rising offensive star long before landing in Miami. One of the most innovative play-callers in the NFL, he should help combine an exciting offense with the stingy defense and solid overall roster that L.A. already possesses.

It won't be a total shock if we look back and regard McDaniel as the missing piece to the Chargers' Super Bowl puzzle.

1. Giants Hire Head Coach John Harbaugh

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Since winning the Super Bowl after the 2012 season, Harbaugh repeatedly failed to get Baltimore over the playoff hump. There's probably a subset of Giants fans who believe that if he couldn't take Lamar Jackson to a Super Bowl, he's probably not getting New York there, either.

While there may be some validity to that opinion, landing the 63-year-old was still a coup for the Giants. He's an experienced coach who has delivered Super Bowl success and kept the Ravens relevant for the better part of two decades.

Of Harbaugh's 18 years with the franchise, Baltimore made the playoffs 12 times, won six division titles, and played in four conference title games.

For a Giants franchise that last won the NFC East in 2011, a mere return to relevance would be big.

Harbaugh was the prize of the 2026 coaching pool—at least with Mike Tomlin reportedly looking to take time off—and landing him was a huge win for New York.

Even if Harbaugh doesn't deliver a Lombardi Trophy, he's the right coach to develop young stars such as Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, and Abdul Carter while making the Giants a factor in the NFC East once again.