The 2025 NFL regular season is approaching, and the offseason is already full of turnover. Players moved teams through free agency and trades, rosters were reshaped via acquisitions and the draft, and a sizable number of clubs opted to change head coaches to try to improve next year’s results.
Nine head-coaching exits have occurred so far, including one resignation. Among the moves:
– The Titans and Giants parted ways with Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll during the regular season.
– The Falcons dismissed Raheem Morris immediately after their season ended.
– On Black Monday the Browns let Kevin Stefanski go; the Raiders fired Pete Carroll; and the Cardinals moved on from Jonathan Gannon.
– The Ravens followed the next day by firing John Harbaugh after 18 seasons.
– Two days later the Dolphins relieved Mike McDaniel of his duties.
– Tomlin resigned as the Steelers’ head coach after 19 seasons following a wild-card loss.
– After falling to the Broncos in the divisional round, the Bills fired Sean McDermott and began a coaching search.
Five of those openings have since been filled — including new roles for Harbaugh and Stefanski — but five head-coaching jobs remain open. Here are the vacancies ranked in order of appeal.
1. Buffalo Bills
Landing the Bills’ job is likely the most desirable vacancy because Josh Allen, one of the league’s premier quarterbacks, is under center. Any coach getting this role will immediately be viewed as having a high-ceiling opportunity to win now. Buffalo also has strengths beyond Allen: James Cook is coming off a season in which he led the league in rushing, the pass defense surrendered the fewest yards per game in the NFL, and the team will soon move into a new stadium. That said, whoever takes over must shore up a poor run defense and help a struggling receiving corps if Buffalo is to advance deeper in the playoffs. Reports indicate Buffalo has met with Mike McDaniel and that Allen is heavily involved in the hiring process.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders’ vacancy looks attractive for several reasons: they possess top young talent such as Brock Bowers and Ashton Zity (plus a likely first-round pick) and they enter the offseason with about $100 million in cap space. That said, their roster beyond those pieces is thin, and playing in a tough AFC West makes the climb steeper. If the new coach can develop a rookie QB taken high in the draft and the front office spends to upgrade talent, Las Vegas could take a meaningful step forward. One downside: ownership under Mark Davis has shown an inconsistent approach, and that volatility has made head-coaching jobs in Las Vegas less secure.
3. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland boasts a strong defense anchored by Myles Garrett and added two highly touted rookies in tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and linebacker Carson Schwezinger, plus multiple first-round picks thanks to last year’s trade activity. But the Browns still lack offensive depth, a settled quarterback solution (Quinsion Judkins is expected back from a severe leg injury), and plentiful cap flexibility. Over the Cap projects Cleveland to be more than $12 million over the cap entering the offseason, and the long-term burden of Deshaun Watson’s contract remains a heavy constraint. Organizationally, the ownership and front-office dynamic — led by the Haslams and GM Andrew Berry — has been rocky, and previous moves (including the Watson trade) have drawn criticism.
4. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals ended the season on a steep decline, losing 14 of their final 15 games and looking listless. The quarterback picture is unsettled—Kyler Murray’s future in Arizona appears unlikely—and there’s no obvious short-term fix unless they pursue a high draft pick or an unexpected roster move. Financially, Arizona has only about $21 million in cap room and roughly $9.8 million in effective cap space, limiting how much they can improve the roster. They do have useful pieces such as Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, Paris Johnson Jr., Josh Sweat, Budda Baker, Garrett Williams, Walter Nolen, and Will Johnson, but significant holes remain and little immediate bandwidth to address them.
Fan Take: Coaching changes at this scale reshape the league’s balance of power and affect how quickly teams can win or rebuild — every hire will be judged by how it uses star assets like Josh Allen or top draft capital. For fans, these openings promise intriguing storylines next season, from Buffalo’s title hopes to whether the Raiders or Cardinals can turn their cores into consistent contenders.
