Three NFL Teams Still Need a Head Coach
This has been one of the wildest and most eventful NFL head coaching cycles in recent memory. In total, 10 teams have been in the market for a new coach, with seven already making their hires official and an eighth, the Cleveland Browns, reportedly finding their new man Wednesday.
After a winding search, the Browns have hired former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, per numerous reports. That leaves two teams--the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders--still without a leader as of Wednesday morning.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals dismissed Jonathan Gannon at the end of the season, and while Gannon has caught on as the new defensive coordinator in Green Bay, Arizona has not found his replacement.
The Cardinals have been heavily linked to Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, having interviewed him for a second time in person earlier this week. Surprisingly, the team also reportedly met with former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera.
In addition to LaFleur, Arizona has reportedly interviewed Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile two times each. Campanile has already announced he is staying in Jacksonville though, which eliminates him from the search.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have left no stone unturned in their search, interviewing more than a dozen candidates. They've interviewed multiple coaches twice, including Brian Daboll, Joe Brady and Davis Webb.
Brady is the new coach of the Buffalo Bills, with Daboll seemingly headed to the Tennessee Titans as offensive coordinator. Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is now the rumored favorite for the Raiders, but he is a little busy at the moment helping his current team prepare for Super Bowl LX.
Additionally, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Raiders were looking to meet with another candidate at some point this week, so it doesn't look like this matter will be resolved just yet.
Browns land Monken
What a long, strange search it was to replace Kevin Stefanski, now the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Browns interviewed a number of candidates, and reportedly whittled down their list to three before hiring Monken over incumbent defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase.
An updated look at the coaching landscape
Eight head coaching spots have been filled, with the list looking like this:
- Atlanta Falcons - Kevin Stefanski
- Baltimore Ravens - Jesse Minter
- Buffalo Bills - Joe Brady
- Cleveland Browns - Todd Monken
- Miami Dolphins - Jeff Hafley
- New York Giants - John Harbaugh
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Mike McCarthy
- Tennessee Titans - Robert Saleh
Now, we wait for Arizona and Las Vegas.