Canton Bound: Current NFL Coaches Headed for Hall of Fame
Analysis 7/5/23
You are correct if you think making the Pro Football Hall of Fame is as difficult for players as tackling Derrick Henry or blocking Aaron Donald. As it should be: The Canton shrine is dedicated to the best of the best, the very elite of the sport.
It’s even tougher for coaches to get in nowadays. They are placed in a category with contributors to football, bringing into consideration everyone from owners to general managers to scouts to commissioners: pretty much anyone but a player.
Yes, Don Coryell, one of the great offensive innovators of the past, emerged from that category to make this year’s class. That should be encouraging for other coaches, past and present, but it might not be a harbinger.
Here’s who we believe are the leading contenders among coaches working today in the league. They're broken into three categories — Locks, Likely, Potential — and accompanied by comments from longtime Hall of Fame voters Vic Carucci, Paul Domowitch, Clark Judge and Barry Wilner, all contributors to The 33rd Team.
These candidates are listed alphabetically because, well, who knows when they will become eligible?
>> READ: Active Players Bound for HOF
HOF Locks
Bill Belichick, Browns, Patriots
“The greatest and smartest coach in NFL history has long had a reserved spot in Canton,” Carucci said. “His presenter at the Hall of Fame selection committee meeting doesn’t even need to say his name, only the initials.”
Wilner demurs, believing Belichick’s role in two scandals (spying on other teams’ sidelines and deflated footballs) must be examined, as well as his mediocre record when Tom Brady wasn’t his quarterback.
“Non-believers will wonder how much Brady was responsible for that success and will point to the quarterback winning another ring in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Wilner said. “What if Belichick retired with a losing record overall without Brady, as he has now?”
Still, ignoring six Super Bowl victories and nine trips to the big game is unwise.
Andy Reid, Eagles, Chiefs
Some NFL “experts” believe Reid would have won just as many (or more) Super Bowls if he had Brady behind center as Belichick did.
Regardless, Reid has developed Patrick Mahomes into the best player at the sport’s most important position. That came after he added to his winning ledger with the Philadelphia Eagles. There are likely more rings to come.
“The only reason he doesn’t receive more recognition for his coaching brilliance is that he’s a contemporary of Bill Belichick,” Carucci said.
Likely HOFers
Pete Carroll, Jets, Patriots, Seahawks
While Carroll has been denied entry into the college football hall due to a technicality – he coached nine seasons at Southern Cal, and 10 college seasons are required – he won’t face any such problem being voted into Canton.
Carroll did well with the Patriots, went to USC and won two national titles, then headed to the Seattle Seahawks. He and general manager John Schneider used brilliant drafting and coaching to produce a champion.
The Seahawks became a perennial title contender and probably should have repeated in 2014 (“Give the ball to Beast Mode, Pete”). In 2022, Carroll possibly cemented his place among all-time great coaches by getting a so-so roster into the postseason.
“Carroll is 18th in wins with 161, two fewer than Mike Tomlin. Like Tomlin, he has one Super Bowl win. He’ll be 72 in September, so he’s not likely to continue coaching as long as Tomlin,” Domowitch said. “But his 12 playoff appearances are tied for seventh and are the third-most postseason appearances among active coaches, behind only Belichick (19) and Andy Reid (19).”
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
Rarely does a special teams coach get considered for the head coaching position, let alone for the Hall of Fame.
Consider someone like Mike Westhoff, now with Denver, who has worked with special teams for more than three decades in the NFL. Harbaugh went directly from the special teams coordinator role in Philadelphia to the Baltimore Ravens' head coach.
He’s been a fixture and a winner there. Harbaugh has a Super Bowl title and, nearly every season, a fearsome defense.
“His ability to see the game through the wide lens of a former special teams coordinator has served him well,” Carucci said.
Sean Payton, Saints, Broncos
The resurrection of New Orleans was greatly aided by the winning Payton (and Drew Brees) brought to the Big Easy a year after Hurricane Katrina. Payton’s offensive schemes have set a tone this century, and he has a Super Bowl ring. If he doesn’t completely flop in Denver …
“His legacy could be tested with the Broncos,” Carucci acknowledges, “but his body of work with the Saints figures to be strong enough to carry him into Canton.”
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers simply don’t have losing seasons. Not even the year after their Hall-bound quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired, and they used rookie Kenny Pickett.
We’re giving full credit to the steady hand Tomlin always provides in the Steel City.
“He’s a commanding presence who has done the tradition of long-tenured, Super Bowl-winning coaches in Pittsburgh proud,” Carucci said. “Noll, Cowher, Tomlin.”
Potential HOFers
Mike McCarthy, Packers, Cowboys
There’s a general theory McCarthy gets in the way of talented teams’ reaching their optimum performance. However, should he add a title with the Dallas Cowboys to his one with the Green Bay Packers, he could be fitted for a HOF ring.
Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
Don’t forget how hapless the Buffalo Bills were before McDermott arrived and began bringing Buffalo to the playoffs regularly. He will need a Super Bowl victory to enhance his resume, and that’s entirely possible.
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
He’s just a kid compared to many of the veteran head coaches. But he’s been to two Super Bowls, won one and already has a coaching tree to envy.
Doug Pederson, Eagles, Jaguars
Pederson stepped into a swamp in Philadelphia and produced a Super Bowl title. If he does the same for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where the marsh was even deeper, he might deserve consideration for Canton.
Ron Rivera, Panthers, Commanders
With coaches, it’s appropriate for HOF voters to consider the man’s influence beyond the playing field, and Rivera’s is massive. Rivera has struggled in Washington – who hasn’t? – but he has stayed above the mess, just as he did in a similar situation with the Carolina Panthers.
Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
What the innovative Shanahan learned from his dad, Mike, who might someday be inducted into the Hall, is impressive. Kyle is early in his head coaching career and has been blessed with success so far.