NFL Analysis
1/17/24
10 min read
In-Depth Look Into Each NFL Head Coaching Vacancy: What Could Teams Do Next?
This year's coaching cycle is the busiest in recent history, and there's plenty of debate about which team has the best situation.
Let's take a bird's-eye view and examine each team's owners, general managers, quarterbacks and draft capital situation.
2024 NFL Head Coach Situations
Seattle Seahawks
Ownership
Paul Allen died in 2018, and his sister Jody Allen took over the Seattle Seahawks. There has been speculation for years that the team could be sold as early as May 2024, but Allen is adamant that won’t happen.
Top coaching candidates have asked if there’s anything they need to be aware of with Seattle’s ownership. For now, Allen will lead a head coach search for the first time.
General Manager
John Schneider has been Seattle’s general manager since 2010, working alongside Pete Carroll. However, Schneider did not have the final say over personnel decisions; Carroll did.
That will now flip — Schneider will assist in the head coach search, and once one is hired, that person will report to Schneider.
Draft Picks
The Seahawks own the No. 16 pick in the draft and will have seven picks. Seattle traded away their 2024 second-round pick to the New York Giants for DL Leonard Williams before the trade deadline.
Quarterback Situation
Seattle extended Geno Smith with a three-year, $105 million extension last offseason. However, the contract details show the team could get out of it after just one year. Mar. 13 is the critical date when his salary will become guaranteed.
Carolina Panthers
Ownership
David Tepper inherited Ron Rivera and fired him. Tepper then hired Matt Rhule... and fired him. Next, he hired Frank Reich and — you guessed it — fired him after 11 games.
The billionaire hedge fund manager has not made the right coaching hire since buying the Carolina Panthers in 2018. There is also a widespread belief Tepper is overly involved in the football operation, which could be a significant problem for top candidates.
General Manager
Tepper fired general manager Scott Fitterer after three years. The extent of Fitterer's control as general manager was always uncertain, however, given Tepper's hands-on approach and having head coach Matt Rhule for two years, who had control over Fitterer.
This will be the first time under Tepper that the general manager and head coaching positions are vacant simultaneously.
Draft Picks
Fitterer's most significant move as general manager was trading WR DJ Moore, the No. 9 overall pick, the No. 56 overall pick, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears last offseason for the No. 1 overall pick.
The Panthers used this pick to select Alabama QB Bryce Young. And the 2024 first-round pick Carolina traded last year will be the No. 1 pick in this coming NFL Draft. The Panthers have six total picks in the 2024 Draft, with the first coming at No. 33.
Quarterback situation
Carolina will likely target an offensive-minded head coach to help groom Young, similar to the Miami Dolphins' approach with Tua Tagovailoa, another former Alabama quarterback who struggled during his rookie season. Young finished his rookie season with 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Washington Commanders
Ownership
A group led by Josh Harris purchased the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion last offseason. The transition from Dan Snyder to Harris makes Washington an attractive destination because Harris is committed to allocating resources to bring winning back to Washington.
General Manager
This week, Harris hired San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters as the Commanders' general manager. Peters was a highly coveted candidate for several years and was an essential voice for the 49ers, contributing to the construction of one of the NFL's top rosters.
He has developed a reputation as one of the league’s top evaluators.
Draft Picks
Washington has nine picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including No. 2 overall. It acquired an additional second- and third-round pick during the season by trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat, both of whom were on expiring contracts.
Quarterback Situation
Second-year QB Sam Howell started all 17 games this past season, throwing for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Washington owns the No. 2 overall pick and with a quarterback-rich 2024 Draft, the Commanders can draft a franchise quarterback while keeping Howell as early competition and the eventual backup.
Atlanta Falcons
Ownership
Arthur Blank is a patient owner, but he pulled the plug on the Arthur Smith experiment after three years. He did that despite the first two seasons being a cleanup of the previous Atlanta Falcons regime.
Blank is 81 years old and has never won a Super Bowl, and that could lead him to try to bring in an experienced coach this time. That makes sense, considering Atlanta’s roster has building blocks and plays in a weaker division.
General Manager
The Falcons retained Terry Fontenot as the general manager, but those in league circles still question whether he's entirely safe. If Atlanta hires a big name such as Bill Belichick, that could mean Fontenot is out.
During Blank's end-of-season press conference with CEO Rich McKay, Fontenot was noticeably absent.
Draft Picks
Atlanta will have the No. 8 overall pick for the third consecutive year, with seven total picks.
Quarterback Situation
Desmond Ridder started 13 games, and Taylor Heinicke started four in 2023. Neither quarterback is the long-term answer, and it’s safe to assume Atlanta will explore every avenue — trade, draft and free agency — to find a solution.
Las Vegas Raiders
Ownership
Mark Davis has taken big swings with both of his coaching hires. He hired Jon Gruden in 2018 and then paired Dave Ziegler with Josh McDaniels in 2022.
Neither worked — for entirely different reasons. In both cases, the interim head coach did a far better job than anyone expected. There's a belief that Davis regrets not giving Rich Bisaccia the job in 2022.
Antonio Pierce rejuvenated the Las Vegas Raiders' locker room and finished 5-4 in nine games as the interim coach this season. Davis is aware players want Pierce to be the permanent coach, and if he goes a different direction, the ramifications could be significant.
General Manager
Champ Kelly took over as the Raiders' interim general manager following Ziegler’s firing, and it’s tough to judge an interim general manager when there isn’t much roster construction to be done.
Kelly is respected around the league and has taken several general managers interviews, including one with the Raiders before Ziegler was hired. If Pierce gets the coaching job, Kelly would be the top name to pair him with.
Draft Picks
The Raiders have nine total draft picks in 2024, including the No. 13 overall pick. They have a pick in each round and three in the seventh round.
Quarterback Situation
Las Vegas signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $67.5 million contract last offseason, but he started just seven games before being benched after McDaniels' firing.
However, the benching was more financial than performance-related; Garoppolo has an $11.25 million guarantee trigger if he gets injured. The likely outcome is Las Vegas moves on from him in the offseason. Fourth-round rookie Aidan O'Connell started the final nine games, throwing for 1,905 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Regardless of what the next regime will look like, the Raiders will more than likely add another quarterback to at least compete with O'Connell.
Los Angeles Chargers
Ownership
The Spanos family cleaned house following an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the rival Raiders that dropped the Los Angeles Chargers to 5-9 in what turned out to be a disappointing season.
Executives in the league say the Spanos family is “very aware” of the narrative that they are “cheap” when it comes to hiring, which they want to squash. The organization will also open a new quarter-of-a-billion-dollar training facility later this year.
General Manager
Tom Telesco was fired after more than a decade on the job. The general manager and head coach jobs being open simultaneously makes the Chargers job more appealing to big names such as Jim Harbaugh.
Draft Picks
The Chargers have the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and have eight total picks. They have all seven of their picks and are projected to get an additional seventh-rounder via the compensatory formula.
Quarterback situation
Justin Herbert is what makes the Chargers job most appealing. Los Angeles signed him to a lucrative five-year, $262.5 million deal last offseason, so the 25-year-old is locked in for the future.
Tennessee Titans
Ownership
Amy Adams Strunk has been the controlling owner of the Tennessee Titans for just more than a decade. She has gone through several coaches in 10 years — from firing Mike Munchak to hiring and firing Ken Whisenhunt, hiring and firing Mike Mularkey and hiring and now firing Mike Vrabel.
Strunk made it clear in her statement after Vrabel’s firing that she wants "an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions." Vrabel and former general manager Jon Robinson had a power struggle regarding A.J. Brown.
Vrabel and new general manager Ran Carthon didn't have any major fights, but it felt apparent the coach was more about building a roster for the present, while Carthon wanted to take a step back and rebuild.
The collaboration element will be the emphasis of Tennessee’s search.
General Manager
Carthon was hired last year from San Francisco, and among his first moves, he cut aging veterans such as Taylor Lewan, Robert Woods and Zach Cunningham.
There was further speculation he would move on from Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and Kevin Byard. However, things became complicated with Vrabel and the collaboration element Strunk mentioned in her statement.
Carthon will be a significant voice in helping find a coach who will work beside him and follow his vision.
Draft Picks
The Titans have seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including No. 7 overall. That's the highest they've drafted since picking No. 5 in 2017.
Quarterback Situation
Carthon traded up and drafted Kentucky’s Will Levis at the top of the second round last year. Tannehill started the season, but Levis took over following an injury. He started nine games and threw for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions, and the team went 3-6.
It's too early to say anything definitive, but Levis enters the offseason as the favorite to start in Week 1.
