NFL coaching matchmaker: Predicting hires for 8 remaining vacancies

This year's NFL coaching carousel has been far busier than expected, with a total of nine top jobs opening around the league.

One is already filled, with the Giants reportedly finalizing a deal to hire former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Where do the rest of the teams go from here?

Here's my best guess at who will be hired to fill each of the remaining eight vacancies.

Brian Flores

Flores should be near the top of every team's list. After a three-year stint with the Vikings gave him a real case as the NFL's premier defensive coordinator, the former Dolphins head coach is more than deserving of a second chance to lead a team. But only two clubs are known to have requested him for interviews thus far, so most owners seem to be shying away on account of his ongoing discrimination lawsuit against the league. The Ravens are one of the interested teams (along with the Steelers), and the potential match is fascinating.

Many observers would favor an offensive mind for this job, and perhaps Baltimore is inclined to hire a coach who presents new and improved ways to maximize Lamar Jackson. But Baltimore will have no trouble attracting top coordinator candidates with the two-time MVP under center. Kliff Kingsbury, who has already interviewed for the Ravens' top job, is one of many such options who could be paired with a defensive-minded head coach. Complementing a Jackson-led offense with a hyper-aggressive Flores defense could put this team back in the Super Bowl mix next season and for years to come.

Chris Shula

The Steelers are still picking up the pieces after Mike Tomlin stepped down Tuesday, so it might be a few days before we get a good sense of their interview list. But it could wind up being significant that Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase were the first known candidates. Pittsburgh went young the last time around, correctly identifying Tomlin as a rising star capable of thriving in a lead role. I'd wager a guess that ownership is looking to follow the same blueprint, and Shula seems like a particularly strong fit.

His two years as Rams defensive coordinator offer plenty of evidence that he'd bring the Steelers into the modern era from a schematic standpoint. The L.A. defense has also been a shining example of player development under Shula's watch. And there's every indication that Sean McVay's been committed to mentoring the 39-year-old, helping prepare him for everything else that comes with being a head coach. Scheelhaase, another highly touted assistant working his way up McVay's offensive staff, could join Shula as offensive coordinator to help lay the foundation for an exciting new era on both sides of the ball.

Kevin Stefanski

The Falcons are in position to land one of the top candidates in this coaching cycle. It remains to be seen whether Michael Penix Jr. is the long-term answer at quarterback, and not having a first-round pick hurts Atlanta's ability to bolster this roster. But there's plenty of young talent in place already, and Arthur Blank has always strived to provide stability from the ownership level. After six years with the Browns, that kind of situation would be music to Stefanski's ears.

While another retread hire won't necessarily appeal to fans coming off a disappointing spell with Raheem Morris, this feels like a unique case. Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year who probably wouldn't have fizzled out in Cleveland if not for the catastrophic Deshaun Watson trade. Winning 11 games on two different occasions - including a 2023 campaign where Watson and Joe Flacco led a quarterback room that had five different starters - solidified his status as a highly respected offensive mind. Stefanski could maximize the abilities of elite playmakers Bijan Robinson and Drake London while guiding the development of either Penix or another young quarterback added to the mix later. His experience would presumably give him plenty of avenues to assemble a strong staff and hit the ground running in an extremely winnable NFC South.

Klint Kubiak

There's a lot of buzz about Matt Nagy as a top contender for the Titans job thanks to his ties to general manager Mike Borgonzi, who was hired away from the Chiefs last year. Connections and familiarity do matter, so we can't discount the possibility of Tennessee making that deeply underwhelming choice. But I'm choosing to believe the Titans will be smarter as they set out to build around their young quarterback. The fastest-rising offensive mind available in this cycle is the way to go.

Kubiak's play-action passing game would be an excellent fit for Cam Ward's skill set. It is arguably a bit soon for a 38-year-old with a relatively limited track record as a coordinator to become a head coach. However, an elite offensive play-caller is a true difference-maker in today's NFL, and Kubiak's outstanding first season in Seattle suggests he could earn that status. After Ward was forced to navigate a coaching change as a rookie, getting some long-term continuity with a detail-oriented, creative play-caller would aid his development. From Kubiak's perspective, Tennessee having something of a blank-slate roster - flush with cap space and draft capital to start collecting talent - offers the perfect opportunity to construct a contender from the ground up.

Robert Saleh

The Raiders are in position to draft a quarterback with their No. 1 pick, which could very well nudge them toward a head coaching candidate with an offensive background. Perhaps they'll take a chance on an up-and-coming assistant who doesn't have play-calling experience yet - Davis Webb and Nate Scheelhaase are particularly interesting interview requests in that regard. But I see Las Vegas circling back on Saleh, who was reportedly being recruited as a defensive coordinator and eventual successor to Pete Carroll when assembling last year's staff.

While his first experience as a head coach wasn't a smashing success, Saleh's defenses weren't the problem for the Jets. And were it not for the Aaron Rodgers debacle, which included a forced marriage with the veteran quarterback's hand-picked offensive coordinator, Saleh's stay in New York might have ended much differently. He held the 49ers' defense together this year despite some devastating injury losses, offering an excellent reminder of his abilities both schematically and, perhaps more importantly, as a leader. He's also got plenty of connections on the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, so he could likely put together an offensive staff well-suited to developing a young quarterback. Tom Brady may need to sell Saleh on the idea that the Raiders can provide more stability than the Jets did, but it's worth making the pitch.

Vance Joseph

Joseph is another candidate who may be regarded as an uninspiring retread. Given his role in helping the Broncos emerge as a Super Bowl contender, though, teams should be eager to give him a second opportunity in a lead job. Joseph, 54, is the architect of a Denver defense that leads the league in success rate over the last two years. If he comes anywhere close to replicating that unit elsewhere, and he's afforded better quarterback play than he had during his initial coaching stint with the Broncos (Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum), there's no reason he can't be a successful head coach.

Kyler Murray is seemingly on the way out in Arizona, and this isn't the best year to be looking for a replacement. Dante Moore returning to Oregon makes the incoming quarterback class particularly thin. But the Cardinals could turn to a veteran as a bridge option before diving into a deeper rookie group next year. And if Joseph can bring a few assistants from Sean Payton's offensive staff - perhaps including Davis Webb as the offensive coordinator - the Cardinals could prepare a foundation so they're ready to take off.

Jesse Minter

Hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager was the first sign the Dolphins likely weren't in the mix for Harbaugh. Chad Alexander, the one GM candidate who has an extensive history with the former Ravens coach, probably would have been Miami's pick if the team was in position to land the biggest name on the market. But Harbaugh wasn't the only potential splash hire on the table. Minter immediately got interviews for all nine head coaching vacancies, which says everything you need to know about how the league sees him.

Minter worked with Mike Macdonald in Baltimore and has followed a nearly identical path since, logging successful coordinator stints at Michigan and then in the NFL. The 42-year-old is perceived as having similar potential. Like the Seahawks head coach, Minter is a supremely gifted defensive mind who puts his players in a position to succeed. The challenges that come with the Dolphins' job will make it difficult to replicate Macdonald's results in the short term; the roster has a long way to go, and a dire salary-cap situation makes a quick turnaround unlikely. But this would be a hire made with the future in mind. And as a Michigan alum who is the school's largest donor, you can bet Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross was quite familiar with Minter before this coaching search got underway.

Grant Udinski

Mike McDaniel is probably a top candidate for this vacancy, and the Browns would be wise to offer him the job. Innovative offensive minds like the former Dolphins head coach rarely become available. But with Super Bowl-caliber teams like the Eagles and Lions among the many lining up to interview McDaniel for coordinator jobs, he's got no need to force things. If he doesn't get an objectively desirable head coaching opportunity, why not spend a year calling plays in a more favorable environment and put himself in position to be one of the most coveted candidates next offseason?

The Browns' challenging roster and cap situations figure to impact their recruiting ability, so the franchise can justify trying to be a year or two early on a potential rising star. Udinski, a first-time offensive coordinator on Liam Coen's staff in Jacksonville, is one such candidate the Browns asked to interview. The 30-year-old could grow into the job while Cleveland rebuilds the roster over the next two seasons. Ownership is reportedly telling candidates it would like to retain Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator, so Udinski would have at least one experienced assistant to lean on as he finds his way. The Browns would be taking a risk with Udinski, but so were the Rams when they hired Sean McVay in 2017. How did that work out?

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.