Black Monday turned into four black business days, but the NFL’s head coach firing/mutual-agreement-to-get-the-hell-out season appears to have come to a close. Bill Belichick’s Thursday departure from the New England Patriots team that employed him the past 24 years made it eight teams — an even 25 percent of the league — currently in search of a full-time coach.
That’s created a buyer’s market for rising candidates or the well-regarded top guys that recently lost their jobs. But not every coaching opportunity is created equally. Some of these new hires will be set up for success from their first day at the team facilities. Others will inherit a Sisyphean task thanks to talent-deficient rosters, terrible ownership or both (Carolina Panthers, you are here).
Let’s talk about these opportunities — and which one is the best for an enterprising young (or old) coach. We’ll take a look at each situation and rank them one through eight thanks to a combination of culture, roster building and future assets. We’ll also take a quick look at young foundational talent on each depth chart — the players under contract for at least 2024 around which a new coach could feel comfortable building his team. We’ll set the cut-off there at age 27 in the 2023 season.
Who has the best, and worst, to offer a rising star in the coaching world? The answer may not surprise you.
8
Carolina Panthers
2023 record: 2-15
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Derrick Brown
- Jaycee Horn, should he ever stay healthy
- Bryce Young, in theory
- Ikem Ekwonu, let’s hope
The offense is a disaster. The first overall pick you earned by going 2-15 belongs to the Chicago Bears. Your owner is, in a word, unpleasant.
A bit different of a mood from him after the game https://t.co/DP68vKx1U5 pic.twitter.com/llOqHXS4yI
— Med (@Kahuna_Med) December 31, 2023
Good luck.
7
Las Vegas Raiders
2023 record: 8-9
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Maxx Crosby
- Malcolm Koonce
- Zamir White
- Tre’von Moehrig
- Dylan Parham
The Raiders are only second-to-last because they should not be an opening. The players love Antonio Pierce and he had the team punching well above its weight class with fourth round rookie Aidan O’Connell at quarterback in a 5-4 finish. Give him an honest chance to prove he’s earned the job in 2024, Mark Davis.
6
Tennessee Titans
2023 record: 6-11
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Will Levis?
- Tyjae Spears
- Chigoziem Okonkwo
- Jeffery Simmons
- Roger McCreary
Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry are both diminished versions of their best selves and free agents. DeAndre Hopkins turns 32 in June. Harold Landry and Jeffery Simmons remain great but the defense around them is in shambles. This is a tear down.
But hey, hang on for a new years and you’ll get to play in a new stadium that looks a lot like every single new mixed use development in the most gentrified part of your nearest big city!
The Tennessee Titans have released a new look at their future $2.1 billion stadium — set to open in 2027.
(via @Titans) pic.twitter.com/hgsHwUbbgB
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 9, 2023
5
Washington Commanders
2023 record: 4-13
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Brian Robinson Jr.
- Jahan Dotson
- Jartavius Martin
- Daron Payne
- Benjamin St. Juste
There’s good news in D.C.. Dan Snyder is no longer poisoning your halls simply by being present. Time will tell whether Josh Harris is a good NFL owner or not, but he’s light years better than the alternative simply by not being Snyder, who was and remains a blight on humanity.
There’s also bad news, as former starters Montez Sweat and Chase Young are both gone and Sam Howell is decidedly not the answer at quarterback. But the Sweat/Young trades have left a cache of solid draft picks — four in rounds two and three combined — and the second overall pick can be used on a blue chip quarterback. Brighter days lie ahead for a cursed franchise.
4
New England Patriots
2023 record: 4-13
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Christian Barmore
- Christian Gonzalez
- Rhamondre Stevenson
- …Cole Strange?
You have to follow a 24-year veteran who won six Super Bowls and, at one point, made it so there were children in New England who got all the way to third grade before realizing you could play an AFC Championship game without the Patriots involved. That’s, hoooo boy, a lot to live up to.
But Belichick cratered on the way out. The quarterback position is yours to mold as you see fit. You have the third overall pick and oodles of salary cap space. The defense remains a top 10 unit and gets Gonzalez and Matthew Judon back for the upcoming season. There’s plenty to like about the Pats, even if their QB room right now remains a Mac Jones-Bailey Zappe party.
3
Los Angeles Chargers
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Justin Herbert
- Justin Herbert
- Justin Herbert
- Rashawn Slater, who protects Justin Herbert
Take the reins in Los Angeles and you get a young quarterback with a rocket launcher for an arm. You also take over for a head coach who embraced analytics and managed to make the right decisions in all the wrongest ways. Converting a key fourth-and-short with the game on the line would be enough to convince fans you’re a better choice for this team than Brandon Staley and buy you a solid three seasons of lead time before your seat gets boiling hot.
The bad news is you’ll have to deal with an aging core of stars and a salary cap crunch. The Chargers are an estimated $35 million over the 2024 spending limit, meaning some tough decisions will have to be made for a roster that will shed talent after a five-win season.
2
Atlanta Falcons
2023 record: 7-10
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- Bijan Robinson
- Drake London
- Kyle Pitts
- Jessie Bates
- AJ Terrell
Arthur Blank is a patient owner who was willing to give Arthur Smith enough time to leave no rake un-stepped on when it came to coaching the Falcons. Smith’s replacement gets a new top 10 draft pick to pair with the last three — Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson.
A competent defense is already in place. All the next man up has to do is take a bunch of exciting young playmakers and allow them to thrive. Atlanta could be fun as hell next year. Or it could just be another in a long string of extremely Falcons seasons.
1
Seattle Seahawks
2023 record: 9-8
Young guys you’d want to build around:
- DK Metcalf
- Charles Cross
- Abe Lucas
- Kenneth Walker
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Devon Witherspoon
- Riq Woolen
- Boye Mafe
- Julian Love
There’s a lot to like about the Seahawks’ job. There are young stars on each side of the ball, a veteran quarterback to kick the tires with and potentially unlock or eventually replace with your own guy and a cool city with a raging home field advantage.
The downside? You’re walking in Pete Carroll’s shadow, even as he hovers over you as an advisor to the team. Maybe that’s a good thing. Or maybe it’s a hindrance. Time will tell, but the chance to mold the roster with the most young talent of any of this winter’s open positions makes Seattle the most appealing destination in 2024.
