The Eagles’ firing of Doug Pederson gives the NFL a total of seven head coaching vacancies. Some destinations are more attractive than others for the job-seekers. With that in mind, here is how we rank all the open head coaching jobs out there right now.
1. Los Angeles Chargers
LA’s “other” team already seems to have its franchise QB in Justin Herbert, who will likely be 2020’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. They also have a Pro Bowl #1 receiver in Keenan Allen, a defensive cornerstone in DE Joey Bosa, and about $29M in available cap space. The only real shortcoming is the fact they’ll pick 13th in the 2021 NFL Draft, a result of a 4-game winning streak to close the season.
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2. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags can reinvent themselves completely. They have the number 1 overall pick in the draft, five total picks in the top 65, and more than $70 million in cap space. The only thing keeping this franchise from being most attractive is the (current) lack of a franchise QB. But if Trevor Lawrence lives up to billing, and with the right head coach, this team could turn things around very quickly.
3. New York Jets
Another team with a gang of high-value draft picks – five in the first 87 picks – and more than $70M in cap space, this team has the assets to fill a lot of the holes they have on their roster. They used the 3rd overall pick in 2018 on QB Sam Darnold, but put very little around him since. It remains to be seen if they’ll hit the reset button with another QB with the #2 pick this year, or try once more with Darnold and a new HC pulling the strings.
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4. Detroit Lions
The Lions are a clean slate for a different reason: when they fired HC Matt Patricia (13-29-1 record), they also canned GM Bob O’Neill. The new tandem will have the 7th overall pick, but only five total draft picks, and less than $12M in cap space. They face a serious uphill climb, following a 5-11 season where they allowed the most yards and points in the NFL.
5. Atlanta Falcons
They have the 4th overall pick in the draft, but they are in serious cap hell. $24 million over the projected cap, and their two biggest names – Matt Ryan and Julio Jones – combine for more than $88M in cap space. Like the Lions, they dumped their GM, Thomas Dimitroff, after the team’s 0-5 start this season.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
The Birds have the 6th overall pick, but are in real disarray, from the Carson Wentz situation, to their cap straits – overthecap.com has them buried more than $51M over the projected cap. Add all that to the front office’s bumbling of draft picks over the last eight years, and this doesn’t exactly look like a plum assignment.
7. Houston Texans
Thank goodness for this dumpster fire of an organization, otherwise the Eagles would be dead last. The front office is an embarrassment, the franchise QB wants out, the defense is $18M over the cap… oh, and no draft picks in the first two rounds thanks to some highly questionable trades. Whoever takes this job deserves hazard pay.