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There's a long list of great NFL head coaches in history, including some that are active and some that are retired. Don Shula, George Halas, Tom Landry, and Curly Lambeau are just some of the greatest head coaches this game has seen, all of whom are long retired.
Shula currently owns the record for most regular-season wins by a head coach in NFL history with 328, and Halas is right behind him on the all-time wins list at 318. Those two both finished their coaching careers with over a .675 win percentage. But two active head coaches take the next two spots on the all-time wins list.
Which active coaches are on the all-time regular-season wins list? Where do Andy Reid and Bill Belichick land? Let's dive in and see which five active head coaches have the most wins in NFL history.
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Honorable Mention: John Harbaugh & Sean Payton (160 wins)
Both John Harbaugh and Sean Payton just missed the cut and are honorable mentions on this list with 160 all-time regular- season wins. These two great coaches have been coaching for a long time, and they eerily have almost identical coaching numbers over their careers. Harbaugh's regular season record is 160-99, while Payton's record is 160-98.
Harbaugh and Payton have also both coached for 16 seasons and have just one Super Bowl win under their belt. The Ravens head coach has more playoff wins (12) compared to the former Saints head coach (nine), and the former has made it to the playoffs more times (11) compared to the latter (nine).
5. Mike McCarthy (167 wins)
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has been around for a long time. McCarthy got his first head-coaching gig in 2006 with the Green Bay Packers and spent 13 total years there before getting fired in 2018. During those 13 years, he went 125-77-2 and led the Packers to eight double-digit win seasons. The Pennsylvania native also helped Green Bay win a Super Bowl in 2010 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After getting fired in 2018, McCarthy took a year off from coaching before landing the Cowboys' head-coaching job. Since taking over in 2020, he has been Dallas' head coach over the past four seasons. Although the team hasn't been able to advance past the Divisional Round, the longtime coach continues to win at a high level. He has led the franchise to three consecutive seasons of 12 wins.
Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer said of the coaches in NFC North, Mike McCarthy was one whom he respected the most. Packers were “best team and the most well coached.” McCarthy said Zimmer was his “toughest” team.
Zimmer on his scheme in Dallas: “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel… pic.twitter.com/QTxbUVMg6q
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 14, 2024
It's crazy that McCarthy only has one Super Bowl win over his 17-year coaching career, considering he has had some talented teams. But he has one of the best regular-season records with a 167-102-2 record and a win percentage of .620. He currently ranks 18th all-time on the wins list. However, he needs just seven regular-season wins next season to move into the top 13.
Playoff wins: 11
4. Pete Carroll (170 wins)
Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll will not coach in 2024 after the team decided to move him into an advisor role. But he could eventually take on another head-coaching job in the future. As of now, though, he has 170 career regular- season wins over his 18-year coaching career.
Carroll got his head-coaching experience started in 1994 with the New York Jets. However, when New York finished with a 6-10 record, he was immediately fired. He then got another head-coaching job in 1997 with the New England Patriots, where he lasted three full seasons and went 27-21. The California native eventually went on to coach at the University of Southern California for nine years before landing the Seahawks job in 2010.
Carroll did a lot of great things in his 14 years with the Seahawks, which included leading Seattle to 11 seasons over .500 and one Super Bowl victory in 2013. He won a total of 137 regular-season games from 2010-2023 and finished with a .606 win percentage. His 170-120-1 total record as a head coach is as impressive as it gets.
Playoff wins: 11
3. Mike Tomlin (173 wins)
Of course, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is on this list. Tomlin started his head-coaching career in 2007 with the Steelers when he was just 35 years old. He led Pittsburgh to a 10-6 regular season, and then the following season, he led them to a Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Pittsburgh has yet to win another Super Bowl under Tomlin since then, but he has become one of the best coaches in the NFL. Over his 17 seasons from 2007-2023, he has never finished the year with a losing regular-season record. His teams have finished with an 8-8 record three times, though never under that mark.
Tomlin currently ranks tied for 12th on the all-time regular-season wins list with Jeff Fisher at 173. He'll need just one win next year to take sole possession of 12th and 13 wins to tie Chuck Knox for 11th. The Steelers head coach has a career 173-100-2 record over his 17 seasons -- .633 win percentage.
Playoff wins: 8
2. Andy Reid (258 wins)
There is a large gap between second and third on the all-time active head-coaching wins list. Longtime Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid makes his way into second on this list with 258 regular-season wins. Reid has coached 25 years in the NFL and first started in 1999 at the age of 41.
A young Andy Reid explains the origins of his offensive philosophy during his introductory press conference with the Eagles in 1999. pic.twitter.com/DjzXSbBYtD
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) February 12, 2024
Reid spent 14 years with the Eagles and finished with a 224-130-1 record. Philadelphia never won a Super Bowl under the California native, but he did lead them to eight 10-plus win seasons. Those teams went to five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl, where he lost to the New England Patriots in 2004.
After going 4-12 in his final season in Philadelphia, Reid was fired by the Eagles and eventually took a job with the Chiefs the following year. He has spent the last 11 years in Kansas City while finishing above .500 in every season. The longtime coach has also built a dynasty with this franchise, winning three of the past five Super Bowls from 2019-2023.
Reid has 258 regular-season wins and another 26 playoff wins (second-most in NFL history). Whenever he decides to retire, his name will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Playoff wins: 26
1. Bill Belichick (302 wins)
It should come as no surprise who has the most active regular-season wins of all time. Although Bill Belichick will likely not be a head coach in 2024, there should be opportunities for him to coach again in the future. Belichick has been a head coach in the NFL for 29 years, first starting with the Cleveland Browns in 1991.
Belichick was just 39 years old when he took over for the Browns in 1991. He lasted five seasons there before getting fired after a 5-11 record during the 1995 season. The Tennessee native went just 36-44 over those five years in Cleveland, but eventually landed the Patriots' head-coaching job in 2000 after the Jets traded him to New England.
Over the next 24 years, Belichick became one of the best head coaches in NFL history. He built a Patriots dynasty with Tom Brady and won six Super Bowls in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2018. His 266-121 record in New England -- .687 win percentage -- is one of the best of all time, and his 302 total regular-season wins rank third behind Shula and Halas.
But if you count playoff wins, Belichick has 333 total wins in both the regular season and playoffs. His 31 playoff wins are the most all-time, and his 333 total wins place him second on the all-time wins list, only behind Shula's 347 total wins.
Playoff wins: 31
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