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John's NFL head coach analysis for fantasy football in 2025. His outlooks and notes on all 32 NFL head coaches entering next season, including Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and more
The NFL is comprised of two major conferences, the AFC (American Football Conference) and NFC (National Football Conference). Each conference has four divisions, East, North, South, and West, each consisting of four teams. Add the numbers together, and you get 32 total teams.
Perfect symmetry! As is the case with most major organizations, though, things function better when one person is put in the position of having the most power over the team's football-specific operations, so each team has its own head coach.
Not all coaches are good, and the carousel continuously goes around. The NFL is an unforgiving organization that deeply values recent performance, with 32 owners constantly vying for their team to win the Super Bowl. Well, some of them don't try as much, but that's beside the point. Let's go through all 32 NFL head coaches heading into the 2025 season, broken down by division. In parentheses after each name will be their head coaching record with their current team.
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AFC East
Buffalo Bills: Sean McDermott (Record: 86–45 in Regular Season, 7-7 in Postseason)
McDermott is heading into his ninth season as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. While his tenure has been marked by consistent success, many division championships, and plenty of playoff berths, the most notable thing about him is that his defenses consistently collapse in the playoffs.
He's a defensive-minded head coach, and this team would immediately have zero hope without them being carried by QB Josh Allen. Allen can be turnover-prone but has a ton of scoring upside. The Bills probably won't ever threaten to win a Super Bowl while McDermott remains as coach, though.
Miami Dolphins: Mike McDaniel (Record: 28–23 in Regular Season, 0-2 in Playoffs)
After a disappointing 2024 season, McDaniel will be sent back to the drawing board to try to revive the highly explosive offenses that marked his first two campaigns with the season. McDaniel was regarded as one of the team's brightest offensive minds in his first two seasons. Then, guard Robert Hunt and center Connor Williams left after the 2023 season, and everything seemed to fall apart. Offensive lines are very important.
I imagine they'll need to bolster the OL group if McDaniel wants his team to fly (swim?) as well as they did in his first two years. If they don't, he could be out of a job in a few years.
New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel (Record with Tennessee Titans: 54–45 Regular Season, 2-3 Postseason)
Vrabel gets a new chance at being a head coach after being fired by the Tennessee Titans after the 2023 season. Vrabel consistently coached his team to outperform the talent on their roster, and though his Titans never had a top-12 offensive or defensive roster by talent level, he carried them to the playoffs three seasons in a row.
He'll once again be stuck with one of the NFL's not-quite-so-good rosters, but the team has already done significant work to address that. It's likely a big reason why he was hired, and his firing back in 2023 made no sense anyway. No surprise the Titans didn't do much in 2024. Vrabel is a good head coach, and the Pats could be headed for a quick turnaround.
New York Jets: Aaron Glenn (First-Year Head Coach, No Head Coaching Record Yet)
I don't know what to think about Glenn's hiring. He worked his way up through the coaching ranks, though, and didn't take any shortcuts in his coaching career, so he should have a good idea of what he's doing. But the Jets formerly had Robert Saleh as their HC, and he was one of the most respected defensive minds in the league.
New York had a very good defense under Saleh. Glenn's Jets should be tough on the defensive side of the ball, too, but the offense remains a major question mark.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens - John Harbaugh (Record: 172–104 Regular Season, 13-11 Postseason, 1 Super Bowl Championship)
Harbaugh is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL. His Ravens have made the playoffs in 12 of his 17 seasons as head coach, and they won the Super Bowl in 2012. His job is certainly safe. He regularly coaches his players and maximizes their talents, and the organization is incredibly well-run.
Baltimore's biggest issue has been its lack of an alpha, elite WR1. One of those could elevate the offense and get them back to the Super Bowl, but Baltimore hasn't addressed that issue for some time.
Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor (Record: 46–52–1 Regular Season, 5-2 Postseason)
Taylor has been the head coach in Cincinnati since 2019. His team made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, reaching the Super Bowl in the first of those seasons and the AFC Championship in the second, but has been 24-41 in the others.
He's been criticized for his poor play-calling, but the 2020 Cinderella season, the excellent 2021 campaign, and quarterback Joe Burrow should keep his job safe for at least one or two more seasons.
Cleveland Browns - Kevin Stefanski (Record: 40–44 Regular Season, 1-2 Playoffs)
Stefanski was hired by the Browns in 2020. They made the playoffs twice and won just one game, and they're in terrible shape right now, but it's not Stefanski's fault. He's a solid head coach in a dysfunctional organization with an idiotic owner and a horrible quarterback still on a massive contract.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin (Record: 183–107–2 Regular Season, 8-11 Playoffs, 1 Super Bowl Championship)
Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL right now. He was hired by the Steelers in 2007, and has made them a regular playoff presence. His team organizational skills are very good, and they're consistently a well-coached team on the field, but he's had the reins of roster-management for a long time, and the talent on the roster hasn't been up to par in recent seasons.
This is Tomlin's biggest weakness. His job is safe, though, and it's unlikely he'll get fired even if he strings together multiple losing seasons, which isn't something he usually does since he's never had a losing season in his career.
AFC South
Houston Texans: DeMeco Ryans (Record: 20-14 Regular Season, 2-2 Playoffs)
Ryans is heading into his third season as the Texans coach. He's a defensive-minded coach, and they had a great defense last season, so he's doing his job. The offense isn't so much, but his job seems safe.
Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen (Record: 17-17 Regular Season, No Playoff Games)
Steichen's 2022 offense with the Philadelphia Eagles was a marvel, and directly lead to his hiring by the Colts. He doesn't have a good quarterback now, though, so there's not a lot he can do. We'll see if his tenure survives quarterback Anthony Richardson time as the starter.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Liam Coen (Rookie)
Liam Coen headed one of the best offenses in the league in 2024 as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. He's taking his talents north to the Jags. Expect a much better offense and a massively improved run game, and be sure to draft some Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby in fantasy football in 2025.
Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan (Record: 3-14 Regular Season, No Playoff Games)
Callahan's first season with the Titans was unremarkable, but they had a poor roster and zero good quarterbacks. Callahan's future will hinge on whichever QB they draft in 2025, but it doesn't look bright.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: Sean Payton (Record: 18-16 Regular Season, 0-1 Playoffs with Broncos)
Payton has a Super Bowl championship with the New Orleans Saints and is widely regarded as one of the best head coaches ever. His Broncos are in good shape, with their franchise quarterback seemingly found in Bo Nix. Now Payton wants a good running back.
Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid (Record: 143-43 Regular Season, 18-8 Playoffs, 3 Super Bowl Championships with Chiefs)
Reid is the best of the league's current coaches. He has three Super Bowl rings, one of the league's elite quarterbacks, and a great front office. He's here to stay.
Las Vegas Raiders: Pete Carroll (First Season with Raiders)
Carroll has a 170-120-1 regular season and 11-11 playoff record with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, his previous two teams. He also has a Super Bowl championship with Seattle. He might not be a coach much longer solely due to his age, as he'll turn 74 in September, but he's a legend.
Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh (Record: 11-6 Regular Season, 0-1 Playoffs with Chargers)
Harbaugh successfully turned around the Chargers' fortunes in Year 1. He's one of the league's best coaches and should have a long tenure in L.A.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer (Rookie)
I'm not sure why he was hired. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is pretty senile, so that might explain it.
New York Giants: Brian Daboll (Record: 18-32 Regular Season, 1-1 Playoffs)
Not sure how Daboll still has a job at this point, but he'll get another chance, presumably with a rookie quarterback, in 2025.
Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Sirianni (Record: 48-23 Regular Season, 6-3 Playoffs)
Sirianni has now made two Super Bowl games and won that game in the 2024 season. He's locked in and will stay there for some time.
Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn (Record: 12-5 Regular Season, 2-1 Playoffs with Commanders)
The Commies took a chance on the former Atlanta Falcons coach, and it paid off. They also drafted their franchise quarterback. 2024 was a great year for them, and more is soon to come.
NFC North
Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (Record: 39-28 Regular Season, 2-2 Playoffs)
Campbell delivered Detroit's first playoff win in 32 years in the playoffs after the 2023 season. He's already a Motor City legend.
Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson (Rookie)
The Bears' fortunes haven't been splendid; in particular, they've had alarming offenses for a long time. Johnson was one of the NFL's best and most creative offensive coordinators in 2023 and 2024, so that should change soon.
Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur (Record: 67-33 Regular Season, 3-5 Playoffs)
LaFleur always seems to put together a good offense, no matter his personnel. The organization has plenty of stability, but it needs a WR1 now.
Minnesota Vikings: Kevin O'Connell (Record: 34-17 Regular Season, 0-2 Playoffs)
O'Connell has twice as many regular-season wins as he has losses, so his job is safe. He'll need good quarterback play and luck with injuries to make it over the hump of winning a postseason game, though.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Raheem Morris (Record: 8-9 Regular Season, No Playoff Games)
Morris arrived in Atlanta to much fanfare, but his first season was mediocre. It would have been worse if he hadn't been lucky to be in the worst division in football. A new quarterback will be starting in 2025, maybe that will turn things around.
Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales (Record: 5-12 Regular Season, No Playoff Games)
Canales hopes and dreams are tied to how quarterback Bryce Young plays. If Young flops in 2025, Canales could get kicked to the curb, even if it's not his fault.
New Orleans Saints: Kellen Moore (Rookie)
Moore was hired by the Saints in 2025 after they fired Dennis Allen during the 2024 season. Moore just won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. We'll see how his first season goes, but the roster isn't in good shape.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles (Record: 27-24 Regular Season, 1-3 Playoffs)
Bowles's defenses in TB haven't been outstanding, though he's a defensive-minded coach. The team has been carried by their offense the past two seasons, but with wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin aging and Godwin's ankle injury last season, they might struggle in 2025.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Gannon (Record: 12-22 Regular Season, No Playoff Games)
When Gannon was hired, I was uncertain what the team saw in him or what he could bring to help them win games. Those concerns haven't been quieted. The Cardinals should be headed for another mediocre season at best.
Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay (Record: 80-52 Regular Season, 8-5 Playoffs, 1 Super Bowl Championship)
Like one of the other coaches in this league, McVay is one of the brightest offensive minds to ever coach an NFL team, and unlike the other, he has a Super Bowl ring to show for it. His team just got wide receiver Davante Adams. McVay should once again flex his offensive wizardry in 2025.
San Francisco 49ers: Kyle Shanahan (Record: 70-62 Regular Season, 8-4 Playoffs, Two Super Bowl Chokes)
Shanahan is famous for his offensive play designs, many of which have been copied across the league. He's also famous for mismanaging his players' health, forcing them back into action before they're healthy, often leading to him having severely battered rosters in the playoffs. He's most famous for his two Super Bowl chokes.
Seattle Seahawks: Mike Macdonald (Record: 10-7, No Playoff Games)
Macdonald's hiring was praised as an elite selection, but though he was a defensive-minded head coach, his team's defense wasn't just okay-ish 2024. Must not help to be sabotaged by his general manager, John Schneider, who doesn't know how to put a good roster together but has somehow convinced ownership not to trust what their eyes see on the field. We'll see what happens in 2025, I guess.
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