10 hot NFL coach candidates

Black Monday has created many vacancies across the NFL, whether it’s head coach or coordinator openings. Over the ensuing weeks, candidates will be interviewing for these positions, and teams will be hiring their new coaches to lead the franchise. Already we have teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the market for a new head coach.

Who are the hot coaching candidates this time around? Let’s take a look at some of the names.

10) Eric Bieniemy, OC, Kansas City Chiefs

A former star running back at Colorado who later played in the NFL, Bieniemy has successfully transitioned into coaching. He began his coaching career as a running backs coach in college, first at Colorado and then at UCLA before moving to the Vikings in the NFL. Since 2013, Bieniemy has been a part of Andy Reid’s staff in Kansas City. This season he got promoted to offensive coordinator and has helped lead an offense that ranked first in the league in points and yards. Reid’s previous offensive coordinator in KC (Matt Nagy) has worked out extremely well as a head coach. Teams are probably hoping to get the same from Bieniemy.

9) Bruce Arians, former Arizona Cardinals head coach

Arians, 66, announced his retirement from coaching following an 8-8 campaign with the Arizona Cardinals last season. Maybe having a year off refreshed him, because he seems interested in coaching again. He has said he would have interest in the Browns job and also showed interest in the Tampa Bay gig. Arians is 58-33-1 as a head coach and a two-time NFL Coach of the Year. He took Carson Palmer to a conference championship game and went .500 with Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert. The guy’s coaching ability speaks for itself. His age and recent retirement may discourage some teams, but he may be the best coach out there.

8) Todd Monken, OC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Fitzmagic? Nick Mullens? Those names sound familiar to you? Those are just a few of Monken’s successful pupils. The 52-year-old turned around an 0-12 Southern Miss team and had them 9-5 and first in their Conference USA division by his third season on the job. Mullens was his quarterback and developed into an excellent player under his tutelage. He then went to Tampa Bay and became their offensive coordinator, also helping with wide receivers his first two years. Even though they only went 5-11 this season, Monken’s offense was 12th in the league in scoring, 3rd in yards per game, and 1st in passing yards.

7) Mike Munchak, OL coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

A name from a group of retreads, Munchak is receiving interest from multiple teams with head coaching vacancies. The 58-year-old former Houston Oilers All-Pro went 22-26 in three seasons as the Titans’ head coach from 2011-2013. Since his time with the Titans came to an end, he has been an offensive line coach with the Steelers. Steelers players are complimentary of his knowledge of schemes and ability to communicate with players.

6) Brian Flores, DC, New England Patriots

Teams love to pluck coaches from the Bill Belichick tree, and that’s exactly what Flores is. The 37-year-old has been with the Patriots’ organization since 2004 and has impressively worked all the way up to defensive coordinator. Initially a scouting assistant, Flores got onto the team’s coaching staff working with special teams and then as a defensive positions coach — safeties, linebackers, and now he’s been defensive coordinator. Flores played linebacker in college at Boston College. He is of interest to multiple NFL teams.

5) Adam Gase, former Miami Dolphins head coach

Stephen Ross’ discarded coach may be another team’s treasure. Gase was fired after going 7-9 in his third season with the Miami Dolphins. The team went 10-6 in his first year but slipped to 6-10 in his second before going 7-9 this year. What’s there to like about him? The Dolphins and Ryan Tannehill had their most success when Gase was leading the franchise (in that 2016 season). Tannehill’s injuries forced him to use secondary options for half of his tenure, yet he still managed to win six games with Jay Cutler and a few more with Brock Osweiler. Teams probably figure he could do much more with better offensive players to work with.

4) Vic Fangio, DC, Chicago Bears

A longtime defensive coordinator, Fangio has become a popular name in head coaching searches and may finally get his chance to move on up. Fangio was an assistant under the elder Jim Mora through multiple stops, and then he became known for being Jim Harbaugh’s defensive whiz at Stanford and then the 49ers. John Fox brought him to Chicago, where he helped turn around the Bears’ defense. This season they’ve become the most fearsome unit in the NFL, ranking first in points allowed per game. It may be Fangio’s time to lead a team.

3) Jim Caldwell, former Detroit Lions head coach

Nothing may have done more for Caldwell’s coaching prospects in 2019 than Matt Patricia. Fired after going 9-7 in consecutive seasons with Detroit, the Lions slipped to 6-10 in Patricia’s first year. By comparison, Caldwell going 36-28 over four seasons and making the playoffs twice with Detroit looks a whole lot better. The Lions fired him because they felt they lacked upside under him. But he did win consistently, and that may be appealing to teams. One NFC squad already has interviewed him.

2) Josh McDaniels, OC, New England Patriots

McDaniels has been a popular head coaching candidate for the last few years. He even had taken the Indianapolis Colts job before backing out, leading them to go with Frank Reich — a decision that worked out greatly in their favor. Despite that, teams remain interested in him. He went 11-17 and had a drama-filled season and a half with the Broncos, but that was 10 years ago. He’s been back with the Patriots since 2012, working with Tom Brady, biding his time, and being selective about coaching jobs. If he’s ready to leave New England, he may have a chance to work with another elite quarterback.

1) Mike McCarthy, former Green Bay Packers head coach

The allure of being able to hire a Super Bowl-winning head coach is appealing to many teams. McCarthy was fired following an embarrassing home loss to the Arizona Cardinals that dropped his Packers to 4-7-1. He had spent over a decade as the team’s head coach, going 125-77-2 and winning six division titles and a Super Bowl. He has shown he can win. Poor strategic moves during games and some friction with Aaron Rodgers led to his ouster in Green Bay. A fresh start elsewhere could be exactly what he needs.

Bonus candidates to watch: Dan Campbell (Saints), Kris Richard (Cowboys), Zac Taylor (Rams)