Being a head coach in the NFL is one of the most challenging coaching roles in sports.
There are so many complexities to the systems they need to build and implement, staffs that need to be recruited and retained, and not to mention—53 grown men that need to be kept out of trouble—and oriented toward a team-first goal, all the while there are millions of dollars at stake.
Not exactly a straight line to success there!
So, I suppose it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that there are quite a few guys out there—even ones that are still gainfully employed—that, frankly, can’t hack it.
How about we take a gander around the NFL and pick out the five best and five worst head coaches in the league today!
Which NFL head coaches are considered top-tier, and which ones are not?
Best: Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs
Which NFL head coaches are considered top-tier, and which ones are not?
Best: Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs
Reid’s offensive genius is unmatched. He’s constantly innovating, coming up with new ways to make defenders and defensive coordinators alike look silly.
What’s even more impressive is the way that he manages to develop players, Mahomes included.
Worst: Jonathan Gannon – Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Gannon has one of the tougher jobs in the NFL, which is to straighten out the Arizona Cardinals.
The one good thing he has going for him is that they at least have a solid quarterback in Kyler Murray, but frankly, it’s hard to see how he’ll make it work.
While the Cardinals are a mess, Gannon isn’t much better in his own right. After all, the Cards did go four and 13 in his first season with the team.
What’s particularly concerning about Gannon is that he is a defensive coordinator by trade, and… erhm… if you had the misfortune of watching any Cardinals games last year—you should know that he didn’t exactly put on a masterclass with that unit.
Arizona’s defense had holes everywhere, despite some solid personnel and with the way he struggled last year, it’s hard to imagine Gannon patching them up anytime soon.
Unless he pulls off some sort of miracle, it’s going to be a bumpy ride in the desert—and he might find himself out of work sooner rather than later.
Best: Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams
Okay, corny jokes aside, the guy is an offensive wizard, and the miracle he pulled off leading the Rams to a Super Bowl win in Matthew Stafford’s first season with the team solidified his place among the elite.
What sets McVay apart is his ability to adapt—he’s not just running the same system year after year. He tailors his offense to fit the talent he has, and that’s why the Rams, even in what’s supposed to be a “down year,” are never truly out of the mix.
Take 2023, for example.
The Rams had low expectations, yet McVay got them straightened out mid-year despite a litany of injuries and was able to lead them to the playoffs, where they gave the Lions everything they could handle before bowing out.
This year, it’s more of the same—people are sleeping on the Rams, but with McVay calling the shots and a retooled roster that includes stars like Matthew Stafford, a hopefully healthy Cooper Kupp, and emerging talents like Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams, so don’t be surprised if they exceed expectations once again.
Worst: Dennis Allen – New Orleans Saints
Dennis Allen’s tenure with the Saints has been, well, underwhelming. Honestly, it’s almost outright forgettable.
I mean… People literally forget that Allen is the head coach down in the Big Easy.
He was brought in as a defensive guru, but he has yet to deliver on that promise.
The Saints’ defense has been decent but nowhere near the level needed to lift the team out of mediocrity.
And with the offense sputtering, the Saints are essentially stuck in neutral. Never bad enough to get a top draft pick, never good enough to make the playoffs.
Just a complete nullity in every sense of the word.
Part of the problem is that Allen’s defensive schemes haven’t been enough to overcome the offensive woes, which also happened, and the NFC South is getting tougher—with Baker having established himself as the guy in Tampa Bay and the Falcons are on the rise.
Sad to say, but Mr. Allen may be running out of time to mend his reputation for being one of the worst coaches in the NFL.
Best: John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens
Sure… The 2012 Super Bowl, which Harbaugh won in the most dramatic fashion, feels like a while ago.
But John Harbaugh is the NFL’s ultimate survivor—and to his credit, he has had the Ravens in contention pretty much ever since!
He’s adapted his coaching style to fit the times, evolving from a run-heavy, defensive-minded coach to one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game.
And the way that Harbaugh was able to build this team—and his offense around Lamar Jackson was a stroke of genius.
He’s one of the best “CEO” coaches in the game. He knows how to manage the entire team, from the offense to the defense to special teams. That’s why the Ravens are always in the playoff hunt, even when injuries or roster turnover hit them hard.
Worst: Matt Eberflus – Chicago Bears
Matt Eberflus’s tenure with the Chicago Bears has been nothing short of a disaster.
The unit looked a little bit better during the second half of the 2023 season after the addition of Montez Sweat, but let’s call a spade a spade: Eberflus’s defensive philosophy, which was supposed to be his calling card hasn’t translated to success in Chicago.
And to make matters worse, his offensive decisions have been just as bad.
That said, he may see some natural upturn on that side of the ball this year with the addition of first-overall pick Caleb Williams—not to mention all of the high-powered acquisitions that the Bears made to bolster their offense.
But I would be stunned to see Eberflus remain the head coach of the Bears long-term.
It really seems like he brings nothing to the table.
There is no fire, there is no scheme, there is nothing… Nothing but disappointment and frustration for the good people of Windy City, who are desperate to see their Bears turned back into a winner!
Best: Jim Harbaugh – Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh’s been out of the NFL for a while, but make no mistake—this guy knows how to win. Most recently, we saw it at Michigan, but the reality is that he’s taken every team he’s coached to the next level, and with the Chargers’ talent, there’s no reason to believe he won’t do the same in Los Angeles.
I mean, remember what he did with Colin Kaepernick and the Niners all those years ago? That was no coincidence! That was good old-fashioned coaching!
Harbaugh’s hard-nosed approach is exactly what the Chargers need to toughen up, especially when it comes to winning close games.
It will be awesome to see what he can do with stars on the defensive side of the ball like Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa… That unit could really be humming this season!
He also has a huge luxury with a guy like Justin Herbert under center… There is some concern about the lack of skill position players, but that’s exactly Harbaugh’s strong suit, is to get the most out of his guys and get his team playing exception, complementary football.
Expect big things from this squad under his leadership.
Worst: Robert Saleh – New York Jets
I mean, that is what the Jets brought him in for. They needed a guy who could instill toughness and discipline into a franchise that had long been the laughingstock of the NFL. And—in the time since he joined the Jets—there is no denying that he has delivered on that.
During his tenure, the Jets defense, led by its star cornerback, Sauce Gardner, quickly became one of the most feared units in the league, suffocating opposing wide receivers, getting after the quarterback, and regularly giving their team a fighting chance in most games.
BUT… and there is a big problem with this one… the offense has been absolutely abysmal—to the point that he has negated all of the progress that the organization has made on the defensive side of the ball.
And made it so that having a “fighting chance” really wasn’t enough.
To be fair to Saleh, he did sort of have his hands tied behind his back because of the whole Zach Wilson ordeal… And coming off last year’s crushing disappointment following the Aaron Rodgers injury—I understand why the Jets are willing to give him one last opportunity to prove his chops offensively with a competent quarterback.
But it is hard to ignore the fact that the team has completely failed to develop an offensive identity under Saleh.
It is one thing to not be able to develop a young quarterback, especially one like Wilson, who struggled mightily with the game between the ears… But when you bring a guy in to lead the coaching staff, the expectation is that he’ll be able to pivot and deploy a system that works with the personnel he has.
Instead, Saleh continued to lead an egregiously conservative offense and allowed the Jets to completely waste multiple seasons with a phenomenal defense.
The net result? An 18 and 33 record through three seasons and a spot on TPS’s short list of worst NFL head coaches.
Best: Kyle Shanahan – San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan is a mastermind, plain and simple.
Sure, his 49ers came up short in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs… again.
But let’s zoom out and take a look at his border track record. Every year, this team is right there, deep in the playoffs, knocking on the door. And he’s done it everywhere he’s gone—even as coordinator.
After all, we saw Matt Ryan transform into an MVP under him… and now—he’s turned Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, into one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the game. That’s no small feat.
Shanahan’s offensive schemes are pure wizardry. You can practically feel the opposing defensive coordinators losing their minds trying to keep up.
And it’s not just the offense—Shanahan’s fingerprints are all over this roster. The 49ers are stacked on both sides of the ball, and that’s a testament to his ability to build a team that’s tough, disciplined, and ready for anything.
If you’re wondering why the Niners are perennial Super Bowl contenders, look no further than Shanahan. The guy knows how to win and has the system and culture in place to keep doing it for years to come. It is just a matter of time until he can secure a Lombardi Trophy!
Worst: Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys
Mike McCarthy’s regular-season resume is solid… You don’t go 12-5 three years in a row without knowing how to win football games. And yes… he won a Super Bowl, but that was over a decade ago, and looking more and more like a fluke by the minute.
Let’s be real—McCarthy’s Cowboys always fold when it matters most. Year after year, Dallas gets bounced from the playoffs, and it’s usually because McCarthy gets out-coached in critical moments.
You can call this Cowboys hate all you want, but remember last season? The Cowboys got humiliated at home by the Packers in the Wild Card round.
It’s more than a pattern—it is an addiction. Dallas loves to beat up on weaker teams during the season but completely falls apart against tougher competition… Time and time again.
It would be one thing if the players simply didn’t show up, but more often than not it has tended to be terrible game management on the part of McCarthy that has spelled doom for Dallas.
I mean, the guy is a veteran of the league in every sense of the word and still struggles with basic clock management and timeout decisions. It is bonkers.
McCarthy might be able to fly under Jerry Jones’s radar again by putting together another solid regular season in 2024. Maybe the Cowboys will even win 11 or 12 games. But don’t be fooled—their postseason failures will continue as long as he’s in charge.
