Ranking 10 NFL Head Coaching Hires: From John Harbaugh to Klint Kubiak

The last time the NFL welcomed 10 new head coaches was in 2022, and four years later, eight of those 10 have already been fired. So at least this year’s group of 10 can’t be worse, right? Time will tell, of course. But for now, here are FOX Sports’ rankings of the 10 new head coaches hired in the 2026 cycle, complete with a very early grade for each. 10. Mike LaFleur, Arizona Cardinals Did the Cardinals accidentally pick the wrong coordinator on Sean McVay’s staff? The NFL world was abuzz early this cycle about Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s potential to become the next great coach in the McVay tree. Instead, LaFleur, 38, beat him to it. Perhaps the Cardinals saw something others didn’t in his unremarkable two years as Jets offensive coordinator leading eventual draft pick Zach Wilson? Or maybe they liked the Rams’ offense so much that they were willing to overlook the fact that McVay, not LaFleur, called the plays? None of this is to say LaFleur can’t be a good head coach. He spent seven years working for Kyle Shanahan at various stops and three years alongside McVay, so some of their genius might have rubbed off. Still, it’s a curious choice, especially considering some of the candidates the Cardinals chose not to hire. Rating: D-9. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills Terry Pegula insisted he made the decision to fire Sean McDermott after seeing the scene in the postgame locker room in Denver. He felt he had a team capable of reaching a Super Bowl and he needed a leader who could propel it to the top. That made sense…until he handed his supposed title-ready team to a 36-year-old first-time head coach who was part of the staff he believed had just failed the franchise. I guess Brady, in his two years as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, had nothing to do with their playoff failures? He was a favorite of quarterback Josh Allen, who clearly wanted the offensive system to stay the same. That’s why so many people thought the Bills were going to hire former Giants coach Brian Daboll, who was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo who helped make Allen a star. Instead, the Bills conducted a fake search and named Brady who, to be fair, is well respected around the league and has had numerous interviews with the head coach over the past three offseasons. However, this remains a risk for a franchise that could have benefited from the arrival of an external candidate – which seemed to be Pegula’s initial intention. Grade: D 8. Jeff Hafley, Miami Dolphins The Dolphins tried the prodigy offensive route with Mike McDaniel, and the results were just okay. But it appeared too often that leadership was lacking in this locker room. This is why they needed to turn to a “CEO” type coach. And that fits Hafley, who has experience running a program during his four years as head coach at Boston College. Unfortunately, it was a pretty mediocre run, with an overall record of 22-26 and a stint in a minor bowl. College coaches don’t often translate well to the pros either, although Hafley spent nine years as an NFL assistant. He did his best over the past two seasons as defensive coordinator in Green Bay, where he helped transform the Packers’ defense into a championship-caliber unit. But it’s his leadership that will likely define his tenure in Miami, not his defensive scheme. Grade: C 7. Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans Saleh, 46, doesn’t deserve all the blame for what happened during his time as head coach of the New York Jets, but he can’t deny that whole 20-36 record. It’s true that he had a bad quarterback (Zach Wilson), but he made a lot of bad decisions that also helped ruin his tenure. Maybe he learned from them. That’s what the Titans are counting on. And there are many examples of coaches who thrived when given a second chance. But sometimes failure proves that a coach is not capable of handling the big job. We’ll see if it’s true. If nothing else, Saleh is an impressive presence and everyone who has played for him praises his leadership. He will certainly bring a new attitude to the Titans. He’s also a brilliant defensive mind, so there probably won’t be many problems on that side of the ball. Oddly, he hired another failed coach from New York to run his offense – former Giants coach Brian Daboll, who had a record similar to Saleh’s of 20-40-1. He is also well respected and will be a big help to promising young quarterback Cam Ward. Perhaps it will be a great redemption story for the two exiled New Yorkers, although the chances seem slim. Grade: C+ 6. Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns It takes someone with a good stomach to be the Browns’ head coach, but it also probably takes someone with more experience than Monken. At least Monken brings solid experience developing quarterbacks, which is something the Browns need more than anything right now. They have a tremendous defense. They even have some promising talent at running back and receiver. But if they can’t develop a quarterback — whether it’s Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel or someone else — it doesn’t matter. And Monken has had a string of success, leading a top-10 offense in Tampa (2016-18) with Jameis Winston, helping turn Lamar Jackson into an MVP in Baltimore (2023-25), and even developing a prolific offense behind Stetson Bennett at the University of Georgia. The downside is that the Browns’ haphazard search could have cost them respected defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. And Monken, at 59, has never been a head coach in the NFL before. But if he can fix the quarterback mess, the Browns will at least take the all-important first step. Grade: C+ 5. Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas Raiders He is the best offensive assistant this year after his masterful work with the Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Sam Darnold. But picking the young offensive star is often a boom or bust proposition, as not every great coordinator makes for a quality head coach. The Raiders can afford to take that risk, however, assuming they are patient with the 38-year-old. They’re a few years away from contending and Kubiak’s primary task will likely be developing quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the presumptive top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. What Kubiak did in Seattle surely caught the attention of the Raiders, but his coaching lineage shouldn’t be overlooked. He worked under his father, Gary Kubiak, as well as Kevin Stefanski and Kyle Shanahan. A lot of offensive knowledge was passed on to him. It remains to be seen whether he will be up to this big job. But if he can develop the new quarterback, he’ll be off to a hell of a start. Grade: B- *Raiders cannot officially announce the hiring until Super Bowl LX 4. Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh Steelers It’s hard to argue against hiring a coach with a resume like McCarthy’s. He is simply one of the biggest recent winners in the NFL. He went 125-77-2 in his 13 years in Green Bay. He had three 12-win seasons in five years in Dallas. He made the playoffs 12 times in a total of 18 years and won the Super Bowl. Who wouldn’t want that? The only problem here is the fit. McCarthy is 62 years old with 18 years of experience and doesn’t seem like the type of coach who would want a rebuilding project. And even if the Steelers don’t think they’re rebuilding, maybe they should. They’ve been hovering around mediocrity for over a decade and have been looking for their next franchise quarterback since at least 2018, when they drafted Mason Rudolph. McCarthy’s hiring makes it look like they’re ready to move back, perhaps with a deteriorating 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now, if they could somehow land a young franchise QB, McCarthy could be a very good fit. Don’t overlook his influence on Rodgers’ early career. But without this situation being resolved, this coaching hire could quickly prove to be too old and too obsolete. Grade: B 3. Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens Early in this hiring cycle, no promising assistant has been as talked about as the 42-year-old Minter. He was considered a top candidate for several teams, until the market was suddenly flooded with experienced coaches. Although it takes a bit of speculation, it deserves to be ranked among the top, especially since it probably inherits the best of the 10 openings. On a loaded roster with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, he has the best chance to win right away. Can he? Well, his pedigree as an assistant is solid. He is an apple of the Harbaugh tree, having worked with John in Baltimore and Jim at Michigan and with the Los Angeles Chargers. He built the best defense in college football when Michigan won the national championship in 2023, and he transformed a poor Chargers defense into a top-10 unit over the past two seasons. He can therefore train. And many NFL executives believe he’s ready to take the big chair. Considering the one he sits in, it would be hard for him to waste this opportunity, even if the Ravens defense took a major step backwards in 2025. Grade: B+2. Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta Falcons The Falcons are a team full of offensive talent that seemed wasted and misused under Raheem Morris. This is one of the main reasons why, perhaps more than any other club, they needed an offensive-minded head coach. And Stefanski is one of the best, despite what happened in his last two lousy seasons in Cleveland (8-26). There he was undermined by a series of disastrous quarterback decisions. Before that, he was a miracle worker. Consider that the Browns have made the playoffs twice in the last 23 years – both times under Stefanski. He remarkably won 11 games twice in Cleveland – his only two 11-win seasons since Bill Belichick reached that mark there in 1994 – and was named NFL Coach of the Year both times. Stefanski helped Baker Mayfield become a viable NFL quarterback (they went to the playoffs in their first season together), and he had his other winning/playoff season in a year where he had to juggle five different starting quarterbacks. So don’t blame him for the way the Browns fell apart. Look what he did before the collapse. He will do the same thing in Atlanta with whoever his quarterback is. Grade: A 1. John Harbaugh, New York Giants He is the player who hit the home run of the offseason and the Giants had to succeed given their miserable and embarrassing record over the last 14 years. They tried a line of promising, inexperienced coaches, but it just didn’t work. They needed someone who had done it before and would instantly restore credibility to their franchise. Harbaugh, of course, enjoyed a long and successful career in Baltim ore, going 180-113 in 18 seasons, making the playoffs 12 times and winning a Super Bowl. But more than his success as a coach, he possesses a presence and credibility that the Giants have lacked since Tom Coughlin. He can stand in front of a team generally perceived as talented but underperforming, and the players know that what he says and does will work — because it will. He will immediately restore discipline and confidence, and he has a history of being excellent with young quarterbacks. He’s the only coach who could make the Giants’ desired turnaround incredibly quick. Rating: A+