What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

Coaching Vacancies Ranked By Desirability (1 Viewer)

I don't like the Jets at 3, but don't like any of the others better. Hard to believe how far the Browns have turned around their prognosis. 

 
I'd go with this:

GB (easiest to win right away)

CLE (Owner....)

TB (Decent roster already, at least on offense)

CIN (last coach got a huge leash)

DEN

MIA

ARZ (Bad team, maybe tied to iffy QB)

NYJ (What makes this desirable? Bad team, high expectations, iffy young QB)

 
I think those franchises with QB’s set in place are more desirable. So that leaves you with Cleveland, GB and NYJ... you could put Arizona in there if you find a coach that believes Rosen’s year was due to being thrown to the wolves. Denver I would say is a little more desirable than ARI just because overall the team seems in a bit of a better place even with Keenum there and I think Elway would go out of his way to try for the right QB. Tampa would worry me with a GM that should be gone and has already made public statements committing to Winston. Miami has been a trash landing spot for two decades, same could be said about NYJ but I think they have their QB situation right. You enter Miami and you’re talking complete rebuild again and correcting mistakes like Charles Harris from as little as two years ago. Hard to trust that FO’s draft process and most are still in place.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
1) Cleveland

2) GB

3) NYJ

4) DEN

5) ARZ

6) CIN

7) TB

8) MIA
1) GB - QB in place for now, talent on offense, stable front office and ownership

2) CLE - QB in place, tons of talent, good GM, less stable owner than GB

3) NYJ - Bowles seemed to get a ton of leash with mediocre results; QB in place 

4) TB - only reason they’re behind CLE and NYJ is their need to find a stable long term QB. I’m not sold that Jameis is that guy, but there’s talent all over that roster on offense and defense. 

5) CIN - look at the leash they gave Marvin. They’ve got some holes to fill, and I don’t love the owner being GM too, but they could’ve been a lot better with a better coach. 

6) DEN - desperately need a QB and secondary help, and honestly I’ve not loved Elway’s track record with draft picks more than the locations  ahead of this one. 

7) MIA - team is a mess; owner is a mess

8 ) ARI - would you really want to take a job where they drafted a rookie QB with their first selection, then fired the HC after the first season?  That doesn’t look so hot to me, and I’m not sold the GM is very good. 

 
Salary cap room isn’t everything, but it doesn’t hurt to have it. 

Projected cap space for next year:

NYJ $106M

CLE $80M

ARI $62M

CIN $51M

DEN $42M

GB $37M

MIA $17M

TB $15M
Excellent point. 

I think the league these days is all about finding your QB.

And even better if you can find your cheap (ie young) QB so you can spend money in other places. A la Russell Wilson early on. Rams and Bears now. 

 
It's a funny year. Almost all of these teams have major front office/ownership issues and all for different reasons. The one that doesnt? If it goes well the qb gets the credit and if it doesnt he will probably shove you out the door. 

For me it's Cleveland, Jets, Arizona, Green Bay, then all of them will be fired 2-3 years from now except for maybe the Cincy guy because they accept mediocrity - pick your future. 

 
In order and class below. I think Denver and Cincinnati are underrated on the list as far as talent to ownership relative to the others. I actually feel the top four are very close.

I think the Jets are way overrated. Darnold isn’t the answer and means the next coach is saddled with forcing a way to make him serviceable with no opportunity to get his guy.

High interest : GB

Middle Interest : CLE, DEN, CIN

Low interest : TB, MIA

No interest : NYJ, ARI

 
In order and class below. I think Denver and Cincinnati are underrated on the list as far as talent to ownership relative to the others. I actually feel the top four are very close.

I think the Jets are way overrated. Darnold isn’t the answer and means the next coach is saddled with forcing a way to make him serviceable with no opportunity to get his guy.

High interest : GB

Middle Interest : CLE, DEN, CIN

Low interest : TB, MIA

No interest : NYJ, ARI
The Jets are risky because of the eye rolling decisions being made at GM/CEO. Whether it's a good risk or not depends first on how you feel about Darnold and second if you can survive whatever goes down over the next 2 years above you on the org chart. If you dont buy into Sam then they're not a consideration. 

 
It would be hard for me to be excited about NYJ. I know Darnold looks like the real deal but am I wrong in thinking that the Jets are bottom 5 in roster talent in the league? And the GM who created that team is still around, so improvement is unlikely.

 
Without looking at the other lists...

Dream job: 

Cleveland. Did I really just write this? Fact is the players are in place, GM is good. You can win now and be a legend.

Green Bay. Give me a few years with Rodgers. 

Could be really happy there:

Jets. Darnold is okay, success here can be huge. 

Tampa Bay. First, it's Tampa Bay. Nice living. If you think Winston can succeed you'll want this job.

Arizona. Yes you need to rebuild, but if you like Rosen you'll take the chance. I might put az above tb.

Meh, it's a job

Denver. Love the city but that team is a mess with high expectations.

I'll pass and go back to the small University:

Miami. Nice place but the team is a mess. 

Cincinnati. Not a lot of great young talent here, and it's Ohio.

 
5) CIN - look at the leash they gave Marvin. 

8 ) ARI - would you really want to take a job where they drafted a rookie QB with their first selection, then fired the HC after the first season?  That doesn’t look so hot to me, and I’m not sold the GM is very good. 
Really good points that I overlooked.

I'd still put Cincy almost last, but you're right that s long leash is attractive.

 
I think those franchises with QB’s set in place are more desirable. So that leaves you with Cleveland, GB and NYJ... you could put Arizona in there if you find a coach that believes Rosen’s year was due to being thrown to the wolves. Denver I would say is a little more desirable than ARI just because overall the team seems in a bit of a better place even with Keenum there and I think Elway would go out of his way to try for the right QB. Tampa would worry me with a GM that should be gone and has already made public statements committing to Winston. Miami has been a trash landing spot for two decades, same could be said about NYJ but I think they have their QB situation right. You enter Miami and you’re talking complete rebuild again and correcting mistakes like Charles Harris from as little as two years ago. Hard to trust that FO’s draft process and most are still in place.
Great analysis here and I think the bold is key in making Tampa the worst destination.  Cincy looks like an almost total rebuild

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Salary cap room isn’t everything, but it doesn’t hurt to have it. 

Projected cap space for next year:

NYJ $106M

CLE $80M

ARI $62M

CIN $51M

DEN $42M

GB $37M

MIA $17M

TB $15M
Miami gets $19mm from cutting Tannehill as a post June1 and another $9mm if they cut Devante Parker.  I see a lot of other places they could restructure to save much salary cap money too (Quinn and Amendola come to mind).

 
The Jets are risky because of the eye rolling decisions being made at GM/CEO. Whether it's a good risk or not depends first on how you feel about Darnold and second if you can survive whatever goes down over the next 2 years above you on the org chart. If you dont buy into Sam then they're not a consideration. 
Yup, I think Darnold is fool’s gold. He was overrated in college and went too high in the draft. 

I think he’s Jameis Winston 2.0, with an ok completion percentage and way too many picks. He threw too many picks in college too, so that shouldn’t surprise folks either. 

Especially since he’s there, but also with the limited talent across the roster compared to the open jobs, it’s be a hard pass for me if I were to have the choice. 

 
He shows promise. I think at this point that is a plus.
I think he's probably the 4th best QB situation on these teams (I actually like Rosen with the right coach more). I'll take him over Winston on potential but an advantage with Jameis is you might not be saddled with him for long. 

 
1. Cleveland - young affordable stars in place. Has the potential to get really good quickly. Unstable owner is an issue but winning would solve it.

2. Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers. enough said, however they got limited cap space due to Rodgers contracts, and several aging players. Would need to work wonders with the draft/free agency to keep the team viable for the long term. This is purely a short term play.

3. New York Jets - opposite of Green Bay as the long term play here. They have tons of cap space, high picks, and a potential franchise qb. I'm not a huge believer in Darnold but many scouts are. They looked good in spots this season. 

4. Cincinnati - I think they are underrated talent-wise, but poor coaching held them down for a long time. Stability is a huge reason for their #4 ranking, I'm guaranteed to get 4-5 years at minimum. They do need some overhauling and change in culture. (forgot to mention: FWIW they also got the best helmet and uniforms in the league)

5. Denver - Slightly more talented than Bengals but less stability. I'm not 100% sold on John Elway as the GM. 

6. Arizona - Personally I would only consider the top 5 teams listed. The next three teams, I'm staying away as they are set up for failure. At least Arizona has their franchise qb, high picks, and tons of cap space but the entire roster is a mess. If you cannot work wonders with Rosen within 2 years, you will be gone. 

7. Tampa Bay - They do have some nice young talent but Winston? Licht? no thanks, their next coach is getting fired in 2-3 years guaranteed. 

8. Miami - A giant cluster####. They have nothing. Would need to be a complete overhaul, along with a tank/rebuild for couple of seasons. Dont know if the owners would approve of that. Probably going to be stuck in mediocrity for the next decade instead. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think a lot of it also depends on the coach.  His forte, his personality, his experience, etc.

Jets situation as documented above, is pretty good long term.  Would an experienced coach want this?  Shanny for example, would likely put a job like Green Bay over a job like the Jets.

Aaron is still in charge of that team.  Will a brand new coach want to be overshadowed by his QB?  Or maybe the opposite, and he'd want to walk into a winning situation?

I like the original articles order.  Finding a QB is HUGE, so having those as the top 3 seems reasonable.

 
What do you mean? As opposed to what? There isn’t anyone else. Lewis did it. 
If he goes outside the organization I'll be open minded to it, but he's been content with mediocrity since Lewis turned it around. Actions speak loudly. And speaking of which, Joseph and Jackson are allegedly the front runners. If either of them are hired cant convince me they're rebuilding. 

 
Tannehill was PFF's worst rated QB of 2018 and Parker had 24 catches.  They don't have starters there now.
Sure but whatever money they save by cutting those two would need to go right back out (plus more very likely) to sign a new QB and WR.

 
If he goes outside the organization I'll be open minded to it, but he's been content with mediocrity since Lewis turned it around. Actions speak loudly. And speaking of which, Joseph and Jackson are allegedly the front runners. If either of them are hired cant convince me they're rebuilding. 
I’ll be shocked if it’s either of those 2, but if it is then it tells you all you need to know. I expect they go outside and that person takes control of the roster and can decide which direction to go. For some candidates, that will be a negatives (Lewis was doing at minimum 2 full time jobs). For others, a positive to get basically full say. 

 
1. Cleveland - young affordable stars in place. Has the potential to get really good quickly. Unstable owner is an issue but winning would solve it.

2. Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers. enough said, however they got limited cap space due to Rodgers contracts, and several aging players. Would need to work wonders with the draft/free agency to keep the team viable for the long term. This is purely a short term play.

3. New York Jets - opposite of Green Bay as the long term play here. They have tons of cap space, high picks, and a potential franchise qb. I'm not a huge believer in Darnold but many scouts are. They looked good in spots this season. 

4. Cincinnati - I think they are underrated talent-wise, but poor coaching held them down for a long time. Stability is a huge reason for their #4 ranking, I'm guaranteed to get 4-5 years at minimum. They do need some overhauling and change in culture. (forgot to mention: FWIW they also got the best helmet and uniforms in the league)

5. Denver - Slightly more talented than Bengals but less stability. I'm not 100% sold on John Elway as the GM. 

6. Arizona - Personally I would only consider the top 5 teams listed. The next three teams, I'm staying away as they are set up for failure. At least Arizona has their franchise qb, high picks, and tons of cap space but the entire roster is a mess. If you cannot work wonders with Rosen within 2 years, you will be gone. 

7. Tampa Bay - They do have some nice young talent but Winston? Licht? no thanks, their next coach is getting fired in 2-3 years guaranteed. 

8. Miami - A giant cluster####. They have nothing. Would need to be a complete overhaul, along with a tank/rebuild for couple of seasons. Dont know if the owners would approve of that. Probably going to be stuck in mediocrity for the next decade instead. 
Then that will make it 30 years of mediocrity. Because that is exactly what the last 18 years have been.

And why? They never have had the right front office in there. Simple as that. For the most part some really poor drafting and never being able to land a legit top tier QB. It is always about the QB. And with the way the league has been the last 10 years.....it is all about the QB. You can't touch the WR's and now you can't even fart at the QB across a room.

So until the Dolphins land a real deal field general......they will be in the abyss. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
CLE - Mayfield, young talent, cap room
GB - Rodgers

CIN - a solid roster, they like to keep their coaches long-term
TB - good offensive weapons, some options at QB with Winston & pick 5
NYJ - some pieces & lots of cap space, higher if you like Darnold
DEN - a solid roster, though QB is iffy

MIA - limited talent, going to be hard to find a QB
ARZ - limited talent and Rosen looks bad, higher if you like Rosen or you love a QB in this draft and can get them to take him at pick 1

For reference,

QBs: Mayfield, Rodgers, Dalton, Winston, Darnold, Keenum, Tannehill, Rosen
2019 1st round picks: CLE pick 17, GB pick 12 & the Saints' pick, CIN pick 11, TB pick 5, NYJ pick 3, DEN pick 10, MIA pick 13, ARZ pick 1.

 
I'm clearly in the minority here, but I think Denver is the best job. I don't think people realize how awful Vance Joseph was, after Hue Jackson was fired, Joseph was easily the worst HC in the NFL in my eyes. The Broncos were a top-10 NFL team this year, they beat the Chargers, they outplayed the Chiefs and Texans, and were 50-50 with the Rams. Poor coaching, and to a lesser extent poor QB play cost them at least 4 games they could have easily won. A mediocre coach, and this team is the 6 seed in the AFC in 2018, even while starting Keenum. 

This team has young offensive playmakers, a top-5 defense, that could still be #1 if they are coached up in the slightest, and Chubb is as good as many think he'll be. They also have solid veteran leaders, and a stable front office. The only real holes are HC and QB, that is basically it. 

Ranking the options I'd go:

Denver>Cleveland>Green Bay>Tampa Bay>New York Jets>Cincinnati>Miami>Arizona

 
I'm clearly in the minority here, but I think Denver is the best job. I don't think people realize how awful Vance Joseph was, after Hue Jackson was fired, Joseph was easily the worst HC in the NFL in my eyes. The Broncos were a top-10 NFL team this year, they beat the Chargers, they outplayed the Chiefs and Texans, and were 50-50 with the Rams. Poor coaching, and to a lesser extent poor QB play cost them at least 4 games they could have easily won. A mediocre coach, and this team is the 6 seed in the AFC in 2018, even while starting Keenum. 

This team has young offensive playmakers, a top-5 defense, that could still be #1 if they are coached up in the slightest, and Chubb is as good as many think he'll be. They also have solid veteran leaders, and a stable front office. The only real holes are HC and QB, that is basically it. 

Ranking the options I'd go:

Denver>Cleveland>Green Bay>Tampa Bay>New York Jets>Cincinnati>Miami>Arizona
Denver's core is getting up there in years, they don't have a QB, and if you don't win then the blame won't fall on Elway.  I don't disagree with you about Joseph's poor coaching, but the window to compete with this core may have already closed. But the expectation will be that you can still compete with it now - so long as they get a capable QB like you said.  Where will that QB come from and how many resources will be devoted to acquiring it though?  Ultimately it may take 3 years to build this back up to a contender and I don't think whoever they hire has that long.

 
I'm clearly in the minority here, but I think Denver is the best job. I don't think people realize how awful Vance Joseph was, after Hue Jackson was fired, Joseph was easily the worst HC in the NFL in my eyes. The Broncos were a top-10 NFL team this year, they beat the Chargers, they outplayed the Chiefs and Texans, and were 50-50 with the Rams. Poor coaching, and to a lesser extent poor QB play cost them at least 4 games they could have easily won. A mediocre coach, and this team is the 6 seed in the AFC in 2018, even while starting Keenum. 

This team has young offensive playmakers, a top-5 defense, that could still be #1 if they are coached up in the slightest, and Chubb is as good as many think he'll be. They also have solid veteran leaders, and a stable front office. The only real holes are HC and QB, that is basically it. 

Ranking the options I'd go:

Denver>Cleveland>Green Bay>Tampa Bay>New York Jets>Cincinnati>Miami>Arizona
Would mostly agree, they played the toughest schedule in the league and were competitive in many games despite bad coaching. They jettisoned much of that "aging core" via trade the last few years, Von Miller is only turning 30 and Chubb is an amazing bookend. They still haven't fixed their offensive line issues which if addressed could make Keenum serviceable until they find a QB of the future. Some o'line help, a vet WR to replace Sanders after his torn Achilles, Corner and a few other pieces on defense and they would be a tough competitor again.

DB & WR in FA, QB with their pick at 10, O'line at the top of the 2nd, fill-in other holes with the rest of their picks. You find a good coach and you're looking at a solid team.

 
Would mostly agree, they played the toughest schedule in the league and were competitive in many games despite bad coaching. They jettisoned much of that "aging core" via trade the last few years, Von Miller is only turning 30 and Chubb is an amazing bookend. They still haven't fixed their offensive line issues which if addressed could make Keenum serviceable until they find a QB of the future. Some o'line help, a vet WR to replace Sanders after his torn Achilles, Corner and a few other pieces on defense and they would be a tough competitor again.

DB & WR in FA, QB with their pick at 10, O'line at the top of the 2nd, fill-in other holes with the rest of their picks. You find a good coach and you're looking at a solid team.
That's...a lot. And the QB you'd get at 10 probably isn't going to be anything like what was available last year.

 
Taking a stab in the dark at predicting coaching landings, I'll preface by saying I think McDaniels and McCarthy either end up in Green Bay and Cleveland respectively, or not head coaching at all. I'm picking the latter. McDaniels/Rodgers seems like a pairing that could be a disaster, as could McCarthy/Mayfield. I also don't see Bruce Arians coming back. Anyway here goes:

Denver- Vic Fangio, Matt Nagy's best decision of 2018 was keeping Fangio in place, but he's been so successful, that I can't imagine the Bears being able to keep him. Fangio's aggressiveness and scheming ability is 10X as good as Vance Joseph's was, and could make Denver the best defense in the NFL once more. Having Miller/Chubb off the edges with Fangio scheming, would be a nightmare for offenses, and may be the formula for slowing down Mahomes.

Cleveland- Dan Campbell, he's thought of very highly in the NFL, and I think/hope the Browns would prefer more of an up and comer than a retread. He's worked with Drew Brees, whom Mayfield is most often compared to, and comes from the Payton, and thus Parcells coaching tree. I do wonder if Gregg Williams or Freddie Kitchens would be amenable to returning to coordinator roles, as the continuity would be nice, as the Browns finished 5-2 down the stretch, and both losses were to division winners.

Green Bay- Jim Caldwell, this would be an uninspiring hire to many, but look no further than the 2018 Lions as to how valuable he can be, as they took a major step backward without him. Arguably the most important thing for any prospective Packers coaching candidate is to stay out of Rodgers way. Caldwell did that with Peyton Manning, and is already very familiar with the NFC North. I don't see Green Bay making a splash hire, unless they are planning a massive overhaul, and I can't see that happening as long as Rodgers is still there.

Tampa Bay- Eric "sleeping with" Bieniemy, an up and comer, following in the Doug Pederson, and Matt Nagy path of being the OC under Andy Reid. Bieniemy isn't the most experienced candidate, but Tampa seems like a team that could be willing to shake things up. They also have somewhat comparable offensive talent to the Chiefs, that just needs to be coached up some more. 

New York Jets- Adam Gase, I truly feel Gase got the short end of the stick in Miami, he greatly overachieved 2 out of 3 years there, basically whenever his QB wasn't Jay Cutler. Making the playoffs in 2016, with a 6-10 caliber team, and going 7-9 this year, with the least talented team in the AFC in my opinion. Gase also seems to have the Patriots number which is something I think the Jets organization, perhaps more than any other, would place extra value on. 

Cincinnati- Todd Monkin, this may be a little outside the box, and they might just roll with an embarrassing Hue Jackson or Vance Joseph type, but here's hoping they actually try to improve the team. Monkin did some outstanding work in Tampa this year, with some excellent scheming and play calling. He's clearly an up and comer, but coming from Tampa, may not get the recognition he deserved, and therefore may be available for a team like the Bengals. The Bengals in theory match up somewhat favorably with that Bucs offense on paper, as Dalton>Fitzpatrick, Mixon>any TB RB, Green, Boyd, Ross=Evans, Godwin, Jackson. 

Miami- Brian Flores, I'll admit I don't know much about Flores, but this just feels like a Dolphins move. Take a coordinator from a better team, and hope the magic rubs off. This was by far the hardest team to pick a candidate for. There are probably 6-7 realistic options. Flores is at least familiar with the team already coming from New England, and knows a lot of what they need to fix.

Arizona- Kliff Kingsbury, perhaps more so than any team, I feel the Cardinals can afford to make a bold choice this year. Kingsbury is considered an elite young offensive mind on the college ranks, and after the Wilks debacle, Arizona really can do no wrong, especially since many candidates are refusing interviews. Arizona's #1 goal should be to get a QB whisperer for Josh Rosen, so this fits that idea as well. 

 
Josh McDaniels turned down interviewing with Cincy. Don’t know if that says more about his hubris or the state of Cincy’s organization. Seems like he’d have full control and a half decade to fail already at his disposal there.

 
High interest : GB

Middle Interest : CLE, DEN, CIN

Low interest : TB, MIA

No interest : NYJ, ARI
As far as your low interest list...no state income taxes in Florida helps. ?? Ross seems like a crappy owner to work for in Miami, but Tampa may have that right mix to land a big-name college coach if they're willing to pay.  The Winston commitment is not a huge deal.  If he doesn't pan out early next season the team shuts him down and the new HC gets to rebuild/draft one high with a nice projected QB class coming in next season.

Also, Cincy is being underrated a bit on these lists.  The ability to build the entire organization in the way you deem appropriate would have a lot of appeal.  Brown may be a bit cheap, but expensive practice facilities don't win championships.  Expectations are low and the time frame to win or be shown the door appears longer than any other NFL job.

 
Also, Cincy is being underrated a bit on these lists.  The ability to build the entire organization in the way you deem appropriate would have a lot of appeal.  Brown may be a bit cheap, but expensive practice facilities don't win championships.  Expectations are low and the time frame to win or be shown the door appears longer than any other NFL job.
Aside from the potential long leash any HC would get here, it comes with Mike Brown.  He is cheap, but not just in practice facilities.  He also doesn't like to spend money, either in FA or in retaining their own players.  There have been extenuating circumstances, but as a HC you will need to plead and bargain to get Brown to open up the pocketbook.  Trades are very similar, in that the HC will need to show the benefits of the deal.  All of this was reported by "insiders" from a local Cincy Sports Radio station I listen to regularly.  They want to see CIN make a large HC splash, but don't believe they will because of Mike Brown and his involvement.  Yes it's an appealing position, but it has its drawbacks that would likely keep out the big names.  This is why a lot of their recent interviews have been with internal or those related to the program.  I would be surprised if CIN doesn't hire someone with ties to the organization.

As much flack as CLE gets for Haslam being a "meddlesome owner", CIN should get even more with Mike Brown being involved.

My list would be CLE, GB, NYJ, ARI, CIN, DEN, TB, MIA

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top