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Sports

2024 NFL coaching tracker: News, rumors, personnel changes

todayJanuary 31, 2024 3

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As the postseason plays out, teams are preparing for 2024, which means the coaching carousel is spinning.

Head coaches, coordinators and league executives are already on the move as franchises search for better results next fall. The right hire can certainly bring instant success, as six first-year head coaches have led their teams to the playoffs since 2021. 

Here’s a breakdown of the latest coaching and executive changes across the league, corresponding interviews requested and scheduled and rumored candidates for the 2024 hiring cycle.

PERSONNEL CHANGES (general managers, head coaches, coordinators)

Atlanta Falcons

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  • HC Arthur Smith was fired on Jan. 7 after going 21-30 in three seasons in Atlanta.
  • HIRED: The Falcons have hired former Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their next head coach, NFL Media reported. Morris was previously a top assistant to former Falcons coach Dan Quinn during Quinn’s tenure in Atlanta and stepped in as interim head coach for 10 games after Quinn’s 2020 firing. He then joined the Rams, where he helped Los Angeles win a Super Bowl after the 2021 season. He reportedly impressed Falcons brass, including owner Arthur Blank, in a second in-person interview at Blank’s home Wednesday. The Falcons’ move means that ex-Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was once seen as a heavy favorite to be Atlanta’s next coach but whose candidacy reportedly lost momentum in recent days, likely will not land an NFL head coaching job in 2024.
  • HIRED: The Falcons have hired Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson to be their offensive coordinator, NFL Media reported on Jan. 27. Robinson will follow his fellow Rams assistant to Atlanta, joining Raheem Morris’ staff in one of the top roles. Robinson was one of the top offensive coordinator candidates this offseason, interviewing for a handful of jobs.
  • HIRED: Morris has also brought along another former Rams assistant, Jimmy Lake, to serve as his defensive coordinator in Atlanta, the team announced on Jan. 29. Lake spent last season as the assistant head coach for defense in Los Angeles. He previously spent several years in the college ranks at Washington, rising from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator and then was promoted to head coach following Chris Petersen’s retirement after the 2019 season. Washington fired Lake the 2021 season after a difficult pandemic-plagued two years at the helm there.

Buffalo Bills

  • HIRED: Former quarterbacks coach Joe Brady, who was promoted to interim offensive coordinator after the midseason firing of Ken Dorsey, has been given the full-time job, the Bills announced on Jan. 28. The Bills were 6-6 when they fired Dorsey, but they won their final five games to win the AFC East and then beat the Steelers in the wild-card round before getting eliminated by the Chiefs in the divisional round. Brady previously helped Joe Burrow’s famed 2019 LSU team win a national championship as co-offensive coordinator but struggled as Panthers OC in 2020 and 2021.
  • HIRED: Linebackers coach Bobby Babich has been promoted to defensive coordinator, the team announced Jan. 30. Babich has been a Buffalo assistant since 2017, initially working with the secondary and then the linebackers for the past two seasons. He previously worked with the Browns and Panthers as an assistant, as well as Florida International University, Eastern Illinois and Kent State. The 40-year-old takes over a post that was vacant last year in Buffalo, as coach Sean McDermott ran the defense after the club did not retain Leslie Frazier following the 2022 season.

Carolina Panthers

  • HC Frank Reich was fired on Nov. 27 after going 1-10 to start the season. Reich was in his first season in Carolina.
  • GM Scott Fitterer was fired on Jan. 8 after the Panthers failed to make the postseason in his three seasons at the helm. Fitterer notably made the trade with the Bears in the 2023 offseason to land the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, giving up the pick that eventually turned into the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 as part of the deal.
  • HIRED: Dan Morgan is being hired as the team’s next general manager, the Panthers announced on Jan. 22. Morgan, who played with the Panthers for seven seasons, has worked as Carolina’s assistant general manager since 2021. He previously worked his way up the ranks of the Seahawks‘ front office before serving as the Bills‘ director of player personnel for three years (2018-20).
  • HIRED: Dave Canales was hired as the Panthers’ next head coach, the team announced on Jan. 25. The 42-year-old won the job after only one season as the Buccaneers‘ offensive coordinator, helping to turn around Baker Mayfield‘s career as Tampa Bay reached the divisional round of the playoffs. Canales’ OC role with the Buccaneers was his first coordinator job in the NFL. He worked as an offensive assistant for the Seahawks prior to the Buccaneers hiring him in 2023, serving in a variety of roles.
  • HIRED: On Jan. 30, new Panthers coach Dave Canales hired four offensive coaches: assistant head coach/run game coordinator Harold Goodwin, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, wide receivers coach Rob Moore and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert. The team also reportedly could keep defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who has interviewed for head coaching jobs. The Panthers have not allowed him to interview for other DC jobs.

Chicago Bears

  • OC Luke Getsy was fired on Jan. 10, along with QBs coach Andrew Janocko and WRs coach Tyke Tolbert. Getsy, Janocko and Tolbert joined Matt Eberflus’ staff when he became the head coach in 2022. The Bears ranked 28th in total offense that year and improved to 20th in 2023, but that uptick wasn’t enough for Getsy and Janocko to keep their jobs. Chicago’s offense could look very different in 2024: The team holds the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and could select a QB to replace Justin Fields.
  • HIRED: The Bears hired Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator, the team announced on Jan. 23. Waldron spent the last three seasons working for Pete Carroll as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator. He has also coached for the Rams, Patriots and Commanders.

Cincinnati Bengals

  • HIRED: The Bengals promoted QBs coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator, replacing Brian Callahan, the team announced on Jan. 25. Callahan was officially hired on Jan. 24 as head coach of the Titans. Both Callahan and Pitcher have drawn praise not only for their work in developing star quarterback Joe Burrow, but also for how the team stayed competitive in the second half of the 2023 season behind solid play from backup quarterback Jake Browning after Burrow went down with a season-ending hand injury.

Cleveland Browns

  • HIRED: The Browns are hiring former Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to the same position, according to an ESPN report. Dorsey was hired by Buffalo in 2019 to be the team’s quarterbacks coach and was promoted to OC in 2022. Buffalo finished second in both points and yards during Dorsey’s first year in charge of the offense. He was let go by Buffalo in November. Dorsey also spent time as the Panthers quarterbacks coach from 2013-17.
  • OC Alex Van Pelt was fired on Jan. 17. It’s a bit of a surprise move — Van Pelt worked for an offensive-minded coach in Kevin Stefanski, but he helped oversee a resurgence in 2023. The Browns went 11-5 and claimed just their second playoff berth in 20 years behind midseason pickup Joe Flacco after starting quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with a shoulder injury. Cleveland finished 16th in total offense and 19th in scoring offense last season.

Green Bay Packers

  • HIRED: The Packers are hiring former Boston College coach Jeff Hafley as their new defensive coordinator. Hafley, 44, was brought on by Boston College in 2020 and led the school to Bowl-eligible seasons in three of his four years there. He spent one season with Ohio State as co-defensive coordinator and has been the defensive backs coach for both Cleveland and San Francisco.
  • DC Joe Barry was dismissed by the team on Jan. 24 after three seasons, per NFL Media. While the Packers ranked in the middle of the pack in most defensive stats, Barry was scrutinized for the uneven performance of his unit throughout the season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • DC Mike Caldwell was fired Jan. 8 along with most of his staff on that side of the ball, FOX Sports’ Greg Auman first reported. The Jaguars finished 22nd in the NFL in total defense and 26th in scoring defense this season, and they allowed more than 343 yards per game and over 24 points per game during their 1-5 finish to the season that knocked them out of the playoffs.
  • HIRED: The Jaguars hired former Falcons DC Ryan Nielsen to the same role, the team announced on Jan. 22. Nielsen oversaw a defensive turnaround for Atlanta, which ranked No. 11 in the NFL in total defense this past season, but was free to look for other work after the Falcons fired HC Arthur Smith at the end of the season.

Las Vegas Raiders

  • HC Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler were fired on Oct. 31 after the Raiders’ 3-5 start. Both were in their second year in Las Vegas.
  • HIRED: Antonio Pierce’s interim tag was removed, and he was officially promoted to full-time head coach on Jan. 19. The move was widely expected as the Raiders, despite reported interest in Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, only interviewed ex-Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and ex-Saints defensive coordinator Kris Richard for the role aside from Pierce. Pierce will interview candidates to be the team’s next offensive coordinator.
  • HIRED: The Raiders hired former Chargers general manager Tom Telesco to be their GM. Telesco joins Las Vegas after spending 11 seasons with the Chargers, posting six winning seasons during his time there.

Los Angeles Chargers

  • HC Brandon Staley was fired on Dec. 15, a day after the Chargers lost to the Raiders in a primetime game, 63-21. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 5-9 on the season after it made the playoffs a year prior. The Chargers went 24-24 in Staley’s three seasons at the helm.
  • GM Tom Telesco was also fired on Dec. 15, ending his 11-year tenure with the team.
  • HIRED: The Chargers are expected to hire Baltimore Ravens director of player personnel Joe Horitz as their new general manager, according to reports from ESPN and NFL.com.
  • HIRED: Just a few weeks after he led Michigan to its first undisputed college football national title in 75 years, Jim Harbaugh is headed back to the NFL as the Chargers’ next head coach on a reported five-year deal.

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • HC/GM Bill Belichick mutually parted ways with the team on Jan. 11 after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles.
  • Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was named Ohio State‘s offensive coordinator on Jan. 19, ending his second tenure with the Patriots after one season.
  • HIRED: The Patriots promoted linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to head coach on Jan. 12, one day after they mutually parted ways with Belichick. Mayo was reportedly widely regarded inside and outside the Patriots’ building as a future head coach, most notably by team owner Robert Kraft. The former All-Pro linebacker spent his entire NFL playing and coaching career in New England under Belichick. He had a clause put in his contract last offseason that allowed the Patriots to promote him to head coach without going through a formal interview process.
  • HIRED: The Patriots plan to promote DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator — a position they’ve left vacant since the start of the 2018 season — ESPN reported on Jan. 27.

New Orleans Saints

  • The Saints dismissed OC Pete Carmichael and two other assistant coaches on Jan. 16, the team announced. Carmichael was the last remaining member of Sean Payton’s original 2006 staff in New Orleans, starting as QBs coach before getting promoted to offensive coordinator in 2009, a position he has held ever since.

New York Giants

  • DC Wink Martindale resigned from his post on Jan. 8. Martindale’s decision is a twist from what head coach Brian Daboll told reporters earlier that day, saying he expected the longtime coach to return for a third season in New York. Martindale and Daboll were reportedly at odds earlier in the 2023 season as New York’s defense struggled. Martindale’s departure is part of the exodus of Giants assistants. Daboll said that special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson will be replaced.
  • Outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins were also fired.

Philadelphia Eagles

  • The Eagles have dismissed DC Sean Desai after one year, per NFL Media. Desai, hired from the Seahawks last offseason to replace newly hired Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon, oversaw a decline in a unit that was one of the league’s best when Philadelphia reached last year’s Super Bowl. Desai was replaced as play-caller by longtime Patriots assistant and former Lions HC Matt Patricia in mid-December, but the move backfired as the Eagles defense only backslid further under Patricia. However, it gave the implication that Desai was not long for Philadelphia after the Eagles’ 1-5 finish to the regular season and 32-9 loss to the Bucs in the wild-card round.
  • Philadelphia will not retain offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, multiple sources reported on Jan. 23. Johnson had been promoted from QBs coach to replace Shane Steichen, who left to become head coach of the Colts after the Eagles’ Super Bowl appearance last season. But under Johnson, the Eagles offense dropped year-over-year in points per game (28.1 to 25.5), passing yards per game (241.5 to 225.5) and rushing yards per game (147.6 to 128.8). There were also reports of discord between Johnson, head coach Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts.
  • HIRED: The Eagles hired veteran coach Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator on Jan. 25, the team announced on Jan. 27. The 65-year-old defensive guru has coached a string of top-10 defenses in a career that has spanned five decades. He was head coach of the Broncos from 2019 to 2021 and spent the following season as a consultant for the Eagles. He’s the architect of the two-high safety scheme that the Eagles tried (and failed) to play last year under former DC Sean Desai. Fangio spent last season running the Dolphins defense.
  • HIRED: The Eagles tabbed former Cowboys and Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be their next offensive coordinator, ESPN reported on Jan. 27. Moore replaces Brian Johnson, who was let go by the Eagles after one season as their offensive coordinator. Moore, 35, has been viewed as a future head coach for a few years, but has yet to land that gig. He served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator for four years before both sides opted to part ways following the 2022 season. He joined the Chargers in 2023. The Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley in December and hired Jim Harbaugh on Jan. 24, making it unlikely Moore would remain in Los Angeles.

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • HIRED: The Steelers have hired former Falcons HC Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator. Smith was fired on Jan. 7 after going 21-30 in three seasons in Atlanta. Before Atlanta, he built a strong running game as the offensive coordinator of the Titans. Pittsburgh fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada midseason, after which quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan called plays for the remainder of the year.

Seattle Seahawks

  • HC Pete Carroll stepped down from his post on Jan. 10, ending his tenure after 14 years.
  • HIRED: The Seahawks have hired Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. The first-time coach signed a six-year deal after leading one of the NFL’s top defensive units the past two seasons. At 36 years old, he becomes the youngest head coach in the league.

Tennessee Titans

  • HIRED: The Titans are zeroing in on Baltimore secondary coach Dennard Wilson as their next defensive coordinator. Wilson is a former NFL safety who latched on with Washington in 2004 after going undrafted out of Maryland. The long-tenured coach has had coaching stints with the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. He served as a scout for the Bears from 2008 to 2011. The Ravens’ stout defense finished sixth against the pass this season, giving up 191.6 yards per game.
  • The Titans fired Mike Vrabel on Jan. 9. The former Patriots linebacker and Texans defensive coordinator is expected to be one of the top head-coach candidates on the market. Vrabel has gone 54-45 in six seasons with the Titans, making the playoffs three times, but he has missed the postseason in each of the past two years, including a 6-11 finish in 2023.
  • HIRED: The Titans hired Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as the their next head coach, the team announced Jan. 24. The team also announced that general manager Ran Carthon has been promoted to executive vice president/general manager, while Chad Brinker has been promoted to president of football operations. Carthon, who came over from the 49ers last offseason, will oversee “all areas that impact the football team,” including roster control and oversight of Callahan’s coaching staff.

Washington Commanders 

  • HC Ron Rivera was fired on Jan. 8 after the Commanders went 4-13 this season. Rivera went 26-40-1 over his four seasons in Washington.
  • HIRED: The Commanders tabbed 49ers assistant GM/VP of player personnel Adam Peters as their general manager on Jan. 15. It’s the first major hire in the ownership of Josh Harris, who took over the team from the embattled Dan Snyder last summer. Harris brought in former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers to help with the search, and Myers and Peters knew each other from their shared time in the Bay Area. Peters, who has been in San Francisco since 2017, won Super Bowls while working in New England and Denver.

LOOMING DECISIONS 

Las Vegas Raiders

  • DC Patrick Graham has reportedly received interest from other teams to be their defensive coordinator, but the Raiders have denied him permission to interview.

INTERVIEWS, CANDIDATES

Chicago Bears (DC)

Green Bay Packers (DC)

Las Vegas Raiders (OC)

Los Angeles Rams (DC)

Miami Dolphins (DC)

New England Patriots (OC)

New York Giants (DC)

Philadelphia Eagles (OC)

Seattle Seahawks (HC)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (OC)

Washington Commanders (HC)

STAYING PUT 

Los Angeles Rams

  • Sean McVay indicated on Jan. 2 that he would return to the sideline in 2024, regardless of how the team’s postseason went. The Rams lost in the wild-card round to the Lions on Jan. 13. The head coach publicly mulled retirement in each of the past two offseasons before opting to return to the Rams.

Chicago Bears

  • Matt Eberflus will remain in Chicago after reportedly holding “extensive meetings” with the Bears’ top officials over the first two days of the offseason. The head coach was rumored to be on the hot seat for much of the 2023 season as the Bears got off to an 0-4 start after finishing with the league’s worst record in his first year on the job in 2022. But the Bears improved as the season went along, winning four of their final six games to finish 7-10. There will be changes made on Eberflus’ staff though, as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has been let go.

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Mike Tomlin reportedly told his players that he would remain in Pittsburgh following its season-ending playoff loss on Jan. 16. The longtime coach is entering the final season of his contract, leading to speculation he could leave the team. Following Belichick’s departure from the Patriots, Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the league.

Dallas Cowboys

  • Owner/GM Jerry Jones released a statement on Jan. 17 committing to coach Mike McCarthy for another year after the Cowboys’ stunning 48-32 upset loss to the Packers on Jan. 13. McCarthy has led Dallas to three straight 12-5 seasons and playoff berths, but the Cowboys are 1-3 in the postseason in his tenure, including two home losses.
  • Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is also reportedly expected to keep his role if he does not get a head coaching job despite Dallas struggling mightily on that side of the ball against Green Bay.

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