Well Black Monday has come and gone, and we have new coaching vacancies all over the NFL. The Giants, Raiders, Bears, Lions, Cardinals, and Colts are looking for new head coaches. Some coaches have already been predicted to be moving, and as PerSources’ resident football coach, I’d like to throw my hat in the ring. But seriously, we’re going to look at the vacancies and which potential coaches would fit well with a few franchises.
New York Giants
Ben McAdoo’s time was short, as many thought it would be, including myself. The Giants are now looking to interview both New England coordinators, among other coaches. Recently (thanks Seth Wickersham) Bill Belichick himself has been rumored to be the Giants next coach. This is a long-shot in my eyes, a very, very, very long-shot.
The Giants are my favorites to land Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, should he leave New England. With Odell Beckham Jr. coming back from injury, McDaniels would have a base for a strong offense that he could shape and control. Not only that, but McDaniels might be the one person that could pull Jimmy Garoppolo away from San Francisco.
Oakland Raiders
With Jack Del Rio being my biggest surprise firing, the Oakland Raiders find themselves on this list. The Raiders were the quickest to act and have hired Jon Gruden. Gruden, a Super Bowl champion with the Buccaneers in 2003, will be signed to the largest deal in NFL history at $100 million over ten years.
Gruden returns to the Raiders, having previously coached them from 1998-2001. His last game with the Raiders was the infamous Tuck Rule game in New England, a game that would propel the Patriots to the top of the league for over a decade.
Chicago Bears
John Fox is out, much to the relief of many Chicago fans, and GM Ryan Pace has been given a four-year extension. This allows Pace to really build the team in his image and around quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. I would venture to guess that an offensive-minded head coach would be good for the Bears, and I’m interested in what Josh McDaniels might be able to do for Chicago.
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However, I don’t think McDaniels lands in Chicago. Instead, I think John DeFilippo, quarterbacks coach for the Eagles, will take the reigns in Chicago. DeFilippo has been no small part of Carson Wentz’s success in Philly, and I think his impact on Trubisky is what would push the Bears back towards relevancy.
*Editor’s Note – Since this story was published, the Bears have signed Kansas City Chiefs OC Matt Nagy. He had been with Kansas City since 2013 as the Quarterback Coach before becoming OC in 2016.
Arizona Cardinals
Bruce Arians is leaving the game under his own terms. The Arizona coach, 49-30-1 and 1-2 in the playoffs, is expected to retire. Arians posted three seasons with a record above .500 in Arizona with QB Carson Palmer aiding him to that mark. With both leaving the NFL, Arizona will be going into a heavier rebuild than may have been expected.
I would be very interested to see what Matt Patricia could do with Arizona’s defense. I think his familiarity with Chandler Jones would be a good start. Having a secondary led by Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu wouldn’t hurt either. Having a defensive-minded coach manning that side of the ball would allow more focus on scouting offensive players in the draft or free agency.