2026 NFL Draft First Round Order

With the Super Bowl in the books, the order of the 2026 NFL Draft is now set. Compensatory picks will be announced at a later date. Those will only impact the order after the second round. Here’s the first round.

2026 NFL Draft First Round Order

1.   Las Vegas Raiders

2.   New York Jets

3.   Arizona Cardinals

4.   Tennessee Titans

5.   New York Giants

6.   Cleveland Browns

7.   Washington Commanders

8.   New Orleans Saints

9.   Kansas City Chiefs

10. Cincinnati Bengals 

11. Miami Dolphins

12. Dallas Cowboys

13. Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons)

14. Baltimore Ravens

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

16. New York Jets (from Colts)

17. Detroit Lions

18. Minnesota Vikings

19. Carolina Panthers

20. Dallas Cowboys (from Packers)

21. Pittsburgh Steelers 

22. Los Angeles Chargers 

23. Philadelphia Eagles 

24. Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars)

25. Chicago Bears

26. Buffalo Bills

27. San Francisco 49ers

28. Houston Texans

29. Los Angeles Rams

30. Denver Broncos

31. New England Patriots

32. Seattle Seahawks

Teams with 2 picks:

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Dallas Cowboys

Cleveland Browns

Teams with no picks:

Atlanta Falcons

Indianapolis Colts 

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Potential 2026 Minnesota Vikings Starters

Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks. And especially Sam Darnold. Someone had to win the Super Bowl this year. 

Now on to more important things.

Just for post-Super Bowl giggles, here’s a look at a potential 2026 Minnesota Vikings lineup. Until Harrison Smith makes it official, I have him riding off into his much deserved retirement with a Super Bowl win.

2026 Minnesota Vikings Starters?

Offense

Quarterback 

J.J. McCarthy

Running Back

Jordan Mason

Travis Etienne (free agent)

Fullback

?

C.J. Ham has retired. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings add another fullback or join the teams pushing for the extinction of the position. 

Wide Receiver

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Tight End

T.J. Hockenson

Tackles

Christian Darrisaw

Brian O’Neill

Guards

Donovan Jackson

Will Fries

Center

Jake Slaughter (rookie)

Defense

Defensive Line

Jalen Redmond

Lee Hunter (rookie)

Jonathan Allen

Linebackers

Jonathan Greenard

Blake Cashman

Eric Wilson

Andrew Van Ginkel

Dallas Turner isn’t among the above but he’ll get the snaps of a starter. 

Cornerbacks

Byron Murphy Jr.

Isaiah Rodgers

Mansoor Delane (rookie)

Safeties

Harrison Smith

Joshua Metellus

Kyle Louis (rookie)

Special Teams

Kicker

Will Reichard

Punter

Ryan Wright

Long Snapper

Andrew DePaola

Returner

Myles Price

Flea Flicker Super Bowl Prediction

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. The first one was a fun game as Patriots corner Malcolm Butler swiped the game from the Seahawks in the final seconds. Butler’s interception at the goal line with 26 seconds to play was a stunner. Many have moaned over the years that Pete Carroll and his play-callers blew the game by not simply handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch. Actually, Russell Wilson lost it when he forced a pass into a crowd. In the moment, the play-call wasn’t the mistake. The execution was. 26 seconds left in the game, a timeout, second-and-goal from the one, the Seahawks held the keys to the game. Carroll expected the Patriots to call a timeout. Bill Belichick, the coach that should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, let the clock run. It was a surprising decision in the moment and seemed to panic the Seahawks. Still, the situation on the field favored the Seahawks. If Wilson didn’t have his receiver at the snap, throw the ball away. It’s a simple and immediate decision. Wilson failed that moment. Throw the ball away. About 20 seconds left, a timeout, third-and-goal from the one, the Seahawks would’ve still held the keys to the game. The Seahawks mistake at the end of Super Bowl XLIX was the execution, not the play-call. The NFL Films work documenting the Patriots execution of the game’s critical moments is outstanding. From the coaches box to the sidelines, Belichick, the Patriots coaches, and players simply and calmly did their jobs. The Patriots were in control of their situation while the Seahawks looked panicky.

The Patriots have been to a bunch of Super Bowls in the 2000s. The best thing about those appearances is that every one of those games was entertaining. For a football fan without a team in the game, that’s a very good thing. A shitty Super Bowl is a shitty way to end a season. Except for the winning team and their fans, a blowout is a shitty football game. All of those entertaining Patriots Super Bowls included Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. There’s no certainty that it carries over to Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. I’m hoping for an entertaining Super Bowl LX. Here’s a guess at the game. 

Seattle Seahawks vs New England Patriots

Pick: Patriots

This is tough. From offense to defense to special teams, the Seahawks are the better team. I believe that each defense could overwhelm their opposing offense. This game could become a low-scoring slugfest. Perhaps a defensive or special teams score wins it. If the game plays like that, I’m leaning Patriots. 

All - Time Super Bowl Team

59 Super Bowls bring out some of the best football players to ever play the game. On the eve of Super Bowl LX, here’s a team of those great players. 

All - Time Super Bowl Team

Offense

Quarterback 

Tom Brady, New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Running Back

Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys

Fullback

Larry Csonka, Miami Dolphins

Ends

Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Tight End

Rob Gronkowski. New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Tackles

Art Shell, Oakland Raiders

Forrest Gregg, Green Bay Packers

Guards

John Ayers San Francisco 49ers

Larry Little, Miami Dolphins 

Center

Mike Webster, Pittsburgh Steelers

Defense

Defensive Ends

Reggie White, Green Bay Packers

Willie Davis, Green Bay Packers

Defensive Tackles

Alan Page, Minnesota Vikings

Manny Fernandez, Miami Dolphins

Linebackers

Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants

Jack Lambert, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jack Ham, Pittsburgh Steelers

Cornerbacks

Mel Blount, Pittsburgh Steelers

Deion Sanders, San Francisco 49ers/Dallas Cowboys

Safeties

Jake Scott, Miami Dolphins

Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49ers

Special Teams

Kicker

Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots/Indianapolis Colts

Punter

Ray Guy, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders

Returner

Desmond Howard, Green Bay Packers

Assuming that Rob Gronkowski makes the Pro Hall of Fame next year and teammate Tom Brady makes it whenever, John Ayers, Jake Scott, Manny Fernandez, and Desmond Howard are the only players on this team without a Canton bust. Ayers was always an underrated player on those great 49ers teams. Scott and Howard were Super Bowl MVPs. Fernandez should’ve received the MVP that went to Larry Csonka. Scott has a Hall of Fame argument that hasn’t been properly argued. 

The coach of this team of Super Bowl greats is an easy choice. 

Bill Belichick

It will forever be astonishing that 11 supposedly astute observers of professional football decided that Bill Belichick isn’t a first ballot Hall of Famer. Belichick is as deserving of the honor as Jerry Rice, Reggie White, and Lawrence Taylor. I hope those 11 dipshits are happy. 

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026

The hardware for the 2025 season was handed out last night at NFL Honors. Congratulations on the winners of the awards. On most occasions, it’s the announcement of the upcoming Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame that holds my interest. This year was no different. 

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Drew Brees

Larry Fitzgerald

Luke Kuechly

Adam Vinatieri

Roger Craig

If Kevin Williams had managed to make it through the process, this Class would rank with my favorites. Watching Larry Fitzgerald and Luke Kuechly play football was so much fun. They are two of my favorite non-Minnesota Vikings players of any era. With Fitzgerald’s Minnesota roots it feels as if he’s Vikings-adjacent. As the team’s ball boy during Vikings training camps in the late-1990s, Fitzgerald joined Cris Carter and Randy Moss as future Pro Football Hall of Fame receivers on those Mankato practice fields. I’d probably hold Drew Brees in higher esteem if it wasn’t for his bounty-gating New Orleans Saints teams. Despite playing in the long shadow of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Brees was a brilliant, exciting quarterback. There aren’t many in Pro Football Hall of Fame for exclusively special teams. Adam Vinatieri deserves to be one of them. He’s the league’s all-time leading scorer. He has Super Bowl-winning kicks. He’s arguably the best kicker in league history. Despite the position he played, Vinatieri had the sort of career that’s deserving of an early entry into Canton. Finally, Roger Craig finally made it. I suppose that he had a long Hall wait because his career stats don’t rank with the best running back’s in league history. The 1980s San Francisco 49ers were one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Fred Dean, and Charles Haley are the only players from those teams in Canton. Haley made it for his Dallas days as much as his 49ers days. As great as Montana and Rice were, Craig was often the engine of the offense. He should’ve made it to the Hall of Fame before he his the Senior pool. 

It’s unfortunate that the highlight of this terrific Pro Football Hall of Fame Class is a person not in it. There isn’t a single reason for Bill Belichick to not make it to Canton in his first year of eligibility. He’s more deserving of that honor than Drew Brees or Larry Fitzgerald. It doesn’t even seem possible. Yet, here we are. Part of the reason is an ludicrous voting process. One that that’s seen its last days. It should never have seen any days. The biggest reason Belichick isn’t part of this Class is the 11 idiots that didn’t vote for him. I don’t give a shit about their reasons. They can talk in circles about the reasoning but it’s only ever going to come down to spite. The voters are trusted with honoring the history of pro football. The 11 idiots spit on that trust and punished someone they personally didn’t like. Oh, Belichick is going to get to Canton. That’s what those 11 idiots will say to make themselves feel better, to make them feel like they’re still honoring pro football’s great history. Well, the damage is already done. They’ve taken away the honor of being a first ballot Hall of Famer. It’s what Bill Belichick deserved. It’s what his career deserved. Poof. Gone.

It sure would’ve been nice to see Kevin Williams and especially Bill Belichick round out this Class. As it stands, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a great, fun Class. Congratulations to the five new Pro Football Hall of Famers. See you in Canton in August. 

Ranking The 59 Super Bowls

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots have emerged as the participants in Super Bowl LX. The first one was a pretty good game. Hopefully, this rematch is a pretty good game. The following is a ranking of the fifty-nine Super Bowls. Hopefully, Super LV finds a high spot in next year’s ranking. 

59. Super Bowl IV-Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7

58. Super Bowl VIII-Miami Dolphins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7

57. Super Bowl IX-Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6

56. Super Bowl XI-Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14

55. Super Bowl XXIV-San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10

54. Super Bowl XLVIII-Seattle Seahawks 43, Denver Broncos 8

53. Super Bowl XX-Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10

52. Super Bowl XXXV-Baltimore Ravens 34, New York Giants 7

51. Super Bowl XXIX-San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26

50. Super Bowl XXXVII-Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21

49. Super Bowl XXII-Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10

48. Super Bowl XXVII-Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17

47. Super Bowl XII-Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10

46. Super Bowl XXXIII Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19

45. Super Bowl XVIII Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9

44. Super Bowl XXVI-Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24

43. Super Bowl XV-Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10

42. Super Bowl I-Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10

41. Super Bowl VI-Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3

40. Super Bowl XL-Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10

39. Super Bowl XLI-Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17

38. Super Bowl II-Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14

37. Super Bowl XIX-San Francisco 49ers, 38, Miami Dolphins 16

36. Super Bowl V-Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13

35. Super Bowl VII-Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7

34. Super Bowl XXVIII-Dallas Cowboys 30, Buffalo Bills 13

33. Super Bowl XXI-New York Giants 39, Denver Broncos 20

32. Super Bowl XLIX-Philadelphia Eagles 40, Kansas City Chiefs 22

31. Super Bowl LV-Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9
30. Super Bowl XXXI-Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21

29. Super Bowl XXX-Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
28. Super Bowl L-Denver Broncos 24, Carolina Panthers 10
27. Super Bowl XVII-Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17

26. Super Bowl XLIV-New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17
25. Super Bowl LIII-New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3
24. Super Bowl XXXIX-New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21

23. Super Bowl XLV-Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25

22. Super Bowl XLVI-New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

21. Super Bowl XXXII-Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24

20. Super Bowl III-New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7

19. Super Bowl XLVII-Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31
18. Super Bowl XXXIV-St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16

17. Super Bowl XXXVI-New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17

16. Super Bowl XIV-Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19

15. Super Bowl LIV-Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 20

14. Super Bowl XVI-San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21

13. Super Bowl LVI-Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20

12. Super Bowl LII-Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33

11. Super Bowl LVII-Kansas City Chiefs 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35
10. Super Bowl X-Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17

  9. Super Bowl XXIII-San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16

  8. Super Bowl LVIII-Kansas City Chiefs 25, San Francisco 49ers 22

  7. Super Bowl XXV-New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19

  6. Super Bowl XXXVIII-New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29

  5. Super Bowl XLII-New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14

  4. Super Bowl LI-New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28
  3. Super Bowl XLIX-New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
  2. Super Bowl XLIII-Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23

  1. Super Bowl XIII-Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31

Minnesota Vikings General Manager Candidates

After the surprising firing of Kwesi Adofo-Menash hit the books, attention turned to who will be the next general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a bit early as team ownership said that the decision won’t be made until after the 2026 NFL Draft. Between now and then, Rob Brzezinski will oversee the personnel department. His title is Executive Vice President - Football Operations. His primary responsibility is the salary cap and negotiating contracts. He’s been with the Vikings since 1999 and has become one of the most respected and valued executives. As the interim general manager, I see his role as a unifier and a tie-breaker, if need be. I also see this new role as very much temporary. 

Many talking heads and fans have latched on to Rob Brzezinski as a serious candidate for the Vikings permanent GM job. Mark Wilf perhaps pushed those thoughts when he said that Brzezinski would be considered. I don’t see it. If Brzezinski truly wanted the Vikings general manager job, we would’ve heard about it by now. He’s been with the team since 1999. He probably would’ve been considered when Rick Spielman got the job. He definitely would’ve been considered when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got the job. I believe that Brzezinski knows his strengths and where he’s needed. His strengths are with the salary cap and he’s very much needed there. He’s been brilliant. I don’t see him as the Vikings next general manager. 

If Rob Brzezinski is #1 on the candidate list of talking heads and fans, current Denver Broncos general manager George Paton is #2. It’s a fairly lazy take as Paton left the Vikings to take the top personnel job with the Broncos. So, just because he has a past with the Vikings means that he’s returning despite being under contract with the Broncos. If current GMs are candidates, why not Howie Roseman or John Schneider or Eric DeCosta? The only way the Vikings can add Paton is by giving draft picks for him. There’s no way that’s happening.

Who are “legitimate” candidates to be the Vikings next general manager? I’m certain of one thing. Vikings next general manager will not be an “analytics guy.” The next Vikings general manager will come with a history, hopefully long history, of scouting and personnel experience. Here are some of my favorite potential candidates.

Chad Alexander - Chargers Assistant General Manager 

John McKay - Rams Assistant General Manager 

Mike Bradway - Chiefs Assistant General Manager 

Will McClay - Cowboys VP of Player Personnel 

George Kokinis - Ravens VP of Player Personnel 

Ed Dobbs - Colts Assistant General Manager 

Terrance Gray - Bills Assistant General Manager 

Andy Weidl - Steelers Assistant General Manager 

Ray Agnew - Lions Assistant General Manager 

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis directed me to several more intriguing candidates:

Ryan Cowden - Patriots VP of Player Personnel 

Jeff King - Bears Senior Director of Player Personnel

Reed Burckhardt - Broncos Assistant General Manager 

Trey Brown - Bengals Assistant General Manager 

Trent Kirchner - Seahawks VP of Player Personnel 

Matt Berry - Seahawks VP of Player Acquisition

VP of Player Acquisition! Come on! What kind of title is that?

Anyway, that’s 15 candidates. That feels like a lot. The list in front of the Wilfs is probably longer. If I have to narrow the 15 to five, my top five, right now, probably looks like this.

Chad Alexander

Ed Dobbs

Ryan Cowden

Trey Brown

Trent Kirchner

In the rivalry of scouting vs analytics, I’ve always been, and always be, with the scouting side. I appreciate the inclusion of analytics into the process but I’ll never understand “scouting” from a spreadsheet. I look forward to the Vikings return to a “scouting” GM. I narrowed the candidate list to the above five for their scouting experience, the drafting of the teams that employed them, and a general feel or hunch. 

I know that the right general manager for the Vikings is out there. I hope they find that general manager. 

Minnesota Vikings Coaches

The Minnesota Vikings biggest coaching question of this offseason was whether defensive coordinator Brian Flores would be back. His return felt very much up in the air for a few weeks. His contract with the Vikings expired. He interviewed for the head coach vacancies of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. He even interviewed for the defensive coordinator role with the Washington Commanders. It was a tense couple of weeks. Finally, he signed a new contract to remain in Minnesota. The contract reportedly makes him the highest paid assistant coach in the league. It’s very much deserved. He’s also very much deserving of a head coach opportunity. The stupidity of the rest of the league is the Vikings gain. Since December, five coaches have departed for opportunities/potential opportunities elsewhere. 

Safeties coach Michael Hutchings - left for Cal DC job

Assistant Head Coach Mike Pettine - retired

Offensive Line coach Chris Kuper - contract expired

Secondary/Pass Game Coordinator Daronte Jones - left for Washington Commanders DC job

Defensive Line coach Marcus Dixon - contract expired/hired as Dallas Cowboys DL coach

On Saturday, the Vikings announced the hiring of three coaches:

Frank Smith - Assistant Head Coach

Gerald Alexander - Secondary/Pass Game Coordinator

Ryan Nielsen - Defensive Line/Run Game Coordinator

The Vikings also announced the promotion of assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter to offensive line coach. 

Vikings-wise, Friday was a frustrating day. Saturday was a great day. I was thrilled with all three hires. My hope for the offensive line was a coach in the Kyle Shanahan/Mike McDaniel/Sean McVay/Matt LaFleur coaching pipeline. I’ve long envied the run games of those teams. The Vikings didn’t hire the offensive line coach from those systems. In Frank Smith, they hired Mike McDaniels offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. That works. Smith has an offensive line coaching background and, most importantly, brings an innovative run scheme. Kevin O’Connell needs some of that in his Vikings offense. Smith was a dream addition that I wasn’t sure could be had. As a productive offensive coordinator for four years, he was beyond the level of an offensive line coach. He was sure to move on to another offensive coordinator job or even a head coach opportunity. He did interview for the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator job. The Vikings made their way around that little issue by hiring him as assistant head coach. Gerald Alexander has been a dream Vikings coach since his 2017-19 run as Cal’s secondary coach. He’s an outstanding coach and outstanding replacement for Daronte Jones. As for the defensive line, I was hoping Marcus Dixon would return. Absent that, the Vikings hired an experienced and effective coach in Ryan Nielsen. He earned league-wide attention for his work with the New Orleans Saints defensive line under Sean Payton. That work put him on the Vikings radar and he interviewed for the defensive coordinator job that went to Brian Flores. Now, he’s working with Flores. Frank Smith is a great addition to the Vikings offense. Gerald Alexander and Ryan Nielsen are great additions to the defense. 

The Vikings likely aren’t done adding to the coaching staff. Assistants are needed on the offensive line and in the secondary. Those are two of the largest position groups on the team. The staff could also be further raided by teams with new head coaches. For now, here is the current coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Kevin O’Connell

Assistant Head Coach/Outside Linebackers: Frank Smith

Offensive Coordinator: Wes Phillips

Defensive Coordinator: Brian Flores

Special Teams Coordinator: Matt Daniels

Offense:

Quarterbacks: Josh McCown

Assistant Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Quarterbacks: Jordan Traylor

Senior Offensive Assistant: Chris O’Hara

Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator: Curtis Modkins

Receivers: Keenan McCardell

Assistant Receivers: Tony Sorrentino

Tight Ends/Pass Game Coodinator: Brian Angelichio

Offensive Line: Keith Carter

Assistant Offensive Line: ?

Pass Game Specialist/Game Management Coordinator: Ryan Cordell

Quality Control: Derron Montgomery

Offensive Assistant: Ben Ellefson

Assistant to the Head Coach: Henry Schneider IV

Defense:

Defensive Line/Run Game Coordinator: Ryan Nielsen

Assistant Defensive Line: Imarjae Albury Sr.

Outside Linebackers: Thad Bogardus

Assistant Outside Linebackers: Patrick Hill

Inside Linebackers: Mike Siravo 

Defensive Backs/Pass Game Coordinator: Gerald Alexander

Defensive Backs Assistant: ?

Defensive Quality Control: Chenzo Funari

Defensive Assistant: Charlie Frye

Special Teams:

Assistant Special Teams: Dalmin Gibson

NFL Head Coach Churn Ends

It appears that the NFL’s Annual Head Coach Churn has come to an end. A week from the Super Bowl, the final two head coach vacancies were filled. The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly plan to hire Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak following his team’s Super Bowl obligations. The Arizona Cardinals announced the hiring of Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. So, the league has 10 new head coaches. Well, some are old coaches in new places. 

New York Giants: John Harbaugh

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh

Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter

Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy

Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken

Buffalo Bills: Joe Brady

Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur

All but John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Robert Saleh, and Mike McCarthy are first-time NFL head coaches. Jeff Hafley had a four-year run as the head coach at Boston College. Todd Monken was the head coach at Southern Mississippi for a couple years. Jesse Minter, Joe Brady, Klint Kubiak, and Mike LaFleur will be running a team for the first time. 

It’s easy to single out Jesse Minter and Joe Brady as the coaches in the best situation to immediately succeed. Success in the NFL starts with the quarterback and the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills have an elite quarterback in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, respectively. The Ravens are only two years removed from an AFC Championship appearance. The Bills are only a year removed from an AFC Championship appearance. Minter’s Ravens and Brady’s Bills will enter the 2026 season as serious AFC contenders.

Here’s a Flea Flicker ranking of the 10 head coach hires.

1.   Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter

2.   New York Giants: John Harbaugh

3.   Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

4.   Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh

5.   Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

6.   Buffalo Bills: Joe Brady

7.   Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

8.   Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken

9.   Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur

10. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy

Robert Saleh selection of Brian Dabol as his offensive coordinator bumped him up a couple spots. Saleh and Dabol are an intriguing defense-offense pairing. 

On the diversity front, this was a disappointing coaching churn. Robert Saleh is the only minority of the 10 new head coaches. All 10 teams were idiots for not hiring Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. It’s even worse that only two teams even interviewed him. The snowy white complexion of the new head coaches shouldn’t be a surprise. The focus is so often on offensive coaches in these searches. There were zero black offensive coordinators in the league last year. The Kansas City Chiefs bringing back Eric Bieniemy gives the league one black offensive coordinator, so far, for the 2026 season. Black defensive coordinators Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, Anthony Weaver, and Ejiro Evero received token attention in this year’s head coach searches. While Evero was reportedly a finalist for the Las Vegas Raiders job, teams might’ve brought in those four coaches simply for Rooney Rule requirements. The continued shunning of Flores is a great thing for the Vikings but he deserves another head coach opportunity. The lack of diversity among the NFL’s 32 head coaches appears to be a problem without end. There are few black offensive coaches in the pipeline. Promising young coaches Nate Scheelhasse, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator, and Jerrod Johnson, Houston Texans quarterback coach, could change that narrative in the coming years. Scheelhasse received some head coach attention. Johnson received some offensive coordinator attention. The presence of only two promising black coaches near the top of the offensive coaching pipeline is ludicrous. It must be tough to enter a pipeline with few opportunities available at the top of it. 

Congratulations and best of luck to the 10 new head coaches. 

Minnesota Vikings Coach Additions

On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. It wasn’t a great day. Firing a major player in the team-building architecture isn’t a good thing. As far as the league’s news cycle is concerned, it’s tough to follow that. Well, the Vikings followed a difficult day with a great day. At least, I see it as a great day. 

Every offseason brings a coaching churn within each of the NFL’s 32 teams. It’s an overhaul for the team’s that are bringing in a new head coach. It’s mostly coaching staff tweaks for the rest of the teams. The Vikings will be looking for a new general manager. They are set at head coach with Kevin O’Connell. As far as his coaching staff is concerned, the first and biggest question of the offseason was whether defensive coordinator Brian Flores was coming back. He’s deserving of a head coach opportunity. Of the 10 head coach vacancies this offseason, only the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers even interviewed him. Both teams hired other coaches. There’s a lot of stupidity across the league. Thankfully, that stupidity brought Flores back to Minnesota with a new contract. His return meant that Vikings secondary coach/pass game coordinator Daronte Jones was departing. He’s deserving of a coordinator opportunity. He found that opportunity with the Washington Commanders. The Vikings had already lost safeties coach Michael Hutchings to a defensive coordinator opportunity with Cal. The Vikings offensive line coach of the past four seasons, Chris Kuper didn’t have his contract renewed. A decade of offensive line issues continued under Kuper’s four-year watch. As a result, his departure wasn’t a surprise. The departure of Marcus Dixon under similar circumstances (expiring contract) might’ve been a surprise. His two-year run as the defensive line coach saw considerable improvement from his players. I believe that he was a coach the Vikings would’ve liked to keep. It appears that he has other plans. 

So, the Vikings had to find replacements for Chris Kuper, Daronte Jones, and Marcus Dixon. Since I expected the need for an offensive line coach and a defensive backs coach, I had a wish list. 

Frank Smith - offensive line 

Gerald Alexander - defensive backs

For offensive line, I hoped for a coach from the trees of some of the innovative run game coaches in the league. Specifically, I hoed for a coach that’s worked with Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Sean McVay, etc. Frank Smith has been Mike McDaniel’s offensive coordinator since 2022. Prior to being the Miami Dolphins head coach, McDaniel was the run game schemster of Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers. My biggest concern with the Vikings possibly hiring Smith was whether he’d “settle” for an offensive line coaching role. He’s more at the level of offensive coordinator or head coach. He interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator position that just went to Sean Mannion. Perhaps that missed opportunity opened an opportunity with the Vikings. I’ve been a big fan of Gerald Alexander since his three-year run (2017-19) as Cal’s secondary coach. That run in Berkeley ended when Brian Flores, as the head coach in Miami, hired him as the Dolphins secondary coach. My personal witness of his terrific work at Cal and Flores’ connection with him made Alexander an easy coach for me to target. Alexander is an excellent football coach. As for the defensive line coach, I simply hoped that Marcus Dixon would return. 

After a rough Friday, the Vikings announced some coaching hires on Saturday. It was a great Saturday.

Frank Smith - Assistant Head Coach

Gerald Alexander - Defensive Backs Coach/Pass Game Coordinator

Ryan Nielsen - Defensive Line coach/Run Game Coordinator

The Vikings also announced that assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter was promoted to offensive line coach. He’s been the offensive line coach of the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. He has the experience and is deserving of this role. The best thing about the Vikings offensive coach changes is the addition of Frank Smith and his run game schemes. Kevin O’Connell is terrific with the pass game. He needed some help with the run game. Smith will provide that help. The Vikings offense got better with these coaching changes. Gerald Alexander is an outstanding addition to the defensive coaching staff. At the start of this offseason, I had two coaching wishes. Most importantly, I wanted Brian Flores to stay. He deserves a head coach opportunity. Selfishly, I want him as the Vikings defensive coordinator for eternity. Secondly, I wanted the Vikings to hire Gerald Alexander. The unfortunate thing about his addition is that it would probably have to come with the loss of Daronte Jones. It did. The surprise of yesterday’s coaching news was the hiring of Ryan Nielsen. Since I hoped that Marcus Dixon would return, I didn’t really think about potential defensive line coaches. I’m not sure that Viking could’ve done better than Ryan Nielsen. He interviewed for the Vikings defensive coordinator job in 2023. Flores got the job in Minnesota but Nielsen got the defensive coordinator job with the Atlanta Falcons. He has terrific experience and results as a defensive coach, and specifically defensive line coach. 

The Minnesota Vikings roster of coaches might seem complete but I’m not sure that it is. I expect them to add an assistant defensive backs coach/safeties coach. I also expect the addition of an assistant offensive line coach. 

After a rough Friday, Saturday was kinda nice. Viking-wise. 

So, That Happened

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah started the week doing general manager stuff. He was in Mobile, Alabama for Senior Bowl practices. He was on the job. Yesterday, he was fired. 

Being a general manager in the NFL is a tough deal. In his four years as the Vikings GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the drafts didn’t load the roster with young talent. That’s a problem. As a result, the Vikings have relied heavily on free agency. The expensive veteran route is supposed to supplement a roster rather than dominate it. The Vikings have hit in free agency on his watch. Perhaps, that’s what got him the extension in the spring. In the end, I believe the disappointing drafts are what got him fired. And zero playoff wins. 

Talking heads and fans have had a riotous time criticizing the Vikings, and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, for the Sam Darnold situation. They had him in 2024 and could’ve kept him 2025. Instead, the Vikings let him walk in free agency for a somewhat big deal with the Seattle Seahawks. J.J. McCarthy was selected with the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to be the team’s franchise quarterback. The Vikings had a quarterback plan and they had to see it through. They had to see what they had in a promising quarterback on a rookie contract. I whole-heartedly agreed with the plan a year ago. Despite Darnold guiding the Seahawks to next week’s Super Bowl, I still agree with the plan now. While McCarthy had an up and down first season as the Vikings starting quarterback, I love his potential. At this moment, moving forward, I’m more optimistic about the upside of a 23-year old J.J. McCarthy than a 29-year old Sam Darnold. 

Ultimately, my belief as to why Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired means little. Moving forward, Vikings ownership decided that they’ll hold off on interviewing and hiring a new general manager until after the draft. This surprised some people. The timing of this firing is later than a team would like to be making a pivot on their general manager. With the Senior Bowl a day away from being behind us, teams are well into the process of free agency and the draft. A couple of weeks of interviews and teams are fast approaching the Combine. Until a new general manager is hired, Executive Vice President-Football Operations (Cap Wizard) Rob Brzezinski will oversee the process. Many pundits and fans have speculated whether Brzezinski might be a candidate for the permanent GM job. Personally, I believe that he’s too valuable as the Cap Wizard. Between now and the draft, I see Brzezinski as a unifier, a calming presence. He’s been a supremely respected presence for the Vikings since 1999. I see the scouts and coaches running the talent evaluation show. Brzezinski will simply oversee it. He isn’t a football talent evaluator. I expect that he’ll know his lane, advise if needed, break ties if he must. With Ryan Grigson and Demetrius Washington, there are two assistant general managers in the building. The former is a “football guy.” The latter is an “analytics guy.” The Vikings also have Ryan Monnens, Chisom Opara, Sam DeLuca, Jamal Stephenson, Mike Sholiton, and a host scouts. It’s not the least bit convenient or easy but I believe that it’s being handled well. Or, as well as it can be handled with the timing. 

Vikings ownership clearly decided that things had splintered with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the general manager. In that sense, it feels right to make a difficult decision now rather force things through a critical offseason. 

At moments like this, it’s easy to point angry fingers at the person that was fired. After all, all woes are clearly due to him. Right? I thank Kwesi for Jordan Addison, J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner, Will Reichard, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Donovan Jackson, and a host of undrafted free agents. Under his watch, the Vikings have been the league’s best at mining the undrafted free agents. That’s something. 

The Annual Head Coaching Churn Continues

And then there were two. The offseason started with a robust 10 teams looking for a new head coach. Over the past couple weeks, eight of those teams have found their coach. Two remain. The Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals. 

New York Giants: John Harbaugh

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh

Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter

Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy

Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken

Buffalo Bills: Joe Brady

Las Vegas Raiders: ?

Arizona Cardinals: ?

I believe that all of the teams that didn’t hire Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores are idiots. Only the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers even interviewed him. That’s crazy. I’m thankful for the idiocy. While I wish that there was much more diversity among the new head coaches, I get all of the hires except the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy. The team that has had only three coaches over the past 57 years hired a coach that I believe they’ll have to fire within four years. Maybe Art Rooney II made a fine choice on an uninspiring old coach? I have many doubts. 

Anyway, here’s a guess at the two remaining head coach vacancies.

Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

Arizona Cardinals: Klint Kubiak

Both teams can’t hire Klint Kubiak! I have little doubt that Kubiak is going to get one of the remaining two jobs. The Raiders and Cardinals are two of the least appealing teams in the league. Raiders owner Marc Davis and Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill are two of the worst owners in the league. I feel bad for any coach that has to deal with them. There are only 32 of these jobs and even the least appealing of them are desired. Kubiak is getting one of them. Best of luck. Since he can’t get both, here’s a real guess at the remaining vacancies. 

Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur

It looks like another year of snowy white coaching hires. Hopefully, Anthony Weaver and/or Ejiro Evero gets one of these jobs. 

Minnesota Vikings Coaching Churn

The annual NFL coaching churn might be highlighted by the head coaches but there’s also an annual churn of coaches within each of the 32 teams. The Minnesota Vikings entered this offseason with one big coaching question. Will defensive coordinator Brian Flores finally get a much-deserved head coach opportunity? He interviewed for the head coach vacancies of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Foolishly, both teams hired another coach. Before those decisions were made, Flores and the Vikings agreed to a contract extension. It was fantastic news and made even more fantastic when the Ravens and Steelers made their respective head coach mistakes. 

Brian Flores remaining in Minnesota was the team’s biggest offseason coaching question but it wasn’t the only one. Before the season even ended, safeties coach Michael Hutchings departed to the college ranks for a defensive coordinator opportunity with Cal. He’s a rising coach with a bright future. He’s ready for this opportunity. As a Cal alumnus and fan, I was thrilled with the move. As a Vikings fan, it’s a significant loss for the team. There will be an expected change on the offensive line. Chris Kuper has been coaching the offensive line since Kevin O’Connell was hired as head coach in 2022. The offensive line has struggled under Kuper’s coaching. That’s nothing new as the Vikings offensive line has struggled for more than a decade. His contract wasn’t renewed. The Vikings are also looking for a new defensive backs coach. Daronte Jones has had an interesting run with the Vikings as he coached for both Mike Zimmer and O’Connell. In between, he was the defensive coordinator at LSU. Jones recently had his responsibilities bumped to pass game coordinator. He was probably the top internal defensive coordinator candidate if Flores departed for a head coach opportunity. You can’t keep these promising coaches secret. Jones had some defensive coordinator interviews last year. He had even more this year. On Monday, he got the defensive coordinator job for the Washington Commanders. He’s from the Baltimore area and attended Morgan State. He’s going home and it’s a much-deserved opportunity. The remaining coach question for the Vikings is on defensive line. Defensive line coach Marcus Dixon became a free agent after the season. He interviewed for the defensive coordinator job with the Dallas Cowboys. That job was eventually filled by Philadelphia Eagles pass game coordinator Christian Parker. That might boost the return of Dixon. He’s been a very effective defensive line coach. Late-round and no-round players like Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Elijah Williams have all emerged under Dixon’s coaching. The Vikings defense has been a team strength under Brian Flores. Daronte Jones, Michael Hutchings, and Marcus Dixon were a significant part of that. Jones and Hutchings have already been hired elsewhere. Dixon could still return. At best, the Vikings have two giant coaching vacancies on defense. 

After securing the return of Brian Flores, finding the right offensive line coach shoots to the top of the important decisions facing the Vikings. Assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter is certainly under consideration. Prior to coming to Minnesota last offseason, Carter was the offensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans (2018-22) and the offensive line coach/run game coordinator for the New York Jets (2023-24). That’s significant experience for an assistant offensive line coach. As for outside candidates, Frank Smith probably tops my wish list. He was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under Mike McDaniels. They ran some of the most effective and interesting run blocking schemes in the league. The Vikings could use some of that. If Carter remains with the Vikings, I like the potential of a Frank Smith-Keith Carter coaching team. Other than Smith, I wouldn’t mind if the Vikings could pry Hank Fraley from the Detroit Lions. He got his NFL coaching start with the Vikings about a decade ago. Maybe, he’d like a return. More realistically, the coaches from teams with effective run schemes like the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, pretty much any team with a coach from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree would a good place to start. 

I can keep it simple with the defensive coaches the Vikings need and might need. My top choice, actually only choice, to replace Daronte Jones in the secondary is Gerald Alexander. Most recently, he was the defensive backs coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I first became aware of Alexander as a coach when he was Cal’s defensive backs coach from 2017-19. That three-year run started a stream of Golden Bears defensive backs into the NFL. Alexander has a connection to Brian Flores. As the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Flores “stole” Alexander from Cal in 2020. The two moved on to the Steelers in 2022 after Flores was fired by the Dolphins. As for the defensive line, I’m hoping that Marcus Dixon returns. He’s made an impact in his two years in Minnesota. If Dixon departs, I wouldn’t mind a Karl Dunbar return. He was the Vikings defensive line coach from 2006-11. Those were some terrific defensive lines. He’s been with the Steelers since 2018. The Vikings could fill the two defensive coaching needs with coaches that became available when Mike Tomlin stepped away from coaching. 

The Vikings coaching staff could be further raided by the 10 new head coaches around the league, as well as the 21 teams that didn’t need head coaches. Every year brings a coaching churn for all 32 teams. The Vikings thankfully cleared their biggest hurdle by retaining Brian Flores. Now, they have to find new position coaches. 

WTF!

Yesterday, news leaked that Bill Belichick didn’t hit the number of votes required to be a first-ballot entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the greatest coaches in the history of football, any sport really, didn’t do enough to satisfy, at least, 11 voters. WTF! The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 looked to be a loaded one. Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald are considered first ballot locks. Bill Belichick was supposed to be an even greater lock. The most Super Bowl wins. The most playoff wins. The third-most regular season wins. For five decades, Belichick had an unprecedented impact on the NFL. If there was ever a coaching resume for first-ballot induction, Bill Belichick had it. How did this happen? How could it happen? Few things seem real these days.

Mike Sando writes for the Athletic and is a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter. He took a swing at explaining how this idiocy might’ve happened. For the record, Sando voted for Belichick and saw his induction as a slam-dunk. First of all, Sando explained the two-year old rules the voters are supposed to follow. Coach finalist (Bill Belichick), Contributor finalist (Robert Kraft), and the three Senior finalists (Roger Craig, Ken Anderson, and L.C. Greenwood) are grouped together at this stage. The five finalists are competing for 1-3 spots. The 50 voters each pick three of the five. Between 1-3 make it to Canton. 40+ votes are needed. If three finalists hit 40, three are inducted. If the votes are distributed amongst the finalists such that no finalist hits 40 votes, the top vote-getter is the only one inducted. Those are the rules that were implemented in 2025. It was one of the reasons, the four-member 2025 Class was so small. 

Sando went on to explain some of the potential ways Bill Belichick might get fewer than 40 votes even when 40+ of the voters think he’s a Hall of Famer. Sando actually could’ve stopped here. If 40+ voters think he’s a Hall of Famer, we wouldn’t be doing this. Anyway, in Sando’s words:

Let’s say 4-5 voters who were strong advocates for specific senior players figured Belichick was going to make it regardless, so they funneled votes to competing candidates in hopes of boosting them over the 40-vote threshold.

Let’s say a few voters prioritized senior players on the thinking that Belichick will be back in the room next year, while the players on the ballot this year might disappear into the senior pool forever. 

Let’s say a few voters found Spygate/cheating disqualifying. 

Let’s say a few voters protested new rules making coaches eligible one year after retiring instead of five. 

Whatever the case, I would see this as a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick or any candidate not making it. 

There will be changes to the process, I predict. 

I appreciate Mike Sando’s honesty and explanation. I also think that it’s all bullshit. All of the above examples show the voters either playing voting games or making some sort of protest. The voters are tasked with judging the best in the history of the game. Bill Belichick was one of the very best coaches football, any sport, has ever seen. Arguably, he was the best coach professional football has ever seen. Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh might be the only other coaches in the argument. Only one won’t be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Brown was even inducted before he was done coaching. The waiting period was waived to get Lombardi in the year after his death. You only get one chance at being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Because of voter games, Belichick missed his one chance.

The Cheating?

Many of the long-time critics of Bill Belichick are apparently giddy with this ridiculous situation. Most of the critics have been critics out of jealousy. It’s common to see people jealous of those with success, especially unprecedented success. It’s true that the Patriots dominance was occasionally clouded by scandals. There were Spygates I and II. There was Deflategate. Although that last one was more on Tom Brady than Belichick. Is that going to keep Brady from being a first ballot Hall of Famer? Who knows? Anyway, the Patriots were accused and punished for videotaping opponents coaching signals during a game against the New York Jets in 2007. The Patriots were accused of videotaping something that nearly everyone in the stadium and many watching on television can see with their own eyes. Coaching signals! During a game! Former Dallas Cowboys coach and Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson has been outspoken in his support of Belichick. He said that many teams, including his, have videotaped opponents coaching signals. He even said that Howard Mudd gave him the idea. Mudd would go to work with Belichick critics Bill Polian and Tony Dungy in Indianapolis. Johnson also said that he didn’t get much from the effort. Deflategate? Come on! That’s a non-starter. It was a horseshit charge and an even worse investigation. Common sense and the scientific method tells you that you don’t start with a desired outcome and work out an investigation that meets that outcome. That’s what the NFL did. It didn’t work but the league still manufactured a crime and crafted a punishment. 

Pro Football Hall of Famer Al Davis often said that if you aren’t cheating you aren’t trying. The NFL has a long history of cheating. The NFL has shown an equally long history to forgive/forget. George Halas spent his entire career as coach and owner of the Chicago Bears working and bending the rules to his benefit. He was in the 1963 inaugural Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Curly Lambeau got the Green Bay Packers kicked out of the league for cheating during the team’s first year in the league. He was in the 1963 inaugural Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. NFL stewards Halas, Lambeau, Joe Carr, Bert Bell, Tim Mara, Art Rooney, and George Preston Marshall oversaw the banishment of blacks from their league for 15 years. All but Rooney were in the 1963 inaugural Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rooney made it to Canton in the second Class. Marshall was such an unrepentant racist that he named his team the Redskins and kept blacks off his teams until the federal government forced a change in 1962. For 30 of his 33 years as the team’s owner, Marshall kept the Redskins lilly white. That sort of racism wasn’t enough to keep him out of that inaugural Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Who knows what prompted at least 11 voters to not vote for Bill Belichick. I’ve long had issues with some of the Hall of Famer voters. All of those issues are with the way they’ve handled the league’s history, in particular the league’s long-ago history. Some of the voters have publicly stated that they’ve shut the door on any candidates that played/coached/contributed before their lifetime. Excuse me. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honors the league’s past. All of it. The voters that can’t do that shouldn’t have a vote. Now, some of the voters are showing that they can’t handle the league’s recent history. Bill Belichick’s last Super Bowl win was just seven years ago. 

Bill Belichick is a first ballot Hall of Famer in every way imaginable except the one that actually counts. The results of the voting are supposed to be a secret until the new Hall of Famers are introduced at NFL Honors. Even the voters don’t know. That’s why all the voters that spoke out yesterday were stunned by the news that leaked. I believe that this ridiculous news was leaked yesterday so that everyone wouldn’t be stunned by it next week. The shock probably won’t wear off over the next week but now it won’t overshadow (as much) the show of NFL Honors. The news of the night might now be a bit more about the new Hall of Famers than the one that isn’t. 

Good For Sam Darnold

Minnesota Vikings fans and pundits are losing their minds over Sam Darnold playing in a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. It’s been 50 years since the Vikings were last in the Super Bowl. That was a time in which they were often in the big game. They went three times in four years, four times in eight years. Super Bowl IV, Super Bowl VIII, Super Bowl IX, and Super Bowl XI. All four trips ended in a loss. As a young Vikings fan, I came to expect Super Bowl trips. As an older Vikings fan, it’s been 50 years of seeing them fall short. It’s no surprise that Vikings fans and pundits are a little sensitive. Seeing Darnold in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks has them thinking about what might’ve been. 

Sam Darnold had a fine season with the Vikings in 2024. It rejuvenated a career that was teetering on the edge of the “bust” bin. Darnold likely signed a deal with the Vikings knowing that the team was targeting a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was going to get an opportunity to start but that it was probably going to be for only one season. The Vikings selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the tenth pick. The plan was to not rush McCarthy. He’d probably sit for a year behind Darnold and assume the starting job in 2025. Nice plan. It’s the sort of plan that could be a good thing for a young quarterback. It didn’t quite go as planned as McCarthy suffered a knee injury in his first preseason game. The rookie was forced to rehab the injury rather than practice. It also meant that 2024 was unquestionably Darnold’s season. Overall, he had a productive season as he guided the Vikings to an outstanding 14-3 regular season record. The biggest flaw to the season, perhaps the only flaw, was an inability to get past NFC heavyweights Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. The three regular season losses and the playoff loss were to those two teams. In the most important games of the season, Darnold was terrible. He was ineffective in the Week 18, division-clincher against the Lions. He was ineffective in the Wild Card playoff loss to the Rams. Those two games likely convinced the Vikings that they needed a quarterback that gave the team a higher ceiling. I agreed with that decision then. Even with Darnold and the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, I agree with the decision now. Teams don’t get “do-overs.” They make decisions and must live with them. It works that way for fans as well. This is J.J. McCarthy’s team. I believe in him and I believe in the direction of the Vikings. 

I’m happy for Sam Darnold. I’m not happy about the Seahawks being in the Super Bowl because I don’t like the team or their fans. If the Vikings had re-signed Darnold, they would not be in the Super Bowl. The Vikings biggest problem this season weren’t with the quarterback. Behind a wildly inconsistent offensive line, no quarterback would’ve been consistently productive for the Vikings. Darnold probably would’ve ended up like Carson Wentz (on injured reserve) or like J.J. McCarthy (in and out of the lineup due to injuries). It’s funny that I’m seeing similar storylines with my college team as I’m seeing with the Vikings. As a Cal alumnus and fan, it was tough to see Fernando Mendoza bolt for Indiana just weeks after a thrilling comeback win against Stanford. Instead of playing out his eligibility with the Golden Bears, Mendoza won the Heisman and a national championship with the Hoosiers. He’s the likely #1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. I’m happy for Mendoza. He never would’ve accomplished any of that at Cal. Sound familiar? There’s no guarantee that McCarthy develops into the franchise, Super Bowl-winning quarterback that he was drafted to be. I believe that he will but there are no guarantees. There’s no guarantee that Darnold would’ve done for the Vikings what he’s done for the Seahawks. Getting to the Super Bowl, let alone winning it, is often more about timing than talent. Darnold just happened to get a shot with a solid team during a year in which the league was wide open. Any of the 14 teams that made the playoffs this year had a shot. Normally, that isn’t the case. There’s usually only two or three teams in each conference that have a legitimate shot. Hell, if they could’ve managed only one more win, I think a healthy Vikings team could’ve beaten the Seahawks, Rams, or any of the other five NFC playoff teams. The Vikings defense dominated Darnold and the Seahawks offense when they played during the regular season. If the Vikings could’ve done anything on offense that day, a win over a punch-less Seattle that day could’ve been the one that got them in the playoffs. Then, who knows? 2025 was a rough season for the Vikings. They were still only 0.5 wins from a shot in the playoffs. 

Anyway, it’s possible to be happy for Sam Darnold and not have it reflect in any way on what the Vikings did or didn’t do last offseason. 

The Annual NFL Head Coaching Churn Continues

For some reason, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to hire Mike McCarthy to be the team’s next head coach. Of all of the coaches that interviewed for one of the 10 head coach vacancies, I had McCarthy with Philip Rivers as the least promising. The only reason I grouped Rivers with McCarthy is because I don’t think Rivers has the required time to devote to coaching. Too damn many kids. I just don’t get the love for McCarthy. I wasn’t surprised that the Dallas Cowboys gave him a shot. Jerry Jones is a fool. The Steelers have had three head coaches since 1969. Chuck Noll (23 years), Bill Cowher (15 years), and Mike Tomlin (19 years). Noll won four Super Bowls. Cowher went to two and won one. Tomlin went to two and won one. 57 years. Three coaches. 6 Super Bowls. It’s been a remarkable run. Three coaches in 57 years. With McCarthy now holding the keys, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Steelers see three coaches over five years. Tomlin last year. McCarthy for, at most, three years, and whoever they hire after they fire McCarthy. I just don’t get it. The best thing about the Steelers hiring McCarthy is that it probably assures that Brian Flores remains in Minnesota as the Vikings defensive coordinator. Flores deserves another head coach opportunity. In this head coach churn, he interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens hired Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. The Steelers, for mysterious reasons, hired McCarthy. Unless one of the four remaining teams with a vacancy suddenly deviates from their current coach searching course, Flores is staying in Minnesota. That’s a very good thing for Minnesota. 

New York Giants: John Harbaugh

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh

Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter

Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy

Cleveland Browns: ?

Las Vegas Raiders: ?

Arizona Cardinals: ?

Buffalo Bills: ?

Mike McCarthy? Seriously? Art Rooney II is making coaching decisions more like his grandfather than his father. Art Rooney picked 16 head coaches. Dan Rooney picked three.

Anyway, here’s a guess at the four remaining head coach vacancies.

Cleveland Browns: Jim Schwartz

Las Vegas Raiders: Matt Nagy

Arizona Cardinals: Klint Kubiak

Buffalo Bills: Brian Daboll

Since they brought him in for an interview, I’ve paired the Browns with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. He’s a coach on a rapid rise and I think that he’s going to get a head coach job soon. It probably won’t be this year as he’s withdrawn his name from the consideration for the Browns job. He’s reportedly still in the running for the Bills job but a return to the Jaguars for one more year of coordinating is more likely. 

It looks like another year of snowy white coaching hires. 

Flea Flicker Conference Championship Predictions

The NFL is down to a final four teams. Before the season, I’m not sure any of these teams were expected to be one step from Super Bowl LX. Maybe the Rams. That’s why they play the regular season and have a playoff tournament. Here are guesses at the NFC and AFC Championship games.

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos

Pick: Patriots

The last time the Patriots and Broncos played for an AFC Championship, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were the quarterbacks. Manning won that game for the Broncos. I think Drake Maye leads the Patriots to a win in this game. 

Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks

Pick: Rams

While I think they are a fine team heading in the right direction, I don’t want to see the Seahawks in another Super Bowl. Three is enough for a fan base that finally realized they had a team around 2004. The Rams winning Super Bowl LVI and now challenging for Super Bowl LX has revealed to everyone that Matthew Stafford is a great quarterback. He was a great quarterback before he arrived in Los Angeles. It’s just that the Detroit Lions were terrible so no one knew that he was great. Or cared that he was great. I like Stafford to find a way to get the Rams past the Seahawks. 

A Couple Minnesota Vikings Mock Drafts

The 2026 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. There will be dozens, hundreds, thousands of Minnesota Vikings mock drafts between now and then. Many of those will be found here. After a five-game win streak to end the 2025 season, the Vikings are slated to pick 18th in the first round. For the entire draft, they currently have eight picks. A third-round Compensatory pick will be added to that total. A fifth- or sixth-rounder might also be added. 

Minnesota Vikings Draft Picks

First round

Second round

Third round

Third round (Compensatory Pick)

Fifth round (from Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Howell)

Sixth round (from Indianapolis Colts for Mekhi Blackmon)

Seventh round

Seventh round (form Houston Texans for Cam Akers)

Seventh round (from Carolina Panthers for Adam Thielen)

Nine picks. A fifth- or sixth-round Compensatory pick could bump it to 10.

At this moment, I see the following positions as the most significant needs of the Vikings.

Cornerback 

Defensive Line

Safety

Running Back depth

Receiver depth

Linebacker depth

Mock drafts between now and April will repeatedly focus on those positions. 

Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft 1

1. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

2. Dillon Thieneman, S Oregon

3. Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska

3. Brian Parker, C, Duke

5. Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana

6. Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

7. Noah Thomas, WR, Georgia

7. Zane Durant, DL, Penn State

7. Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois

I like the top of this draft. I especially like adding Avieon Terrell and Dillon Thieneman to the Vikings secondary. My issue with this mock draft is not addressing the defensive line until the seventh round. While I really like Emmett Johnson, defensive line might be a better target in the third round.

Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft 2

1. Caleb Banks, DL, Florida

2. D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana

3. Jake Slaughter, C, Florida

3. Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

5. Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas

6. Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

7. Eli Heidenreich, FB, Navy

7. Lake McRee, TE, USC

7. Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota St.

I addressed defensive line in the first round this time. I prefer corner with that pick but Caleb Banks would be an outstanding addition to the Vikings defensive line. D’Angelo Ponds is probably my favorite corner in this draft. The only problem with Ponds, and the only reason he’s not a projected top-10 pick, is his 5’9” height. The Vikings need an outside corner. He has the skills to play there. His height is the only question. The difference between 5’9” and 5’11” is only 2 inches. It might as well be a foot to NFL talent evaluators. This mock draft is really growing on me. It has a Navy fullback. 

Until the next one. 

Annual Head Coach Churn Continues

The annual head coach churn continues, five of the 10 teams with a head coach vacancy have now found their coach. The Baltimore Ravens announced former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as their new head coach. It follows the Ravens pattern of hiring rising coordinators. In 1999, they hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Brian Billick. He led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win. In 2008, the Ravens hired Philadelphia Eagles special teams coordinator. He led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win. Now’s Jesse Minter’s turn. It’s a return to Baltimore as he joined the Ravens in 2017 as a defensive assistant. In 2019, he was promoted to assistant defensive backs coach. He finished his time on Harbaugh’s staff in 2020 as the defensive backs coach. 

Unless another team shocks the league with a late firing, half of the teams in the annual head coaching churn have found their coach.

New York Giants: John Harbaugh

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh

Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter

Pittsburgh Steelers: ?

Cleveland Browns: ?

Las Vegas Raiders: ?

Arizona Cardinals: ?

Buffalo Bills: ?

Here are some guesses at the hires for the remaining vacancies:

Pittsburgh Steelers: Chris Shula

Cleveland Browns: Grant Udinski

Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

Arizona Cardinals: Matt Nagy

Buffalo Bills: Brian Daboll

Current Interview Requests for the remaining vacancies:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ejiro Evero - Panthers DC

Brian Flores - Vikings DC

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Klay Kubiak - 49ers OC

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Nate Scheelhaase - Rams passing game coordinator 

Chris Shula - Rams DC

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

Anthony Weaver is the only candidate to have a second interview scheduled. Chris Shula probably joins him after the Rams play in the NFC Championship game. 

Cleveland Browns 

Todd Monken - Ravens OC

Aden Durde - Seahawks DC

Dan Pitcher - Bengals OC

Tommy Rees - Browns OC

Jim Schwartz - Browns DC

Mike McDaniel - former Dolphins head coach

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Nate Scheelhasse - Rams passing game coordinator

Grant Udinski - Jaguars OC

It appears the finalists for the Browns job are Todd Monken, Nate Scheelhasse, Jim Schwartz, and Grant Udinski. 

Las Vegas Raiders

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Klay Kubiak - 49ers OC

Davis Webb - Broncos QB coach

Matt Nagy - Chiefs OC

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Nate Scheelhasse - Rams passing game coordinator

Joe Brady - Buffalo Bills OC

Ejiro Evero - Carolina Panthers DC

Mike LaFleur - Los Angeles Rams OC

Mike McDaniel - former Miami Dolphins head coach

Chris Shula - Los Angeles Rams DC

Kevin Stefanski - former Cleveland Browns head coach

The Raiders interviewed both Kubiaks. I’m guessing that Klint is closer to a head coach opportunity than Klay. At this point, Ejiro Evero is the only candidate to get a second interview. I’m guessing that playoff commitments are keeping Klint Kubiak, Chris Shula, Mike LaFleur from that second interview. 

Arizona Cardinals

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Robert Saleh - 49ers DC

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Thomas Brown - Patriots passing game coordinator 

Matt Nagy - Chiefs OC

Raheem Morris - former Falcons head coach

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Arthur Smith - Steelers OC

Anthony Campanile - Jaguars DC

Joe Brady - Bills OC

Anthony Campanile is the only candidate with a second interview scheduled. 

Buffalo Bills

Lou Anarumo - Colts DC

Joe Brady - Bills OC

Brain Daboll - former Giants head coach

Mike McDaniel - former Dolphins head coach

Anthony Lynn - Commanders run game coordinator

Grant Udinski - Jaguars OC

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

This just feels like it’s heading to Brian Daboll. 

He’s Back*

The Minnesota Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores have agreed on a new contract. Despite repeated attempts over the past year by the Vikings at an extension, the three-year contract Flores signed in 2023 expired last week. Each offseason since has been a wait-and-see as to whether another team would hire him as their next head coach. Through two weeks, this offseason has been no different. Flores is deserving of a head coach opportunity. Selfishly, I hope that teams continue being stupid. 

In a statement released by the team, head coach Kevin O’Connell had this to say about his defensive coordinator:

"Brian has a unique ability to connect with players, understand their skill sets, and put them in positions to maximize their impact on the field. The identity of our defense is a reflection of his leadership and preparation. On a personal level, I've really valued the relationship we've built over the last three years, and that shared trust, alignment and high standard will continue to be critical to our success."

Brian Flores has been an outstanding defensive coordinator for the Vikings. He even had positive results that first season in 2023 with a serious talent void. He’s overseen a rebuild and crafted a defense that consistently wrecks the plans of opposing offenses. Again, Flores has earned a head coach opportunity. A robust 10 teams started this offseason looking for a new head coach. Only two of those teams have brought him in for an interview: the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. His only other interview this offseason was with the Washington Commanders for their defensive coordinator position. That was troubling and puzzling for many Vikings fans and beat writers. It’s why there was such relief with yesterday’s news that Flores was signing a new contract with the Vikings. 

Flores is Back*

However, Flores could still get one of the available head coach jobs. Initially, there were 10 head coach vacancies. Four have been filled. Two of the remaining six vacancies are the Steelers and Ravens. Flores might still be in the mix for each. Despite agreeing to the new deal, Flores could still leave for a head coach opportunity. 

Perhaps I’m just being optimistic but I don’t think Flores agrees to this new contract if he really felt like he had a shot at one of the available jobs. After a few years of wading through the league’s annual head coach churn, he’s probably gotten use to being shunned. Teams have essentially been “blackballing” Flores since he was fired by the Miami Dolphins and filed a lawsuit against the NFL as well as the New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos for racist hiring practices. The legal proceedings surrounding the lawsuit have been bouncing around the courts since 2022. It’s must be tough for many of the owners to hire a coach that’s suing the league and three of their rich friends. Criticism from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagavailoa over his style of coaching probably didn’t help things. Getting one of the league’s 32 head coach positions is always a challenging task in the best of circumstances. Since 2022, Flores’ circumstances haven’t been remotely close to the best. It’s an unfortunate situation for an outstanding football coach. Until a team finally pulls their head from their posterior, it appears Flores remains in Minnesota. That’s a very good thing for the Vikings. 

New Minnesota Vikings Coaches?

Brian Flores deserves another shot at being a head coach of a team. As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I don’t want to see him get one. If I had my way, Flores would be the Vikings defensive coordinator for as long as he’s able to coach. It’s selfish but Flores coordinating the Vikings defense is so comforting. 

Looking at things realistically rather than selfishly, I believe that Brian Flores will be the Vikings defensive coordinator for at least another season. With a robust 10 head coach vacancies, it’s insane that he’s only had two interviews. The first was with the Baltimore Ravens. The second was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those are two of the league’s most stable franchises. The Ravens parted ways with Jim Harbaugh after 18 years of sustained success and a Super Bowl title. Mike Tomlin stepped away from the Steelers after 19 years of sustained success and a Super Bowl title. My hunch is that each team is going to choose a coach that fits the mold of their previous successful choices. The Ravens won a Super Bowl with a rising first-time head coach in Brian Billick. They repeated that success with Harbaugh. The Steelers have been making strong head coach choices since 1969. It’s a ridiculous run. In 1969, the Steelers hired a rising first-time head coach in Chuck Noll. 4 Super Bowl titles. He held the job for 23 years. In 1992, the Steelers hired rising first-time head coach Bill Cowher. 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 win. He held the job for 15 years. In 2007, the Steelers hired rising first-time head coach Mike Tomlin. 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 win. He held the job for 19 years. That successful 57-year run with only three head coaches is truly ridiculous. It can be considered a strong move to stick with a successful process. For that reason, I’m of the opinion that the Ravens and Steelers will each go with a rising first-time head coach. I have the Ravens hiring Joe Brady. I have the Steelers hiring Chris Shula. Unless new entrant Buffalo Bills in the annual head coach churn bring him in for an interview, I believe that Flores returns to the Vikings. 

While Brian Flores staying in Minnesota is a wonderful thing it will probably come with a shake-up of the defensive coaching staff. Pass game coordinator Daronte Jones is getting significant attention for available defensive coordinator jobs. He’s interviewed or has had interview requests with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers. He’s also the top internal candidate for the Vikings if Flores left for a head coach job. He’s going to be a defensive coordinator next season. He’s earned it and he’s ready for it. If it’s not in Minnesota, that opportunity is going to be somewhere else. The Vikings have already lost rising safeties coach Michael Hutchings. He went back to college as the defensive coordinator at Cal. There could be a coaching void in the Vikings secondary. I have a candidate for that role. He’s also familiar with Flores. Gerald Alexander. I became aware of his coaching talents when he coached Cal’s secondary from 2017-19. That three-year stretch was the start of a stream of Golden Bear defensive backs into the NFL. He left Cal in 2020 for the defensive back job with the Miami Dolphins under Flores. Since 2022, Alexander has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, and a return to the Steelers last season. Not only did he work with Flores in Miami, he also moved to Pittsburgh with him in 2022. I’ve liked Gerald Alexander as a Vikings coach since he left Cal for the NFL. He’s terrific defensive back coach. And Flores is very familiar with him.

The Vikings also have a significant vacancy on offense. It’s been said by a few coaches that the most important hire a head coach can make is the offensive line coach. Chris Kuper has been coaching the Vikings offensive line since Kevin O’Connell was hired in 2022. It hasn’t been a very efficient group. O’Connell must get his second attempt at an offensive line coach right. I have no idea about the rising offensive line coaches around the league. I do know of one accomplished coach that’s currently available. Dwayne Ledford. He’s been coaching the offensive line with the Atlanta Falcons since 2021. He coached at the college level from 2008-2020. Over his five years with the Falcons, he’s established himself as one of the best offensive line coaches in the league. The Vikings desperately need one of the best offensive line coaches in the league. 

If the Vikings can keep Brian Flores, hire Gerald Alexander, and Dwayne Ledford, it would be an outstanding start to the offseason. 

Head Coach Churn Continues

On the day the Buffalo Bills joined the teams looking for a new head coach, two of those teams found their new head coach. The Bills stunned many when they fired Sean McDermott. It can be a handicap to join the process a couple weeks after the other teams. Perhaps the Bills did so with a coach in mind. Brian Daboll? Who knows? This year’s version of the annual head coach churn includes 10 teams. There was a time when it looked like this could be a light year. That didn’t last long as 10 is a hefty number. 

The Buffalo Bills are now looking for a new head coach. As that happened, the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans found their new head coach. The Dolphins hired former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. The Titans hired former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. There’s a lightly held belief that teams often hire the opposite of the coach that was fired. That’s actually the case with these two teams. The Dolphins replaced offensive-minded Mike McDaniel with defensive-minded Hafley. The Titans replaced offensive-minded Brian Callahan with defensive-minded Saleh. I saw a rumor that McDaniel could be Saleh’s offensive coordinator. 

Two weeks into the offseason and 40% of the 10 head coach vacancies have been filled.

Head Coach Churn

New York Giants

Hired: John Harbaugh

Fired: Brian Daboll

Atlanta Falcons

Hired: Kevin Stefanski

Fired: Raheem Morris

Miami Dolphins

Hired: Jeff Hafley

Fired: Mike McDaniel

Tennessee Titans

Hired: Robert Saleh

Fired: Brian Callahan

Arizona Cardinals

Fired: Jonathan Gannon

Baltimore Ravens

Fired: John Harbaugh

Cleveland Browns

Fired: Kevin Stefanski

Las Vegas Raiders

Fired: Pete Carroll

Pittsburgh Steelers 

Stepped Away: Mike Tomlin

Buffalo Bills

Fired: Sean McDermott

Here are some guesses at the head coach hires of the six teams still looking.

Arizona Cardinals: Klint Kubiak

Baltimore Ravens: Joe Brady

Cleveland Browns: Grant Udinski

Las Vegas Raiders: Matt Nagy

Pittsburgh Steelers: Anthony Weaver

Buffalo Bills: Brian Daboll

It’s probably a bit early for the 30-year old Grant Udinski. He’s been a non-play calling offensive coordinator for a single season. Just like when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired a too-young Mike Tomlin in 2006, I can see Udinski wowing the Cleveland Browns decision-makers. He’s apparently impressed enough for a second interview. Placing Anthony Weaver with the Pittsburgh Steelers might be as much about keeping Brian Flores in Minnesota. Still, Anthony Weaver feels a lot like the last three head coach decisions of the Steelers. Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin were young, on-the-rise defensive coaches when the Steelers hired them. Much like Weaver. I can see it. 

The NFL’s annual head coach churn continues. 

And Then There Was 10

Just when we were getting comfortable with a robust nine head coach vacancies, one more opened. After Saturday’s stunning loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional playoffs, the decision-makers of the Buffalo Bills decided that Sean McDermott is done. In his nine years as the head coach, McDermott guided the Bills to eight playoff appearances. This year made it six consecutive years that the Bills won at least one playoff game. In 2022 and 2024, their playoff run ended in the AFC Championship game. The only thing that McDermott didn’t accomplish as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills was make it to the Super Bowl. And, of course, win one. When it comes down to it, NFL head coaching success is really only measured by titles. Josh Allen has been one of the league’s best quarterbacks for years. If a coach can’t win the ultimate prize with one of the best quarterbacks, maybe it’s time to find a coach that can. It appears that’s the thinking of the Bills decision-makers. There will now be 10 teams with a new head coach in 2026. 

While the annual head coach churn reached 10 teams, there are presently only eight vacancies. The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons found their new head coach. Well, each team’s new head coach is actually an old head coach. 

Head Coach Vacancies

New York Giants

Hired: John Harbaugh

Fired: Brian Daboll

Atlanta Falcons

Hired: Kevin Stefanski

Fired: Raheem Morris

Tennessee Titans

Fired: Brian Callahan

Arizona Cardinals

Fired: Jonathan Gannon

Baltimore Ravens

Fired: John Harbaugh

Cleveland Browns

Fired: Kevin Stefanski

Las Vegas Raiders

Fired: Pete Carroll

Miami Dolphins

Fired: Mike McDaniel

Pittsburgh Steelers 

Stepped Away: Mike Tomlin

Buffalo Bills

Fired: Sean McDermott

In just over a week, John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski experienced a firing and a hiring. Mike McDaniel has had a few head coach interviews. Even though he never reached the ultimate game, Sean McDermott had a very successful nine-year run in Buffalo. He’s joining the churn cycle late but he could get some interest from teams looking for a head coach. Maybe Harbaugh and Stefanski won’t be the only head coaches in new places next year. 

Some of the eight teams looking for a new head coach are reaching the finalist stage of their search. There could be more hires this week. 

Cal’s Coaches

Cal hired former Cal high-effort defensive lineman Tosh Lupoi  as their new head coach just over a month ago. He’s spent the time between then and now coaching the defense of the Oregon Ducks, recruiting for the Golden Bears, and putting together his first coaching staff. It’s been a busy month. No real evidence but I think he likes being busy. As a Cal fan, student, and alumnus since the mid 1970s, I can’t recall greater excitement over a new head coach. Hiring Keith Gilbertson away from Washington in 1992 was a strong move but never really brought anything near this sort of excitement. The most successful Cal coaches of my time were Bruce Snyder and Jeff Tedford. Those hires weren’t door-busters. Lupoi has been. Is it just because he’s a former Golden Bears player? Maybe. I don’t recall this level of excitement when Joe Kapp was hired. He was the last quarterback to take Cal to the Rose Bowl. That’s significant. He was the Cal coach when I was a student. That’s even more significant. In my life with Cal, the coaching thread has been Mike White to Roger Theder to Kapp to Snyder to Gilbertson to Steve Mariucci to Tom Holmoe to Tedford to Sonny Dykes to Justin Wilcox. 10 coaches. Cal football isn’t like Cal Rugby, Cal Swimming, Cal Water Polo, etc. Cal is strong in a lot of things. Since the early 1920s, football hasn’t been one of those things. Excitement around Cal football is a fleeting thing. There’s excitement around Cal football now. That’s a very good thing and it’s due to the return of Tosh Lupoi to Berkeley. And he’s brought some Bears with him. Here’s a look at Cal’s new football coaches. 

Cal’s Coaches

Head Coach: Tosh Lupoi

Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Coach

Nick Rolovich

Offensive Coordinator

Jordan Somerville

Offensive Pass Game Coordinator

Pat McCann

Assistant Quarterbacks Coach

Jeff McDaniels

Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

Keith Bhonapha

Receivers Coach/Co-Offensive Coordinator

Ike Hilliard

Assistant Receivers Coach

Geoff McArthur

Tight Ends Coach

Steve Haunga

Assistant Tight Ends Coach

Mike Saffell

Offensive Line Coach

Famika Anae

Defensive Coordinator

Michael Hutchings

Assistant Defensive Coordinator

Ryan Barry

Defensive Pass Game Coordinator

Keith Heyward

Defensive Line/Pass Rush Specialist

Darrion Daniels

Assistant Defensive Line

Eddy McGilvra

Assistant Edge Coach

Lorenzo Alexander

Inside Linebackers Coach

Bob Gregory

Assistant Inside Linebackers

Sione Ta’Ufo’Ou

Defensive Backs/Co-Defensive Coordinator 

Da’Von Brown

Safeties Coach

Connor Boyd

Special Teams Coordinator 

Zach Tinker

It’s an interesting group. One of the interesting aspects of the group is the number of former Golden Bears players. Geoff McArthur and Lorenzo Alexander were teammates of Tosh Lupoi. Bob Gregory was Cal’s defensive coordinator. Mike Saffell played for Cal more recently. The cool thing about Lupoi, McArthur, and Alexander returning to Berkeley is that the trio is among my favorite Cal football players. I’m thrilled with their return. I don’t think I’m alone.

Michael Hutchings is also of personal interest. He left the Minnesota Vikings for the defensive coordinator opportunity with Cal. He’s a coach on the rise. As a Vikings fan, I hated to see him go. As a Cal fan, I love the hire. At 30, he has a lot of coaching in front of him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets head coach interest in a couple years. That would mean that he’s a success at Cal.

Ike Hilliard is of particular interest because of the playing career that he had. Keith Bhonapha is an interest for the running backs he’s coached. 

Welcome to Berkeley for most. Welcome back for the rest. 

Flea Flicker Divisional Round Predictions

It’s the Divisional Round and four teams remain. Here are some guesses at the games. 

Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos

Pick: Bills

The sooner Sean Payton is out of the playoffs the better. He and Aaron Rodgers run 1-2 or 2-1 as the most annoying people in football.

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

Pick: 49ers

The 49ers remarkable run continues.

Houston Texans @ New England Patriots

Pick: Texans

The Patriots remarkable run ends. 

Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears

Pick: Rams

Caleb Williams runs out of miracles. Depending on miracles is never a sustainable way to play. 

NFL Head Coach And General Manager Churn

This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers joined eight teams looking for a new head coach. Mike Tomlin stepped away after 19 years of sustained winning. He started that long run with a bang as he won a Super Bowl title in his second year as head coach. After that, the Steelers were a playoff staple for 17 years. Now, nine teams are looking for a head coach. 

Head Coach Vacancies

New York Giants

Fired: Brian Dabol

Tennessee Titans

Fired: Brian Callahan

Arizona Cardinals

Fired: Jonathan Gannon

Atlanta Falcons 

Fired: Raheem Morris

Baltimore Ravens

Fired: John Harbaugh

Cleveland Browns

Fired: Kevin Stefanski

Las Vegas Raiders

Fired: Pete Carroll

Miami Dolphins

Fired: Mike McDaniel

Pittsburgh Steelers 

Stepped Away: Mike Tomlin

Unless something wild happens, there’s really only eight head coach vacancies. Numerous reports from numerous sources have John Harbaugh and the New York Giants uniting. It’s surprising that there hasn’t been an “official” announcement as those reports have been flowing freely for over 24 hours. 

The cycle is fairly light when it comes to the annual general manager churn. When the season ended, only two teams were looking for a new general manager.

General Manager Vacancies

Atlanta Falcons

Fired: Terry Fontenot

Miami Dolphins

Fired: Chris Grier

The Miami Dolphins acted fast as they hired Green Packers Vice President of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan before the first week of the offseason was complete. 

The Atlanta Falcons were perhaps lagging behind the pace of the Dolphins in their pursuit of a new general manager because of other front office business. Last week, the Falcons hired former quarterback Matt Ryan as their new President of Football. Who knows what responsibilities of that job will be? One thing that’s certain is that he’ll have a role in selecting a new general manager and head coach. 

Current Interview Requests:

Head Coach

New York Giants

Hired: John Harbaugh

I hesitate putting this one as finalized as it hasn’t been finalized. I remember a day when Josh McDaniels walked away from a supposedly done deal with the Indianapolis Colts. It was such a done deal that he’d even hired an assistant coach. Despite that, I can’t see Harbaugh pulling a McDaniels. 

Tennessee Titans

Matt Nagy - Chiefs OC

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Steve Spagnuoulo - Chiefs DC

Lou Anarumo - Colts DC

Raheem Morris - former Falcons head coach

Kevin Stefanski - former Browns head coach

Jason Garrett - former Cowboys head coach

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Arthur Smith - Steelers OC

Robert Saleh - 49ers DC

Kliff Kingsbury - former Commanders OC

Mike McCarthy - former Cowboys head coach

Mike McCoy - Titans interim head coach

Mike McDaniel - former Dolphins head coach

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Chris Shula - Rams DC

Brian Daboll - former Giants head coach

Jonathan Gannon - former Cardinals head coach

John Harbaugh - former Ravens head coach

Arizona Cardinals

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Robert Saleh - 49ers DC

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Thomas Brown - Patriots passing game coordinator 

Matt Nagy - Chiefs OC

Raheem Morris - former Falcons head coach

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Thomas Brown - Patriots passing game coordinator

Atlanta Falcons

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Kevin Stefanski - former Browns head coach

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Robert Saleh - 49ers DC

Aden Durde - Seahawks DC

Ejiro Evero - Falcons DC

John Harbaugh - former Ravens head coach

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Baltimore Ravens

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Davis Webb - Broncos QB coach

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Brian Flores - Vikings DC

Matt Nagy - Chiefs OC

Kliff Kingsbury - former Commanders OC

Robert Saleh - 49ers DC

Joe Brady - Bills OC

Kevin Stefanski - former Browns head coach

Mike McDaniel - former Dolphins head coach

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Jim Schwartz - Browns DC

Cleveland Browns 

Todd Monken - Ravens OC

Aden Durde - Seahawks DC

Dan Pitcher - Bengals OC

Tommy Rees - Browns OC

Jim Schwartz - Browns DC

Mike McDaniel - former Dolphins head coach

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Nate Scheelhasse - Rams passing game coordinator

Grant Udinski - Jaguars OC

Las Vegas Raiders

Vance Joseph - Broncos DC

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Davis Webb - Broncos QB coach

Matt Nagy - Chiefs OC

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Nate Scheelhasse - Rams passing game coordinator

Miami Dolphins

Klint Kubiak - Seahawks OC

Robert Saleh - 49ers DC

Chris Shula - Rams DC

Anthony Campanile - Jaguars DC

Patrick Graham - Raiders DC

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Kelvin Sheppard - Lions DC

Kevin Stefanski - former Browns head coach

For merely sentimental reasons, it’d be pretty cool to see Don Shula’s grandson coaching the Dolphins. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ejiro Evero - Panthers DC

Brian Flores - Vikings DC

Jeff Hafley - Packers DC

Klay Kubiak - 49ers OC

Jesse Minter - Chargers DC

Nate Scheelhaase - Rams passing game coordinator 

Chris Shula - Rams DC

Anthony Weaver - Dolphins DC

General Manager

Atlanta Falcons

Ian Cunningham - Bears assistant GM

Josh Williams - 49ers director of scouting football

Miami Dolphins

Hired: Jon-Eric Sullivan - Packers VP of Player Personnel