Which NFL job is best?
BOSTON — The NFL regular season ended Sunday, which for 14 teams is good news; the playoffs are here.
For other teams, it means change is coming. By lunchtime Monday, the NFL had six vacancies for head coaches and seven for general managers (and more could be coming). It marks the 10th straight season that at least five teams are switching head coaches.
The teams are wasting little time moving forward with interviews, especially since most are being done virtually for now. The Patriots have a few candidates garnering interest. Josh McDaniels’s name pops up annually in coaching searches, though he has not had any interviews set up yet; Jerod Mayo is considered an up-and-comer in coaching circles, though it is unclear whether he has any interviews; and Nick Caserio already has GM interviews lined up with Carolina and Houston, per a league source. 1. Chargers (head coach only) The Chargers have good salary-cap space, loads of talent (Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, Austin Ekeler, Joey Bosa, Kenneth Murray), hold the 13th and 47th picks in the draft, and can offer a good lifestyle (warm Los Angeles weather, a brand- new stadium, and a low-key environment).
But there’s really just one reason why the Chargers have the best vacancy: Justin Herbert. He had an unbelievable rookie season, finishing with 4,336 passing yards, a rookie-record 31 touchdown passes, just 10 interceptions, and an impressive 98.3 passer rating.
2. Jaguars (head coach and GM)
The only reason the Jaguars aren’t No. 1 is that Herbert is a sure thing, while Trevor Lawrence (or Justin Fields) is an unknown. But this is a primo job for both head
coach and GMcandidates.
The Jaguars have the No. 1 pick and the opportunity to draft Lawrence (or Fields). They also have an extra first-round pick from the Rams (No. 22), their own 33rd pick, an extra secondrounder from the Vikings (45th), and their own 65th pick.
3. Jets (head coach)
Another job that looks great on paper, as long as you ignore the decades of dysfunction in that organization. But GM Joe Douglas has torn the Jets down to the studs and is ready to rebuild. They have the No. 2 pick, plus extra first- and third-rounders from the Seahawks from the Jamal Adams trade. The Jets also have the second-most projected cap space.
The million-dollar question will be what to do at quarterback: keep Sam Darnold or start fresh with the No. 2 pick. But that will be Douglas’s decision, not the new coach’s.
4. Texans (head coach and GM)
The presence of Deshaun Watson, one of the best young players in the NFL, should have the Texans at the top of this list. There certainly will be many good coaches and GMs lining up to work with Watson, wholed the NFLin passing yards this year and
was second with a 112.4 passer rating. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh are drawing a lot of buzz already.
But there are a few red flags. The Texans are not in a great salary-cap situation, though they shouldn’t be hamstrung from making a few moves. They also don’t have a draft pick until No. 67 in the third round after trading their first- and second-rounders to the Dolphins.
5. Lions (head coach and GM)
The Lions’ situation is better than the Texans’ in every way — except at quarterback, which far outweighs all other factors. The Lions have to decide what to do with Matthew Stafford, but he’s still a good quarterback who is under contract for a reasonable $20 million next year, and I would be surprised if a new coach gave up on that.
6. Falcons (head coach and GM)
The Falcons do have the No. 4 overall pick, plus Nos. 36 and 68. And Matt Ryan is certainly a good enough quarterback to still win games. But the salary-cap situation is an absolute mess, and they are going to have to make some tough roster decisions just to get under it.