Seven teams will have new head coaches in 2025, including my beloved Chicago Bears. Here’s some quick thoughts on the six coaches that have been hired, and the one opening still remaining.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Robert Kraft did Jerod Mayo dirty and made a mockery of the Rooney Rule, but the hiring of former Titan’s head coach and Patriots legend, Mike Vrabel, is a home run.

While I don’t believe Vrabel was a perfect fit for every job opening (more on that in a bit), he is probably perfect for New England. Former head coach, Jerod Mayo, famously called his team soft during the 2024 season. That will not be an issue under Mike Vrabel. Vrabel will make the Patriots a tougher football team.

I’m not as sure about bringing back offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels to help further Drake Maye’s development. McDaniels has been an abysmal failure as a coach when not paired with Tom Brady. Brady is the GOAT and he’s more responsible for McDaniels’ success than the other way around.

Overall, I give the Patriots hiring of Mike Vrabel an A, even if I don’t respect the process they took to get there.

CHICAGO BEARS- This move should have come a year ago. Everyone outside of the Bears top brass questioned the wisdom of pairing of a first overall picked quarterback with a defensive minded coach who had left a lot to be desired in his two years at the helm.

The Bears exacerbated the issue by letting Matt Eberflus choose the offensive coordinator who would be tasked with Caleb Williams’ development. Like every other decision made during his short tenure, Eberflus chose wrong.

Ben Johnson was the most sought after coach alongside Mike Vrabel. Rumors have it that he wanted the Bears job last year, but Chicago retained Eberflus. We’re lucky, as Bears fans, that Caleb Williams still held the allure for Johnson a year later.

Every team with a young franchise caliber quarterback wants to find their own Sean McVay or Sean Payton. I can’t say with absolute certainty that Ben Johnson is that, but he was easily the best candidate for that mantle available.

The Bears, for once, deserve a lot of credit for landing the big fish. They targeted Johnson early and when he became available to hire, they wasted no time.

I give this hire an A+. After a monumentally disappointing season, the hiring of Ben Johnson has revived my hopes in the Bears future.

NEW YORK JETS- Aaron Glenn played for the Jets and he was probably the top first time head coaching candidate from the defensive side of the ball. Glenn did amazing work with Detroit’s banged up defense until they ran out of gas against Washington.

I like Glenn and I think he’s deserving of a head coaching position, I just feel like the Jets have taken this road before. The Jets still have the same issues; a meddling owner and a forty something quarterback whose best days are far, far behind him.

I’ll grade the hiring of Glenn as a solid B, with the caveat that Glenn has a tall task in front of him. At least the Jets paired him with a familiar face at GM, who hopefully will be on the same page.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS- I never bought the notion that Vegas was a realistic option for Ben Johnson. The fact that none of the other available top offensive minds ever considered the Raiders confirms my view.

The Raiders need an NFL caliber starting QB and they have no real viable path to landing one this year. The Raiders are also in dire need of a culture change, but that is more on ownership than any coach they could have hired.

If Tom Brady can instill patience in Raiders ownership and Pete Carroll has the juice, at 73 years old, to see through what will not be a quick rebuild, this hiring will be great. Carroll knows how to build a winning culture. Until those questions are answered, however, I’ll give this grade a B.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Jacksonville botched this from the start. The Jaguars’ ownership are the only people in the known universe that didn’t realize how despised former GM Trent Baalke was.

Had they parted ways with Baalke at the same time they fired Doug Pedersen, they might have been able to land Ben Johnson. I still think Chicago offered the better situation, but the chance to handpick his own GM might have been enough for Johnson to pick Jacksonville.

Liam Coen deserves his own share of criticism here. After pulling out of consideration, presumably because of Baalke, and agreeing to an extension with Tampa Bay, Coen childishly ghosted the Bucs after Baalke was let go while he worked out a deal with Jacksonville.

Coen may end up as a decent head coach, but the whole situation was ugly for all involved, because of that I can only give it C- grade.

DALLAS COWBOYS- This one makes sense only in the mind of Jerry Jones. Moving on from Mike McCarthy is one thing, but elevating his former offensive coordinator, who didn’t even call plays, is just downright insane. Philadelphia OC, Kellen Moore, was reportedly interested in returning to Dallas and the Cowboys didn’t even wait to get an in person interview with him.

Brian Schottenheimer has a good pedigree, but he has the look of nothing more than a yes man for Jerry Jones. The Cowboys championship window might not have been opened very wide with McCarthy, but it’s completely closed now. Those high priced stars will soon realize this, if they haven’t already.

I’m grading this hire as a D, only because I don’t feel like being mean enough to hand out an F.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- This is the only head coaching opening yet to be filled. The Saints have their perennial salary cap issues, a serviceable but uninspiring QB and holes on both sides of the ball. No matter who gets the job, it may be a couple years of treading water before they’re actually a viable contender.

My instincts tell me Kellen Moore is the favorite for the job. New Orleans seems to be waiting on the chance to interview him in person. If it doesn’t work out with Moore, I think Mike McCarthy is the fall back.

I’d grade Kellen Moore a B hire. Mike McCarthy would be a B-.