2025 NFL Coach Hiring/Firing Grades

This is a centralized post for all coaching move-related grades (most recent first) now that 2025 has begun. Perfect way to celebrate Black Monday right? For those who aren’t aware, Black Monday is the Monday after the final week of the regular season. The teams that missed the playoffs decide whether to continue with the status quo or to make major moves to their coaching staffs and front offices. Here, I provide coach hiring/firing grades for each change made. Coordinators will be discussed only as part of a staff being hired with a head coach or when the situation is particularly notable. For GM moves, check out this page.

February 11, 2025

Saints Hire Kellen Moore as HC:
I’ve actually had this grade ready to go for almost two weeks. The longer the Saints kept this job open, the more likely it became that Moore would be the pick. We finally got official confirmation about we all knew: the Eagles’ OC will be the new HC in New Orleans. Having witnessed Moore’s offense obliterate the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the team has to be excited about what’s ahead. While the Saints have regressed defensively, they’ve struggled on offense ever since Drew Brees retired. With Derek Carr at QB, that shouldn’t have really been the case. Moore’s arrival helps immediately. He has consistently gotten the most out of his units, and he comes with fresh clout after winning a Lombardi trophy. The only downsides here are that Moore is a first-time head coach (which always comes with a certain level of risk) and that waiting so long means that many premium assistant coaches are already spoken for. I don’t view those things as grave concerns though; every great coach starts somewhere, and it’s not that difficult to find a good DC to pair with Moore. To me, this is an excellent hire.
Grade: A

January 24, 2025

Cowboys Hire Brian Schottenheimer as HC:
The “roll” comes to a screeching halt. Dallas had looked at candidates as exciting as Deion Sanders, and as you saw below, I wasn’t even a fan of moving on from Mike McCarthy in the first place. Owner Jerry Jones has proven one thing to be true once more: he wants to be the star and the one calling all the shots, so he can only pick a coach who won’t upstage him. Schottenheimer is as milquetoast is they get. He has been an OC and/or QB coach for multiple teams, including the Rams, Colts, Seahawks, Jaguars, and (most recently) the Cowboys themselves. That’s just his list since 2014…and he disappointed in almost all of those roles. Teams’ offenses (especially Seattle’s) all got better once he departed. Basically the anti-Ben Johnson, Schottenheimer has very noncreative schemes and play calling tendencies, and I’ve never been wowed by his player development. An assistant in some capacity since 1997, Schottenheimer has never been a head coach, as nobody has been quite short-sighted enough to give him that opportunity. Until Jones. Stephen A. Smith is going to have fun on Monday.
Grade: D-

Raiders Hire Pete Carroll as HC:
These teams are mostly on a roll with their hires! No one really knew what the Raiders were doing. Some say they tried to coax Bill Belichick away from UNC, while others insist that Ben Johnson was the primary target. There may be partial truths in all of those things, but I think the team did well to grab Carroll on the rebound. We know who he is at this point. He’s 73 (making him the oldest HC in NFL history), but he’s a young 73. I can also definitely call him a winner, based both on his great Super Bowl-winning tenure with Seattle and his National Championships with USC. Due to his age (and probably owner Mark Davis being tired of paying coaches to go away), Carroll is getting a 3-year deal with a 4th-year team option. Anyone expecting him to instantly come in and make the Raiders like the 2013 is sorely mistaken. The Raiders are far away from contention with needs all across the roster. However, he provides exactly what the team needed in its next coach: experience (after rookie coach Antonio Pierce flopped) and culture building. Carroll may not be the coach by the time this team makes it to the top of the league, but if LV ever gets there, his tenure will be a big reason why. This is a rebuilding period, and few program builders are quite like Carroll.
Grade: A

Jaguars Hire Liam Coen as HC:
My my, what a reversal! Coen declined his second interview with Jacksonville on account of GM Trent Baalke being present. He agreed to a 3-year deal with his current team, Tampa Bay, to become the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history. The following day, Baalke was out, and Coen got back into contact with the Jaguars. Now, he’s their head coach. Owner Shad Khan knew he had a problem, as Coen was the second candidate to back out because of Baalke (Ben Johnson had already done so). His change of heart enabled him to obtain arguably the best coaching option available. Coen is known for his work with Baker Mayfield, and that’s certainly noteworthy. His guidance saved Mayfield’s career. However, an underappreciated part of his resume came at the University of Kentucky, where he made a star out of Will Levis. Nobody with Penn State or even the Tennessee Titans could make him look good, so I think Coen deserves a lot of credit there. This is the primary spot where I would’ve been fine with a defensive coaching pick, but making sure QB Trevor Lawrence is right takes priority. Aside from Johnson, Coen was the best guy for that job, so Jacksonville did well to clean house and acquire him.
Grade: A+

January 21, 2025

Jets Hire Aaron Glenn as HC:
I guess the performance by Glenn’s defense in Detroit’s loss to Washington didn’t tank his coaching stock after all. The Lions have lost their second coordinator in two days, as Glenn is becoming the new head coach of the Jets. I’m not crazy about this hire. Glenn is a great candidate, and he’d be a perfect fit for a team like Jacksonville, whose defense is in shambles. New York needs an offensive-minded coach to work with Aaron Rodgers or whoever the Jets acquire at QB. If this team wanted a defensive head coach, they could’ve just kept Robert Saleh, who was doing well with that unit. My other question is why this position was filled before the GM opening. Are the Jets planning to have a less powerful executive in the role, or is this just backward organization building? To be honest, the grade is only as high as it is because I think so highly of Glenn. He was an integral part of Detroit’s turnaround and provided some great defensive performances despite all the injuries his team suffered. Who Glenn picks as his OC will determine whether this hire works out. If the OC is that good, maybe he should’ve been the pick to begin with.
Grade: C+

January 21, 2025

Bears Hire Ben Johnson as HC:
This hiring came yesterday, but I was busy with the college football National Championship and couldn’t get to this grade until now. I cannot believe Chicago landed Johnson. Tom Brady wanted him, so I thought Tom Brady would get him. Additionally, the Bears’ search was chaotic and wide-reaching, so I had no clue what they wanted to do. This franchise landing on the correct choice was unexpected. First, Chicago had to select an offensive head coach. Their primary concern is the development of QB Caleb Williams, and an OC who succeeds with him would be poached in short order, so the HC needs to be on that side of the ball. Second, you don’t want just ANY offensive guy. Someone with a successful track record, creativity, and scheme adaptability is the ideal target. Johnson satisfies all of those qualities. Whenever you hire a first-time head coach, there’s some risk involved. However, Johnson is bringing some experience in the form of expected DC Dennis Allen, and we know what he is as an offensive mind and playcaller. As an added bonus, he is a direct talent siphon from a division rival, making Detroit worse as Chicago gets better. Added up, this has the making of a top-notch hire, and it was the best move the Bears could’ve made.
Grade: A+

January 13, 2025

Cowboys Do Not Re-Sign Mike McCarthy as HC:
The game of “will he or won’t he” is done, as McCarthy’s contract will expire tomorrow without a new deal. Supposedly one source of the disconnect came from the desired contract length, with McCarthy understandably wanting more security after the drama of coaching on an expiring deal. This was completely mismanaged by Jerry Jones. He never should’ve made his coach perform in a lame-duck situation, but McCarthy handled it great. You can tell that the players, including influential stars like OLB Micah Parsons, wanted him back. What I had to assess for this grade was whether he SHOULD be back. His record, 50-38, is quite good, but it includes a 1-3 playoff record. I put no stock in this year’s 7-10 finish, as Jones bungled the roster and set the Cowboys up to fail. If anything, 7-10 was a quality result. McCarthy is a good coach, but playoff success matters. That said, how much of the postseason failings can we pin on him? QB Dak Prescott certainly shares in the blame, as does the formerly feared defense. If McCarthy is the one who severed the relationship, then I can’t grade Dallas harshly. However, if Jones messed up the negotiations, then this was a pretty big failure. At the very least, the team got a late start on its coaching search, which isn’t ideal.
Grade: C

January 12, 2025

Patriots Hire Mike Vrabel as HC:
Who saw this hire coming? Oh right…everyone. It was so obvious with Vrabel being a longtime Patriot as a player, but it also made the most sense among all potential options. Unlike Jerod Mayo, a former Patriot player with no head coaching experience, Vrabel has plenty. He had a good record in Tennessee despite often being handed a mediocre roster. I’ve noticed that he extracts the most out of the talent he has, especially on defense. Therein lies my one minor critique: I’d have preferred an offensive coach to develop QB Drake Maye if possible, but the big name (Lions OC Ben Johnson) probably wasn’t going to New England. Vrabel is a considerably better candidate than most of the other contenders; the Titans clearly erred when firing him after the 2023 season. If New England is going to rebound in the near future, owner Robert Kraft has to get this hire right. I believe he did.
Grade: A

January 6, 2025

Raiders Fire HC Antonio Pierce:
Pierce thought he was going to continue as Las Vegas’ coach as late as yesterday, but his meeting with owner Mark Davis led to the truth. Like the Jerod Mayo case, this was a hire that shouldn’t have been made. A 9-game interim coach really had no business getting the full-time gig without ever even being a DC at the NFL level. As expected, Pierce struggled. His game and clock management skills were poor, the defense (his calling card) regressed somewhat, and he couldn’t handle the QB situation. Admittedly, he was dealt a poor hand with the signal callers, but benching Gardner Minshew 3 times really served no purpose now did it? Davis will be paying for this contract for a few more years. With that in mind, should the team have just waited to see if he could grow into the role? That of course depends on who they think they can acquire…and who they actually sign. Chances are, the next coach will be an upgrade, especially if it’s someone like Mike Vrabel. New minority owner Tom Brady, a former teammate of Vrabel’s will have input here. Given the quality crop of potential options, cutting bait with Pierce was correct.
Grade: A-

January 6, 2025

Jaguars Fire HC Doug Pederson
We all saw this one coming. After a great start to his tenure and a remarkable turnaround following the Urban Meyer disaster, Pederson presided over quite the collapse of his own. His team started 8-3 in 2023 before imploding and missing the playoffs at 9-8. That was a precursor of things to come, as the Jaguars went 4-13 in 2024 amid another injury-filled campaign for QB Trevor Lawrence. It’s hard to say that this is all Pederson’s fault. However, his time in Philadelphia ended in a tumultuous manner as well. He also hasn’t done a good job selecting coordinators. Press Taylor and Ryan Nielsen are not viable offensive and defensive masterminds, respectively. Owner Shad Khan said that this is one of his most talented rosters, and he retained GM Trent Baalke. Something had to change though, and that left Pederson holding the bag. I don’t really think this does a lot without making changes elsewhere in the organization. Jacksonville will be better next year simply by being healthy. However, it’s undeniable that two teams regressed under Pederson’s watch, and Khan could not afford to let this situation devolve further.
Grade: A-

January 5, 2025

Patriots Fire HC Jerod Mayo
One team didn’t even wait until Black Monday to make their move. Despite winning their week 18 game and showing a lot of heart in 2 of their final 3 contests, the Patriots apparently didn’t do enough to save Mayo’s job. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, this has been one of the worst teams in football, and Mayo didn’t do himself any favors with some of his media comments. On the other hand, he was dealt the worst roster in the game, and he only got one season to right the ship. How Mayo became the coach factors into this as well: he was the team’s co-DC and had a “head coach in waiting” clause in his contract, meaning that he was the guy as soon as Bill Belichick left. I was never convinced that Mayo was the right guy. However, if Robert Kraft thought he was just 12 months ago, what changed? Following a legend is really hard, and the expectations here couldn’t have been immense. Evidently, Mayo didn’t even meet those low standards. Fan anger and an ugly loss to the Chargers two weeks ago may have sealed his fate. The availability of another great Patriot defender like Mike Vrabel could also have played a role. I suppose it’s better to rectify a mistake rather than letting it drag on. Mayo’s hiring was a mistake, but the next step is critical.
Grade: B+