While John Harbaugh quickly became the most sought-after head coach this cycle after he was fired by Baltimore, many NFL teams seek the next Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan.
The young, up-and-coming coordinators usually get most of the attention.
With eight openings around the league, there’s plenty of opportunities for rising candidates to emerge.
McVay became the youngest coach since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 when the Los Angeles Rams hired him in 2017
at age 30. He has led them to one Super Bowl title in two appearances, four NFC West championships, seven playoff berths and eight winning seasons in nine years.
The Rams (12-5) are heavy favorites on the road this week against the Carolina Panthers (8-9).
Shanahan was 38 when the San Francisco 49ers hired him in 2017. He has led them to five playoff appearances and two NFC championships in nine years. The 49ers (12-5) visit the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) on Sunday.
Harbaugh, who won a Super Bowl in 18 seasons with the Ravens, rose to the top of many wish lists after he became available. Mike McCarthy and Doug Pederson also are unemployed Super Bowl champion coaches waiting on an opportunity. Of course, there’s North Carolina coach Bill Belichick if any teams want to turn to a six-time Super Bowl champ.
But several young assistant coaches are going to get strong consideration and it’s not just McVay and Shanahan who’ve had success. Ben Johnson was the coordinator everyone wanted the past few years. He left Detroit after last season and turned the Chicago Bears into NFC North champions in his first season.
Sometimes the little-known assistants end up being the best hires.
The Eagles were mocked for hiring Pederson in 2016 when he wasn’t on many other teams’ radar because he was an assistant who didn’t call plays under Andy Reid in Kansas City.
He quickly led the Eagles to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory and did it with a backup quarterback beating Belichick and Tom Brady.
After firing Pederson following the 2020 season, the Eagles turned to Nick Sirianni. The team was chastised even more for hiring a guy who drew little interest from other teams after serving as an offensive coordinator under Frank Reich in Indianapolis for three seasons.
All Sirianni has done is win in Philadelphia. Five playoff appearances in five seasons, including two NFC titles and one Lombardi trophy.
Here are five assistants who could end up with a top job this coaching cycle:
The 42-year-old defensive coordinator for the Chargers followed Jim Harbaugh from Michigan to Los Angeles. He previously was an assistant under John Harbaugh in Baltimore.
“Tremendous knowledge of the game, great teammate, just works so well with the general manager, head coach relationship is going to be tremendous with him,” Jim Harbaugh said of Minter. “That’s really important. His ability to motivate. Just all aspects. It’s always about the team, there’s no ego there. If you got a box to check, you check it with Jesse. He’s had several (teams) that have reached out, interview requests. No surprise.”
The 45-year-old Weaver was the defensive coordinator in Miami the past two seasons under Mike McDaniel, who lost his job Thursday. He previously was an assistant with the Ravens, Texans, Browns, Bills and Jets. Weaver also played seven seasons in the NFL as an edge rusher with Baltimore and Houston.
He’s the defensive coordinator for the Rams and has strong bloodlines as the grandson of Don Shula. An assistant in Los Angeles under McVay since 2017, the 39-year-old Shula said “if the right spot in the right context and if the right situation presents itself, when that time comes, we’ll decide.”
Like Minter, who is preparing to face the Patriots, Shula is prepping for a game against Carolina this week.
Webb, who turns 31 this month, has been the quarterbacks coach for the Broncos under Sean Payton since 2023 and added offensive pass game coordinator to his duties this season. A former quarterback, he was a third-round pick by the Giants in 2017. He started one game in 2022.
He’s been an offensive coordinator in Minnesota, New Orleans and now in Seattle. The 38-year-old Kubiak is the oldest son of former NFL QB and Super Bowl champion coach Gary Kubiak. His brother, Klay, is San Francisco’s offensive coordinator. The Seahawks beat the 49ers 13-3 last Saturday to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
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