Jan. 13, 2026, 7:02 p.m. ET

The NFL’s annual coaching carousel is in motion and more than a quarter of the league’s franchises need a new captain at the steering wheel.

That includes the Miami Dolphins after the team fired Mike McDaniel from his position last week. In four seasons, McDaniel led the Dolphins to a 35-33 regular season record including two trips to the playoffs in his first two years. But the team failed to earn a win in the postseason and sank to 7-10 in 2025, leading owner Stephen Ross to decide that “comprehensive change” was necessary.

Now the Dolphins are one of nine teams with a head coaching vacancy and there are several intriguing candidates generating buzz. The biggest fish is John Harbaugh, who averaged 10 wins per season in an 18-year tenure with the Baltimore Ravens that included a Super Bowl win. Two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski and fast-rising coordinators Jesse Minter, Klint Kubiak, Jeff Hafley, and Chris Shula, are among the other top candidates on the market.

Mike Tomlin’s resignation in Pittsburgh adds another huge name to the mix, but it seems the coach is likelier to begin a career on TV than jump back into the coaching pool as a trade candidate.

Here’s a guess at who fills all nine vacancies, including the Dolphins’ opening:

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

The Green Bay connection is obvious as Hafley would be reunited with general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan after the duo spent the last two seasons together with the Packers.

But there are a couple other reasons why Hafley makes a lot of sense in Miami. After years of trying to lean on a high-flying offense and failing to thrive in cold conditions, the new coach could bring a toughness and grit to the Dolphins that the team lacked in recent years. And although he has no NFL head coaching experience, Hafley spent four seasons as Boston College‘s head coach, proving he can handle the responsibilities of being the one at the reins.

After three seasons with Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals defense still needs a lot of work, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Arizona pivots to an offensive mind. With Kyler Murray’s days in the desert possibly over, the Cardinals could add Kubiak, a coach who made the most of several limited quarterbacks, to rebuild the offense with a new passer at the helm.

Atlanta Falcons: Mike McDaniel

During his time with the Dolphins, McDaniel maximized the talent of several offensive players like Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Aaron Brewer, and Jonnu Smith, who all had their best NFL seasons under the coach. That could be appealing to Atlanta given it already has an offensive core in place with Michael Penix Jr, Bijan Robinson, and Drake London.

Baltimore Ravens: Brian Flores

It’s a bit of a risk considering how poorly the first head coaching gig for Flores went. But the coach has seemingly sought to learn from those mistakes and he’s channeled those lessons into impressive work in Minnesota where he’s led a defense that was excellent in 2025. With a franchise quarterback already in place in Baltimore, Flores would have a chance to coach up a talented roster that was disappointing on defense last season.

Udinski just turned 30 on Monday, which would make him the youngest head coach in NFL history. But the Browns may be well set up to take that swing for the fences, as they are reportedly aiming to find an offensive-minded coach open to keeping Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator. Udinski’s work with Sam Darnold in Minnesota and Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville make him an intriguing, high-upside hire who could work with whoever ends up quarterbacking the Browns moving forward.

Las Vegas Raiders: Vance Joseph

The first head coaching stint for Joseph went poorly, but it’s hard to say he had much of a chance in Denver with John Elway handing him Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum at quarterback. In his return to the Broncos as defensive coordinator, he’s put together a ferocious defense that racked up a ridiculous 131 sacks in the last two years. No other team has even 100 in that span. Joseph will need to find an offensive coordinator capable of developing whatever quarterback is presumably taken No. 1 overall, but there’s plenty of capable candidates for that.

There’s a lot of smoke that suggests there’s mutual interest in this pairing and it makes plenty of sense for both sides. The Giants are looking for the stability and consistency they’ve lacked since Tom Coughlin’s departure a decade ago. Harbaugh would inherit a roster that has a promising young quarterback, an elite receiver, an elite left tackle, premium pass rushers, and a top five draft pick to add another piece to the mix.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Chris Shula

The Steelers are looking for their fourth head coach since 1969, so the sample size of a Pittsburgh-type of head coach is awfully small. But over those 50-plus years, defense has been the team’s calling card, first and foremost. The franchise also takes pride in its stability. So a young defensive coordinator who could take the reins for another 20 or so years is probably the best guess. Shula, who turns 40 next month, fits the bill after coaching up a Rams defense that allowed the 10th fewest points this season.

Tennessee Titans: Kevin Stefanski

The decision to fire Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season has aged about as poorly as possible. While he now has the Patriots positioned to contend for many years to come, Tennessee is looking for another coach after six wins in two seasons without him. An established leader like Stefanski would be a reasonable course correction. The former Browns coach would get a promising franchise quarterback in Cam Ward after cycling through 13 different starters during his six-year tenure in Cleveland.