Explore the multiple head coaching changes happening around the league
Jan 13, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; Mike Vrabel addresses media at a press conference to announce his hiring as the New England Patriots head coach at Gillette Stadium.
With Super Bowl LIX having concluded the 2024 season, the coaching carousel has already begun and here we will be looking at some noteworthy changes that have already taken place in the coaching staff of multiple franchises.
In spite of the fact that the new season is more than six months away, preparations for the future are already in full swing with teams making quick decisions at least when it comes to what their coaching makeup will be like. The NFL as a sporting league is one of the more competitive leagues in the world in which continuous success is hard to come by. But each year, the goal remains the same and a well-coached team means you have already won half the battle. With that being said, let us take a look at the various new coaching hirings that have taken place recently across the NFL.
Head Coaching Changes
Ben Johnson – Chicago Bears
Leading up to the 2024 season, it felt as if the Chicago Bears had pulled out all the stops to make a genuine push for the playoffs. However, even after drafting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, adding free agents to bolster their receiving core, and maintaining a solid defense, the Bears could muster only 5 wins. Chicago’s inability to win more games was largely due to their coaching which is why they are addressing the issue with the hiring of Ben Johnson as their next head coach.
Johnson is coming to Chicago from Detroit where he was the offensive coordinator for the Lions for the past three years. The Lions offense has performed exceptionally especially this past season where they put up the most points. The young 38-year-old will look to unlock the Bears’ tremendous potential on offense.
Brian Schottenheimer – Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have finally decided to move on from Mike McCarthy this year even though many felt he could have been let go in 2024. The Cowboys struggled mightily and even missed the playoffs ending the year with a losing 7-10 record. Dallas has opted to hand over the reins to Brian Schottenheimer who has been with the team since 2022.
Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator for Dallas in 2023 and 2024 so he is familiar with the players on the team. This will be his first attempt as a head coach but he does have plenty of experience in the league and his father is the late great Marty Schottenheimer who had a fair bit of success as a coach himself.
Liam Coen – Jacksonville Jaguars
There were high hopes for the Jaguars to get back to the playoffs this year but that was not the case. Jacksonville’s season fell flat as the team finished 4-13 taking a huge step backwards. The Jaguars decided to move on from Doug Pederson as their head coach and have replaced him with former Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Coen helped Tampa Bay’s quarterback Baker Mayfield to new heights in 2024 and will be looking to do the same with Trevor Lawrence. The 25-year-old Lawrence came into the league with lots of expectations on his shoulders, but so far he has failed to deliver.
Pete Carroll – Las Vegas Raiders
In a big move coming from Las Vegas, the Raiders have hired the extremely experienced, Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll to replace outgoing head coach Antonio Pierce. The Raiders had a horrible season finishing well below .500 at 4-13.
Carroll brings with him a winning mentality and vast experience which should be beneficial for the Vegas outfit heading into 2025. Carroll had a long tenure as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks missing out on the playoffs in just 4 of his 14 seasons.
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Mike Vrabel – New England Patriots
After nearly two decades of dominance, the New England Patriots are in unknown territory languishing at the bottom of the NFL standings in recent years. The Patriots let go of Bill Belichick after 2023 and named Jerod Mayo as his successor. However, after going 4-13, he has been replaced after just one season by Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel is a three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots during his playing days. He was most recently the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023 where he saw quite a bit of success.
Aaron Glenn – New York Jets
Another team that finished near the bottom of the league with a 5-12 record was the New York Jets. It was frustrating to watch the Jets as even with Aaron Rodgers back to full health, and the addition of Devante Adams to the roster, they could not find ways to win football games. As a result, former head coach Robert Saleh was fired just 5 weeks into the new season.
The Jets have now hired Aaron Glenn to take charge in New York. Glenn held the defensive coordinator position with the Detroit Lions from 2021 to 2024. He will look to bring about a change in culture which is a must for the Jets at the moment.
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Kellen Moore – New Orleans Saints
Just days after winning Super Bowl LIX, the New Orleans Saints have signed Kellen Moore as their new head coach. The Saints finished last in the NFC South with a 5-12 record and it was surprising to see the struggling Carolina Panthers pip them for third place in their division.
Moore, a former quarterback, has six years of experience as an offensive coordinator. He has worked with the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers prior to his one-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024. The Eagles’ offense flourished this past year under Moore who is especially known to help running backs enhance their game.
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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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