Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

NFL 2025–26 Season – What Do New Head Coaches Bring to Each Franchise Ahead of the Upcoming Season?

There have been as many as seven new head coach hirings this offseason

Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The offseason in the NFL plays a crucial role as this is the time to get everything sorted, from contract extensions to trades to new hiring of personnel, and so on. This is also the time when teams look for new head coaches in the event that they are not happy with the way things are going.

This year has been quite a busy one with as many as seven new appointments for the head coaching position. Changes to the head coaching role not only bring about a whole new cultural aspect but also an entirely different approach and scheme, which the players must adapt to.

What Are the New Head Coach and Team Pairings?

During the 2025 offseason, a total of seven head coaching changes took place. All but one team (Cowboys) in this list won 5 or fewer games last season, while Dallas was the only team to have a 7-10 record.

Nevertheless, here are all the head coaching changes that will now establish an entirely new identity for the teams in the upcoming season.

Mike Vrabel – New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have struggled mightily ever since the departure of team legend Tom Brady. Even the great Bill Belichick was unable to steer the ship, eventually leading to his mutual parting of ways with the team.

Last year, the reins were handed to Jerod Mayo, who fared no better. The Patriots slumped to a 4-13 record and finished in last place in the AFC East. A change in culture was the need of the hour, and who better to provide that than former Patriot Mike Vrabel?

Vrabel was the Titans’ head coach for 6 years between 2018 and 2023 before he was abruptly fired. During his playing days, Vrabel was considered one of the smartest players on the field. He will look to bring order and structure to the team as well as install a winning culture.

Pete Carroll – Las Vegas Raiders

The hiring of Pete Carroll by Vegas is a smart move. The Raiders now have a vastly experienced head coach who knows what it means to win a Super Bowl.

Carroll has a 17-120-1 record as a head coach in the NFL and is now expected to evolve the Raiders franchise that has been struggling for the better part of the past couple of decades. In fact, since 2002, the franchise has only had 2 appearances in the postseason.

Carroll will be expected to help rebuild the team while maintaining consistency. The AFC West already has three tough teams in the Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers. If anybody can go toe-to-toe with them, it will be Carroll.

“There’s nothing more important for our guys than being a good teammate. Every player has an opportunity to help our team by being a better teammate than they’ve been in the past. That’s how they give to their effort, learning, and what they give to their teammates,” Pete Carroll pic.twitter.com/X3PQSF6HXi
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) July 23, 2025

Ben Johnson – Chicago Bears

This will be the first foray for Ben Johnson as the head coach of an NFL team. That shouldn’t be a spot of bother, though, as his three seasons with the Detroit Lions under Dan Campbell will have prepared him for what’s to come.

Johnson is tasked with taking the talented Bears roster and doing justice to it. Bears fans have been waiting a long time for renewed success, and if what we saw in Detroit over the past couple of years is to go by, the Bears are expected to have a high-flying offense.

An offensive-minded coach, Johnson could achieve success immediately in the Windy City, provided he could get second-year quarterback Caleb Williams to play a more error-free game.

Aaron Glenn – New York Jets

If Ben Johnson provided a high-flying offense in Detroit, Aaron Glenn was the mastermind behind the defense. Glenn’s first order of tasks will be to set a new culture within the Jets locker room and to win the trust of his players.

Bringing in the right people will be the key to the Jets’ success. Their fan base has suffered so much over the past years that any improvement will be seen as a welcome change. The Jets have recently locked down Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to lucrative contracts, and the team is going in a new direction with Justin Fields under center.

Garrett Wilson says the "stakes feel higher" at Aaron Glenn's training camp as opposed to his past training camps with the Jets:

"The competitiveness. Not just talking about being competitive, you've got to train that way. It's got to feel like that at practice.

It's got to… pic.twitter.com/II7IqEOb7O
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) July 29, 2025

Kellen Moore – New Orleans Saints

Moore, like Ben Johnson, will make his debut as a head coach in the NFL once he leads the New Orleans Saints in September. Fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Eagles, Moore is expected to inject some life into the Saints’ offense.

Moore has had relative success as the offensive coordinator during his time in Dallas and his lone year in Los Angeles with the Chargers, but his ability to transform the Eagles’ offense last year with Saquon Barkley’s addition to the roster was highly impressive.

Moore will be expected to run a similar up-tempo offense focused more on passing and play action, while also using Alvin Kamara effectively from the backfield.

Brian Schottenheimer – Dallas Cowboys

Brian Schottenheimer is taking over the head coaching role in Dallas after serving as the team’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Schottenheimer was handed the job after Mike McCarthy was fired following a disappointing 7-10 finish last year.

He is expected to improve the team’s overall offensive capabilities. He is known to have a great working relationship with quarterback Dak Prescott, which should be a bonus. Moreover, with the addition of George Pickens, Schottenheimer has two capable receivers to help scheme open for Prescott.

Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer: “I wanna be the greatest culture in professional sports.” pic.twitter.com/suj1vPjoGZ
— SleeperCowboys (@SleeperCowboys) May 29, 2025

Liam Coen – Jacksonville Jaguars

Liam Coen comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree. Another first-time head coach, Coen, is expected to bring a fresh new approach to the Jaguars’ offense, one that has been struggling as of late.

Coen is credited for helping turn around the fortunes of Baker Mayfield in Tampa, and if he can do the same for Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars could instantly become a contender in the AFC South.

This is Trevor Lawrence's best opportunity to match the hype that’s followed him throughout his career.

He's been tasked with more offensive responsibilities. Liam Coen has asked him to be a leader.

And he's ready, he tells @jeffphowe. pic.twitter.com/B8ptAJT3Mx
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 28, 2025

As the season unfolds, it will be very interesting to see which of these coaches can get the best out of their respective teams. There is plenty of work to be done, but if we know one thing in football, a well-assembled and well-coached team can completely reverse the trajectory of a team languishing near the back of the field.

Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Aaron Glenn

Ben Johnson

Brian Schottenheimer

Kellen Moore

Liam Coen

Mike Vrabel

NFL

Pete Carroll

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

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!