NFL Head Coach Rankings After the 2025 Season: The NFC West Reigns Supreme

With the 2025 NFL season coming to an end, it’s time to take a look at how some of leagues head coaches stack up against one another.

So non-football fans may find this to be a strange ranking to cover but, football is the one sport where I think this list actually matters. Game planning, strategy, and matchups are so coach-heavy in this game and in the NFL, some coaches have even become superstars in their own right because of how much influence they truly have on the outcome of games.

This list will not be based solely on the 2025 season. It will also factor in their overall track record. One great season doesn’t automatically vault you to the top, just like one down year doesn’t erase what you’ve built.

As for who’s eligible: I won’t be including any first-time head coaches who were just hired in this cycle.

There were three coaches hired in this cycle who do have prior head coaching experience: Robert Saleh, Kevin Stefanski and Mike McCarthy. Those three will be included on this list.

However, the other seven candidates hired this cycle (Mike LaFleur, Jesse Minter, Joe Brady, Todd Monken, Klint Kubiak & Jeff Hafley) who do not have previous head coaching experience will not be featured.

Now, let’s rank them.

26-21: Glenn, Bowles, Moore, Schottenheimer, Saleh, Canales

• 26: Aaron Glenn- New York Jets

• 25: Todd Bowles- Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• 24: Kellen Moore- New Orleans Saints

• 23: Robert Saleh: Tennessee Titans

• 22: Brian Schottenheimer- Dallas Cowboys

• 21: Dave Canales- Carolina Panthers

In my opinion, Aaron Glenn did by far the worst coaching job in the NFL this year. The Jets were a complete disaster, and his side of the ball, the defense was awful. I think Glenn is, by far, the worst coach in football going into next season, and he seems almost certain to be fired either during or after next year. Bowles comes in at 25. You had a huge division lead and you blew it, and the fact that people were surprised you’re even coming back tells me everything I need to know. At 24 is Kellen Moore, who I actually expect to make major leaps next season, but as of right now, the Saints were not very good. He also started Spencer Rattler for a long stretch over Tyler Shough, who was clearly the better quarterback, and that decision hurts him here. At 23 is Robert Saleh, who’s getting a second chance now with the Titans. I think Saleh will be much better than he was with the Jets. I like the hires he’s made, including Brian Daboll as his offensive coordinator, and I do think he’ll somewhat turn around the Titans. Coming in at 22 is Brian Schottenheimer, who surprised me a lot this season. I think he did a good job overall but his defense was not at all, but his offense (which he calls) was tremendous, and I have to give him credit for that. At number 21 is Dave Canales. The Panthers have gotten better each year under his watch, they made the playoffs this season, and they showed real fight. I don’t think he is a great coach, but he clearly deserves some flowers.

20-11: Taylor, Quinn, Stefanski, Steichen, McCarthy, Sirianni, O'Connell, Harbaugh, Coen, LaFleur

• 20: Zac Taylor- Cincinnati Bengals

• 19: Dan Quinn- Washington Commanders

• 18: Kevin Stefanski- Atlanta Falcons

• 17: Shane Steichen- Indianapolis Colts

• 16: Mike McCarthy- Pittsburgh Steelers

• 15: Nick Sirianni- Philadelphia Eagles

• 14: Kevin O'Connell-Minnesota Vikings

• 13: John Harbaugh- New York Giants

• 12: Liam Coen- Jacksonville Jaguars

• 11: Matt LaFleur- Green Bay Packers

At number 20 is Zac Taylor of the Bengals. Cincinnati has now missed the playoffs three straight years, and while Joe Burrow hasn’t been healthy for much of that stretch, that’s still an embarrassment with the talent on this team. At 19 is Dan Quinn. The Commanders took a step back, and in both years he’s been there, his defense has not been good. That has to improve going into year three. At 18 is new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski. I think he’s an okay coach, but the way he’s talked about makes me think he’s a bit overrated. His offense the past few years hasn’t been good enough, and while Cleveland didn’t always have elite personnel, he still should have been able to scheme more consistently. At 17 is Shane Steichen. He would have been much higher, but I do have to take previous years into account. He was good this season with Daniel Jones up until Jones got hurt, but there are simply better coaches ahead of him. At 16, this might be high for some people, but it’s Mike McCarthy. He’s not the sexiest hire, but he’s won a Super Bowl, he’s shown he can make an offense work in the modern NFL, and he’s excellent with quarterbacks. At 15 is Nick Sirianni, which will be controversial for some. People either love or hate him. I think he’s an alright coach. He won a Super Bowl with a great roster, but in two of the last three seasons his teams have completely fallen off a cliff midseason, with clear locker room issues, and part of that falls on him. At 14 is Kevin O'Connell. He won Coach of the Year in 2024 for what he did with Sam Darnold, but this season he did not handle the quarterback position well and failed to consistently get Justin Jefferson the ball. Some will blame the quarterback, but I put that on O’Connell. He should have been able to figure something out, and he was ultimately fine letting Darnold walk for J.J. McCarthy which was no doubt a mistake on his part. At 13 is John Harbaugh, who now comes in to turn the Giants around. His teams have struggled to maintain fourth-quarter leads in recent years, especially late in his Baltimore tenure, but he’s a proven commodity and I do think he’ll establish a real culture in New York. At 12 is Liam Coen, who did a great job helping revive Trevor Lawrence’s career. The Jaguars won 13 games in the AFC South, and I expect Coen to climb this list every year as long as he and Lawrence stay aligned. And at number 11 is Matt LaFleur. There was some tension in Green Bay after their shocking wild-card loss to the Bears, where they blew a multi-score fourth-quarter lead, but LaFleur has gotten the best out of Jordan Love. That said, he still needs to beat the allegations of being a seventh-seed merchant and help the Packers get back to the top of the NFL.

10: Dan Campbell- Detroit Lions

There’s no doubt that Dan Campbell has become one of the best motivators not just in the NFL (where he might be the best), but possibly in all of sports. Campbell completely revived the Lions after being hired in 2021 and has now established a culture of winning where even a 9–8 season is viewed as a disappointment. Imagine telling a Lions fan just ten years ago that they’d be upset about finishing with a winning record. That said, the Lions did take a major step back after being the No. 1 seed at 15–2 in 2024, finishing 9–8 and last in the NFC North. I do think Campbell will start to feel some pressure if the Lions have another disappointing season in 2026, but as of right now, there’s no question he belongs firmly in the top 10 of NFL head coaches.

9: Ben Johnson- Chicago Bears

At number 9 is Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears. After just one season, Johnson helped the Bears earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC, win a playoff game, and capture the NFC North. Johnson is clearly one of the best play callers and offensive minds in the entire NFL, but he does go for it on fourth down a bit too often for my liking. Especially early in games when the score is still 0–0. I think Johnson will need to improve his game management going into year two, but he helped Caleb Williams look like the superstar we thought he could be and for that reason and his play calling, he deserves to be viewed as a top-10 coach going forward.

8: Jim Harbaugh- Los Angeles Chargers

Ever since Harbaugh was hired by the Chargers in January 2024, he told us he was going to be all about winning, and the Chargers have done exactly that (in the regular season). They’ve made the playoffs in both seasons under him, and he’s turned them into one of the most physical teams in the league. That said, going into year three, it’s time for them to start advancing in the playoffs. He needs to make sure Justin Herbert is upright heading into the postseason and that there’s a game plan in place that can actually translate to playoff wins. Harbaugh is one of the best motivators and one of the best leaders in the NFL, but as he enters year three in Los Angeles, it’s fair to say the expectation now has to be real playoff results.

7: DeMeco Ryans- Houston Texans

Ryans is one of the best defensive minds in all of football and always has the Houston Texans’ defense ready to go. In the three years since he’s taken over, the Texans have made the playoffs every season, and he inherited a franchise that was clearly faltering. That said, I do have some concerns that C.J. Stroud has gotten worse each year. That’s not all on Ryans, since he calls the defense, but it does point to a need for improvement on the offensive side. Whether that’s making a change at offensive coordinator or being more involved with the offense. Still, there’s no doubt that his side of the ball, as long as he has the personnel and the scheme, will continue to be one of the best and most feared defenses in the NFL. Because of how he’s turned the Texans into a winning program over his three years there, Ryans is unquestionably one of the best coaches in football in my opinion.

6: Sean Payton- Denver Broncos

If this were a list of my favourite coaches in the NFL, Payton probably wouldn’t be on it. He can be one of the most front-running and arrogant coaches in the league. That said, there’s no denying that his teams are always prepared and ready to go. He helped the Broncos earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC this year and has played a major role in developing Bo Nix into one of the more clutch quarterbacks in the NFL. Even if you don't like him, there’s no question that Payton remains one of the better head coaches in the league.

5: Mike Vrabel- New England Patriots

Vrabel has now won Coach of the Year twice, most recently after helping the Patriots earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC by going 14–3, winning the AFC East, and even guiding a team that had won just four games over the previous two seasons all the way to the Super Bowl this past year. There’s no doubt Vrabel is one of the better motivators and player-friendly coaches in the NFL, but I do have some concerns going forwad was e’ve seen him flame out once before after early success, and that would be my main concern in New England moving forward. That said, as long as Vrabel is still one of the best game managers in all of he league and as long as he and Drake Maye are on the same page, I do think the Patriots will be a major factor in the AFC going forward.

4: Kyle Shanahan-San Francisco 49ers

Shanahan has made the Super Bowl twice during his tenure in San Francisco, and his teams are consistently among the league’s best. In my opinion, he’s coming off one of, if not his best coaching jobs with the 49ers in 2025. Despite dealing with significant injuries this season, including at the quarterback position, he still had San Francisco finish 12–5. In Week 18, they were playing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC against the team that ultimately went on to win the Super Bowl. Shanahan remains one of the best coaches in the NFL, but every year he doesn’t win a Super Bowl, there’s naturally going to be added pressure to finally capture a ring. Especially when compared to some of his peers who have already done it.

3: Mike Macdonald- Seattle Seahawks

Coming in at number three is Mike Macdonald, the Super Bowl–winning head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. In just his second year on the job, Macdonald became the third-youngest head coach (38 years old) to win a Super Bowl, and he completely transformed Seattle’s defense into not only the best unit in the NFL, but arguably one of the best defenses we’ve seen over the past decade. As long as Macdonald’s defense continues to show up and dominate the way it has, I expect him to only get better as a head coach, and he should firmly remain in the conversation among the very best coaches in the league going forward, especially given how consistently his defenses have been able to slow down and even shut down the Kyle Shanahan offense. In fact, the only offensive play-caller who has truly been able to solve that defense is someone we’ll be naming shortly.

2: Andy Reid- Kansas City Chiefs

At number two, and for the first time in my opinion not entering a season as the clear-cut number one, is Andy Reid. Reid has won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, and despite a down year, I do expect Kansas City to bounce back in 2026 as long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy. However, this past season was the first time I can remember where a significant portion of the Chiefs’ fan base was genuinely questioning what Reid was doing offensively, from play-calling to overall structure. There’s no debate that Reid is one of the greatest coaches of all time, but after a 6–11 season, missing the playoffs, and when you compare that to what we saw from someone else on this list over the past year, I do think it’s fair, at least right now, to have Andy Reid sitting at number two.

1: Sean McVay- Los Angeles Rams

As much as I hate the Los Angeles Rams and openly admit I dislike this guy, in my opinion, the best coach in the NFL is Sean McVay. McVay’s offense feels borderline unstoppable no matter who’s lining up at wide receiver, and the chemistry and execution between him and Matthew Stafford somehow seems to get better year after year. What truly separates McVay for me is that he was the only coach who consistently solved the Super Bowl–winning Seattle Seahawksdefense led by Mike Macdonald, not once, but twice this year. Ironically losing both of those games despite clearly winning the schematic battle. McVay has already won a Super Bowl, his teams are always in the mix, they consistently win big playoff games, and when the Rams do fall short in the postseason, it’s almost never because of his offense. Even without a Super Bowl this year, the fact that he dominated the league’s best defense across two games told me everything I needed to know. He’s been doing this at an elite level for a long time, and whether I like it or not, McVay deserves respect and to me is the number one coach in the NFL going into next season.