The NFL coaching carousel is in full swing and after a slew of firings and a surprising announcement from Sean Payton, we finally have the first few head coaches hired. The Denver Broncos were the first team to bring in a new coach, hiring former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and the Chicago Bears have their new head man as well in former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
With all the coaches on the move around the NFL, we'll be tracking every single firing and hiring around the league (and the coaches who are going to be retained). To keep you up to date on the latest firings, rumors and hirings, make sure to keep tabs on the coaching tracker below.
Texans
- Fired: David Culley
- Hired: TBD
David Culley was saddled with one of the worst rosters in the league and did not have the services of Deshaun Watson at quarterback. It was widely thought that the Texans overachieved but it wasn't enough to get Culley more than one season.
Giants
- Fired: Joe Judge
- Hired: TBD
Judge was a disappointing 10-23 in his two seasons as head coach and seemed like his job would be safe, at least until the Giants hired a new general manger, but the Giants dropped the hammer on Tuesday evening.
The Giants are now in the market for a new GM and head coach after missing the playoffs for five straight seasons.
Dolphins
- Fired: Brian Flores
- Hired: TBD
Flores never made the playoffs in three seasons in Miami, but he'll be one of the most sought after candidates in this hiring cycle. He's the only head coach to start a season 1-7 and finish with a winning record (2021), as the Dolphins went 24-25 in his three seasons -- with two winning campaigns. Flores went 24-18 in his final 42 games as a head coach.
The firing of Flores is the most surprising of this head coaching cycle, even if the Dolphins never had an offense ranked above 22nd in his three seasons at the helm. Miami has uncertainty at quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa and a poor offensive line, a task the next head coach will have to inherit. Flores overachieved in Miami, despite the Dolphins trying to stock up draft capital and missing on free agent signings over the last three years.
Vikings
- Fired: Mike Zimmer
- Hired: TBD
The Vikings fired Zimmer on Monday after eight seasons leading the franchise. While Zimmer finished 72-56-1 in his tenure, the Vikings were just 15-18 over the last two seasons and failed to make the playoffs both seasons. Minnesota is just 33-31 since losing in the NFC Championship Game in the 2017 season, having the 27th ranked defense in 2020 and the 30th ranked defense in 2021.
Minnesota has a quarterback in Kirk Cousins and a high-powered offense, yet Cousins has a $45 million cap number for 2022. The next head coach of the Vikings will be tasked with fixing a defense that has been one of the worst in the NFL the last two years and how to manage the Cousins situation (which will be the task of the next general manager going forward as Rick Spielman was also fired).
Bears
- Fired: Matt Nagy
- Hired: Matt Eberflus
The Bears moved on from Nagy after four seasons leading the franchise, as Nagy finished with a 34-31 record with only one losing season (2021). Nagy lead the Bears to the NFC North title in his first season and won coach of the year, but went just 20-27 since. He was tasked with developing quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, but the Bears moved on from him despite making the playoffs in two of Trubisky's three seasons as a starting quarterback.
Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace traded up and drafted Justin Fields, only to have Andy Dalton start over him to start the season as Fields struggled in his development. The Bears have a top-ten defense in yards allowed, but their next head coach will be tasked with fixing a broken offense.
The 51-year-old Eberflus is a defensive mind who has spent the past four seasons as the Colts defensive coordinator. Before that, Eberflus spent 2011-17 with the Dallas Cowboys working as their linebackers coach and defensive passing game coordinator.
Broncos
- Fired: Vic Fangio
- Hired: Nathaniel Hackett
The Broncos fired Fangio after he failed to get them in the playoffs after three seasons in Denver, compiling a 19-30 record in his tenure. Denver hasn't made the playoffs in six seasons, and is still searching for that franchise quarterback the team hasn't had since Peyton Manning.
Fangio built a strong defense in Denver, but general manager George Paton bought low on Teddy Bridgewater in the hopes Denver would finish with a winning record and compete for the playoffs. The Bridgewater experiment didn't last, but Denver has a talented roster that could compete for the AFC West with a much better signal-caller.
The Broncos are hiring Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to serve as the franchise's 18th head coach, according to CBS Sports' Josina Anderson. This news will fuel the Aaron Rodgers to Denver rumors that began last offseason. Rodgers is a fan of Hackett's, and noted after this season that it is unclear what the future holds or him.
Raiders
- Fired: Jon Gruden
- Hired: TBD
Gruden was the first head coach to be fired after a series of emails were released in an investigation into the Washington Football Team that included racist, homophobic and sexist emails sent from Gruden. The Raiders went with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia for the remainder of the season. Bisaccia has gone 7-5 and has Vegas in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Raiders job will be an attractive one if Bisaccia isn't retained, and the team could have interest in Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. Vegas may get a later start on searching for its head coach since the Raiders made the playoffs.
Jaguars
- Fired: Urban Meyer
- Hired: TBD
The Jaguars fired Meyer 13 games into his first season after a series of incidents led to his dismissal. Interim head coach Darrell Bevell filled in the final four games for the Jaguars, who have already begun the process of searching for a head coach. The Jaguars have interviewed Doug Pederson, Todd Bowles, Jim Caldwell, Byron Leftwich, and Kellen Moore over the last two weeks -- and also plan to interview Bill O'Brien.
With Trevor Lawrence and the No. 1 overall pick, the Jaguars job will be an attractive one.
Saints
- Resigned: Sean Payton
- Hired: TBD
It was a shocker in New Orleans when Payton announced he had decided to step down as head coach of the Saints and pursue other interests in 2022, possibly on TV.
