9 NFL head coach candidates (Ben Johnson!) who might run their own teams in 2025

It's morbid and cynical when talking about people's livelihoods, but the fact remains the same.

At this point, Black Monday -- the day after the NFL regular season ends and the unofficial deadline for most underperforming NFL head coaches to get fired -- is basically a leaguewide tradition. It's a "holiday" in itself where organizations rid themselves of perceived dead weight while fanbases rejoice at trying again with a new possibility for their favorite team. It's a BIG deal.

As is often the case, this year's crop of potential head coaching talent should be enough to inspire genuine excitement. In Michigan, there's a genius offensive play-caller at work. Somewhere in Nashville, I'm sure a guy like Mike Vrabel is just licking his chops at a golden opportunity to coach after turning a glorified Madden franchise into something respectable. There's an NFL coaching legend who will just not let this profession go despite accomplishing everything and then some. And I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight some younger precocious coaches who have started to distinguish themselves in a manner that says they're ready to lead 53 multimillionaires to success.

Let's take a look at the premier coaching candidates during the NFL's 2025 hiring cycle and break down some of their pros and cons.

1. Mike Vrabel

Most notable work: Tennessee Titans head coach (2018-2023)

Pro: Vrabel, the rare "player branch" of the Bill Belichick coaching tree, has shown that he can flourish away from his mentor. He knows how to delegate tasks to his coaching staff in a productive manner while also getting the pulse of his roster on both sides of the ball. He's a tried and true "leader of men" who instills his program and will give any NFL team that hires him again a high-performance floor. He made the TITANS a semi-marquee team, for goodness sake!

Con: A coach like Vrabel will demand power. I wouldn't surprised if he expected to have some measure of general manager responsibilities in a new gig while also getting the most lucrative possible compensation. In other words, he'll want the key to the Mint, and that's, unfortunately, an uncomfortable prospect for many clueless NFL owners. There's also the question of whether Vrabel's hard-nosed coaching style transfers to a modern game that needs more finesse to compete consistently. Vrabel can get the most out of middling teams as a "culture" guy. But if he lands in a place without a great quarterback -- which is likely, considering the openings -- I think there's a cap on the ceiling Vrabel can coax out.

Potential fits: Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets

2. Thomas Brown

Most notable work: Chicago Bears offensive coordinator (2024), Chicago Bears head coach (2024-Present)

Pro: A young, up-and-coming offensive mind, Brown has been a popular name in league circles for a few years now. Even after a lost season as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023 (to be fair, it was a lost season for everyone in Charlotte), it doesn't feel like any of Brown's momentum has been tempered. In fact, after unlocking more of Caleb Williams' immense potential over the last few weeks, it sure seems like the 38-year-old might have something special cooking. With a hot finish to Chicago's current season, if Brown doesn't find himself leading the Bears in 2025, he might be running the show somewhere else.

Con: In Brown's current case, the best thing to know is what you don't know. So far, because of his work with Williams and Chicago's offense, the coach looks like a diamond in the rough. But the most he's done is call plays and run the offense. Over the stretch run of the season, Brown is responsible for everything with the Bears as a team. That's a massive step up in accountability and leadership for someone who was just the passing coordinator in early November. There's still a chance his whole operation could crumble in this interim trial run. He might shine, but we have to see it first before breaking out the anointing oils in full.

Potential fits: Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears

3. Ben Johnson

Most notable work: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator (2022-Present)

Pro: At this point, there isn't much new to say about the crown jewel of this hiring cycle. Johnson has been so good with the Lions -- Detroit has had a top-five offense in each of his three years as the coordinator -- that he's been able to turn down jobs over the last two offseasons, and he's still this coveted. He calls all the plays. He designs the offense. He's made Jared Goff seem like an MVP candidate. In an NFL where most of the marquee organizations all have head coaches with play-calling and offensive design responsibilities on top of their overall team goals, Johnson is a dream hire. He's a golden goose.

Con: Of course, while Johnson has proven himself running the show on offense, being a head coach is a different story. Taking the leap to being responsible for everyone in the organization is a massive contrast from just calling up plays for All-Pros like Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown to be their incredible selves. That's not to say this is a major concern -- how first-time coaches fare despite their inexperience is a common question -- but it should be a thought. Also, what would happen if Johnson left behind the NFL's premier offensive line for a shoddy one? Many of his best play concepts on offense require a lot of time to develop. Wherever this offensive genius ends up, he'll need assurance that the trenches will be a priority.

Potential fits: Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals

4. Bill Belichick

Most notable work: New England Patriots head coach and general manager (2000-2023)

Pro: For all intents and purposes, Belichick, the coach (and the executive), is the greatest and most successful in football history. The eight Super Bowl rings (six with the Patriots, two with the New York Giants as a defensive coordinator) should speak for themselves. No one has ever enjoyed a two-decade run of excellence the way Belichick's Patriots did at the start of this millennium. They were effectively a first-tier Super Bowl contender every year. It's hard to see anyone else ever topping that, and it's Belichick's top selling point.

Con: After being the NFL's gold standard for an unfathomable amount of time, the last few years of the Belichick era in New England were mostly ... rough. After Tom Brady left, the Patriots finished over .500 just once in four seasons from 2020 to 2023. Belichick made more questionable team-building decisions than usual, and that all led to a necessary teardown and/or ongoing rebuild. Belichick is 72 now and hasn't looked like he's up to speed on the current iteration of the game since the turn of the decade. Reputation and past success hold a ton of weight, but it shouldn't be everything in a "what have you done for me lately?" sport.

Potential fits: Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys

5. Aaron Glenn

Most notable work: Detroit Lions defensive coordinator (2021-Present)

Pro: Under Glenn's tutelage, the Lions' defense has improved every year. It went from a glorified sieve at the start of Dan Campbell's tenure a few short seasons ago to a unit capable of shutting down some of the league's highest-flying skill players, especially while shorthanded. That's right. Even without superstar pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson, Glenn's Detroit defense is No. 10 in total defense, second in scoring defense, and first in expected points added (EPA) per play, per RBDSM.com. Glenn has held it down as an assistant for a decade. After seeing his Lions unit's success, it's high time he got his own gig.

Con: Glenn's guidance with the Lions hasn't always been hunky-dory. It took until this year for the Lions to feel like they possess a truly elite defense that can stand up on its own feet without the NFL's top offense leading the charge. Part of that is personnel -- Detroit has otherwise had forgettable cornerbacks during most of Glenn's time in the Motor City -- but Glenn can't be absolved completely. There's also the notion of trusting a defensive-first coach in 2024. If Glenn isn't instilling his own offensive program, that means he'd probably be a CEO-type. The hit rate on these kinds of first-time sideline leaders can be murky, and they do require a ton of patience. If these are Glenn's biggest black marks, though, then he's in good shape.

Potential fits: New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders

6. Brian Flores

Most notable work: Miami Dolphins head coach (2019-2021), Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator (2023-Present)

Pro: After a questionable end to his Dolphins tenure over apparent racial discrimination, Flores didn't sulk. He put his nose to the grindstone and reminded everyone in league circles why he's regarded as one of pro football's finer defensive minds. For example, name one superstar on the Vikings' current defense outside of long-time safety Harrison Smith (who is also 35). Don't worry. I'll wait. Can't think of anyone? Well, that's OK because the Vikings have been a top-five scoring defense all season despite being comprised of no-names, green players, and somewhat over-the-hill veterans. The defense is the biggest reason Minnesota will likely qualify for this upcoming NFC postseason. Flores can flat-out coach, man. He deserves another shot to run the show.

Con: Flores' understandable tiff with the Dolphins and NFL aside, he was not without his faults in Miami. He employed a tough-love mentality with Tua Tagovailoa and took that dynamic way too far. There's something to be said about approaching players with your own leadership style. But if you're a coach, building positivity and belief in players -- especially the hopeful franchise quarterback -- is more important than staying stringent to your self-appointed doctrine of toughness and grit. I'm a believer in people learning from their mistakes, so I'm inclined to think Flores took the right lessons from his relationship with Tagovailoa. His recent coaching profile says as much. Nonetheless, this will be something to monitor if Flores gets the keys to a franchise where he has to work with a young quarterback again.

Potential fits: Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants

7. Joe Brady

Notable work: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator (2023-Present)

Pro: After rising to prominence coordinating Joe Burrow's passing offense with LSU, Brady was a hot commodity. Then, his name lost luster after a mediocre stint with the Panthers (something that clearly happens to a lot of people). But after ex-Buffalo offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey got canned in the middle of the season in 2023, Brady stepped in and didn't miss a beat. In fact, with Brady in the fold, Josh Allen has looked like an MVP candidate for over a year and a half now, while the Bills' balanced offense has evolved into something that doesn't need its quarterback to save the day just to function. That sort of progress deserves recognition. Maybe even of the head-coaching variety.

Con: Much like with Brown or any similarly younger coach, I do worry about the sample size of Brady's success in Buffalo. Going from running the offense to being in charge of all three phases is asking so much for someone who has only really been a good coordinator for 1.5 seasons. Also, Brady is 35. I'm not saying Brady couldn't be Sean McVay -- who started coaching the Los Angeles Rams when he was 30 (!) -- but there's a reason guys like him typically have to pay more of their dues before getting the lead headset. That's a tad uncomfortably young for someone who would need to see immediate success in order to get respect from veterans in his locker room who are close to him in age.

Potential fits: New Orleans Saints, New York Giants

8. Liam Coen

Most notable work: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2024-Present)

Pro: Another guy on the younger side, Coen has an extensive and eclectic football background. He was a prolific college quarterback with UMass. He used to play in the Arena Football League. In recent years, he's spent time with the Rams and in college polishing up some of the finer coaching tools (like play-calling) in his cupboard. Coen has parlayed that experience well by turning Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers into a top-five scoring offense. It's just one incomplete year so far, but it sure seems like Coen has the chops in a similar fashion to his predecessor, Dave Canales.

Con: I actually think Coen has a leg up on some of his younger peers who also reside on this list. He's coached and played at different levels of the game with a whole host of responsibilities. He's got the Buccaneers staying afloat through a storm even after being ravaged by injuries. He seems like a real dark horse of a coach who has enough calluses on his hands. Nonetheless, Coen's inexperience at the highest level of football and youth remains a drawback that should give prospective teams a healthy pause. I, for one, would wait to see at least another year -- with this kind of Tampa Bay offensive success -- before making a hot "flavor of the moment" person like Coen, a head coach. He's the Bobby Slowik of this cycle, and I do not mean that as a compliment. Sorry, Houston Texans.

Potential fits: Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars

9. Todd Monken

Notable work: Georgia offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2020-2022), Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator (2023-Present)

Pro: Every offense Monken touches lately turns to gold. In Georgia, Monken was the steady organizing hand for college football's premier team. In Baltimore, he's revitalized Lamar Jackson as a pocket passer so much that the dual-threat quarterback could win two consecutive MVPs. It's no coincidence that Monken's Ravens are ranked first in EPA per play and EPA per pass play by a wide margin. Monken has been coaching football in some capacity for over 30 years. His recent stops show that he's using his vast well of knowledge in a productive fashion.

Con: Monken will be 59 in February. There's a reason coaches who are that old haven't yet got a head gig as they finish their sixth decade on this blue marble. For whatever reason, things haven't clicked enough in the past for Monken at all of his various stops (seven different jobs in the last decade alone). This isn't to say that Monken wouldn't be good as a head coach just because he's on the older side for a first-timer. That's silly. But cautionary tales this millennium, like Vic Fangio and Rod Marinelli, who were both in a similar age range when they took over the Denver Broncos and Lions, respectively, shouldn't be ignored when it comes to Monken. Some people are better off as assistant coaches rather than taking one more huge step up the career ladder. And that's OK. We'll see whether this sentiment applies to Monken.

Potential fits: Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals

This article originally appeared on For The Win: 9 NFL head coach candidates (Ben Johnson!) who might run their own teams in 2025