The 2025 regular season is officially in the books, and six teams currently have an opening for coaching’s most coveted position. The Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals have parted ways with their former head coaches and hope the next man in charge will bring the much-needed organizational stability required for sustained success.
NFL Insider Benjamin Allbright Predicts Hires For Every Head Coach Opening
The team will officially fill these head coach openings over the coming weeks, but prominent NFL insider Benjamin Allbright recently predicted all six hirings. Like every human in history, Allbright has been wrong before, but he tends to be one of the league’s more accurate insiders. Additionally, he clarified in his tweet that these are nothing more than guesses, and he sounded more confident about some landing spots than others. However, with all of that being said, it’s still worth analyzing the potential fits.
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1. Las Vegas Raiders – Brian Flores
This one makes all the sense in the world. Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is one of the league’s top defensive masterminds, having found success under multiple organizations since rising through the ranks with the New England Patriots. Flores was arguably the biggest reason the Vikings finished with a 9-8 record, as the team had perhaps the NFL’s worst quarterback room and not all that much talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Flores has previous head coaching experience, having gone 24-25 during his two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The organization ultimately fired him because he didn’t believe in Tua Tagovailoa, and time showed Flores was right to doubt the Alabama product. He deserves another chance, and his connection with quarterback Tom Brady makes him an ideal fit for the Raiders.
2. Tennessee Titans – Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy has been projected to be the favorite to be the Titans head coach ever since the opening first emerged, and it doesn’t sound like that will change any time soon. Titans fans talking themselves into this hire will look at his 2018 season, when he won the NFC North and earned Coach of the Year honors with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback.
Since then, however, Nagy hasn’t done all that much to impress. He struggled to build offenses around admittedly bad quarterbacks in Chicago and joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. He became offensive coordinator in 2023, which coincides with the worst seasons of Patrick Mahomes’ career. Hopefully, he can recapture his earlier magic for first-overall pick Cam Ward.
3. Atlanta Falcons – Klint Kubiak
Klint Kubiak will likely be the prized jewel of the head coaching cycle, and Allbright believes he’ll land with the Falcons. Everyone wants to find the next Sean McVay, and Kubiak has a decent shot of being that guy. At 38 years old, he’s a young, offensive-minded coach with multiple years of success on his resume.
Kubiak guided the Seattle Seahawks to the top seed in the NFC North while helping Sam Darnold prove his 2024 season with the Vikings wasn’t a fluke. One year earlier, he had Derek Carr on pace for a career-best season before injuries derailed the entire team. While he may not have head coaching experience, he should be a great fit for a team with a young quarterback like Michael Penix.
4. New York Giants – Kevin Stefanski or Vance Joseph
This is where Allbright becomes less certain in his predictions. The Cleveland Browns recently fired Kevin Stefanski, but reports across the league indicate he will receive other head coaching opportunities. Stefanski guided the Browns to two playoff appearances in six years, and while he finished last in each of the past two seasons, it’s hard to blame him for the lack of success when the roster lacked any semblance of talent.
Vance Joseph, meanwhile, proved that he knows how to build a defense. The former defensive back is currently leading a great Broncos defense and built strong units with the Dolphins and Cardinals earlier in his career. While he time as Denver’s head coach left a lot to be desired, perhaps he can improve with another opportunity.
5. Cleveland Browns – Jim Schwartz
The Browns are perhaps the least desirable of the head coach openings, as the team has no proven quarterback and still has Deshaun Watson on the books. Because of this, Cleveland may have no choice but to promote the defensive coordinator.
The Browns struggled to win games over the past few years, but it hasn’t been because of their defense. Schwartz has gotten the most out of a talented unit, and perhaps he’ll have a chance to improve on his 29-51 record as a head coach.
6. Arizona Cardinals – Arthur Smith
Cardinals fans were (understandably) unhappy about this projected head coach opening, and Allbright himself suggested he doesn’t think Smith deserves another chance. However, this isn’t a list of what Allbright thinks teams should do; it’s what he thinks they will do.
Arthur Smith posted a 21-30 record as the Falcons head coach from 2021 to 2023 before the team fired him. Since then, he became the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator and hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. The Steelers made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but it’s not because of Smith’s creative playcalling. Maybe a change of scenery can bring out the best in him, but this would be a very underwhelming hire.
