5 assistants destined to become NFL head coaches

The NFL's coaching carousel never stops.

On the Monday following the final game of each regular season, several head coaches are handed their walking papers and teams set out on a search for a new bench boss. Head coaching candidates can range from veterans with previous experience to top college program leaders to current coordinators.

Here are a few names of assistants likely to get a future shot as an NFL head coach.

Matt Patricia, Patriots

Patricia is the ultimate Bill Belichick disciple. He's mostly gained notoriety for his impressive beard-growing skills, but the 41-year-old defensive coordinator demands that his players follow the Patriot way and do their job.

A former aeronautical engineering major, Patricia has learned from the best in Belichick, who is a former DC himself. He's been climbing the coaching ranks within New England's organization since 2004, learning how to adapt his defense to any circumstance it may face.

He's shown nothing but commitment to the Patriots as a coach, but if he's willing to move elsewhere, he could become the eighth assistant to become a head coach after serving under Belichick.

Sean McDermott, Panthers

McDermott's creative defensive play-calling and aggressive style is rooted in his former apprenticeship under the late Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

He's had another great mentor in Carolina, serving under coach Ron Rivera since 2011 and helping "Riverboat Ron" win two Coach of the Year awards in three seasons. His Panthers defense led the league in takeaways last season en route to a 15-1 record.

The 42-year-old has already endeared himself as a head coaching prospect to several teams in the 2015 postseason, when he refused to interview for potential positions to stay focused on his current team's playoff run. Pure dedication.

Kyle Shanahan, Falcons

As the son of two-time Super Bowl winning head coach Mike Shanahan, the 36-year-old Kyle Shanahan has been tagged as a future head coach for years.

He may be a tad young for most team's profile of a head coach, but Shanahan has already spent eight years in the league as an offensive coordinator, and a pretty good one at that.

He led the Texans' offense to back-to-back top-five finishes, made rookie Robert Griffin III virtually unstoppable, and reportedly resigned from the Browns when he was told to start Johnny Manziel. Head coach material.

Darrell Bevell, Seahawks

Since Pete Carroll was named head coach of the Seahawks in 2010, he's already pumped out two head coaches from his staff. Gus Bradley was hired away to the Jaguars in 2013 and Dan Quinn left for the Falcons in 2015. Now it's time for the offense.

Bevell has run a creative and balanced offense that finished fourth in both yards and points last year after going to consecutive Super Bowls in the two previous seasons. This season will be his 11th as an offensive coordinator in the league, and could be his last as an assistant.

Based on the hiring of former defensive coordinators Bradley and Quinn, 36-year-old Kris Richard will also likely receive some future interest once he has a few seasons under his belt.

Harold Goodwin, Cardinals

It took Bruce Arians 24 years after his first NFL coaching job to be offered a head coaching position. It won't take his offensive coordinator that long.

Goodwin is very similar to his two-time Coach of the Year award-winning boss. Both emphasize teaching, are aggressive strategists, use colorful language, and have the respect of their players.

Former Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was in high demand before his hiring as the New York Jets head coach last offseason. It won't be long before another team comes looking for some of that Arians magic from this 42-year-old assistant.