Coaching carousel report card: Grading all 7 hires

The NFL coaching carousel has slowed to a stop for another year.

Kellen Moore joining the Saints after helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl title means all seven head coach vacancies have now been filled. While there was at least one astonishingly strange move, it's easy to be optimistic about the incoming group as a whole.

Let's get to the report cards.

The Bears may have knocked this one out of the park.

Johnson has been the NFL's most exciting candidate for a few years running. While it's impossible to be fully confident in what you're getting from a first-time head coach, coordinator resumes don't get much better than this. Johnson oversaw a top-five offense in both scoring and yards for each of his three seasons with the Lions. Detroit had a talented roster, but the 38-year-old has also earned his reputation as one of football's brightest and most creative play designers.

Other teams theoretically could've offered Johnson the opportunity to bring his own general manager. There was a brief stretch where it seemed like that might push him elsewhere, and the Bears seemingly lacked focus after they requested interviews with at least 20 candidates. As it turns out, they were just waiting for their shot at the big fish.

We now know Johnson was always the No. 1 target, and this was the job he wanted. The top available candidate zeroing in on a previously dysfunctional organization is a promising sign that times could finally be changing in Chicago. Caleb Williams' presence alone made this an incredibly appealing job, and now the Bears have an elite offensive mind to set him up for success.

There's no defending this one. Jerry Jones could've ushered in true change and reshaped the team amid an extended run of disappointment. Instead, he interviewed all of four head coaching candidates and settled on promoting a career assistant with a mediocre track record. It's just the latest example of Jones refusing to put his money where his mouth is.

This is the Cowboys we're talking about. America's Team. The most valuable organization in professional sports. Jones has claimed there's nothing he wouldn't do to win another Super Bowl. If he was serious, he'd flex his financial muscle and put together the best coaching staff this game has ever seen. But he's not. And it's long past time we accept that he probably never will be.

Jones would rather stick with coaches who don't command big money and would never even think about seeking some level of personnel control. That's his territory. Even the NFC's longest conference title game drought won't influence him to shake things up. Never change, Jerry.

Coen initially passing on the Jacksonville job seemingly made it clear to Shad Khan that top head coaching candidates wouldn't be interested with Trent Baalke in the building. And just like that, Khan sent the GM packing.

Moving on from Baalke was always the sensible move. It's not every day that a coach with one year of NFL coordinator experience has the leverage to influence such decisions, but that tells you everything you need to know about the Jaguars' regard for Coen. The Bucs' offense became a top-five unit under his watch in 2024, with the run game jumping from 32nd to fourth.

The relatively limited resume does create some level of risk here, but it's absolutely a swing worth taking. Finding a way to better support Trevor Lawrence is the Jaguars' top priority moving forward, and Coen's masterfully designed offense could be exactly what the young quarterback needs to get back on track.

Don't look now, but the Jets might be getting it together.

It sounds crazy. It probably is. Few things in football are as predictable as the Jets imploding the moment their fans allow themselves to believe. But this really does feel like the beginning of a new, more grown-up era in Florham Park. Landing one of the NFL's most coveted head coaching candidates tends to have that effect.

Glenn had a major role in the Lions' meteoric rise over the past few years. The 2024 campaign was his most impressive work to date as he led the league's seventh-ranked scoring defense despite a rash of injuries. That "next man up" mentality can be taken as a direct reflection of his leadership and ability to have every player prepared.

The Jets will need to figure out the quarterback situation before they can even dream of sniffing the playoffs, but Glenn seems like the type of coach who will establish a promising foundation while that process works itself out. The only question is whether ownership can avoid getting in the way.

Jerod Mayo didn't deserve to be fired after only one season. However, the Patriots weren't going to miss out on an opportunity to reunite with a franchise legend who also happens to be one of the game's most respected coaches.

Vrabel has a proven track record of getting the most out of his teams. He posted a 54-45 record across six seasons in Tennessee, making three playoff appearances despite some largely mediocre rosters. His defensive background, along with the return of former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, should give New England an excellent foundation for success on both sides of the ball.

It'll take some time to rebuild a decimated roster, but the Patriots have the No. 4 pick in the draft and a projected $120 million in cap space. Vrabel also inherits a young franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, an advantage he never had with the Titans. It'll come as no surprise if Vrabel sets New England back on a path to regular playoff contention.

Raiders fans had to be hoping this would finally be the cycle that brought them a head coach who would stick around for the next decade. In that sense, Pete Carroll may be seen as an underwhelming hire. The 73-year-old is now the oldest coach in NFL history and figures to be a high-floor bridge to the future. You can't argue with the quality of the coach, though.

Carroll is among the great program builders of the modern era. He's one of only three coaches to win both a college national championship and a Super Bowl, and the Seahawks were in the playoffs 10 times during his 14-year tenure.

This could've become a particularly uninspiring hire if Carroll stuck with familiarity and reunited with his old assistants from Seattle. Keeping Patrick Graham as his defensive coordinator and hiring Chip Kelly to be his offensive coordinator are promising signs of his willingness to adapt.

Even if his age limits the long-term upside, the Raiders couldn't pass on the opportunity to establish some stability for the first time in the last two decades. Mark Davis and Tom Brady needed to get things back on track before worrying too much about the distant future. Carroll may have been their best option for making that happen.

The Saints were always going to have a tough time filling this job. Aaron Glenn seemed like the top target before he chose the Jets (the Jets!). Pivoting to Joe Brady would've been the next logical move, but the Bills offensive coordinator chose to run it back in Buffalo.

In the end, the finalists for the job apparently included Moore, Mike Kafka, Anthony Weaver, and Darren Rizzi. Moore is the most recognizable name of the bunch, and it won't be tough to sell this hire after his offense helped the Eagles steamroll the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. But it's no slam dunk.

We know Moore can dial up plays for a group led by Jalen Hurts, the best offensive line in football, and a ridiculous collection of superstars at the skill positions. How different does that look when he's not working with such an overwhelming talent advantage? It's worth noting that Moore's 2023 Chargers offense was the lowest-scoring unit of Justin Herbert's career. The Saints could also be fighting an uphill battle for years to come with their never-ending cap issues. Ownership will have to be patient because there just isn't much to work with. It may have to get worse before it gets better.