NFL head coach matchmaker: Kliff Kingsbury to Ravens, John Harbaugh to Giants and other top pairings

The NFL playoffs are in full swing, and while most of the attention is on the teams vying for a Lombardi Trophy, most clubs are already focused on the offseason. Eight organizations are currently searching for a new head coach. Interviews are expected to ramp up this week, but no team has hired its next leader yet.

With all eight jobs -- 25% of the league -- still open, let's play matchmaker. Below, we look at each vacant head-coaching position and pair it with one of the top candidates in this hiring cycle.

Arizona Cardinals: Robert Saleh

Previous position: 49ers defensive coordinator

Saleh is likely to be picky about his next job after his failed tenure with the New York Jets. One reason that first stint did not work out was New York's inability to identify a viable franchise quarterback. 

Arizona is in a similar spot, as the Cardinals are widely expected to move on from Kyler Murray this offseason, but they hold the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft, giving them a clear path to address the position. If and when Saleh and the Cardinals solve the quarterback issue, they would have intriguing weapons -- namely Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. -- to build around.

While the quarterback situation matters, Saleh -- who has reportedly been requested to interview for the job -- would also be an attractive hire to fix what was a disastrous Arizona defense in 2025. The Cardinals allowed 28.7 points per game and 358.9 total yards per game, both of which ranked in the bottom 10 in the NFL. 

Even during his lean years in New York, Saleh was able to elevate the defense, and he has done a masterful job keeping an injury-riddled 49ers unit humming into the divisional round.

Atlanta Falcons: Mike McDaniel

Previous position: Dolphins head coach

The Falcons are an intriguing destination this cycle. On one hand, they have a boatload of talent on both sides of the ball, headlined by superstar running back Bijan Robinson. 

However, whoever takes this job also needs to be confident they can get Michael Penix Jr. -- who has endured an up-and-down start to his career -- back on track. Penix is coming off a season-ending ACL injury, but team owner Arthur Blank said in his end-of-season news conference that he expects the former first-round quarterback to return to full strength.

Mike McDaniel seems like a logical fit for a couple of reasons. First, he has experience getting the best out of a young quarterback, as he revitalized Tua Tagovailoa early in his tenure in Miami. There is reason to believe he could do the same with Penix, especially with a strong supporting cast already in place. 

Second, there is familiarity between McDaniel and the organization thanks to the arrival of Matt Ryan as the franchise's president of football. McDaniel was an offensive assistant with the Falcons from 2015-16 under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, overlapping with Ryan's tenure as quarterback, including his MVP season in 2016.

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Baltimore Ravens: Kliff Kingsbury

Previous position: Commanders offensive coordinator 

It's not hard to figure out which of the eight teams with a coaching vacancy is the cream of the crop. It's the Ravens, and it's not particularly close because of two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. 

No other franchise searching for a head coach can offer that level of elite play and stability at quarterback, so Baltimore should have its pick of the litter. Kingsbury is widely viewed as one of the top candidates on the market this cycle, and he appears to be an ideal fit for Jackson and the rest of the Ravens offense.

He has previous head-coaching experience after leading the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022, and he most recently worked with Jayden Daniels as Washington's offensive coordinator. Daniels has a similar skill set to Jackson, and Kingsbury had him operating at a high level during his rookie season, which helped the Commanders reach the NFC Championship Game. 

If he can tune Baltimore's offense in a similar way around Jackson, the Ravens could be back among the league's top contenders in short order.

Cleveland Browns: Jim Schwartz

Previous position: Browns defensive coordinator 

It's rare to see a team fire its head coach and then simply elevate one of his coordinators, as most organizations prefer to clean house. However, Schwartz could be an exception. 

Cleveland's defense was one of the few bright spots of the 2025 season, and from the outside looking in, Schwartz appeared to have strong buy-in from his players on that side of the ball. If he commands that level of respect inside the locker room, the transition would be seamless.

He also has previous head-coaching experience, having led the Detroit Lions from 2009-13. If he wants another opportunity, this would be an intriguing setup, though much will hinge on what kind of offensive coordinator he brings aboard.

Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

Previous position: Seahawks offensive coordinator 

The Raiders are an intriguing organization this cycle. The Pete Carroll era crashed and burned, but there is hope for a brighter future. That is because a trying 2025 season resulted in Las Vegas landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, putting the franchise in position to select Heisman Trophy–winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. 

If Mendoza lives up to the hype, the Raiders would suddenly have a promising young core that includes the Indiana quarterback, along with running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers. Pair that with roughly $98 million in projected cap space -- the third most in the NFL -- and this rebuild could be jump-started quickly. That should make Las Vegas an attractive destination for someone like Kubiak, who is among the most sought-after candidates.

Over the past two years, Kubiak has built a reputation for elevating offenses. In New Orleans, he had the Saints punching above their weight in 2024. This season, as the Seahawks' offensive coordinator, Kubiak helped lead the team to the No. 1 seed in the conference with a dynamic offense. If he can get Sam Darnold to throw for more than 4,000 yards and run a unit that averages 5.9 yards per play -- tied for the third-highest in the NFL -- there's no telling what he could do with Mendoza if the rookie lives up to his billing as the top pick.

Miami Dolphins: Jesse Minter

Previous position: Chargers defensive coordinator

I think the Dolphins want to hire John Harbaugh. The question is whether John Harbaugh wants the Miami job. That seems unlikely, given the major salary-cap reset the organization is facing and the expected departure of Tua Tagovailoa. 

So if Harbaugh is not in the cards, where does Miami turn next? Well, how about Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter?

Team owner Stephen Ross has deep ties to the University of Michigan as one of its top donors and has a relationship with Jim Harbaugh, under whom Minter is currently coaching with the Chargers. Minter served as Harbaugh's defensive coordinator at Michigan from 2022-23, including during the program's College Football Playoff national championship run in 2023, so Ross is well aware of him. 

This pairing also aligns better from a timeline perspective. Minter, 42, is young enough to help lead a rebuild, and Miami's defense played well down the stretch in 2025, giving him something to build on heading into 2026.

New York Giants: John Harbaugh

Previous position: Ravens head coach

Harbaugh is the top coaching candidate on the market, and the best job outside of Baltimore, where he is departing, is the Giants. 

New York has the pieces in place to begin pushing for the playoffs as soon as 2026 with the right coach. Jaxson Dart flashed as a rookie and looks like a long-term building block at quarterback, as long as Harbaugh can help rein in his tendency to scramble unnecessarily. The Giants should feel confident in Harbaugh's ability to do that, especially given how he reshaped the Ravens offense around Lamar Jackson after moving on from Joe Flacco in 2019.

Beyond quarterback, the Giants also have intriguing young skill players, including wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo, both of whom are recovering from injuries. Defensively, the presence of Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter gives New York a formidable front. On paper, the Giants check many of the boxes on Harbaugh's wish list.

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Tennessee Titans: Kevin Stefanski

Previous position: Browns head coach

Stefanski is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, and while his run in Cleveland ended, many of his issues there stemmed from the organization never solving the quarterback position. 

That would not be a problem in Tennessee, where the Titans have Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, under center. Ward flashed late in the season, and if Stefanski likes what he sees from the young quarterback, the Titans have a lot of potential.

The hardest part of a rebuild -- finding a quarterback -- is already in place, and the franchise is entering the offseason with roughly $102 million in cap space, the second most in the NFL, along with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If the Titans can add the right pieces, they could become frisky sooner rather than later, depending on how quickly Stefanski can accelerate Ward's development.