The NFL is in full swing, and it is time to take a look at the men on the sidelines. This is a comprehensive list of the hots and nots of NFL head coaches. Each of these coaches have worked their way up to the prime coaching spot. There’s things about them you may like and other things you may not like, and sometimes it goes beyond how good they are at their job.
No two coaches are the same. Rookie coaches, veteran coaches. Some have professional playing experience and some have barely any playing experience. Some of these coaches I’ve never even heard of, and some of them are unmistakable. I will say that a weird amount of coaches have some type of connection to Ohio or Pennsylvania.
32, 31, 30, and 29
Arthur Smith, Shane Steichen, Dennis Allen and Matt Eberflus
These three men are insignificant to me. I’ve tried to remember if I’ve ever seen or even heard of these guys. In all fairness to Matt Eberflus, he is a fairly new NFL coach. I can understand how I’ve never heard of a man named Arthur coaching in the NFL. These men are 32, 31, 30 and 29, respectively.
29.Demeco Ryans
Ryans is also a new head coach, so there’s not much to say about him. He is more prominent as a player-turned-coach, and I’m rooting for him to help those poor Texans.
28.Josh McDaniels
I think I vaguely know this man. Some pictures make him look like an angry sixth grade bully, and other pictures he looks pleasant. His coaching record is not good, so he can hang out with Arthur and the rest.
27.Frank Reich
I’ve heard of Frank, but then I see him and I think to myself, “they’ve never shown this man’s face on tv.” He looks like a sweet old man, too.
26.Todd Bowles
We’ve finally reached the point where I’m certain that I know who everyone is. I’ve seen Todd, but I have neutral feelings about him. He went to my friends’ alma mater, Temple. Brownie points for being a player-turned-coach.
25.Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel is a dad I would like to be friends with. He’s a three time Super Bowl Champ and easier on the eyes than most. He’s not bad as a coach either, but I just don’t think about him that much.
24.Brandon Staley
As a newbie, I don’t know much about Staley, but he is recognizable as the Chargers’ head coach. He recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and unfortunately he has no relation to the iconic Dawn Staley. So far, he has a solid coaching record.
23.Zac Taylor
Zac Taylor has a neutral face. Very bland. I feel neither good nor bad about him, but I am invested in his success as head coach of the Bengals. Poor guy had the worst franchise record his first year, but then Taylor and the Bengals flipped the script.
22.Kevin O’Connell
He’s a cutie, and he led a good Minnesota Vikings team to first in the NFC North in his first season as head coach. His good looks and coaching skills are up for more evaluation this season.
21.Mike McCarthy
Me and Mikey boy have the same birthday, and if he wasn’t the Cowboys head coach I would make him number one. I found out he played for the Scottsdale Community College Artichokes, which is the cutest mascot ever. Alas, nobody likes the Cowboys, and for that reason he is number 20.
20.Jonathan Gannon
Gannon is a cutie as well, and his rise to head coach is impressive. Gannon was a positions coach for a number of teams before being hired as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. After the Super Bowl loss, he was immediately hired as the Cardinals’ head coach.
19.Sean McDermott
Sean McDermott looks like a baby. Sorry, Sean. I am a lowkey Bills fan, but McDermott grew up in Montgomery County and I’m being biased toward southeastern Pennsylvania.
18.Bill Belichick
I should hate Bill Belichick more than I do because I’m a Giants fan. I can assure you that it was a different story when he was a duo with Tom Brady, but now he doesn’t seem so scary. He’s like the Burgermeister Meisterburger from Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. He’s a grumpy old man doing funny things like pulling a challenge flag out of his sock and spiking it.
16.Nick Sirianni
If I was a die hard, born and bred Philadelphian then maybe I would be buying in to Nick Sirianni’s antics. But he’s too similar to the annoying kids in class that I can’t seem to make myself like him.
15.Brian Daboll
As the coach of my team, it’s disappointing that he is this low on the list. First of all, points for being Canadian. He hasn’t proven to be the best coach, and he worked as offensive coordinator for University of Alabama. So, it’s a no from me.
14.Doug Pederson
Doug’s a wholesome guy. I don’t know him personally, but that’s the vibe I’m getting. He coached the Eagles to a Super Bowl, and now he’s working with the Jaguars. I think I just like how perfect his gray hair/visor combo is.
13.Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan is another young, attractive coach with a solid record. He reached the Super Bowl in his third year as coach and appeared in two NFC Championship games.
12.Kevin Stefanski
The name automatically catches you. Kevin Stefanski. He sounds like your old teacher or your next door neighbor. After hearing his name and then seeing him, you probably wonder why such good looks were bestowed upon the head coach of the Browns. Dark hair, light eyes combo is lethal.
11.Robert Saleh
Every time I see this man’s name I forget the face and then I google him. Duh, I’ve seen Robert a lot. He’s the first Muslim head coach, and he speaks Arabic. Also, he was the best man at Matt LaFleur’s wedding. This was the cutest thing I’ve heard about these coaches.
10.Sean Payton
The second cutest thing about these coaches was Sean Payton coaching his son’s sixth grade team while he was suspended from the NFL. There’s something kind of scary in Sean Payton’s eyes, but I tend to ignore that for a more favorable opinion. Sean Payton is a figure of this era of professional football like many of the others on this list. Many football fans would be able to recognize his name or face. He has quite a few years of experience and a Super Bowl to brag about.
9.John Harbaugh
If you’re into football, you know the Harbaugh brothers. John has led the Ravens for a long time and is a prominent head coaching figure. The man has experience, winning a Super Bowl and often competing in the playoffs. One flaw though: his sister is married to Tom Crean. Gasp, I know. For those who don’t know, Tom Crean was the head basketball coach for University of Georgia.
8.Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell looks like he should be a football coach and every football coach should look like Dan Campbell. This makes sense, as Dan is a former player. He’s gruff and I don’t mind looking at him. He almost looks out of place as a coach.
7.Ron Rivera
Ron’s a baller. He’s a solid coach, but his personal life impresses me even more. He met his wife, Stephanie, at Cal and she coached the Washington Mystics at one point. This coaching duo have been through a lot. They survived a home fire and Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma before being considered cancer free in January 2021. Since then, he has donated to a variety of charities and cancer research foundations.
6.Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll is another recognizable figure of this era of the NFL. He’s held down the fort in Seattle and won a Super Bowl to prove his value. He has an impressive resume with professional and college coaching jobs, and he seems like a very charismatic guy. Similar to Sean Payton, I feel like Pete’s kind of scary.
5.Andy Reid
Andy Reid has a very distinct look. He’s the big guy with the white handlebar mustache, and Kansas City’s ugly red combine with those traits to cut an unmistakable figure. The man is pretty well received by Philly fans, and his State Farm commercials give him points in my book.
4.Mike Tomlin
If we’re ranking these current coaches based on their success as head coach, then Mike Tomlin should be number one. He’s never had a losing record, which is the longest current streak in the NFL (16 seasons). He was the youngest head coach ntil Sean McVay came around. Tomlin’s interviews are part of what makes him the interesting coach he is.
3.Sean McVay
We all know Sean McVay is the current holder of the “youngest NFL head coach” title. I’m here to say that he’s not that cute, but it definitely is a factor when ranking as a whole. His success as a coach is a major factor for him being third. Not just success, but success at such a young age and such an early part of your career. It’s not luck that made him the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl.
2.Matt LaFleur
Matt LaFleur is almost the better version of Sean McVay. He’s more attractive, and he has a similar level of success to McVay. LaFleur doesn’t have any Super Bowls, but he boasts a .700 overall record and has had a few significant playoff runs.
1.Mike McDaniel
How can this guy not be your favorite? Funny trumps everything. McDaniel brings the most personality to the table of all 32 head coaches. There is video of him strutting and singing while players are stretching at practice. He has some funny, blunt interview moments. He sprinted away from the camera at half time and overall seems like a lovably nerdy-yet-successful head coach. He’s having fun in front of 31 other grumps.
The game keeps changing. New coaches come in, veteran coaches leave and some return again (Sean Payton). The head coaches and their coaching styles make the game fun. It’s even more fun to see Mike McDaniel bring personality to that role. It will be fun to see the energized coaches the future brings.