February 5th, 2025
By Stephen Juza
After last season’s head coaching searches, we published our initial ranking of how we felt each team did during the latest round of hiring. With their first season under the belt, it’s time to revisit how each coach did in their first season with their new franchise.
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New Ranking (Last Years Ranking):
- Dan Quinn (4th)
- Jim Harbaugh (1st)
- Mike Macdonald (5th)
- Raheem Morris (8th)
- Dave Canales (6th)
- Brian Callahan (2nd)
- T - Antonio Pierce / Jerod Mayo (3rd and 7th)
#1 Dan Quinn:
I think it’s fair to say that no team is happier with their new head coach than the Washington Commanders are with their new head coach Dan Quinn. We ranked Quinn fourth entering the season, but his inaugural season in Washington was a major success. The team’s twelve wins was the most since their 1991 Super Bowl season, and the eight win improvement over 2023 was the most of any other new coach.
The team is well positioned for the future as well. The defense made significant strides after being ranked 32nd in both yards and points allowed, and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was sensational and the front-runner for the offensive rookie of the year award. The last time the team had a Top-5 offense, they were led by another rookie quarterback sensation (RGIII). Hopefully Daniels can remain healthy as he looks to build on his rookie year.
#2 Jim Harbaugh:
Before the season, we ranked Harbaugh as the best coaching hire of the offseason, and he lived up to expectations. Successful every stop on his coaching journey, we fully expected that to continue with the Chargers. Leading the team to an 11-win season, their most since 2018, and a wildcard appearance, the team wasn’t quite able to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the divisional title.
Before the season, we wrote that new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had a major task on his plate - leading the defensive charge against the Chief - and he surpassed expectations. Holding the Chiefs to an average of 18 points in their two meetings, the Chargers posted the best scoring defense in the league. The stout defenses will need to continue, because the emergence of Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix gives two potentially high-powered offenses the Chargers will have to contend with each season.
#3 Mike Macdonald:
Macdonald showed a lot of promise for the Seahawks in his first season as a head coach, but he had some big shoes to fill after replacing Pete Carroll in the organization. While the offense stayed around the middle of the pack across the league, Macdonald was able to bring a new focus on the defense that saw it improve from 25th in points to 11th.
Before the season, we wrote about the importance of the offensive coordinator for a coach like Macdonald, and let’s just say his first pick did not pan out. After only a single season, the team fired Ryan Grubb. He was quickly replaced by Klint Kubiak, who was the Saints offensive coordinator last season. One positive for Kubiak compared to Grubb - at least he has been an NFL coordinator before. The downside? Those results aren’t what you would exactly want to stake your job on.
#4 Raheem Morris:
Possibly the biggest surprise on our list - Raheem Morris comes in at number four on the re-ranked list. After an initial three-season run as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we did not expect very much from this hiring. While the results were only an 8-9 season, that was at least a mild improvement over 2023’s 7-10 season.
Most surprising to us was the offensive output from the Falcons. In the preseason article, we talked about how the new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson could be a great hire after spending years in Los Angeles with the Rams. This hiring could be the start of something good for the Falcons, who put up more yards per game than any other team with a new coach. While there was some offseason confusion about the quarterback position - first signing Kirk Cousins to a large multi-year contract, then trading up in the draft to nab Michael Penix Jr., - the team eventually turned to the rookie to close out the season. A full offseason of reps will help Penix realize his potential if the team moves beyond Cousins.
#5 Dave Canales:
Canales probably was hired into the worst situation of any coach on this list. The Panthers were the worst team in 2023 after drafting Bryce Young first overall, and despite the poor season, they had already traded away the first overall pick, so the team had to watch as the Bears drafted first overall. While Canales was hired as an offensive mind, it took a while for the team to hit their stride. Young was benched early in the season, but came back and showed quite a bit of promise by the end of the season.
In fact, the entire team showed serious growth as the season continued. After a 1-7 start to the season, the team finished on a 4-5 stretch. After their bye week, the offense showed a spark, improving from an average of 281 YPG, up to 323 YPG. Additionally, the team averaged eight more points a game after the bye week. If the performance after the bye week can continue into Canales second year as a head coach, they may be looking to compete for a division title in two years.
#6 Brian Callahan Possibly no coach disappointed more on this list than Callahan. Originally ranked second going into the season, we had expected great things from the new Titans coach. One of the first moves of the offseason was hiring his dad and longtime offensive line coach, Bill Callahan, as an assistant coach. Considered one of the greatest offensive line coaches in the game, the Titans were tied for the third-most sacks allowed all season with 52. Pressure like that gave second-year quarterback Will Levis no time to improve on his rookie year.
Callahan didn’t waste any time in the offseason to make the changes he felt were necessary. The Titans have already shaken up the coaching staff, firing special teams coordinator Colt Anderson and letting several other assistants’ contracts expire. They moved fast to bring in long-time special teams coordinator John Fassel, new defensive passing game coordinator Tony Oden, and promote Luke Stocker to tight ends coach. Teams aren’t typically patient, so Callahan will need to show major improvement in 2025 to retain his job beyond next season.
T - #7 Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo
Coming in at the bottom of the list is Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo, tied for last place since the team felt one season was enough. Both the Raiders and the Patriots moved on and cut their losses quickly. In fact, in the case of Pierce, it happened midseason - he won more games with them last season as an interim head coach than this year as their full time head coach. We felt last year the Pierce hiring was strong, he had a lot of buy-in from the locker room and seemed to turn them around toward the end of the season as an interim. We missed the mark on that prediction.
However, with Mayo we did feel that it was a lackluster hiring, rating him seventh overall on the list. After replacing Bill Belichick, there were big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, Mayo was not the right person for the job as the team seemed to regress across the board. It was an opportunity to move beyond the aura of Belichick, but owner Robert Kraft decided that one season was enough.