A new crop of NFL head coaches are entering the fray this season.
Familiar faces departed amid last season’s coaching carousel, including New England Patriots’ long-time head coach Bill Belichick and Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll, while new faces – eight to be exact – are in at the helm.
The Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders all have new head coaches this season. The new group of head coaches, which includes a former collegiate coach and two former interim coaches, is looking to leave a lasting impact on their franchise.
Following Belichick’s departure from New England after 23 seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is now the longest-tenured coach entering his 18th season. Tomlin is followed by Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh (17) and Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid (12).
Here’s all the NFL teams that have new head coaches this season:
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Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons
Formerly: Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator (2021-2023)
Succeeding: Arthur Smith (2021-2023)
Morris, 48, is getting another shot as the head coach of the Falcons. Morris briefly served as the Falcons interim head coach in October 2020 after Dan Quinn was fired following a 0-5 start to the season. Atlanta finished out the 2020-21 season 4-7 under Morris, closing on a five-game losing streak. Atlanta passed over Morris for the head coaching job then, instead hiring Arthur Smith. But the Falcons ultimately circled back and hired Morris years later, despite reported interviews with future Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Belichick.
Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers
Formerly: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2023)
Succeeding: Frank Reich (2023)
The Panthers tapped Canales, 43, as head coach in hopes of helping Carolina bounce back from a league-worst 2-15 record last season. Canales helped revive Geno Smith’s career as the Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach in 2022 and did the same with Baker Mayfield last season as the Buccaneers’ OC. Canales will now look to get second-year Panthers quarterback Bryce Young going following a rough rookie season.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Formerly: Michigan Wolverines head coach (2015–2023)
Succeeding: Brandon Staley (2021–2023), Giff Smith (interim head coach, 2023)
Harbaugh, 60, made the jump back to the pros after leading the undefeated Wolverines to a national championship in January amid numerous controversies, including a sign-stealing scandal and recruiting violations. This is not Harbaugh’s first time coaching in the NFL. He was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014 and led the 49ers to Super Bowl 47 in 2012 against the Baltimore Ravens, coached by Harbaugh’s brother, John Harbaugh.
Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders
Formerly: Raiders linebackers coach (2022-2023), Raiders interim head coach (2023)
Succeeding: Josh McDaniels (2022-2023)
Pierce, 45, was named the Raiders’ interim head coach in late October after McDaniels was fired following the team’s 3-5 start. The coaching change brought a new energy to the locker room and Pierce’s first order of business was benching starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders finished the season 5-4 under Pierce, enough to secure him the official head coaching title in January.
Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots
Formerly: Patriots linebackers coach (2019-2023)
Succeeding: Bill Belichick (2000-2023)
Belichick and the Patriots agreed to part ways after the 2023 season, opening the door for a new head coach for the first time in more than two decades. Mayo, 38, spent his entire eight-year career with the Patriots as a linebacker and won Super Bowl 49 in 2015, the final year of his playing career, alongside Belichick and Tom Brady. After spending fives seasons as a linebackers coach in New England, Mayo was named the head coach of the Patriots, the first Black head coach in franchise history.
Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
Formerly: Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator (2022-2023)
Succeeding: Pete Carroll (2010-2023)
Macdonald, 37, is the youngest active NFL head coach, succeeding Pete Carroll, who was the oldest head coach at age 72 prior to stepping down from his duties following last season. Before joining the Seahawks, Macdonald spent nine seasons on John Harbaugh’s coaching staff in Baltimore. He served in various positions with the Ravens, from defensive backs coach (2017), to linebackers coach (2018-2020) and defensive coordinator (2023). Macdonald will bring his defensive mindset to Seattle, which gave up 23.6 points per game last season (8th-worst in the league).
Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans
Formerly: Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator (2019-2023)
Succeeding: Mike Vrabel (2018-2023)
Callahan, 40, got his first opportunity as a head coach following five seasons as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator. Callahan has installed a new offense around quarterback Will Levis in his short time in Tennessee, which previously had a run-first approach under Vrabel. Coaching runs in Callahan’s blood: His father Bill Callahan served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders (2002-2003). Earlier this year, Bill Callahan left the Cleveland Brown’s coaching staff to serve as an offensive line coach in Tennessee under his son.
Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders
Formerly: Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator (2021-2023)
Succeeding: Ron Rivera (2020-2023)
Quinn, 53, is a head coach in the NFL once again. Quinn served as the head coach of the Falcons from 2015-2020 and led Atlanta to a Super Bowl 51 appearance in 2017, where Atlanta gave up a 28-3 halftime lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Quinn found a new home as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2021 following his 2020 firing from Atlanta. Quinn’s defensive unit in Dallas only allowed 18.5 points last season (5th-best in the league).
