By The 2026 NFL season has reached its midpoint, and all 32 coaches who began the season in charge of their respective franchises remain in place.
As every NFL fan knows, that will not last long. Last season, 10 of the league's 32 teams made coaching changes. NFL owners are growing ever-impatient as they look to quickly build Super Bowl contenders, so leashes are shorter than ever for coaches.
That's why many will be on scorching hot seats during the second half of the season. And while none have been dismissed yet, a couple may fail to finish out the season, while numerous others will see their tenures end on "Black Monday," the day after the final game of the regular season.
But who will NFL owners and decision-makers be eyeing among the league's next crop of top coaching candidates? A few prominent retreads are on the market, along with the usual plethora of young, offensive-minded coaches.
Here's a look at the top coaching candidates to watch as the 2027 NFL coach hiring cycle draws ever nearer.
Mike Tomlin, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach
Tomlin is easily the biggest name on the NFL's coaching carousel for 2027. The 54-year-old led the Steelers to a 193-114-2 record across 19 seasons in Pittsburgh and won a Super Bowl while in charge of the franchise. He famously never had a losing season, and his steady performance will certainly endear him to NFL organizations looking for a proven culture-builder to improve their operations.
The lone question is whether Tomlin will want to return to the sideline after stepping down from the Steelers following the 2025 NFL season. He is currently working as a studio analyst for NBC and could be happy to remain in that role moving forward.
Sean McDermott, former Buffalo Bills coach
Unlike Tomlin, McDermott's intentions are known. The 52-year-old wants another crack at being an NFL head coach after leading the Bills to a 98-50 regular-season record across nine seasons in Buffalo.
McDermott is a strong, defensive-minded coach and has shown an ability to bring in quality offensive coordinators, with Joe Brady being among the best hires of his tenure. His track record leading the Bills to consistent success – eight playoff appearances in nine seasons – should appeal to NFL owners, even though McDermott was never quite able to guide any of his Bills teams to the Super Bowl.
McDermott will also be helped in the interview process by the fact that he is not currently employed by an NFL team. That will allow any team that fires their coach in-season to immediately check in with McDermott and gauge where he stands among the top candidates on the market.
Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator
The Vikings started the 2026 NFL season with a 6-2 record despite sporting an offense that ranks 30th in EPA per play, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Their success has largely been thanks to Flores' defense, which has established itself as the league's best.
Flores' aggressive, blitz-heavy attack has helped Minnesota post the NFL's best pressure rate while ranking second league-wide in defensive EPA per play behind only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikings are surrendering a league-low 14.5 points per game and proved, by containing Josh Allen on "Monday Night Football" in Week 9, that they can be a championship-caliber defense.
With that in mind, any NFL organization looking to improve its defense should be interested in bringing Flores aboard. His system has proven transferable across all of his NFL stops, so he is practically guaranteed to turn whatever team he coaches into a top-10 defense.
That said, Flores is still embroiled in a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, and it isn't clear whether that legal process will make any teams apprehensive about hiring him.
Grant Udinski, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
Udinski is just 30 years old, but he's a rising star in the coaching ranks. He has helped the Jaguars become one of the NFL's best and most efficient offenses during the 2026 season, and his ability to scheme players open should make him a hot commodity on the coaching market.
Udinski would be one of the NFL's youngest-ever coaches, but NFL owners have been more willing than ever to follow the Sean McVay blueprint and take chances on young coaches. That could give Udinski a path toward earning a coaching job even with just seven years of NFL coaching experience.
Declan Doyle, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator
Doyle is in a similar boat to Udinski. He's just 30 years old but has enjoyed a rapid rise over the last two seasons, finding success working as Ben Johnson's offensive coordinator in 2025 before getting a chance to call his own plays with the Ravens this season.
Doyle's ties to Johnson, who has rapidly turned the Bears into a Super Bowl contender, should make him a popular interview during the 2027 coach hiring cycle. He could also improve his candidacy if he's able to effectively lead the Ravens through injuries to quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley and give Baltimore a chance to make a playoff push with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.
Klay Kubiak, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator
Brothers Matt LaFleur and Mike LaFleur are both NFL coaches. Could Klay Kubiak and Klint Kubiak be next? The latter Kubiak brother has performed well in his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders while the former has been a part of Kyle Shanahan's staff for six seasons.
Kubiak has performed well since being elevated to offensive coordinator in 2025. He led the 49ers to a top-10 offense in both scoring and yardage in his first season in the role and is on pace to do the same in 2026. He has helped Shanahan guide San Francisco to success amid a plethora of injuries at receiver while Brock Purdy has thrived under his tutelage, completing 69.2% of his passes for 4,147 yards, 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 17 starts.
Purdy's success should be enough to get Kubiak interviews; and if NFL teams get the sense he can develop into a quarterback whisperer, they may pull the trigger on hiring him.
Nathan Scheelhaase, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
Many believed Scheelhaase might earn a coaching job during last year's hiring cycle. At the time, he was coming off a successful season as the Rams' pass game coordinator and had helped lead Matthew Stafford to an MVP season.
Scheelhaase wasn't ultimately hired, but he earned a promotion to the Rams' offensive coordinator role. The Rams have gotten off to a disappointing 5-4 start, but their offense still ranks fourth in yards per game and ninth in EPA per play, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. That, plus his ties to Sean McVay, will be enough to get Scheelhaase more looks during the 2027 cycle.
It's also worth noting Scheelhaase was a college quarterback at Illinois, so he has experience playing the position. That could prove valuable for teams looking for a coach who can develop a young quarterback into a star-caliber player.
Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator
Scheelhaase isn't the only Rams assistant who should be a hot commodity. Shula got plenty of interviews last season after leading the Rams to a top-10 mark in defensive EPA per play and has only continued to raise his stock in 2026.
The Rams presently rank fourth in defensive EPA per play and have allowed the sixth-fewest yards and eighth-fewest points this season. Shula has achieved those results despite missing star edge rusher Myles Garrett for most of the season, and he has helped develop players like Nate Landman into key pieces of the team's defense.
Also, for those wondering, yes: Chris Shula is related to Don Shula. He is the grandson of the legendary Miami Dolphins coach.
Aden Durde, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator
Durde has spent the last three seasons as Seattle's defensive coordinator under Mike Macdonald. He has helped Macdonald turn the Seahawks into one of the league's best defenses amid their run to a Super Bowl 60 win over the New England Patriots.
The Seahawks had the NFL's top-scoring defense last season and have allowed the fewest yards thus far in 2026. That will help Durde get looks during this coaching cycle, and so will his and Macdonald's abilities to coach up their young players – like former undrafted free agents Ty Okada and Drake Thomas – and turn them into key role players.
Anthony Campanile, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator
Campanile has spent the last two seasons as the Jaguars' defensive coordinator. He has created a defensive identity in Jacksonville, one focused on attacking downhill and stopping the run. That has paid dividends with the Jaguars allowing just 89.3 rushing yards per game in 2026, fifth-fewest in the league.
NFL owners looking for a hard-nosed, defensive-minded leader could find themselves gravitating toward Campanile. His aggressive defensive style figures to transfer well to his next landing spot, provided he has the personnel needed to stop the run.
Jeff Ulbrich, Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator
The Falcons rank sixth in pressure rate during the 2026 NFL season. This is despite their top pressure-generators being the little-known duo of Brandon Dorlus (29) and Cameron Thomas (26).
Those pressure numbers are a feather-in-the-cap of Ulbrich, who has done well to help an undermanned unit perform at a higher-than-expected level. That's not surprising, given the 49-year-old frequently got the most out of the defenses he coached with the Jets as part of Robert Saleh's staff from 2021-24.
All told, there's a reason the Falcons were adamant about keeping Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator even after switching coaches following the 2026 season. His motivational skills are strong, and his ability to develop defensive talent should earn him interviews this offseason.
Patrick Graham, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator
Graham has spent eight seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator for four different teams. He is finally enjoying high-end success with the Steelers, who have helped lead to a top-seven mark in yards allowed, points allowed and defensive EPA per play.
Graham, 47, has earned several head coaching interviews during his career and figures to once again draw interest this offseason. His experience across six different NFL organizations and a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots as a defensive assistant could eventually be enough to get him his first chance to be an NFL head coach.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Tomlin highlights 12 top coaching candidates for 2027 NFL offseason
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mike-tomlin-highlights-12-top-114526014.html
