Cowboys, Saints Top HC Options After Pete Carroll's Reported Raiders Contract

And then there were two.

The NFL offseason began with six head coaching vacancies and a seventh eventually arose when the Dallas Cowboys elected to not renew Mike McCarthy's contract.

Now, five of the jobs have been filled, with the latest being the Las Vegas Raiders' reported hiring of former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

That leaves the Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints as the only teams remaining without a head coach. Several of the top names on the market, including Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and Liam Coen have been scooped up.

However, that doesn't mean the prospective pool is empty. Here is a look at some prime options for each team.

• Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer
• Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury
• Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore

The Dallas Cowboys got a late start in the hiring process due to waiting before moving on from McCarthy. By the time they made a decision, Vrabel was the head coach of the New England Patriots and Johnson and Glenn were no longer able to be interviewed until the Detroit Lions were eliminated.

The easiest option appears to be Schottenheimer, who is already employed by the team and has a pre-existing relationship with the roster. He has been the offensive coordinator since 2023 and with the team since 2022. While the Cowboys slumped to a 7-10 record in 2024, the offense ranked in the middle of the league despite losing quarterback Dak Prescott after just eight games.

While Schottenheimer would be the in-house hire, Kellen Moore is also intimately familiar with the roster. He was the Cowboys offensive coordinator from 2019-2022 and has since served in the same role for the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles.

His candidacy is on hold until the Eagles season ends, as is the case for Kliff Kingsbury, whose Washington Commanders are facing Philadelphia in Sunday's NFC title game.

Kingsbury is in his first season as the Commanders' offensive coordinator and has overseen significant development for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Before his time with the Commanders, he had stints as offensive coordinator of the USC Trojans and the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-2022.

While he doesn't have roots with the Cowboys, he does have significant roots in Texas football. He played collegiately at Texas Tech, served as an assistant at Texas A&M and Houston and notably served as the head coach of his alma mater from 2013-2018.

• New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi
• Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy
• Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady

The Saints got a head start on their coaching search after firing Dennis Allen during the 2024 season, but that hasn't resulted in a quick backfill.

New Orleans was heavily invested in Glenn, who had previously served as a defensive backs coach for the team from 2016 to 2020. With Glenn going to the New York Jets, the Saints need to pivot and find an inspiring hire to rally a team that went 5-12 in 2024.

Darren Rizzi served as interim coach and had previously been the special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. New Orleans went 3-5 with him at the helm, which was an improvement from the team's 2-7 start, and giving him a fresh slate could be an intriguing and easy option.

A splashier option could be nabbing Mike McCarthy, who had a late entry into the coaching carousel due to his contract expiration with the Cowboys. He has a 174-112-2 overall record and has one Super Bowl victory on his resume, so he would bring a winning culture to a franchise that hasn't made the postseason since 2020.

If the Saints wanted a fresh face, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady could be a solid hire. The 35-year-old is in his second season as the Bills OC and helped lead Josh Allen to a sensational season that saw him throw for 3,741 yards with 28 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Bills to a 13-4 record.

His future candidacy will depend on how far Buffalo advances in the postseason but his body of work could make holding out worth it.