Winners and Losers of the 2025 NFL Coaching Cycle

This offseason, seven NFL teams interviewed candidates for head coaching vacancies. Six of those teams have filled the position. The New Orleans Saints are still weighing a crucial decision.

Because of the movement in the hiring cycle, some teams lost key coaches who were instrumental to winning seasons and high-end production, while others gained an advantage.

Which teams and players benefitted the most? Which clubs lost or missed out on quality candidates? Did the league overlook a specific group of coaches?

Let's highlight the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 hiring cycle.

Chicago Bears

Out: Thomas Brown (interim)

In: Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

Dallas Cowboys

Out: Mike McCarthy

In: Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator (promoted)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Out: Doug Pederson

In: Liam Coen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator

Las Vegas Raiders

Out: Antonio Pierce

In: Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks senior advisor

New England Patriots

Out: Jerod Mayo

In: Mike Vrabel, Cleveland Browns coaching and personnel assistant

New Orleans Saints

Out: Darren Rizzi (interim)

In: TBD

New York Jets

Out: Jeff Ulbrich (interim)

In: Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator

A full list of coaching hires, including coordinators and assistants, can be found at NFL.com.

The Chicago Bears are the biggest winners. They brought in the top candidate among the coordinators, Ben Johnson, who interviewed for vacancies last year but decided to stay with the Detroit Lions because of unfinished business.

The 38-year-old's arrival is a strong positive for quarterback Caleb Williams. Although he posted decent passing numbers (3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 62.5 percent completion rate), he didn't develop steadily through his rookie year.

In Detroit, Johnson propped up quarterback Jared Goff, who, like Williams, is a former No. 1 overall pick. He fully utilized the playmakers around him to create an offensive juggernaut in the Motor City.

With Johnson as their offensive play-caller, the Lions offense finished within the top five in scoring and total yards in all three seasons. The Bears should feel good about fielding a much-improved unit in 2025 and beyond.

Detroit's offense may lose some steam without Johnson calling plays, but the Bears have made a splashy coaching move and weakened their strongest division rival.

The Dallas Cowboys made the most uninspiring hire in the cycle, promoting offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The fanbase expressed its displeasure with that decision.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini told Scoop City (h/t RJ Ochoa of Blogging the Boys) that the Cowboys' differences with former head coach Mike McCarthy, which caused them to part ways, surprised team brass.

If true, one may be concerned that the Cowboys hired Schottenhemier, one of McCarthy's top assistants, in a panic move.

Regardless, Dallas had better options available.

Owner Jerry Jones stirred up the fanbase with a call to Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. Now, his decision to hire Schottenheimer feels like a massive letdown. According to NFL insider Ed Werder of the Doomsday Podcast, Sanders would have "almost certainly" taken the job.

The Cowboys could have strongly considered Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who interviewed for the job and is familiar with the personnel and organization from his four-year stint as the offensive coordinator.

Yet Dallas hired a candidate who didn't draw attention from any other team with a head coaching vacancy.

Though Schottenheimer may become a decent lead skipper, the Cowboys could have aimed a little higher to replace McCarthy.

Shortly after the New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills' backups in Week 18, they fired Jerod Mayo. The team interviewed Mike Vrabel just days later.

The Patriots focused on the candidate they wanted and quickly closed the deal on the hire.

New England had a succession plan in place, which allowed Mayo to replace former head coach Bill Belichick. However, its plan didn't work out well. Mayo criticized his team for being "soft," which drew mixed reactions from his players.

Additionally, New England went 4-13, and its defense regressed significantly in one season under Mayo. It finished outside the top 20 in points and yards allowed for the first time since 1995.

While one can argue Mayo didn't have enough time to implement his vision for the team, the Patriots made a major head coaching upgrade. Vrabel led the Tennessee Titans to four winning seasons in six years and an AFC Championship Game appearance in his second term.

The Detroit Lions didn't have a head coach vacancy, but lead skipper Dan Campbell lost both of his coordinators, one to a division rival.

Former Lions offensive play-caller Ben Johnson should be able to help the Chicago Bears score more points and move the ball with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams under center. Moreover, he knows how to attack Detroit's defenders after practicing against them over the last three years.

In two games against the Lions, Johnson may have success against a noticeably weaker defensive unit that lost coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets.

Over the last four years, Glenn built up a defensive unit that allowed the second-most points and the fourth-most yards to a formidable group that ranked seventh in scoring and 10th in takeaways without key defenders this past season.

In Detroit, Campbell has set a strong culture, but he doesn't call plays and needs quality coordinators to maintain the team's high performance on both sides of the ball.

The Lions took two significant blows, losing the play-callers for their top-seven scoring units.

Offensive coordinator John Morton has big shoes to fill in Detroit.

Let's be honest about the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching search. They weren't going to attract high-end offensive candidates with Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew II as their top quarterbacks. Pete Carroll was by far the best choice for them in a division with Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh.

Ben Johnson's agent, Rick Smith, appeared on the 2nd City Gridiron podcast and denied that the Raiders had a shot at hiring his client (h/t RaidersBeat).

"Initial gut reaction day one on the Raiders was 'No go. OK?" Smith said. "Tom Brady absolutely has an extremely compelling case that gets you to listen. The whole thing 'Ben to the Raiders… great sources' and all the other stuff, that was never right."

Other than Johnson, the Raiders had only requested an interview with one other offensive candidate, Baltimore Ravens play-caller Todd Monken, and the two sides never agreed on an interview date. The other candidates on their interview list were defensive-minded coaches, mostly retreads.

Carroll's resume stacks up against the coaches he will see twice yearly in the AFC West. He's led his pro teams to 13 winning seasons and 12 playoff appearances, which includes two Super Bowl trips, in 18 years as an NFL head coach.

Carroll and his staff must figure out the quarterback position, but he'll save the Raiders from being an embarrassment in a division with three playoff teams.

Furthermore, his track record of building winning cultures at USC and with the Seattle Seahawks brings hope to a franchise that needs steady progress after decades of instability.

Three teams had interim head coaches because of midseason firings. So far, none of those clubs have retained the interim head coach.

The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus, and Thomas Brown led them to a 1-4 record. On his watch, Bears' opponents outscored them 69-130. He didn't have much of a chance to get the job with Ben Johnson and Mike McCarthy in the mix for the position.

This season, the New York Jets were the first team to fire their full-time head coach, Robert Saleh. Jeff Ulbrich took over in Week 6, and Gang Green went 3-9 on his watch. Ulbrich accepted an offer to become the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator before New York officially hired Aaron Glenn as head coach. He likely knew he was a long shot to get the job.

As of Friday, the New Orleans Saints have the only vacancy. Two weeks ago, they interviewed interim head coach Darren Rizzi for the position. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is in a "very strong position" to get the job.

After replacing Dennis Allen, Rizzi led the Saints to a 3-5 record. Between Weeks 10 and 13, he led the team to three wins in four games. Yet team brass may hire an offensive-minded coach to maximize 11-year veteran quarterback Derek Carr's talents.

Last offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders removed the interim tag from Antonio Pierce's title to make him their full-time head coach following the team's 5-4 run under his tutelage. They fired him after one season.

Other teams may have watched the Raiders go off the rails early in the 2024 campaign and decided an interim hire isn't the best approach to fill a vacancy.

Better late than never for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who fired general manager Trent Baalke to lure Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen to Duval County.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Buccaneers initially expected Coen to sign a contract that would have made him one of the highest-paid offensive coordinators.

However, after the Jaguars dismissed Baalke, Coen—who went on two interviews for Jacksonville's head coaching job—had second thoughts.

Eventually, Coen spurned Tampa Bay for Jacksonville, which angered Buccaneers' brass, Schefter told the Pat McAfee Show. Jaguars fans may also be uneasy about Coen's commitment after his change-of-heart decision, but Trevor Lawrence should be ecstatic.

After a 2022 Pro Bowl year, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick has regressed in his passing production. He'll have his third head coach in five years, though Coen may be the best play-caller he's had in the pros.

Last season, the 39-year-old helped Baker Mayfield post career highs in passing yards (4,500) and passing touchdowns (41). For the first time since the 2015 campaign, the Buccaneers fielded a top-five rushing attack.

Though it's a small sample size on the pro level, Coen has shown the ability to elevate a quarterback and his supporting cast with rookie playmakers such as Bucky Irving and Jalen McMillan.

Lawrence should be in line for a bounce-back year if he can stay healthy.

While Trevor Lawrence should feel encouraged by the Jacksonville Jaguars hiring Liam Coen, Baker Mayfield probably doesn't love the idea of learning a new offensive system in his third consecutive term with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

To Mayfield's credit, he transitioned well between Dave Canales and Coen, recording career highs in several passing categories this past season, though ideally, quarterbacks prefer stability within offensive systems.

The Buccaneers can hire someone already on staff for a more seamless transition, but they may bring in an outside candidate like Coen, who came from Kentucky last offseason.

Coming off his two best years as a pro, Mayfield should be able to rack up numbers with Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Cade Otton under contract, but it's realistic to expect a drop-off in his production.

The New York Jets' incoming regime, led by general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn, has plenty of roster issues to sort out, starting with Aaron Rodgers and the quarterback situation.

In addition to that dilemma, Mougey and Glenn must address individual contract situations.

This offseason, the Jets will decide on Sauce Gardner's and Garrett Wilson's fifth-year options. Gang Green will likely exercise the clause in both contracts, but the team may also consider extensions for the two standouts.

In three seasons, Gardner has won 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods. He wasn't as impressive this past season, but Glenn may want to keep his top cornerback around on a new deal, especially with D.J. Reed set to become a free agent.

Secondly, as a former cornerback and defensive coordinator, Glenn may highly value key defenders. This would bode well for Gardner, who is already one of the league's most accomplished cornerbacks.

For what it's worth, Gardner expressed his approval of the Jets hiring Glenn via Instagram.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.