One Familiar Player Every New NFL Head Coach Should Target in 2025 Free Agency

The 2025 NFL head coaching cycle is almost complete. While the New Orleans Saints are still searching for their next head coach, the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and New York Jets have found their guys.

It remains to be seen if the new head coaches will bring early or any success. Each of them, however, is likely to bring a familiar face along with them for the immediate ride. It's quite common for incoming head coaches to target players they've formerly guided. These players can help install new schemes and the desired locker-room culture, and they're often quite valuable on the field to boot.

When Dan Quinn took over the Washington Commanders last offseason, for example, fellow former Dallas Cowboys like Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. Quinn's Commanders quickly became a force and made a run all the way to the NFC title game.

Here, we'll examine the NFL's six newest head coaches, one familiar who should top the free-agent wish list of each, and why.

In arguably the least surprising move of the 2025 offseason thus far, the Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their new head coach shortly after Detroit was ousted from the postseason.

Johnson, who oversaw one of the league's most dynamic offenses in Detroit, is expected to nurture promising young quarterback Caleb Williams.

While Chicago's 32nd-ranked offense was obviously not good in 2024, it did feature playmakers like D.J. Moore, D'Andre Swift, Cole Kmet, and Rome Odunze. Johnson is expected to make all the pieces fit in a way they didn't under former head coach Matt Eberflus.

If Johnson hopes to mirror the success he had with the Lions, however, he needs to upgrade an offensive line that was ranked 24th in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2024. Detroit's offense has flourished, largely, because of a powerful offensive line capable of winning in both the passing and running games. It's a luxury the Bears don't currently have.

"I think the offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward," Johnson said during his introductory press conference.

Adding Kevin Zeitler, who started 16 games for the Lions in 2024, would be a strong first step. The 34-year-old would be an upgrade over Matt Pryor, who is an impending free agent. He'd also help Johnson install his plan for the O-line and the creative blocking schemes that helped make Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery one of the NFL's best backfield duos.

The entire starting interior of Chicago's line is set to depart in free agency, and the Bears will likely throw multiple darts at guard and center in the coming months—the Bleacher Report Scouting Department mocked LSU's Will Campbell to Chicago in its post-regular season mock draft.

Zeitler might not be a long-term answer at guard because of his age, but he'd help tremendously in 2025, and he'd help the O-line transition go smoothly.

Seeing Johnson land in Chicago wasn't surprising. Neither was seeing Cowboys franchise owner Jerry Jones turn to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as his replacement for Mike McCarthy.

Jones has traditionally hired either former NFL head coaches (Wade Phillips, MacCarthy) or coaches from within the organization (Dave Campo, Jason Garrett). Schottenheimer has been in Dallas since 2022, and the familiarity will have its benefits.

"I know the players. I know the building. I know our strengths. I know our weaknesses. I know our issues," Schottenheimer said, per ESPN's Todd Archer.

One thing Dallas needs is improved receiver depth behind CeeDee Lamb. Jalen Tolbert was a serviceable No. 2 receiver this past season, finishing with 610 yards, but the Cowboys had little behind him, Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson.

Schottenheimer is also familiar with players the Cowboys have had in the past. Wide receiver Noah Brown, for example, played for Dallas in 2022, when Schottenheimer was a caching analyst.

While Schottenheimer spent most of his time helping the defense in 2022, he undoubtedly crossed paths with Brown, who spent five seasons with the franchise and played for the rival Commanders in 2024.

Brown tallied 453 yards on 35 receptions in 11 games before suffering a season-ending kidney injury. He topped 500 receiving yards in his final season with the Cowboys and topped 500 yards with the Houston Texans in 2023.

Adding the 29-year-old would help the Cowboys improve their receiver depth, likely on a budget—he played this past season on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. That's relevant because Dallas is currently projected to be $4.3 million over the salary cap.

The Jaguars have paid quarterback Trevor Lawrence like a franchise quarterback, giving him a five-year, $275 million extension last offseason. However, they've only occasionally seen the 25-year-old perform like a top-10 signal-caller.

The hiring of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is expected to change that. Coen only spent one season with the Buccaneers but did tremendous work with quarterback Baker Mayfield and with Tampa's running game while navigating numerous injuries.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin was among the Buccaneers standouts who were injured in 2024. He was on pace for nearly 1,400 receiving yards when he suffered a season-ending ankle dislocation in Week 7.

Assuming Godwin is close to healthy by the start of free agency, he should be a top target for Coen and the Jaguars. Jacksonville found its No. 1 receiver in rookie Brian Thomas Jr. this past season, but Lawrence could benefit greatly from a high-end second option like Godwin.

Tight end Brenton Strange was second on the team with just 411 receiving yards in 2024.

Godwin is a versatile inside-outside receiver who has already flourished in Coen's offense. While the Jags have a capable slot receiver in Christian Kirk, he looms as a prime trade candidate entering the offseason.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jaguars were in talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers about a Kirk trade before the receiver suffered a season-ending collarbone injury just before the deadline.

Godwin could help Coen implement his offense, and he'd give Lawrence a big boost as a No. 2 receiver. He has logged four 1,000-yard campaigns while playing opposite Mike Evans in Tampa.

The big question, of course, is whether the Buccaneers even allow Godwin to reach the open market. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, "multiple execs expect the Bucs to try to re-sign Godwin."

If Godwin does become available, Coen should try to convince him to move a little bit northeast and join him in Jacksonville.

Now that Pete Carroll has become the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, we're probably going to get a lot of speculation about a potential reunion between Carroll and Russell Wilson. The Raiders need a franchise quarterback, and Wilson spent 10 years under Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks.

In fact, the dots are already being connected.

"Two ex-Carroll assistants believe they can coexist, with one taking it as far as predicting that Wilson will sign there," Fowler wrote.

At 36, however, Wilson is no longer a potential long-term answer at quarterback. He'd likely be a bridge option at best, and the Raiders already have one of those in Aidan O'Connell. If Carroll wants to add a former Seahawk this offseason, Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner should be his first choice.

Wagner spent 11 seasons with Carroll in Seattle. He was one of the franchise's top defensive leaders, and when he was released in 2022, Carroll wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

"I wanted Bobby to stay with us forever," Carroll said, per ESPN's Brady Henderson.

Wagner spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams but returned to play for Carroll in the coach's final season with the franchise before spending this past year with the Commanders. While Wagner will turn 35 in June, he's still playing at a high level. He started all 17 games in 2024 and finished with 132 total tackles, two sacks, 10 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.

Adding Wagner would help the Raiders in a couple of ways. For one, he'd help bolster a defense that ranked 25th in points allowed last season. Secondly, he'd help Carroll change the culture in Las Vegas and help show players who haven't experienced a lot of winning in their Raiders careers what it takes.

Wagner and Carroll won a Super Bowl together following the 2014 season.

The Patriots were the first team to hire a head coach this offseason, moving quickly to add Mike Vrabel, who spent the 2024 season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns. Vrabel played in New England for fr eight years. His hiring only came as a surprise in the sense that it didn't happen a year earlier.

Of course, New England had already established a succession plan involving Jerod Mayo, and when the franchise parted with Bill Belichick after the 2023 season, Mayo was quickly promoted. Whenever that plan was established, though, franchise owner Robert Kraft probably didn't expect Vrabel to become available.

Vrabel was the Tennessee Titans head coach from 2018 to 2023, and he helped deliver three playoff berths in his first four seasons. Tennessee didn't make the postseason in Vrabel's first year, but it did have a winning record.

The hope is that Vrable can quickly help New England get back to its winning ways. It's going to take work, though. While the Patriots have their quarterback in Drake Maye, they had one of the worst offensive supporting casts in the NFL last season.

New England ranked 31st in total offense and didn't have a single player reach 700 receiving yards.

The Patriots need wide receiver help and plenty of it. Vrabel should look to snag Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine when free agency opens on March 12. While the 27-year-old was merely a complementary receiver in Tennessee, he was terrific in his role. This past season, he frequently flashed his downfield ability (15.5 yards per catch) and his red-zone prowess (9 TDs).

Westbrook-Ikhine spent three seasons under Vrabel in Tennessee and was a 13-game starter during the coach's final campaign. While he wouldn't erase New England's need for a true No. 1 wideout, he'd give the Patriots an explosive target who could perfectly complement Maye's powerful arm.

In some ways, Aaron Glenn was the perfect hire for the Jets. He has ties to the franchise, having played for New York for eight seasons. As the Lions' defensive coordinator, he's also been a part of one of the NFL's biggest culture shifts.

For years, the Lions struggled to even be viewed as a serious contender. In the four years since Glenn and head coach Dan Campbell arrived in Detroit, the Lions have established themselves as one of the league's best teams. They ultimately bowed out in the divisional round, but their resiliency helped the Lions navigate a cascade of injuries and still notch 15 victories.

After the mess that their 2024 season—a campaign that saw head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas both fired in-season—the Jets could use a culture shift of their own.

Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, who was drafted in 2021, experienced every facet of Detroit's turnaround. He battled through a three-win season as a rookie and through a back injury that cost him the entire 2022 campaign. He was a legitimate difference-maker this past season, finishing with 28 tackles, a forced fumble and 13 quarterback hits.

Onwuzurike would be a solid fit for the Jets, even if Glenn weren't the head coach. Their defensive line was more good than great this past season, and they could lose Haason Reddick, Javon Kinlaw, Solomon Thomas, and Leki Fotu in free agency. With Glenn oversing New York's latest rebuild, Onwuzurike makes even more sense.

The 26-year-old has the potential to be a long-term building block next to Quinnen Williams in New York's defensive interior. He could help Glenn install his defense and instill the sort of winning culture the Jets haven't enjoyed in over a decade.