The bottom line is that there are only 32 NFL head-coaching gigs in the world, and maybe five or six coaches in demand and secure enough to turn down an offer.
But in situations like the one that exists right now, when six NFL jobs and counting are open with several candidates like Pat Shurmur and Josh McDaniels being sought to interview for most of them, it makes sense to try and determine which are the most desirable.
Everyone has different criteria for measuring the quality of an NFL head-coaching job but for me it’s simple: in today’s NFL you are expected to win quickly and win consistently.
With that in mind, here is how I would rank the six current openings, from least to most attractive.
6. The Oakland Raiders' job is thought by some to be appealing because of the presence of Derek Carr and Khalil Mack — and they are great assets.
But the Raiders need major upgrades on both sides of the ball, and Mark Davis is the least qualified owner in the NFL.
The franchise is going to be in constant turmoil over the next few seasons as it tries to move to Las Vegas, and at approximately $25 million, they will have the second-least cap space of the six clubs with openings heading into the offseason.
5. Prior to the hiring of first Ken Whisenhunt and then Bruce Arians, the Cardinals franchise was an NFL punch line. While Arians made them a contender, he did not make Phoenix a coaching destination.
The good news for the Cardinals is they have a defense ready to win now, but the bad news is the offense needs to be completely retooled, and sitting at 15 in the first round of the Draft, they will not get one of this year’s top QB prospects.
Worse yet, it may not be a good year to be in search of your quarterback of the future.
4. Jim Irsay is a great owner to work for, and Chris Ballard is a highly thought of young general manager. At $82 million, the Colts will have the most cap space of any of the six teams hiring new coaches, and if Andrew Luck is healthy, you’ll inherit the best young QB in the game.
But other than Luck, the Colts are easily the least talented of these six clubs and nobody knows what the future holds for him.
3. The New York Giants are loaded with playmakers on defense, and OBJ isn’t a bad place to start on offense. It is a heritage franchise that has been extremely loyal to coaches and GMs, and Eli Manning may have a year or two left in him.
But three starters on the woeful O-line will be free agents. Orleans Darkwa — who helped take the running game from 32nd to a still-woeful 26th — is also free, and at $22 million, the Giants have the least cap space of the bunch.
2. Chicago has struggled for a while, and there are real questions about working for the McCaskeys and team president Ted Phillips.
But like the Giants, the Bears are a heritage franchise – arguably thee heritage franchise – and are in the third-largest media market in the league. They have the third-most cap space available, with $43 million, and will clear $23 million more of space moving on from Mike Glennon, Pernell McPhee and Jerrell Freeman. Plus, with a top-10 defense and Mitch Trubisky, Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen in place, they bare a striking resemblance to the 2016-2017 Rams – if the Bears get this hire right.
1. The Lions are one year removed from the playoffs and coming off a winning 9-7 campaign. There is talent on both sides of the ball, and they have $50 million in cap space. And 29-year-old Matthew Stafford is an elite quarterback.
Detroit definitely needs to upgrade its ground game and pass rush, but retaining free agent Ziggy Ansah and finding a quality running back and one more pass rusher could put the Lions right back in the playoffs.