Ravens, Titans Request HC Meetings With Kliff Kingsbury
Connected to both the Ravens and Titans this week, Kliff Kingsbury now has a path to interviewing with both teams. Each sent out a request to the newly available coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
The Titans were believed to be in on Kingsbury before his Commanders exit, making it all the more unusual Washington let him go. The Ravens came up as a potentially interested party shortly after firing John Harbaugh. This market did not initially have much in terms of offense-oriented talent, but some changes have shaken things up a bit.
Although Harbaugh is the top prize, the Browns and Dolphins respectively firing Kevin Stefanski and Mike McDaniel adds two more experienced play-callers for teams to study. Kingsbury received extensive interest last year, and even though the Commanders’ season tanked thanks largely to Jayden Daniels‘ three-injury year, the two-year Washington play-caller is a notable name to watch now that he’s free to meet with teams without restrictions.
The Ravens certainly have an interesting position to offer based on Lamar Jackson‘s status. Kingsbury has done quite well with dual-threat quarterbacks, overseeing both Kyler Murray Pro Bowl years before being at the controls for Daniels’ Offensive Rookie of the Year slate that produced Washington’s first NFC championship game berth since 1991. In between, Kingsbury coached Caleb Williams during his final USC season. The Ravens are searching for someone to maximize Jackson, with team brass pushing Harbaugh to move on from OC Todd Monken despite the QB’s back-to-back first-team All-Pro appearances on the play-caller’s watch.
The Titans have been preparing for a full-on overhaul for months, firing Brian Callahan in October. A host of candidates are on Tennessee’s radar in what is shaping up as a thorough search. The team has yoyoed between offensive and defensive coaches lately, going from Mike Mularkey to Mike Vrabel to Callahan. It certainly appears Titans ownership made a mistake in firing Vrabel, a Coach of the Year frontrunner. But a new voice is running this search; now holding roster control, Mike Borgonzi is at the controls of the latest Tennessee HC hunt.
Kingsbury, 46, can interview in-person at any point moving forward. These are his first two interview summons on this year’s carousel. His stock high after Daniels’ breakthrough season, Kingsbury opted not to take any interviews in 2025. He preferred to stay in Washington and mentor Daniels, but disagreements between he and GM Adam Peters — among some overarching concerns about front office-coaching staff friction — helped lead him out of town with one season left on his contract. The former four-year Cardinals HC will be a strong candidate, like McDaniel, for OC positions. But with offensive play-callers still the gems of the coaching market, opportunities to land a second-chance HC job first have come up.
Lions Eyeing Mike McDaniel For OC Job
Hours after the Dolphins bailed on a potential plan to give Mike McDaniel a fifth season as head coach, the experienced play-caller is drawing offensive coordinator interest.
The Lions reached out to McDaniel about their OC vacancy, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Detroit fired John Morton after one season. McDaniel figures to be a coveted commodity on the OC carousel, and it should not be deemed out of the question HC-needy teams express interest.
There will be competition for McDaniel’s services on the OC market, should he drop below the HC level during this cycle. A number of teams and prospective HCs have the newly available coach on their OC list, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Lions, however, do present a favorable option for play-callers given their offensive personnel and recent success.
While the Lions have not used anyone from the Mike/Kyle Shanahan tree since Anthony Lynn — whom Dan Campbell demoted during his first season calling plays (2021) — it is clear the team is interested in a potential transition. McDaniel learned under Kyle Shanahan at multiple stops, and considering the popularity of this genre of offense leaguewide, such a transition certainly shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for the Lions. After all, Jared Goff developed under Mike Shanahan disciple Sean McVay in Los Angeles.
McDaniel (feat. Tyreek Hill) reignited Tua Tagovailoa‘s career upon arrival in Miami four years ago. The former No. 5 overall pick led the NFL in yards per attempt and passer rating in 2022, paced the league in passing yardage in 2023 and in completion percentage in 2024. Miami’s offense steadily declined under McDaniel, however, sinking from second (2023) to 22nd (2024) to 25th (’25). This period ended with Tagovailoa’s benching and both McDaniel and GM Chris Grier being fired.
The Dolphins were believed to be more likely to retain McDaniel, but a Wednesday report indicated GM candidates were being asked for their thoughts about working with him. Despite some ex-McDaniel coworkers in the mix, the Dolphins moved on and will align their GM and HC positions this offseason. The Lions have an established head coach in Campbell, who also spent time in Miami during Stephen Ross‘ ownership tenure (and with Grier in the front office), but they swung and missed on Morton.
Detroit did not conduct a thorough search upon hiring Morton. With McDaniel in demand, the Lions will likely reach out to more candidates this time around. With McDaniel a minority candidate, however, the Lions would not need to interview a second option. The Rooney Rule only mandates one external minority candidate be interviewed for coordinator positions — as opposed to two for HC and GM posts. Though, the team still will be likely to meet with multiple candidates given the moving parts here.
Bills, Packers On Radar For John Harbaugh?
When six non-Ravens HC openings existed, a report indicated seven teams reached out to John Harbaugh within minutes of his firing. Seven non-Baltimore openings are now present, with the Dolphins firing Mike McDaniel today. Another report, however, indicated as many as nine teams had contacted Harbaugh before the Miami development.
A Wednesday report indicated a push from a team playing in the wild-card round is a rumor floating out there, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pinpoints two potentially interested clubs. The Bills and Packers are viewed by some around the league as teams to monitor with regards to lurking Harbaugh suitors.
Some other teams playing in the first round should not be completely disqualified from Harbaugh pursuits in the event of one-and-done playoff journeys, but Florio mentions Buffalo and Green Bay as the two being discussed the most. The Bills have employed Sean McDermott since 2017, and he has guided them to eight playoff berths. Matt LaFleur was a 2019 hire; he has missed the playoffs only one time since coming over from Tennessee.
LaFleur, though, may not be completely safe. The seventh-year Packers HC may need to win his first-round game to feel “completely” safe, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, citing a feeling around the NFL on this situation. LaFleur is under contract through 2026, via the extension he signed in July 2022. New Packers president Ed Policy came out against lame-duck HCs, meaning a decision will need to be made on an extension before the 2026 season — and likely much earlier. Neither LaFleur nor GM Brian Gutekunst were extended before this season.
Green Bay successfully transitioned from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love under LaFleur. While Love has not flashed MVP-level form like Rodgers did by his third season at the controls, the successor has accounted himself well. Love finished third in QBR this season, finishing with 23 touchdown passes and six interceptions while averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. This came as the Packers played much of the season without Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft. The fast-emerging tight end’s unavailability has hurt the team’s passing attack, and the Packers’ defense has been without Micah Parsons since Week 15. LaFleur’s bunch sunk to 9-7-1, though the team did not play starters in Week 18.
The Pack booked three straight playoff byes from 2019-21 under LaFleur, venturing to two NFC championship games in that span. LaFleur’s decision to kick a field goal down eight in the final minutes of an NFC title game loss to the Buccaneers backfired, and his team went one-and-done as the No. 1 seed a year later. Although the Packers upset the No. 2-seeded Cowboys in Love’s first playoff game and then pushed the No. 1-seeded 49ers a week later, they lost to the Eagles in Round 1 last year. Though, the Eagles stampeding through the playoffs to a Super Bowl title did not make that loss look too bad.
The Bills are in a somewhat similar situation. LaFleur actually has as many conference championship game appearances as McDermott, despite the latter leading Josh Allen-led rosters for eight of his nine seasons. The Bills lost divisional-round games in three straight years before edging the Ravens to reach the AFC championship game last season.
Buffalo’s defense has regularly underwhelmed in marquee games against Kansas City, despite the AFC East powerhouse dominating that series in the regular season, and Allen (25:4 playoff TD:INT ratio) faces the prospect of turning 30 next year without a Super Bowl berth on his resume.
Harbaugh, 63, would seemingly be a fit for both teams due to neither being in rebuilding mode. The same cannot be said for a handful of the current lot of HC-needy teams. He will not take any interviews until next week, with Florio pointing to that timetable as matching up with the potential openings that could emerge after this weekend’s games. Harbaugh’s looming presence adds intrigue to the Packers and Bills’ opening-round contests.
As for the latest team to create a coaching vacancy, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson note the Dolphins have not reached out to Harbaugh yet. It would stand to reason that it is only a matter of time before that happens, however. But the Bills and/or the Packers entering this race could throw a wrench into other, less successful teams’ HC plans.
Ravens To Interview Brian Flores For HC Vacancy
The Ravens are planning to interview Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for their head coaching vacancy, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Flores, 44, has led Minnesota’s defense for the past three seasons. After solid efforts in 2023 and 2025, the unit posted top-five numbers in 2025, making him one of the hottest defensive coaches on the market. His contract with the Vikings is set to expire, and though the team would prefer to retain him, Flores is looking for a second chance as a head coach after a controversial stint in Miami.
Flores was hired by the Dolphins in 2019 after rising through the ranks of the Patriots’ coaching staff under Bill Belichick. However, Flores never had a coordinator job before taking the head coaching gig in Miami, an early sign that he may not be prepared for the top job. The Dolphins went 5-11 in his first year before improving to 10-6 in his second. Regression to 9-8 – as well as a fraught relationship with Tua Tagovailoa and clashes with owner Stephen Ross – led to Flores’ departure from Miami after the 2022 season. The latter conflict, along with subsequent supposed ‘sham’ interviews with other teams, were the basis of Flores’ ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and several teams.
That will be Flores’ main roadblock to landing a head coaching gig. Not only are there some questions about his leadership in Miami, but teams may be hesitant to hire a coach with an open case against the league. The Giants are one of the teams he is suing, ruling him out of consideration for that job, but the Ravens are not on that list. Owner Steve Bisciotti may be cautious of a coach who revealed past private conversations with an owner, though part of Flores’ issue with Ross was Ross’ alleged desire for the Dolphins to tank for Tagovailoa in 2019.
Otherwise, Flores seems to be a fine fit for Baltimore. He spoke glowingly of Lamar Jackson before the two squared off earlier this season, suggesting he could could get along better with the two-time MVP than he did with Tagovailoa. Flores’ scheme also creates pressure rather than relying on a four-man pass rush, which has been a weakness in Baltimore for a few years. While general manager Eric DeCosta will surely look to upgrade his pass rush this offseason, Flores would offer an immediate path to opposing quarterbacks. Solidifying the Ravens defense while finding an offensive coordinator to work with Jackson could be a path for the team to immediately return to Super Bowl contention in 2026. Flores’ connections to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell
Raiders To Interview Kevin Stefanski For HC Job
Kevin Stefanski is now on four teams’ interview lists. After making meeting arrangements with the Falcons, Giants and Titans, the ex-Browns HC is on the Raiders’ radar.
Las Vegas brass will meet with Stefanski today, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Stefanski, Vance Joseph and Matt Nagy are meeting with the team today. As PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker displays, Vegas’ Klint Kubiak meeting is scheduled for Friday.
It is certainly not surprising Stefanski demand is this high. This cycle is light on offense-oriented candidates with experience, and Stefanski spent six years coaching the Browns. This tenure brought the most success Cleveland has had since rebooting.
The Browns extended Stefanski in 2024 but fired him Monday following an 8-26 record over the ensuing two seasons — a mark Jimmy Haslam deemed unacceptable this week. Haslam, however, retained GM Andrew Berry despite fingerprints on what is widely viewed as the worst trade in NFL history.
That said, the Browns’ catastrophic Deshaun Watson acquisition brought a line of demarcation during Stefanski’s tenure. The ex-Vikings OC managed to bag two Coach of the Year awards, the second of which coming after the Watson trade. Joe Flacco stepping in and running Stefanski’s offense, despite the Browns missing Nick Chubb and two starting tackles, to make a playoff berth brought only the Browns’ third playoff berth since respawning in 1999. Stefanski was responsible for the second trip as well, re-routing Baker Mayfield‘s career and then having the Browns in a divisional-round duel with a dominant Chiefs team.
Stefanski is just 43 despite having six years’ experience as a head coach. Even with John Harbaugh on the market, it would surprise if Stefanski did not land a second-chance job during this year’s cycle. There are now eight HC vacancies, as the Dolphins have fired Mike McDaniel. He stands to become an intriguing bounce-back candidate, though it is also possible the 42-year-old leader settles as a high-end OC option. Stefanski receiving multiple offers may not be out of the question, and the Raiders’ pattern of HC firings does not make their job overly appealing. Though, the No. 1 pick represents a solid selling point.
The Raiders’ confirmed interviews are mostly on the offensive side so far. Broncos QBs coach and pass-game coordinator Davis Webb joins Nagy, Kubiak and Stefanski in this area of expertise. Thus far, Joseph is the only confirmed interviewee on the defensive side. Teams regularly go in the other direction after a firing, and the Raiders canned two defensive coaches — Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll — over the past two years. Considering Tom Brady‘s push for Ben Johnson in 2025, the Raiders looking toward the offensive side makes sense.
Titans Request HC Interviews With Arthur Smith, Jeff Hafley
The Titan have submitted requests to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, per Titans inside Paul Kuharsky.
Smith, 43, spent most of his coaching career in Tennessee. He started as a quality control assistant in 2011 with a season on both sides of the ball before spending six years working with the Titans’ tight ends. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 and took a bottom 10 offense to top-12 ranks in points and yards in his debut season. Smith then led a top-five unit in 2020, which got him hired as the Falcons’ head coach the following offseason. He went 7-10 in three straight season in Atlanta and was fired in 2024. Mike Tomlin picked him up as the Steelers’ OC, but Smith has not found the same success as his time in Tennesee. Pittsburgh’s offense has ranked among the NFL’s bottom 10 teams in points and finished in the middle of the pack in terms of yardage.
Hiring Smith does not have obvious appeal outside of a reunion with a former coach. He does not have a strong history of working with young quarterbacks, a key part of the Titans’ current search, and his success has primarily come in the run game. Cam Ward has good movement skills, but he was not a dual-threat quarterback at Miami and will not be one in the NFL. His connections with Tomlin and Mike Vrabel could help him land a solid defensive coordinator.
Hafley, 46, has quickly risen up the list of hot coaching candidates after two successful years in Green Bay. His coaching career began in college in 2021 with stints at a variety of schools before moving to the NFL in 2012. He coached defensive backs in Tampa Bay (2012-2013), Cleveland (2014-2015), and San Francisco (2016-2018) before accepting a co-DC gig at Ohio State. Boston College hired Hafely as their next head coach in 2020; four years later, he took his current position with the Packers. In his debut year in Green Bay, Hafley led the team to a top-six finish in points and yards before taking a step back to a top-12 ranking this season.
Hiring a defensive-minded head coach to lock down one side of the ball while searching for a young OC to word with Ward seems like a viable strategy for the Titans, especially given this year’s hiring cycle. There are far more potential head coaches on the defensive side of the ball with a number of young offensive assistants who may be ready for an OC job.
Buccaneers Fire ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey; Tom Moore Retires
The Buccaneers have already moved on from offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as well as quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis. More changes are taking place on the team’s staff. 
Tampa Bay has fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. This news marks an end to his two-year run with the Buccaneers. Issues on special teams presented a consistent challenge in 2025.
Head coach Todd Bowles elected not to make a change during the campaign, but shortly after the end of the season he has chosen to move forward with a replacement. McGaughey, 52, has been a special teams coach at the NFL level as far back as 2002, and he has served as a ST coordinator with five different teams. He had a six-year run with the Giants prior to joining the Bucs, but this brief Tampa Bay tenure falls more in line with McGaughey’s Jets, 49ers and Panthers stints in terms of length.
Not long after the Grizzard dismissal, ESPN’s Jenna Laine noted that discussions taking place Thursday were likely to result in more staff changes. That has certainly proven true. Several other departures have since become known, including the retirement of senior offensive consultant Tom Moore (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Moore’s NFL career ends at the age of 87 after decades spent on the sidelines.
Moore’s first college coaching gig came in 1961, and he began his NFL tenure in 1977. An offensive coordinator at multiple stops along the way, he held multiple titles such as a position coach and offensive consultant as well. Moore worked closely alongside Bruce Arians in Arizona and followed him to Tampa Bay in 2019. The four-time Super Bowl champion remained there through the end of this past season.
As Stroud notes, the Buccaneers have also fired defensive line coach Charlie Strong along with defensive backs coach Kevin Ross. Tampa Bay ranked 20th in points allowed in 2025, so at least some changes on that side of the ball were always expected. Meanwhile, safeties coach Nick Rapone is joining Moore in retirement at the age of 69. Another former Arians assistant, he had been in place with the Bucs since 2019. Regardless of if other moves wind up being made, a number of new faces will be in place on Bowles’ 2026 staff.
Falcons Request Robert Saleh HC Interview; Team To Speak With Mike Disner For Football Operations Role
The Falcons have a vacancy at the head coach and general manager positions. Atlanta will also soon have a new president of football operations. 
A hire for the football ops role will take place before the other positions are filled. Matt Ryan remains the favorite in that capacity, but other options are (as required) being explored as well. Interviews will take place beginning today. Ian Cunningham (Bears) has received an interview request. The same is also true of Josh Williams (49ers), while Brandt Tilis (Panthers) will speak with Atlanta about the gig.
A fifth candidate has emerged for the new front office spot. Lions COO Mike Disner will interview today for the president of football operations gig, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. Cunningham’s interview will take place tomorrow, he adds. All five will have spoken with Atlanta by the end of Friday; a hire will be expected shortly thereafter.
Disner began working in the NFL with the Cardinals in 2013. His six-year run in Arizona was followed by a move to Detroit. Disner has been with the Lions since 2019, previously serving as the team’s senior vice president of football and business operations. Since 2022, he has worked in his current capacity. Disner was connected to the Panthers’ GM opening in 2024 but withdrew from consideration.
As for Atlanta’s head coaching search, another interview request has been filed. According to Breer, the Falcons are among the teams looking to speak with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. An interview cannot take place until next week in his case, but Saleh figures to be busy fielding interest from a number of teams. He has already received an interview request from the Cardinals, and more are expected over the coming days.
Saleh, 46, gained steam as a head coaching candidate during his first stint leading San Francisco’s defense (2017-20). Things did not go as planned with the Jets, but Saleh is among the top options in terms of coaches who could land a second HC opportunity during the 2026 hiring cycle. Atlanta went the route of a veteran, defense-oriented coach last time around by reuniting with Raheem Morris. It will be interesting to see if a similar approach is taken this year.
Giants To Interview Antonio Pierce
The Giants are interviewing their former linebacker and ex-Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce for their head coaching vacancy on Thursday and Friday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Pierce, 47, began his NFL playing career as a Commanders undrafted free agent. He emerged as a starter in his fourth season and parlayed that into a multi-year deal with the Giants. Pierce started 94 games over the next five years, including a Pro Bowl nod in 2006 and a Super Bowl victory in 2007. He retired from playing after the 2009 season.
Pierce then began his coaching career, first as the head coach at Long Beach Poly, one of the most prestigious high school football programs in the country. He was then hired by Arizona State to wear multiple hats as a coach and recruiter, but his activites in the latter role force his resignation before the 2022 season amid an NCAA investigation. Pierce was then hired by then-Raiders HC Josh McDaniels as the team’s new linebackers coach. Las Vegas tapped Pierce as their interim HC after McDaniels’ Halloween firing in 2023, and the team went 5-4 to close out the season. That helped Pierce earn the permanent job for the 2024 season, but a 4-13 record got him fired.
His connection with the Giants makes Pierce an intriguing (and perhaps sentimental) choice, similar to the Jets hiring ex-cornerback Aaron Glenn last offseason. But he only has one-and-a-half seasons as a head coach, and his full season in charge of the Raiders did not go well. He was deal with a bad roster, and you could argue Las Vegas was using him as a placeholder as they decided their long-term direction. Pierce will likely need to impress New York’s decision-makers in his interview(s) to show he can build the culture and scheme the team is looking for.
The Giants are also conducting a multi-day initial interview with former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. He will then meet more members of the team’s search committee on Friday.
Dolphins Fire HC Mike McDaniel
The uncertainty surrounding Mike McDaniel‘s status has ended. Miami has elected to move in a new direction with respect to the head coaching spot. 
McDaniel has been fired, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This ends his four-year run leading the team and creates an eighth head coaching vacancy around the league. Signs pointed toward McDaniel staying in the days following the regular season, but that will not be the case. McDaniel was caught off guard by this decision, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change,” a statement from owner Stephen Ross reads in part. “I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been relieved of his duties as head coach.”
Through the second half of the season, it remained unclear if McDaniel would be retained for 2026. The 42-year-old was safe after the mid-season dismissal of general manager Chris Grier, something which suggested a strong finish to the campaign would allow him another year at the helm. Miami did improve to an extent late, albeit to wind up with a record of 7-10. That made 2025 the second straight season with a losing record under McDaniel, whose overall mark with Miami was 35-33.
McDaniel had a say in the early portion of Miami’s GM search, although it recently became clear he would not be present for interviews. Still, his lingering presence through the Dolphins’ decision to narrow their list of general manager targets suggested McDaniel would be safe. Candidates to replace Grier naturally received questions about working alongside the ex-49ers staffer but also the possibility of a different coach being brought in. With a shortlist of GM targets now in place, the latter route will be taken.
The timing of this move is certainly interesting. The 2026 cycle is set to be dominated by the presence of John Harbaugh, whose 18-year Ravens run came to an end on Tuesday. Multiple reports have pointed to teams contemplating a pursuit of the Super Bowl winner by firing a coach they otherwise would have kept. It remains to be seen if the Dolphins fit that description, as conflicting updates emerged yesterday with respect to Miami’s interest in Harbaugh. The team has not yet reached out to Harbaugh’s agent, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Meanwhile, Schefter’s colleague Jeff Darlington notes McDaniel’s firing would have taken place with or without Harbaugh on the market.
An NFL coach dating back to 2005, McDaniel spent time in Denver, Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta early in his career. He worked under Kyle Shanahan with the Falcons for two seasons before following him to San Francisco in 2017. Over the course of a five-year run with the 49ers, McDaniel generated a reputation as one of the league’s top young offensive minds.
His first head coaching gig came with the Dolphins, and McDaniel saw early success in the role. Miami reached the postseason in each of his first two years at the helm, bowing out in the wild-card round both times. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not available for the first of those two playoff losses, but when healthy his best performances have come under McDaniel. With that said, 2025 marked a downturn in production from under center, and Tagovailoa was benched late in the season.
A change at the quarterback spot could be coming relatively soon, with Tagovailoa open to a change of scenery. A decision on that front will need to be made by the new general manager in tandem, presumably, with McDaniel’s replacement. In the meantime, McDaniel will become one of the top offensive minds on the market. Interest in a second HC gig could emerge, but failing that there should be a number of offensive coordinator opportunities over the coming days and weeks.
The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since 2000. Ending the NFL’s longest drought in that regard will of course be a central goal for the team’s new decision-makers. As one of only two teams in need of both a general manager and head coach, Miami will be one to watch closely in the near future.