Falcons, Cardinals Request HC Interviews With Packers’ Jeff Hafley

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has emerged as a popular candidate in this year’s head coaching carousel. The Falcons and Cardinals have requested interviews with Hafley, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. The Titans were the first club to request a meeting with the 46-year-old.

With the Packers preparing to face the Bears in a wild-card round matchup on Saturday, Hafley can’t interview with anyone until next week. His defense, which ranked 11th in scoring and 12th in yards during the regular season, helped the Packers to the postseason. They’ll enter the playoffs shorthanded, though, after superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15. In his first season under Hafley, the former Cowboy produced 12.5 sacks in 14 games.

With Parsons’ season over, he may have played his last game in Hafley’s defense. That’s assuming another team hires Hafley as its head coach. While Hafley doesn’t have head coaching experience at the NFL level, he did lead Boston College from 2020-23. BC went 22-26 and made trips to two bowl games during that four-year span.

Hafley, previously an assistant with the Buccaneers, Browns and 49ers, returned to the pros in 2024. The Packers’ defense ranked fifth in scoring and sixth in yards last year, which earned Hafley a head coaching interview with the Jets. They went on to hire Aaron Glenn instead.

A year after the Jets passed on him, Hafley will have more chances to convince teams he’s worthy of his first head coaching job in the pros. He’d be the second straight defensive-minded hire for Atlanta or Arizona. The Falcons sputtered to a 16-18 record in two years under Raheem Morris, who’s also among Arizona’s HC candidates. The Cardinals gave Jonathan Gannon the ax after he posted a disastrous 15-36 mark in three seasons.

2026 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

The Browns, Cardinals, Falcons and Raiders followed the Giants and Titans in firing head coaches, making those calls between the Week 18 conclusion and Black Monday. The Ravens then moved on from John Harbaugh after 18 seasons; two days later, the Dolphins canned Mike McDaniel. Following a wild-card loss, the Steelers and Mike Tomlin are separating after 19 years. Now, after an overtime divisional-round loss in Denver, Sean McDermott is out in Buffalo.

The 10 HC openings are tied with 1978, 1997, 2006 and 2022 for the most in one year. Here are the candidates connected to all those searches. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-9-26 (9:40pm CT)

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Cardinals, Falcons, Giants, Raiders, Ravens, Titans To Interview Vance Joseph

JANUARY 7, 8:58pm: Another new team has been added to Joseph’s docket. According to senior NFL insider Josina Anderson, in addition to the Giants and Raiders, Joseph will interview with the Ravens on Thursday for an opportunity to replace John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

The Browns remain the only team leaving Joseph off the invite list at the moment. Luca Evans of the Denver Post confirmed today through sources that Cleveland had not yet requested an interview. Instead, it’s the former Browns who could be looking to Vance to help their defense reestablish the identity that made the Ravens so notorious for years.

JANUARY 6, 3:48pm: Add the Falcons to Joseph’s itinerary. Atlanta brass will discuss its recently vacated HC position with the Denver DC this week, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. This makes Joseph on the radar for five of the six available positions thus far. The Browns can make it a sweep.

Last year, Joseph met with only the Jets and Raiders. After the Broncos’ defense delivered a second straight strong season under Joseph, more teams have taken notice. While Joseph will shift his focus back to the Broncos’ divisional-round game next week, his bye period will be eventful.

JANUARY 6, 12:03pm: Vance Joseph‘s second Broncos stint has boosted his stock, and after seven years back on the coordinator level, the former head coach is poised to become a strong candidate for a second-chance opportunity. Several teams will meet with the Denver DC about HC vacancies.

The Cardinals, Giants, Raiders and Titans will huddle up with Joseph, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Because the Broncos secured the AFC’s bye slot, Joseph can discuss HC jobs with teams beginning Wednesday of this week. The interviews must be virtual, but Joseph will conduct them all this week.

Joseph’s Cardinals interview is perhaps the most interesting, as he spent four years as their DC. The veteran staffer’s Denver return showed a willingness to return after being fired. While the Cardinals did not technically fire Joseph in 2023 — as they dismantled Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff upon dismissing the HC — they passed on Joseph as the Kingsbury successor.

Joseph interviewed for the Arizona job shortly after Kingsbury’s ouster but did not meet about the position a second time. The Cards gave the job to another defensive-minded coach, Jonathan Gannon, whom they fired Monday.

The Raiders met with Joseph about their HC vacancy last year, eventually giving the job to Pete Carroll. That will make for an interesting meeting this time around, as the team fired Carroll after a 3-14 season. The Giants and Titans came up as interested parties for Joseph ahead of this year’s carousel launch.

There are a host of defensive-minded HC candidates this year but few offense-oriented options for teams. This has allowed Joseph, 53, to move into stronger position to become a second-chance HC. Joseph went 11-21 as the Broncos’ HC from 2017-18, but his quarterback situation — headlined by Case Keenum and the Paxton Lynch draft miss — did plenty to hurt those teams’ chances. After helming a third-ranked defense last season, Joseph repeated that finish in 2025.

The Broncos enter the playoffs third in scoring defense and second in yardage, as Joseph’s defense has powered them to the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2015. While Denver is highly unlikely to lose OC Joe Lombardi, the prospect of losing Joseph and QBs coach Davis Webb is firmly in play.

Raheem Morris Sets Up HC Interviews With Giants, Cardinals

Just days after the Falcons fired him, Raheem Morris is drawing plenty of interest from teams looking for a head coach. After scheduling a Titans interview, he’ll also meet with the Giants and Cardinals in the next week, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 49-year-old Morris has worked as a full-time NFL head coach twice. His first opportunity came with the Buccaneers from 2009-11. The Bucs put together a 10-win campaign in Morris’ second year, but that was sandwiched between seasons in which they went 3-13 and 4-12. First-round quarterback Josh Freeman didn’t pan out as hoped, which helped lead to Morris’ demise.

Morris primarily served as defensive assistant with Washington and Atlanta from 2012-20, though he was also the Falcons’ wide receivers coach for three years and their passing game coordinator for one. Morris also had a stint as the Falcons’ interim head coach in 2020. He went 4-7 replacing the fired Dan Quinn. The Falcons hired Arthur Smith during the ensuing offseason.

With Smith taking over, Morris temporarily departed Atlanta to serve as Sean McVay‘s defensive coordinator in Los Angeles. Morris held that role through 2023. He was a key figure on the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning staff in 2021.

Morris’ efforts with the Rams earned him another head coaching shot in Atlanta, where he succeeded the fired Smith, but the reunion didn’t go well. The Falcons posted a subpar 16-18 record under Morris from 2024-25. Although the Falcons made big investments in quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr, neither provided an obvious solution under center over the past two years. The franchise cleaned house in giving Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot their walking papers last Sunday night.

Any coach who has a suboptimal QB situation is likely to struggle. Finding an answer at the position has been a problem so far for Morris, who has gone a woeful 37-56. However, he’d inherit a potential franchise signal-caller in New York. The Giants are hopeful they found one when they used the 25th pick in the 2025 draft on Jaxson Dart, who had a promising rookie year despite concussion issues.

Morris would work with Dart in New York, but there’s less clarity in Arizona. Veteran Jacoby Brissett is under contract for another year. He may stick around as a bridge QB, though the Cardinals could find their next starter in the draft. They’re slated to pick third overall in the spring. Former No. 1 overall selection Kyler Murray is still on the roster, but the Cardinals are likely to trade or release the seven-year veteran in the next couple of months.

Matt Nagy To Interview With Raiders, Cardinals

Looking to land his second head coaching job, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has a busy few days ahead. It was already known that Nagy would interview for the Titans’ head coaching position on Thursday. He’ll also meet with the Raiders on Thursday and the Cardinals on Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Nagy led the Bears from 2018-21, a four-year run in which they made the playoffs twice and went 34-31. He won Coach of the Year honors after helping the Mitch Trubisky-quarterbacked club to a 12-4 campaign.

Nagy’s Bears were unable to build on the success they experienced in his first season. They didn’t win more than eight games in any of his other three years, and they finished 0-2 in the playoffs. He lost his job on the heels of a 6-11 campaign in which then-rookie Justin Fields served as the Bears’ primary starting QB.

Both Trubisky and Fields entered the NFL as first-round picks. Nagy could have another shot at developing a young first-round signal-caller if the Titans, Raiders or Cardinals hire him. The Titans used the No. 1 pick on Cam Ward last spring. The Raiders are expected to take a QB with the first selection in 2026, and the Cardinals could do the same at No. 3 overall.

Nagy was Kansas City’s offensive coordinator in 2017, Patrick Mahomes rookie campaign, but the future Hall of Fame QB sat behind veteran Alex Smith that year. Since returning to the Chiefs as a senior assistant/QBs coach in 2022, Nagy has been part of three AFC-winning teams and two Super Bowl champions.

Nagy’s second stint as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator began in 2023, though head coach Andy Reid has called the plays. Nagy said he doesn’t plan on handling play-calling duties if someone hires him as a head coach, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. In the event Nagy doesn’t receive a second HC chance in 2026, it’s unknown where he’ll wind up. After reportedly rejecting an extension offer from the Chiefs, the 47-year-old is without a contract.

Cardinals Request HC Interview With Patriots’ Thomas Brown

Add Patriots passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Thomas Brown to the Cardinals’ list of head coaching candidates. The Cardinals have requested an interview with Brown, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

A running back with Atlanta and Cleveland from 2008-10, Brown climbed up the college coaching ranks before joining the Rams’ staff in 2020. He worked under Sean McVay as a running backs coach, assistant head coach and tight ends coach through 2022.

Brown impressed enough on McVay’s staff to land the Panthers’ offensive coordinator job in 2023, but it ended up as a one-and-done stint. The Panthers finished 2-15 during a season in which they fired head coach Frank Reich in late November. With Brown as their on-again, off-again play caller and rookie Bryce Young at quarterback, the Panthers ranked last in total offense and 31st in scoring.

With the Panthers moving on to a Dave Canales-led coaching staff in 2024, Brown spent the season with the Bears. He began the year as the Bears’ passing game coordinator before replacing the fired Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator in mid-November. That was the first of two in-season promotions for Brown, who finished the year as Chicago’s interim head coach after the firing of Matt Eberflus. The Bears went 1-4 under Brown, and their offense scored the fewest points in the league in quarterback Caleb Williams rookie campaign.

Brown interviewed to become Chicago’s full-time head coach last January, but the role wound up going to Ben Johnson. That decision has worked out beautifully for the NFC North-winning Bears, while Brown has upped his stock as a Mike Vrabel assistant in New England.

Thanks largely to their passing attack, the Patriots pulled off a stunning 10-win improvement from 2024 to 2025. The 14-3 Pats won the AFC East and will enter the postseason as the second seed in the conference. With Brown’s help, second-year quarterback Drake Maye has quickly turned into an MVP front-runner. Maye finished the season first in completion percentage, yards per attempt, traditional passer rating and QBR. He also ranked third in touchdown passes and fourth in yards.

Unlike the Patriots, the Cardinals don’t have an obvious answer at quarterback. They’re expected to trade or release Kyler Murray in the offseason. Veteran Jacoby Brissett is under contract for another year, but he isn’t a long-term solution. It’s an area Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and their next head coach, whether it’s Brown or another candidate, will likely address in the coming months.

Klint Kubiak Receives HC Interview Requests From Giants, Cardinals, Raiders

To little surprise, Klint Kubiak is a popular early candidate for head coaching opportunities. The Seahawks OC has received plenty of interest from teams with a HC vacancy.

Kubiak was already known to have received an interview request from the Falcons. He is also expected to be a target for the Titans regarding their opening. In addition, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports the Giants, Cardinals and Raiders have submitted an interview slip. This marks the first offseason in which Kubiak has received an HC interview request. Giants rumors had emerged before the regular season’s conclusion.

Seattle clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and with it a bye during the wild-card round. As a result, NFL rules permit Kubiak to interview virtually with interested teams this week. All interviews he conducts must take place before the opening round of the playoffs wraps up. Per Breer, Kubiak is currently in the midst of planning his schedule with his focus still mainly on the Seahawks.

Kubiak has worked as an offensive coordinator with three different teams (Vikings in 2021, Saints in 2024 and Seahawks this season). The 38-year-old has not lasted beyond one season in any of those roles, though the Seahawks certainly would be interested in retaining him for the 2026 season. The Vikings fired Mike Zimmer after the 2021 campaign, and the Saints dismissed Dennis Allen midway through the ’24 season. That led to new offensive play-callers arriving and Kubiak heading elsewhere.

The second-generation play-caller coached the Broncos’ quarterbacks during an eventful 2022 season in Denver; Nathaniel Hackett went around OC Justin Outten to give Kubiak play-calling duties as the season spiraled. Hackett then worked as the pass-game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan in 2023, helping Brock Purdy to a Pro Bowl season as the 49ers soared to Super Bowl LVIII. The Seahawks reunited Kubiak with Sam Darnold this past offseason, with the assistant’s presence a draw for the QB, and the Seahawks have booked the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in 11 years.

Seattle ranks third in scoring offense and eighth in yardage, and Darnold has delivered on his free agent contract. The Seahawks have seen some second-half inconsistency from their starter, but he has done enough to keep the offense afloat en route to a 14-3 record. Jaxon Smith-Njigba also smashed a Seahawks single-season record by tallying an NFL-leading 1,793 yards. With this coaching crop heavier on the defensive side, Kubiak was bound to receive requests. The Seahawks, who fired Ryan Grubb after one season, could face the prospect of replacing their OC for a third straight year.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Cardinals Request HC Interviews With Robert Saleh, Anthony Weaver

Jonathan Gannon was among the head coaches fired yesterday. That leaves the Cardinals as one of six teams in the market for a replacement.

A second target regarding potential hires has now emerged in Arizona’s case. The Cardinals have requested an interview with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. This comes shortly after Broncos DC Vance Joseph was named as a candidate expected to interview with Arizona. Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver has also received a slip from the Cardinals, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Saleh joins Joseph as a former NFL head coach whose first shot didn’t go well. After a previous run as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-20, Saleh took over as the Jets’ head coach in 2021. He lasted three-plus seasons and finished 20-36 with no playoff appearances.

The Jets fired Saleh after a 2-3 start last year. It didn’t spark a turnaround for the Jets, who lost nine of 12 under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. That led to the end of the failed Aaron Rodgers era and the beginning of a new GM/HC regime with Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn grabbing the reins.

Saleh, who closed the 2024 season as an offensive consultant with the Packers, rejoined Kyle Shanahan‘s staff in San Francisco last January. Now one of the game’s highest-paid D-coordinators, Saleh will earn more head coaching looks after helping the 49ers overcome a slew of key injuries en route to a 12-5 season and a playoff spot. The 49ers have gone most of the season without their two best defenders, the injured Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. They ended the regular season just 20th in total defense as a result, but the 49ers ranked a much better 13th at keeping points off the board.

Currently in his first stint as a coordinator, Weaver’s defense in Miami finished a lackluster 22nd in yards and 24th in points in 2025. However, the unit was top 10 in both categories in his first year at the helm last season. The former Ravens and Texans defensive lineman earned head coaching interviews with the Bears and Saints a year ago, but those teams went in other directions.

While the Dolphins wrapped up a disappointing season on Sunday, the 45-year-old Weaver is again garnering outside consideration for a promotion. Along with the Cardinals, the HC-needy Falcons have requested a meeting with Weaver.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Cardinals Fire HC Jonathan Gannon

Rumblings leading up to Week 18 pointed to Jonathan Gannon being safe, but the Cardinals’ woeful season will result in a major change. Gannon is out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The move is now official.

The Cardinals are retaining GM Monti Ossenfort, as expected. He will lead the search for Gannon’s replacement. Arizona hired Gannon and Ossenfort together in 2023, but the franchise has a history of giving its GMs much longer leashes. The Cardinals retained both Steve Keim and Rod Graves for 10 years apiece in that role, and Ossenfort will see a fourth.

Reports of Gannon being squarely in play to stay may not have been too far off-base; NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates the Cardinals showing more fight down the stretch could have saved the HC’s job. As a defensive coach, however, Gannon presided over a decline on that side of the ball. The Cardinals’ 3-14 season also included nine straight losses to close the show.

Allowing a coach to return after three non-playoff seasons is rare enough in the modern NFL, but doing so after separate seasons of fewer than five wins is nearly unheard of. The Cards went 4-13 in the first Gannon-Ossenfort year, and after an 8-9 2024 season, they slunk to 3-14 in a formidable NFC West. While Ossenfort will have a chance to bounce back, the Cardinals have plenty of questions to answer in Year 4 of the GM’s rebuild effort.

The NFL handed the Cardinals a tampering penalty — via a drop in the 2023 draft — for impermissible Gannon contact during that interview process, but he was coming off a two-year run as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. While the Eagles struggled mightily in Super Bowl LVII, Gannon had a deal in place with the Cardinals and headed west immediately following that close loss. Arizona’s defense made strides under Gannon and Nick Rallis in 2024, rising to 12th in points allowed and 15th in yardage. This season, however, brought a steep drop. The Cards finished 23rd in scoring and 29th in yardage, sealing Gannon’s fate.

Arizona committed more resources to its defense after fielding a skeleton crew in the wake of J.J. Watt, Zach Allen and Byron Murphy‘s 2023 departures. The Cardinals gave Josh Sweat a big-ticket deal in free agency and used first-round picks on defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson to go with multiple second-round picks on cornerbacks over the past two years. The team also added Dalvin Tomlinson and brought back Calais Campbell this past offseason. The end result, even with some solid individual efforts, was not good enough.

While Michael Bidwill gave Kliff Kingsbury four seasons (No. 4 coming after an extension), Gannon is out without the opportunity to oversee a quarterback his regime identified. Gannon and Ossenfort had consistently sung praises for Kingsbury-Keim-era QB Kyler Murray — until this year. Murray’s early-season foot injury did not produce a return, as the Cardinals effectively parked the former Pro Bowler on IR and allowed Jacoby Brissett to finish out the year. The team is widely expected to move on from its seven-year starter — by trade or release — rather than see a chunk of his 2027 salary become guaranteed.

A spree of close losses dropped the Cardinals out of contention this season, but Gannon’s defense caved in as the year progressed. The team allowed at least 37 points in four its final five games and six times total during the nine-game season-closing skid. Arizona lost six games by at least three scores during this seminal stretch, one that will lead Ossenfort and Bidwill to the drawing board.

The Cardinals did allow the 42-year-old coach the chance to inform the team he had been fired, per ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, but it will be difficult to envision him landing on this year’s HC carousel after his showing in the desert. A host of defensive coordinators will be up for HC jobs as the 2026 carousel starts, and Gannon may be a candidate to replace one of them. Two seasons remain on Gannon’s five-year contract, introducing the scenario in which Bidwill pays three HCs. That was viewed as a potential impediment, but the owner will follow through and replace Gannon anyway.

Replacing Murray will be tops on Ossenfort’s to-do list. He and Gannon inherited the former No. 1 overall pick shortly after he had suffered an ACL tear. Murray showed signs of his former self in 2024, ranking ninth in QBR and starting 17 games for the first time in his career. Never quite meshing with OC Drew Petzing, Murray is far removed from his Pro Bowl seasons (2020, 2021). He played just five games in his age-28 season.

The Giants gave Brian Daboll a chance to identify his own QB (Jaxson Dart), but he was largely fired after being saddled with a prior regime’s investment (Daniel Jones). Gannon did not get that far. He now joins Daboll, Brian Callahan, Pete Carroll and Kevin Stefanski on this year’s HC chopping block.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

With the AFC North now settled (in rather dramatic fashion), the 2025 regular season is in the books. Following their decisions to shelve Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby, the Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick. After entering Week 17 in that slot, the Giants — as they did in 2024 — slipped out of the top two thanks to a late-season win.

Big Blue’s victories over the Raiders and Cowboys dropped them to No. 5, with today’s win allowing the Jets, Cardinals and Titans to leapfrog them. The Giants, who fell out of the No. 1 spot last year thanks to a Drew Lock-led win over the Colts in Week 17, will still hold a top-five pick — just not the one most expected two weeks ago. The Jets saw the Colts’ collapse, which dropped them from 8-2 to 8-9, give them two picks in the top 16.

The Cardinals started 2-0 but managed to close the season with 14 losses over their final 15 games. This will give Arizona a top-four pick for the third time in the Monti Ossenfort era. The GM traded out of that slot in 2023 before drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024; Ossenfort is expected to be retained for a fourth season, providing another opportunity. This will be the third straight year the Titans will hold a top-seven pick.

The Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday, but thanks to a three-way NFC South tie, Tampa Bay’s draft slot will land out of the playoff positions for the first time since 2020. Because Atlanta defeated New Orleans today, Carolina’s first-round pick will slide into the bottom 14 despite its 8-9 finish — one that secured playoff entry for the first time since 2017.

Although the draft order is not fully set due to the upcoming playoffs, the first 18 picks are. Here is how the order looks after Week 18:

  1. Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)
  2. New York Jets (3-14)
  3. Arizona Cardinals (3-14)
  4. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  5. New York Giants (4-13)
  6. Cleveland Browns (5-12)
  7. Washington Commanders (5-12)
  8. New Orleans Saints (6-11)
  9. Kansas City Chiefs (6-11)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)
  11. Miami Dolphins (7-10)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1)
  13. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  14. Baltimore Ravens (8-9)
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
  16. New York Jets (via Colts)
  17. Detroit Lions (9-8)
  18. Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
  19. Carolina Panthers (8-9)
  20. Dallas Cowboys (from Packers)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
  24. Buffalo Bills (12-5)
  25. Chicago Bears (11-6)
  26. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
  27. Houston Texans (12-5)
  28. Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars)
  29. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
  30. New England Patriots (14-3)
  31. Denver Broncos (14-3)
  32. Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
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