Head Coaching Match-Maker: Best Candidate for Each Open Job

 We are up to 9 HC vacancies in the NFL right now after the sudden and shocking retirement of Saints' great Sean Payton. Suddenly the Saints join the long list of teams with an open HC job. It is a little surprising to see that no team has hired their guy yet, but we expect that to change in the coming day or two as certain teams have just hired their new GMs and will pick their coach to go with it very very soon. We are going to look at each HC vacancy and give them a candidate we think they might/should hire in the end. We are taking into account what we think teams are going to do, who they've interviewed, who they seem interested in, and more. We also decided to put our predicted runner-up/guy who could or maybe almost will get each job behind who we have picked. Let's go.

New York Giants: Brian Daboll, 46 years old (Current Bills Offensive Coordinator) 

Brian Daboll to the New York Giants feels like a perfect match, and one that may just be about to happen. Daboll was already seen as a top candidate for the Giants BEFORE they hired former Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen to be their new GM, but now, the hire feels nearly inevitable. Daboll is the perfect man to try and take on the seemingly impossible challenge of rebuilding these Giants into relevancy. Daboll has been one of the best offensive minds in football for a few years now, and has never gotten the chance to be the Head Coach of a team. He has molded Josh Allen into the superstar that he is today and deserves a ton of praise for that along with his great playcalling. Daboll has been the offensive coordinator of many other teams as well before Buffalo including Alabama and also the Chiefs. At just 46 years old, Daboll is young and could be in New York for years. This team is in search of a franchise QB and also need their offense to be good again, Daboll is the guy that will do it.
Potential Runner-Up: Brian Flores, Former Dolphins HC

New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen, 49 years old (Current Saints Defensive Coordinator)

With the shocking retirement of Sean Payton, what shouldn't come as a shock to many is that current team DC Dennis Allen could be the favorite for the job. Allen has been with the Saints as their DC since 2015 and is highly regarded and respected within the organization and by the players. His defenses have been stout and one of the most consistently dominant units in the league. Allen also has prior HC experience as he was the Raiders' HC for 2 years back in 2012-14 so that should up his value. When Sean Payton had COVID and missed a game this season, Allen stepped in as the acting HC and delivered a coaching masterpiece as the Saints shocked the defending champ Bucs by beating them 9-0 on the road. I really like this potential hire for the Saints as not much would have to change and Allen is a highly worthy candidate. The Saints should swipe right here for Allen.
Potential Runner-Up: Aaron Glenn, DC, Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars: Byron Leftwich, 42 years old (Current Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator)

The Jaguars may have the most attractive HC opening in the league. They are a young team, in a warm state, with tons of cap space and draft picks (including the #1 pick in this year's draft), a potentially generational QB on the roster, and an owner that is known to give out second and third chances (Urban Meyer was an outlier). I think a great match for this team has to be current Bucs' OC Byron Leftwich. Leftwich has been an up and coming HC candidate for a couple of seasons now, but with a Super Bowl win under his belt now and again leading one of the best offenses in football this season, it feels like the year he will finally make the move-up to HC. Leftwich is very young at age 42 and feels like he's just scratching the surface. He worked with Tom Brady for the past two seasons which has probably helped his own QB whispering skills out, learning from the GOAT. Leftwich seems like he would be a perfect fit on the team. He could easily mentor and get the most out of Trevor Lawrence and an offense that needs new direction. We can't forget to mention that Leftwich was a former first-rounder of the Jags back when he played in the early 2000s and so for him to come full circle back to being the team's HC would be quite the story and something cool to see. Leftwich feels like a perfect fit for the Jags and he could usher in a new era of Jags football. 
Potential Runner-Up: Doug Pederson, Former Eagles HC

Denver Broncos: Nathaniel Hackett, 42 years old (Current Packers Offensive Coordinator)

The Broncos have multiple finalists for their HC job, and out of those guys, I like Nathaniel Hackett the best. Even at the young age of 42, Hackett is a seasoned veteran in terms of coaching offensive football. He's been an offensive coordinator for multiple teams, including the Bills and Jags and now Green Bay, and he's always seemed to get the most out of his QBs wherever he is (just see Blake Bortles while he was there, they made it to the AFC title game). Hackett has been the OC for Green Bay for the past couple seasons and has seen tremendous success. The Packers have been one of the best offenses in football for the past couple years and he has been working very closely with Aaron Rodgers who has won one MVP (and probably about to win his second) in the time that Hackett had the main role on offense. The Broncos have had a great team minus the QB position for several years now, and it is holding them back from being serious contenders. They seem to always be a QB away. If they bring in Hackett, not only will he be able to get the most out of whatever QB they get, rookie or vet, their chances for landing Aaron Rodgers this off-season rise exponentially. The Broncos have long appeared to be the favorites to get him, but adding Hackett would boost those odds even more greatly. Rodgers gave Hackett a huge HC endorsement earlier this season and it appears to be going a long way as he's a finalist for the Denver job and would be the perfect fit there.
Potential Runner-Up: Dan Quinn, DC, Cowboys

Houston Texans: Jerod Mayo, 35 years old (Current Patriots Linebackers Coach)

Jerod Mayo is one of the best head coaching candidates in the league that is being talked about so little. The Texans are a little bit of a mess, especially after an eyebrow raising decision to fire David Culley at the beginning of their off-season, but now it appears they may have a match. While the Texans have been linked to a number of candidates, Mayo feels like the best match to me. We've heard that they were very interested in him and I can see him getting this shot. Mayo has not been coaching for long, he retired from the NFL as a player just 6 years ago after a decorated career with the Patriots and only recently got into coaching. Still, everyone who has been around him in his limited days of coaching has raved about his skill. He is a master motivator and connects very well with his players. As the LB coach for the Patriots, in some ways, he was almost seen as the de facto DC of the team, as Bill Belichick formally owns that title as well. The Patriots defense was one of the 3 best in the league for much of the season and a lot of that can be credited to Mayo. Texans GM Nick Caserio came over from New England and seemingly has a good relationship with Mayo. I think this hire may shock some people, but Mayo is one of the brightest young minds in coaching, and the Texans swipe right on him to be make him their next HC.
Potential Runner-Up: Josh McCown, Former NFL QB

Las Vegas Raiders: Rich Bissacia, 61 years old (Current Raiders Interim Head Coach)

Yup, I am with the Raiders' players on this one, give Rich his shot! Bissacia has been coaching football since 1983 and this was the biggest chance of his long long career. He aced it. The long-time journeyman special teams coordinator / assistant head coach got his shot as the Raiders' interim HC when Jon Gruden was fired and could not have done much better. While connecting greatly with his players, Bissacia led the Raiders back from the ashes to clinch a wildcard berth and also almost upset the Bengals in round 1 of the playoffs. Now he fights for his chance to keep the job against other highly qualified candidates that the Raiders are looking at. Every player who has been asked on the matter has said that they love Bissacia and want him to remain the head coach. I say yes, for sure, why not! He motivated the hell out of this team and the players clearly love to play for him. He's not some random guy, he's been coaching for years and years and this should finally be HIS team to run. Give him another year. If he succeeds, he's clearly your guy, if not, then you move on. He's the second interim HC in NFL history to lead his team to the post-season. Raiders need to set up a second date with him after initially swiping right a few months ago!
Potential Runner-Up: Jim Harbaugh, HC, Michigan

Chicago Bears: Brian Flores, 40 years old (Was Dolphins Head Coach from 2019-2021)

The Bears are among the hardest teams to read in the head coaching search. With so many good candidates and so many guys that they seem interested in, seeing them go in any direction wouldn't surprise me. What would surprise me is if Brian Flores did not land an HC gig, he is in my eyes, the best available candidate for any of these jobs in the league. Flores was one of the best coaches in the NFL during his short 3 year stint in Miami, but was fired due to his differing views than ownership on the future of the team. At age 40, Flores is very young and could be the coach of a franchise for 20+ years. The Bears hired former Chiefs executive Ryan Poles as their new GM today, and that move just made the team's chances of bringing in Flores even greater than they were before. Poles was with Flores at Boston College years back, and they have a great relationship. Flores likely sees the Bears as quite an attractive landing spot. Big market, super talented young QB in Justin Fields, and a great defense to take control over. If the Bears hire Flores, they will have made the best hire of any team here I believe. I don't know why they wouldn't go Flores if he was willing to join them, so the Bears need to turn on their phones and swipe right to Flores as many times as they can. He would be an amazing HC in Chicago.
Potential Runner-Up: Jim Caldwell, Former Lions/Colts HC

Miami Dolphins: Mike McDaniel, 38 years old (Current 49ers Offensive Coordinator)

This name and potential hire may come as a shock to some, but I think this would be a sneaky amazing hire for the Dolphins. I still hate and don't agree with their decision to let go of Brian Flores as their HC, but that is history at this point, and everyone needs to move on. The Dolphins have interviewed a wide variety of candidates from all over including many offensive coaches and many defensive ones. Mike McDaniel may be my favorite of all of them and might even be THE favorite to land the job. The NFL is starting to be overrun with wildly young, offensive coaches getting chances to head franchises and doing amazing jobs with it. Sean McVay, Kyle Shannahan, Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, and Kliff Kingsbury just to name a few. McDaniel feels destined to be the next guy in that category, whether that is this year or in the future. McDaniel has done an incredible job this season coordinating the Niners intricate, innovative run and shoot offense. The Dolphins have many playmakers on their roster including a young QB who needs some heavy coaching and molding. McDaniel would be PERFECT for that. Guys like Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki would thrive in a McDaniel lead offense. He's young and raw at 38 years old, but if history tells us anything, that is all you need for a potential elite HC. He has followed Shannahan around for years as his top protege, and now he might just get his shot. McDaniel is the guy no one will see coming, but we think he should and will be the next head man in Miami.
Potential Runner-Up: Kellen Moore, OC, Cowboys

Minnesota Vikings: Todd Bowles, 58 years old (Current Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator)

The Vikings are definitely the hardest team to decipher thus far into the HC searching process across the NFL. They have interviewed 8 candidates so far and none seem to have a major leg up on any of the others. I have been hearing swirling rumors about Todd Bowles being the man to watch for this job, and I have no idea what direction this team will go in, leading me to believe that Bowles actually could be the guy. The former Jets HC, Bowles has been coordinating the Bucs' defense for the past couple of seasons under Bruce Arians and he has done an amazing job. The Bucs' defense might have been the best in football last season and Bowles put on an absolute coaching masterclass in the Super Bowl when he held the white-hot KC offense to just 9 points which sealed the victory. Bowles has all the experience in the world, is a well-liked players coach, and seems to have aced his first interview in Minnesota. I still have no idea which way the Vikings could be leaning, especially because they are yet to formally hire their next GM, but Bowles would be a good fit and feels to me like the early favorite to get the job. 
Potential Runner-Up: Kevin O'Connell, OC, Rams

Best other candidates who didn't get a match above:

-Rams OC Kevin O'Connell
-Cowboys OC Kellen Moore
-Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
-Former Lions/Colts HC Jim Caldwell
-Former Eagles HC Doug Pederson
-Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy
-Rams DC Raheem Morris
-Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh
-Colts DC Matt Eberflus
-Lions DC Aaron Glenn
-Bills DC Leslie Frazier