Gary Davenport@@IDPSharksFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 8, 2025

1. 
3. Caleb WilliamsCooper Neill/Getty Images
4. On Tuesday, the NFL got its sixth head coaching vacancy—after a year and change, Antonio Pierce was let go by the Las Vegas Raiders.
5. “We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach. Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future,” the team said in a statement.
6. The Raiders join the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets as ships searching for a new captain. We may still see one or two more (looking at you, Dallas), but as of now those are the openings available in 2025.
7. Each has allure, whether it’s a young quarterback and/or a boatload of salary-cap space. Each also has downsides, whether it’s holes on the roster, the shadow of an all-time great coach or potentially problematic ownership or front-office personnel.
8. Here’s a look at all six vacancies, the upsides and downsides of each, and a ranking of how stoked candidates should be to take an interview.
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11. Derek CarrSarah Stier/Getty Images
12. There was a time not that long ago when the New Orleans Saints would have been one of the most coveted head coaching jobs in the league. But the days of Sean Payton and Drew Brees are over—and frankly, the fallout from years of trying to remain competitive rather than rebuilding now makes this the least desirable of the six available head coaching jobs.
13. The Saints have a veteran-laden roster, with defensive stalwarts like edge-rusher Cameron Jordan and linebacker Demario Davis nearing the end of the line.
14. The Saints have an aging quarterback in Derek Carr in the third year of a four-year, $150 million contract. And per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Carr has zero interest in taking a pay cut in 2025.
15. “I wouldn’t take a pay cut,” Carr said. “Yeah, I wouldn’t do that. Especially with what I put on tape. Would I restructure? Absolutely. I’ll always help the team that way. But there’s some things that you put out there that you earned. Even in some cases it could be even worse, but I felt confident when I signed it that this would give the team the best flexibility at the time. … But there’s always a kind of respect as a quarterback you’re like, well still we’re in that respectful lane. ‘We’re good. Build the team.’ But yeah, I wouldn’t take anything less to do this. It’s hard enough putting our bodies through it. And you’re trying to get everything you can for your family for it.”
16. That puts the Saints in quite the bind. Per Over the Cap, there isn’t a team in the league in worse position relative to the cap—almost $67 million in the red.
17. Add in a pick too far back (ninth) for the elite quarterback prospects to be in play, and the Saints are going to have to play a shell game again just to remain mediocre.
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20. Brock BowersCandice Ward/Getty Images
21. Whoever takes over for Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas will be coach of one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. He will no doubt mention that history in his introductory press conference. Talk up the mystique of the Silver and Black.
22. The problem is, that mystique is just about all he’ll have.
23. The quarterback situation in Las Vegas is a hot mess, although the sixth pick in the draft could put the Raiders in the hunt for a top-three prospect at the position. The Raiders were 27th in the league in total offense, dead last in the league in rushing and 29th in scoring. Yes, the Raiders have a superstar in the making at tight end in Brock Bowers and a 1,000-yard wideout in Jakobi Meyers.
24. But the Raiders need a lot of work offensively—including an offensive line that ranked outside the top 20 last year, per Pro Football Network.
25. The defense isn’t much better. Edge-rusher Maxx Crosby is dominant, and inside linebacker Robert Spillane is a capable starter. But the Raiders were 26th in scoring defense in 2024, and the secondary essentially needs a complete overhaul.
26. The Raiders do have cap space with which to attack free agency—over $107 million. But Vegas needs multiple players on both sides of the ball, the team may have to pay a “bad team premium” to land impact free agents, and general manager Tom Telesco’s track record of player acquisitions isn’t great.
27. This is a rebuild. The question is whether Raiders owner Mark Davis realizes that—and has the patience for one.
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30. Sauce Gardner Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
31. This is the most nebulous of the coaching openings right now—because we don’t know what kind of team the Jets will be next season. Without a general manager in place, it’s hard to say which path the Jets will take in 2025.
32. Is Aaron Rodgers going to come back for a third bite at the win-now apple? Will veteran receiver Davante Adams join him? If so, there are going to be two massive locker room personalities for a new head coach to deal with—and a fat chunk of cap space gone. There’s also the not-so-insignificant matter that the first two seasons with Rodgers on the roster have been a disaster.
33. If Rodgers hangs them up and Adams isn’t brought back, the Jets are going to need a quarterback. Is team owner Woody Johnson going to be OK with extending the postseason drought to 15 or even 16 seasons while a young signal-caller is developed? Or will the mandate from on high be to pursue a veteran who gives the Jets a better chance at short-term success?
34. We’ve rather seen that movie before.
35. In players like running back Breece Hall, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, edge-rusher Will McDonald IV and cornerback Sauce Gardner, the Jets have young talent—much more than the teams ranked behind them here.
36. But Gang Green isn’t an easy job. Not in that city full of fans desperate for success and with an owner who may be making football decisions based on video games.
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39. Drake MayeBillie Weiss/Getty Images
40. We have now crested a hill of sorts. The odds of success in the final three jobs of this list are greater than the first three—even if Jerod Mayo’s lone year at the helm of the Pats was anything but.
41. While addressing the media, Patriots owner Robert Kraft admitted that he left Mayo in something of a no-win situation.
42. “This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said. “I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”
43. The hope is that statement means Kraft will take a step back and give the new coach some time, because the Patriots aren’t a quick fix.
44. The Patriots appear to have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. They have the fourth overall pick in April’s draft, which should afford them either an impact player or a bevy of picks from a team looking to move up. No team in the league has more cap space than New England’s $127.7 million.
45. New England needs it. The Patriots were a bottom-three offense and ranked outside the top 20 in defense. The list of positions where the Patriots need help is longer than the list of positions where they don’t.
46. This is the starter set job. The ground-up gig. It could allow a coach to truly put his stamp on the team—but only if Kraft is patient enough this time to allow it.
47. Even then, getting out from under the shadow of Bill Belichick would take a long time.
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50. Trevor LawrenceMike Carlson/Getty Images
51. It can be argued that for coaches looking to make a quick imprint—especially offensive-minded ones—the Jaguars are the most appealing head coaching job available.
52. There’s a bevy of pass-catching talent headlined by rookie phenom Brian Thomas Jr. and veteran tight end Evan Engram. Trevor Lawrence may never be the superhero some predicted when he entered the NFL, but he’s at least a solid NFL starter. And while the Jaguars sported the AFC’s worst defense in 2024, there’s talent on that side of the ball as well—especially in the front seven.
53. Mind you, this was a team some pundits predicted would win the AFC South in 2024.
54. However, there’s also a general manager in place in Trent Baalke who will now be on his fourth head coach since being hired in 2020. As Albert Breer reported for Sports Illustrated, Baalke’s reputation for not being especially easy to work with is gaining more steam after Doug Pederson was fired.
55. “This latest shake-up hits some of the same-old notes,” Breer said. “There was division over the past year-plus in Jacksonville between coaching and scouting, with Baalke taking aim at Pederson’s offensive coordinator, Press Taylor, and pushing hard for changes elsewhere on the staff after a disappointing finish to the 2023 season.”
56. Now, it’s possible that hot candidate like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could insist on a change at general manager. But as things stand now, the appeal of the personnel in Jacksonville is offset by the possibility of having a difficult general manager to contend with.
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59. Caleb WilliamsJohn Fisher/Getty Images
60. This is it. This is the job Johnson should want—even if it makes him Public Enemy No. 1 in Detroit.
61. That the Bears were a 5-12 team that lost 10 straight games at one point speaks to how poorly the team was coached more than the talent on the roster. Many of the building blocks needed for success are in place.
62. Yes, Caleb Williams’ first season was a disappointment as a whole. But the first pick in last year’s draft showed flashes. The talent is there, whether as a passer or an improvisor.
63. Williams has plenty of weapons, including wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore, running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Cole Kmet. T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds are among the best linebacker duos in the league. There’s talent in the secondary and on the defensive front.
64. Yes, the Bears need to improve the offensive front. But the team has a top-10 pick in April’s draft and over $80 million in projected cap space. Granted, that’s not the war chest the Patriots have, but there also aren’t nearly as many holes to fill.
65. The Bears are also presently mired in a brutal division—the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings all made the playoffs in 2024. But more than any other team on this list (including the Jets), the coach who leads Da Bears back to contention will be deified.
66. Mike Ditka won one Super Bowl there, and he’s the most popular sports personality in Chicago this side of Michael Jordan.