Six NFL Head Coaching Positions Available

Logan Winser and Alex Nannetti|January 13, 2017

After every NFL season, multiple teams decide to change the head coaching position. This year is no different. So far, six Head Coach positions have becoming available.

After a move from St. Louis to Los Angeles, the Rams had hype around running back Todd Gurley and #1 overall pick quarterback Jared Goff about taking them to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they went 4-12 and head coach Jeff Fisher lost his job in Week 14.

With the worst offence in football and unwillingness to develop Goff, Fisher was fired after five seasons with the Rams. Interim Head Coach for the Rams was special teams coach John Fassel. Among Fassel, the Rams are currently interviewing Patriots coordinator Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels and Atlanta Falcons coordinator Kyle Shanahan, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

Head Coach Chip Kelly’s two years in San Francisco was enough for Owner Jed York as he was fired after Week 17’s game against the Seattle Seahawks finishing with a  2-14 record. Jed York talked about Kelly after the game.

“”Chip has my gratitude for the job he did this year, navigating the team through some adverse circumstances,” says York.  “I look forward to watching his career continue to unfold, and wish him and Jill great success in life.”

The San Francisco 49ers are also interviewing Josh McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan, but are also interviewing Packers executive Eliot Wolf and director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

The San Diego Chargers finished under .500 again, and became frustrated with head coach Mike McCoy. With rumors of the Chargers moving to Los Angeles along with the Rams, the Chargers fired McCoy after Sunday’s week 17 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

As one of the most interesting teams hiring this year, the Chargers are interviewing Matt Patricia along with Dolphins Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. There are also rumors that there could be a trade with the New Orleans Saints for head coach Sean Payton, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Gary Kubiak announced on January 2nd that he was stepping down as the head coach and he would retire from coaching. The Broncos won 9 games this year but lost 7. They did not make the NFL Playoffs. Last year they went 12 and 4, which won them the division and the #1 seed in the AFC. They made it to Super Bowl 50 and defeated the Carolina Panthers in dominate fashion.

Kubiak coached for Texas A&M as a running backs coach for two years. After his brief stint in college he made the jump to the NFL where he coached for the next 22 years. Kubiak coached for the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens. This season simply wasn’t a good season for Gary Kubiak so he decided to call it quits and cap off an impressive coaching career. Gary Kubiak stated “The demands of the job are no longer a fit for me.”  The Broncos are still searching for a coach.

The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Rex Ryan. Two days after an embarrassing week 16 overtime loss to the Dolphins they decided that his stay was no longer welcome. Ryan failed in an attempt to pull Buffalo back into the postseason, which they haven’t been to for 17 years now.  Ryan spent two seasons in Buffalo going 8-8 in his first season. This season, he went 7-8. They also decided to fire his twin brother and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. They are currently looking for a new coach.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced after their week 15 game which was a loss to the Houston Texans, that Head Coach Gus Bradley had been relieved of his duties. He was the head coach of the Jaguars for 4 seasons from 2012-2016. The Jaguars still had 2 games remaining on their schedule for the season. They placed Doug Marrone as interim head coach. Gus Bradley had a record of 14-48. Bradley was fired by the Jaguars GM David Caldwell and Owner Shahid Khan after their loss, but instead of getting back to Jacksonville on his own he flew with the team back to Jacksonville. The Jaguars recently hired a new head coach in Doug Marrone.