More often than not, NFL fans eagerly wait for Black Monday, as they know there’s a chance their teams will finally let their coaches go. And, as you may know by now, this year wasn’t the exception to that trend, with the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears parting ways with their signal-callers.
Next season will most likely bring new faces to head coaching positions, as there are several assistants and coordinators on the rise and ready to embrace the challenge. Needless to say, those experiments don’t always work out.
So, now that the aforementioned teams joined the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders in the “coach-less” list, let’s take a look at the top 3 best candidates out to be a head coach next year.
NFL Coaching Candidates For 2022
Honorable Mentions: Eric Bieniemy, Josh McDaniels, Brian Daboll, Kellen Moore,Nathaniel Hackett, Byron Leftwich.
3. Todd Bowles
Todd Bowles – Getty Images
Todd Bowles wasn’t appreciated during his time with the New York Jets but let’s take a look at a couple of facts: He led them to their only winning season of the decade, and he did that with Ryan Fitzpatrick as his starting quarterback.
Bowles has done a great job of turning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense around and he’s one of the few coordinators in the league that has actually had a successful experience as a head coach.
2. Doug Pederson
Doug Pederson – Getty Images
Doug Pederson took a year off after the Philadelphia Eagles let him go, so it’s time for him to step up again and reclaim his spot in the league. He’s a Super Bowl-winning coach who had done a pretty decent job before that final losing season.
Pederson has already interviewed with a couple of teams and it seems like it’s just a matter of time before he’s back in the NFL. He’s had a history of success with developing young QBs, so the Chicago Bears or Jacksonville Jaguars should give him a call.
1. Brian Flores
Brian Flores – Getty Images
Brian Flores is responsible for 2 of the 3 winning seasons the Miami Dolphins have had in the past two decades, so yeah, maybe they kind of rushed into things. He put together one of the best, hungriest defenses in the league and made them a dark horse contender in the AFC East.
To be fair, there’s only so much he could do with Tua Tagovailoa behind center, so it’s not like he’s the only one to blame for their struggles. Flores immediately became the best HC candidate and it won’t be long before he takes over another team.
