Ranking the head coach-GM combos within each AFC division

In the NFL, it's important for the key decision-makers to be on the same page. That's especially true for a team's head coach and general manager. The GM typically picks the players, who must suit the philosophy and vision of the team's head coach.

Ahead of the opening of training camps in July, Yardbarker NFL writers rank the head coach-GM combos within each AFC division.

AFC East

1. BUFFALO BILLS | HC Sean McDermott, GM Brandon Beane | The Bills have won the AFC East in each of the past five seasons and are 86-45 in regular-season games since Beane and McDermott arrived in 2017. If not for the team’s 0-4 playoff record against Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs, the pair would probably have a Lombardi Trophy by now. 

2. MIAMI DOLPHINS | HC Mike McDaniel, GM Chris Grier | The Dolphins disappointed with an 8-9 record last season but have two postseason appearances in three years under McDaniel, something the Jets and Patriots cannot say. Of course, Miami hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2000 season, which should have the coach and GM on the hot seat given the talent on the roster. 

3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | HC Mike Vrabel, GM Eliot Wolf | Wolf is technically executive vice president of player personnel, but the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf is really de facto GM. The Patriots finished 4-13 in his first season in that capacity. Not good. Vrabel enjoyed three Super Bowl championships as a linebacker with the Patriots from 2001-08 and brings a 56-48 record (including playoffs) as head coach of the Titans and an NFL Coach of the Year Award (2021) back to New England.
 
4. NEW YORK JETS | HC Aaron Glenn, GM Darren Mougey | How successful Mougey and Glenn will be remains to be seen as both will assume new roles and neither was with the team in 2024. Glenn spent eight seasons as a cornerback with the Jets and had success as defensive coordinator with the Lions from 2021-24, but Mougey has much to prove after serving as an intern, scout and executive in 13 seasons with the Denver Broncos. — Bruce Ewing

AFC West

1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | HC Andy Reid, GM Brett Veach | This one is a no-brainer. In eight seasons under Veach and Reid, the Chiefs have five Super Bowls appearances, winning three.  

2. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | HC Jim Harbaugh; GM Joe Hortiz | Harbaugh and Hortiz have only spent one season together, but they’re building a Super Bowl contender in L.A. Last season under their leadership, the Chargers went 11-6 and made their second playoff appearance since the 2018 season.   

3. DENVER BRONCOS | HC Sean Payton, GM George Paton | Payton and Paton have helped turn around the Broncos, snapping an eight-year playoff drought in 2024. This duo would rank higher had Paton not traded five draft picks and three players to the Seattle Seahawks for QB Russell Wilson in 2022, one of the worst moves in league history. Wilson had an 11-19 regular-season starting record in two seasons with Denver and was released in March 2024.

4. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | HC Pete Carroll, GM John Spytek | The Raiders hired Spytek and Carroll this offseason, but their résumés should give Vegas reason for optimism. Carroll won a Super Bowl as Seahawks HC, while Spytek helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoist a Lombardi Trophy as a director of player personnel. — Clark Dalton

AFC North

1. BALTIMORE RAVENS | HC John Harbaugh, GM Eric DeCosta | It doesn’t get much better than Harbaugh and DeCosta at this level, as the Ravens are 78-38 over the past seven regular seasons with six playoff appearances. They missed the playoffs in 2021 because Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson filled in for an injured QB Lamar Jackson in eight combined games. Harbaugh is a Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer, and DeCosta does a great job drafting players who fit Baltimore’s system and extending them at the right time. 

2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS | HC Mike Tomlin, GM Omar Khan | Consistency is the name of the game in Pittsburgh, as Tomlin has led the Steelers to a record of .500 or better in all of his 18 seasons at the helm (and reached two Super Bowls, winning one in 2008-09). Khan, who was named GM in 2022 after serving with the team in other capacities since 2001, is also a talented roster builder, but the Steelers won’t get back to the contender tier until he finds a long-term solution at QB. 

3. CLEVELAND BROWNS | HC Kevin Stefanski, GM Andrew Berry | Handing Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed $230M contract is an unforgivable offense, but you must give Berry credit for extending DE Myles Garrett after he requested a trade and working the Jaguars for one of the biggest trade hauls in NFL Draft history in 2025. As for Stefanski, he has two Coach of the Year awards and during the 2020 season, he brought Cleveland its first playoff win since 1995. 

4. CINCINNATI BENGALS | HC Zac Taylor, GM Duke Tobin | This might be a hotter take than Bengals fans expected, but Taylor and Tobin are wasting QB Joe Burrow’s prime years. Cincinnati is an embarrassing 1-11 in the first two weeks of any season under Taylor, proving he consistently fails to prepare his team early, and the frugal Tobin hasn’t made significant moves to upgrade one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL since Burrow joined the team in 2020. — Jack Dougherty

AFC South

1. HOUSTON TEXANS | HC DeMeco Ryans, GM Nick Caserio | Caserio was hired by Houston in 2021 following two decades in New England, where he was part of six Super Bowl champion teams. One of Caserio’s best moves was hiring Ryans, who went 10-7 and reached the playoffs in each of his first two seasons with the Texans. Caserio also drafted C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, which looks like a brilliant decision.

2. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | HC Shane Steichen, GM Chris Ballard |  Steichen is 17-17 in two seasons in Indy and could be on the hot seat. Ballard has been the GM of the Colts since 2017 and appears to have missed big with the pick of QB Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft. This combo desperately needs a playoff appearance in 2025.

3. TENNESSEE TITANS | HC Brian Callahan, GM Mike Borgonzi | Callahan went 3-14 in his first season with the Titans, but he has a chance to start fresh with new QB Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Borgonzi spent the last decade-plus working for a Kansas City Chiefs team that won three Super Bowls, so the hope is he will carry that winning culture over to Tennessee. Until we see how Ward performs, it will be difficult to judge Callahan or Borgonzi.

4. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | HC Liam Coen, GM James Gladstone | Neither Coen nor Gladstone has experience in his current role, though both come from respected franchises that have won in recent years. Coen helped revive QB Baker Mayfield’s career as the OC of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jags are hoping he has the same influence on QB Trevor Lawrence. Gladstone worked in scouting for a Los Angeles Rams team that has enjoyed great success in recent drafts. Like in Tennessee, the situation in Jacksonville is very much TBD. — Steve DelVecchio