NFL teams should keep tabs on these head-coaching candidates for the upcoming hiring cycle

With the end of the NFL regular season nearing, more teams will soon be looking for new head coaches. 

The Tennessee Titans fired HC Brian Callahan after Week 6, and the New York Giants moved on from HC Brian Daboll after Week 10. Those certainly won't be the only openings in the upcoming hiring cycle. With that in mind, here are five head-coaching candidates franchises should have on their radars.

Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman

Per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Chicago Bears inquired about Freeman last offseason before hiring HC Ben Johnson. Now, the Giants have reported interest in the coach. In a Tuesday X post, The Athletic's Dan Duggan wrote, "I think he's absolutely someone the Giants will have interest in."

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, meanwhile, has made it clear that retaining Freeman is one of the program's top offseason goals. But would the HC want to see if he has what it takes to succeed in the NFL? 

He clearly knows how to build a winner. Since Notre Dame promoted him from DC to HC in 2021, he has a 43-12 record and guided the team to the national championship game during the 2024 season. 

Most successful college coaches flop in the NFL. See Urban Meyer's disastrous tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. That should give teams pause before hiring Freeman.

Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady

Quarterback whisperer should be one of the first items listed on Brady's resume. He became the Bills' full-time OC in 2024, helping QB Josh Allen win his first league MVP. The Bills star is excelling again this season, ranking eighth in the league in passing yards (3,083) and sixth in QBR (65.2). 

Before landing in Buffalo, Brady served as LSU's passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2019. While in Baton Rouge, he helped turn Cincinnati Bengals sixth-year QB Joe Burrow into a Heisman winner.

"[Brady] was great for my career," Burrow said before Cincinnati's Week 14 matchup against Buffalo. "We did some special things together. We went through a lot of problems and solved a lot of problems. That's what great coaches and players do."

Brady may be an excellent fit for New York (2-11) or Tennessee (2-11), which both feature rookie QBs: Jaxson Dart (Giants) and Cam Ward (Titans). The offensive guru could clearly help either QB unlock their potential. 

San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh

Yes, Saleh's tenure with the Jets was underwhelming. In four seasons with the team, he never won more than seven games, finishing with a 20-36 record. However, not many coaches can win with an overbearing owner like Woody Johnson. 

This season, the 49ers have lost defensive end Nick Bosa (ACL) and linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) to injury. And yet, San Francisco ranks eighth in the league in points allowed (20.7). That's a testament to Saleh's defensive acumen.

Plus, he has learned from his mistakes with the Jets, including not calling defensive plays. When Saleh was the New York HC, he let former DC Jeff Ulbrich (now Atlanta Falcons DC) do that.

"When you're immersed in the game as a play-caller, it brings out the emotion in me and gets me excited and connected to all the players and keeps me connected to the game a little bit more," Saleh told longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson on a Dec. 4 episode of "The Exhibit." 

Denver Broncos DC Vance Joseph

Following a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 of the 2023 season, Broncos fans started an online petition to get Joseph fired. Now, they want him to stay. 

The Broncos (11-2) rank fourth in the league in points allowed (18.1) and lead the league in sacks (55). Denver is on pace to break the season sack record set by the Bears in 1984 (72 in 16 games). 

Joseph previously served as Broncos HC from 2017-18, going 11-21. He could've won more games with better QB play. During his time in Denver, the team started QBs Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler and Case Keenum. 

In January, Broncos HC Sean Payton said he believes Joseph is "going to be a head coach again" and has many qualities a successful coach needs.  

Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak

Kubiak has reinvigorated the Seahawks offense in 2025. Seattle (10-3) ranks second in the NFL in points scored (29.8) after finishing 17th in points scored (22.1) last season. 

QB Sam Darnold — who signed a three-year, $100.5M deal with Seattle in free agency — has thrived under Kubiak. The QB ranks sixth in the NFL in passing yards (3,162) and is tied for fifth in passing TDs (22). The former Jets bust has indicated the ex-49ers passing game coordinator is one reason he joined Seattle this offseason. 

"Klint, obviously a blue-collar man, he's very easygoing," Darnold told Forbes contributor DJ Siddiqi in May. "I was with him, obviously, in 2023 with the Niners [as a backup]. It's a system that I'm pretty aware of. I have some experience in it a couple years ago. That was obviously a draw."