Meet the NFL's new head coaches in 2026, from John Harbaugh on Giants to Mike McCarthy-Aaron Rodgers reunion image
What initially looked like a potentially slow NFL coaching carousel proved to be quite the opposite.
After the anticipated moves that followed the conclusion of the regular season, the surprises started to roll in: the Ravens fired John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, only to be one-upped by Mike Tomlin, who stepped down as head coach of the Steelers after 19 seasons.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, cut ties with Mike McDaniel after reports indicated he was likely to return, and the Bills made the bold decision to fire Sean McDermott after another disappointing playoff exit.
The end result was 10 new head coaches, tying an NFL record and setting the stage for a season of mystery as nearly a third of the league navigates the challenges of a brand new staff.
Here's a look at each of the NFL's new head coaches for 2026.
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New NFL head coaches in 2026
Joe Brady
Joe Brady, Bills
Age: 36
HC experience: None
Record: 0-0
Previous job: Bills offensive coordinator
The Bills decided they needed a change after suffering a divisional round exit to the Broncos, firing Sean McDermott after nine seasons, but they didn't have to look far for his successor. Enter Joe Brady, who ascended to the offensive coordinator role in Buffalo during the 2023 season and quickly earned the respect of Josh Allen.
Hiring Brady was a gamble by the Bills, who are squarely a Super Bowl-or-bust team leaning on a 36-year-old, first-time head coach. Brady's offensive acumen is pretty undeniable, as he helped organize LSU's historic 2019 offense led by Joe Burrow, and his work getting more than 3,700 yards out of Teddy Bridgewater in 2020 has aged well. Whether Brady has what it takes to be the leader and split-second decision-maker to win a Super Bowl is an entirely different question.
Jeff Hafley, Dolphins
Age: 47
HC experience: None (4 seasons in CFB)
Record: 0-0 (22-26 in CFB)
Previous job: Packers defensive coordinator
Many were stunned when Jeff Hafley left his role as Boston College's head coach to become the Packers' defensive coordinator in 2024, but the decision worked: he became a head coach within two years, even after mixed results in 2025.
Hafley has split his career between the NFL and collegiate levels, working under Greg Schiano, Mike Pettine, Jim Tomsula and Kyle Shanahan in the NFL before returning to college to be Ohio State's defensive coordinator in 2019. Hafley only had one losing season in four years at Boston College, which is a win in itself, and he now takes the reins of a rebuilding Dolphins squad along with former Packers colleague and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan.
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John Harbaugh, Giants
Age: 63
HC experience: 18 seasons
Record: 180-113
Previous job: Ravens head coach
John Harbaugh didn't leave the Ravens on his own terms, which should put a chip on his shoulder as he becomes a head coach for the second time.
A Super Bowl-winner in Baltimore, Harbaugh's Ravens team undoubtedly left something on the table in the playoffs during the Lamar Jackson era, but that did little to strip Harbaugh of his reputation is a well-respected, tactically-sound coach, even if his coordinator hires were hit-and-miss.
The Giants have dealt with plenty of coaching instability since Tom Coughlin's exit. New York gave Brian Daboll a fourth season in hopes some stability would lead to positive results, but it only put the franchise back into the coaching carousel. At 63, Harbaugh may not be a forever coach in East Rutherford, but he can at least give the Giants a few strong years to rebuild their reputation as an organization.
Klint Kubiak, Raiders
Age: 39
HC experience: None
Record: 0-0
Previous job: Seahawks offensive coordinator
Klint Kubiak is the Raiders' 13th full-time head coach in the last 25 years and fourth in the last four years. After a disastrous year under Pete Carroll, Las Vegas is hoping it has finally found its long-term solution.
The results in Seattle were tough to argue for Kubiak, as he stepped in and won a Super Bowl with Sam Darnold as his quarterback. Kubiak got career years out of both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker III after injuries derailed what looked like a promising year for the Saints offense when he was at the helm in 2024.
The son of Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak, the younger Kubiak has experience under Kyle Shanahan, Mike Macdonald, Mike Zimmer and his dad, which should leave him prepared to lead his own team.
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Mike LaFleur, Cardinals
Age: 39
HC experience: None
Record: 0-0
Previous job: Rams offensive coordinator
That name should sound familiar, as new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is the younger brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur. The younger LaFleur has never been a head coach, but he has spent most of his coaching career in the Shanahan-McVay tree, working with either Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay or Robert Saleh each season since 2014.
LaFleur's only play-calling stint was an unsuccessful two-year run with the Jets, but he rebuilt his stock over the last three seasons on McVay's staff as the top offensive assistant under McVay. LaFleur will start his Cardinals tenure squarely at the bottom of the NFC West, with hopes of making some noise in a tough division sooner rather than later.
Mike McCarthy, Steelers
Age: 62
HC experience: 18 seasons
Record: 174-112-2
Previous job: Cowboys head coach (sat out 2025)
On one hand, Mike McCarthy is the perfect fit for the Steelers given his experience with Aaron Rodgers and his close ties to the city as a Pittsburgh native. On the other hand, the Steelers went against the grain by hiring an older coach with previous head coaching experience. That means McCarthy, in all likelihood, won't have the same lengthy tenure Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll did, but he will at least have a chance to become a hometown hero.
McCarthy has 18 years of head coaching experience, posting 12 winning seasons and 12 playoff appearances across tenures with the Packers and Cowboys. He won a Super Bowl with Rodgers in 2010, but his playoff failures have been well-documented since then with only a 6-9 record since the championship run.
An offensive-minded coach who will call plays, McCarthy will look to turn what was an inconsistent Steelers offense into something that at least somewhat resembles the juggernaut he had in Green Bay, even if Rodgers' age makes that an uphill battle.
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Jesse Minter, Ravens
Age: 43
HC experience: None
Record: 0-0
Previous job: Chargers defensive coordinator
The Ravens plucked a branch off the Harbaugh tree to replace John Harbaugh, hiring Jim Harbaugh's defensive coordinator in Jesse Minter. Considered one of the game's top up-and-coming coaches, Minter seamlessly transitioned from the leader of Michigan's championship defense to the NFL, leading a unit that ranked first in points allowed in 2024 and fifth in yards in 2025 despite a sluggish offense frequently putting the unit back on the field.
Minter, who spent time on John Harbaugh's staff in Baltimore from 2017-20, will get the chance to lead a locker room for the first time, and he will lean on 30-year-old offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to get Lamar Jackson and the offense back playing their best.
Todd Monken, Browns
Age: 60
HC experience: None (3 seasons in CFB)
Record: 0-0 (13-25 in CFB)
Previous job: Ravens offensive coordinator
The Browns chose Todd Monken over Jim Schwartz, giving the longtime offensive assistant the keys to an NFL franchise for the first time.
Monken, who would have been the Giants' offensive coordinator if not for this opportunity, spent all but four seasons coaching at the collegiate level before 2016, including three unsuccessful seasons as the head coach at Southern Miss. Monken's first NFL offensive coordinator opportunity came with the Buccaneers from 2016-18, followed by stints with the Browns, the University of Georgia and the Ravens.
Monken called offensive plays during both of Georgia's back-to-back national championship seasons, and he became a valued assistant for John Harbaugh in Baltimore before getting the rare opportunity to be a first-year NFL head coach just ahead of his 60th birthday.
DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Robert Saleh, Titans
Age: 47
HC experience: 4 seasons
Record: 20-36
Previous job: 49ers defensive coordinator
Robert Saleh's second stint as an NFL head coach will come with the Titans, after his nearly four-year tenure with the Jets ended in a midseason firing in 2024.
A terrific defensive coach whose defenses were far from the problem in New York, Saleh wisely chose to rebuild his stock as Kyle Shanahan's defensive play-caller in San Francisco last season, and he spent the offseason working with the Titans' front office to re-tool the defense in Nashville.
Saleh's biggest problems with the Jets were the offense and penalty troubles. In his second top job, Saleh is hoping offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is the right hire to get Cam Ward and the offense on track. Saleh will appropriately meet the Jets in his first game with the Titans.
Kevin Stefanski, Falcons
Age: 44
HC experience: 6 seasons
Record: 46-58
Previous job: Browns head coach
Two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski didn't survive another difficult season with the Browns, but it didn't take long for him to be snatched up by the Falcons after they fired Raheem Morris.
An offensive-minded coach, Stefanski was one of the league's youngest head coaches when he did the unthinkable and took the Browns to the playoffs in 2020. Cleveland would return to the playoffs in 2023, but Stefanski went just 8-26 over his final two seasons with the team, beset by an anemic offense.
On one hand, a 5-12 season came in perhaps above expectations in 2025. On the other hand, it was the defense, coached by Jim Schwartz, that kept the Browns in games. Stefanski will be under pressure to correctly utilize weapons Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts in Atlanta, even with an uncertain quarterback situation.