There’s no such thing as a boring Black Monday in the NFL, and 2022 was no exception. There were multiple firings and at least one notable surprise. With the 2021 regular season officially over, there are currently five head coaching vacancies in the NFL heading into 2022. But not all jobs are created equal, so let’s rank how appealing the current vacancies might look to potential candidates.
New York Giants
There was no reason for the Giants to keep Joe Judge, but who wants to clean up the mess he created? Daniel Jones has done nothing to show that he’s a long-term starter in the NFL, but he might be back in 2022 anyway.
That’s not even the only problem the G-Men are facing, especially since the Cowboys and Eagles appear to be miles ahead of them in the NFC East.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The only silver lining in Jacksonville is that the job comes with Trevor Lawrence. But even if he’s the quarterback we thought he was coming out of Clemson, there are still a lot of problems to fix with the Jaguars.
Interim coach Darrell Bevell might be one of the few people who actually want the job. The upset over the Colts in Week 18 aside, Jacksonville will be a tough place to turn things around right away.
Miami Dolphins
One of the reasons why the Dolphins were stupid to fire Brian Flores is that this job isn’t that attractive. Tua Tagovailoa may have done enough to enter 2022 as the starting quarterback, but he still has a long way to go to be a quarterback who can help Miami compete for a championship.
While the Dolphins have been in the playoff picture in each of the past two seasons, it was only because of their defense, and a lot of that is because of Flores. It won’t be so easy for his replacement to maintain Miami’s defensive prowess or get Tagovailoa to the next level.
Denver Broncos
This job is oddly appealing because the only thing the Broncos are missing is a quarterback. The only thing, right? That one position aside, the Broncos gave up the third-fewest points in the NFL this season and have a trio of wide receivers that’s as good as any in the league.
Frankly, if Teddy Bridgewater hadn’t gotten hurt in Week 15, the Broncos could have made the playoffs. With the right quarterback in place for the new coach, this is a playoff team and potentially a serious contender in the AFC.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota opening is interesting because there is enough talent on the roster to be a playoff-caliber team. If Aaron Rodgers actually leaves Green Bay, this job gets even more appealing.
However, Kirk Cousins has just one year left on his contract, which could complicate matters for the new coach and leave the Vikings looking for a new quarterback soon. But in terms of competing right away in 2022, this spot is as good as any for a new head coach.
Chicago Bears
How appealing one finds the job in Chicago comes down to how you feel about Justin Fields. Clearly, there is some upside with him that makes this job appealing for a coach who believes he can develop a raw and athletic young quarterback.
The rest of the roster has some work too, but when fully healthy, the Bears can be strong defensively, so there is a lot to like about this job for any coach that can get Fields moving in the right direction.