We won’t know for a while how each of the 10 teams that were looking for a head coach did with their new hires, but we can assign grades based on how each hire looks in the moment. We’ll also do it for the buzziest coordinator positions that have opened up.
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This post will be updated for each new hire.
Head coaching hires
Let’s be clear: Getting Harbaugh was as good as the Giants could have done. It’s their best hire since landing Tom Coughlin in 2004. The Giants can only hope for similar results from Harbaugh.
Harbaugh comes in with a 61.4% career win percentage and a Super Bowl ring. He hasn’t had a ton of playoff success lately, but neither have the Giants. They haven’t even been reaching the playoffs most seasons, as they stumbled through hires like Ben McAdoo, Joe Judge and Brian Daboll.
Harbaugh immediately raises expectations in New York. There is a good, young core here. Harbaugh had only three losing seasons in his 18 years with Baltimore, and while there might not be that level of success right away with the Giants, this is the best coach they have had since the end of the Coughlin era, and it’s not close. Harbaugh was the best coach on the market (unless you prefer Mike Tomlin, who seems set on sitting out at least a season), the Giants were quickly identified as the favorite to land him and they got it done before any other team swooped in. For a franchise that has gotten a lot wrong lately, this was a major win.
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Grade: A+
NFL Coach of the Year might be a flawed award, but Stefanski has two of them. It’s rare that a coach like that is available, and the Falcons saw an opportunity.
It’s easy to like this hire. Stefanski and the Falcons still has a quarterback situation to work through, but he’s used to that after his seasons with the Browns. Stefanski steps into a situation with a talented team in a bad division. And he should be able to elevate the Falcons right away. This seemed like a great fit, with a coach who succeeded at times in a tough situation in Cleveland with a team that underachieved last season and could make a big improvement right away. It’s easy to be impressed with this hire.
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Grade: A
Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley
Considering the pitfalls of the Dolphins job, Miami did fine in landing Hafley, who was a hot name after two good seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. Hafley steps into a tough situation, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s time in Miami likely done and a massive dead salary cap hit in his wake if he’s let go. There are other issues with the roster too. Reuniting with new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who had been the Packers’ vice president of player personnel, had to be a big draw. Hafley has some head-coaching experience, albeit in college at Boston College for four years. That should help him with what might be a rough transition season or two as the Dolphins start to build back up.
Grade: B
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Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh
The Titans job ended up being one that attracted interest of top candidates. And Saleh is a very good hire. Saleh had just a 20-36 record as head coach of the New York Jets, but it has been proven over time that the Jets job is one of the toughest in the NFL. Saleh went to the San Francisco 49ers this past season as their defensive coordinator and had a fantastic season, rebuilding his reputation and putting himself right back in the head-coaching cycle. Saleh’s leadership and his defensive acumen will be an instant boost for a Titans team that has gone 3-14 each of the past two seasons. The big question will be what Saleh does on his offensive staff, considering how important that will be for the development of 2025 No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward.
Grade: B+
Coordinator hires
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator: Drew Petzing
Petzing has a good reputation, even though his three seasons coordinating the Cardinals’ offense didn’t have great results. Arizona was 19th, 11th and 19th in yards gained in his three seasons there.
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There is some context, however: The Cardinals had sub-optimal quarterback play, whether it was Kyler Murray or Jacoby Brissett. Brissett put up decent numbers when he took over for Murray, and receiver Michael Wilson had a fantastic second half of the season. There are questions over why Marvin Harrison Jr. never broke out that way in his first two NFL seasons. Petzing is close to former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and there’s some schematic overlap there, so maybe that was a draw. Given how many proven offensive coaches there are on the market and the attractiveness of running a Lions offense that has immense talent, the hire of Petzing seems a little underwhelming. But now he has much more to work with.
Grade: B-
