Even before Super Bowl LIX is played Feb. 9 in New Orleans, teams out of the NFL postseason mix are feverishly trying to win the unofficial offseason title with a flurry of high-profile coaching and football management moves—further showing the heightening importance of those positions.

The Bears reached a deal with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their new head coach, the latest in a growing series of moves around the league. Chicago, coming off a highly disappointing 5–12 season and grappling with a stalled push for a new stadium, beat out other suitors including the Raiders and that team’s minority owner, Tom Brady. 

Among the other recent coaching and football leadership moves:

• Jets: New York will interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn on Tuesday, and he is reportedly that team’s top choice for the job. Detroit’s upset loss to the surprising Commanders last weekend has accelerated the coaching market considerably, with both Glenn and Johnson able to interview and accept jobs. 
• Saints: New Orleans will have a series of interviews later this week for its vacant head coaching position, including with Glenn. The sessions were rescheduled due to a rare Gulf Coast snowstorm battering parts of Louisiana and Texas.  
• Titans: Tennessee hired Chiefs GM Mike Borgonzi as its new GM, with his 16-year track record in Kansas City including four AFC championships and three Super Bowl victories. Borgonzi will succeed Ran Carthon, fired earlier this month after two seasons on the job. 

Five NFL head coaching positions remain open after the latest moves in Chicago and New England with Mike Vrabel: the Cowboys, Jaguars, Jets, Raiders, and Saints. The Jets and Raiders also have vacant GM positions.

The fan excitement surrounding the Bears’ hire of well-regarded Johnson—and the hunger for some level of success from the team—led one listener of Chicago sports-talk radio station WSCR-AM to opine that “today we won the offseason Super Bowl, and I am so stoked.”

The Deion Question

As Dallas continues efforts to replace the recently departed Mike McCarthy, rumors continue to swirl regarding the possibility of former Cowboys star and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders taking the job. Such a move would come with no shortage of financial obstacles, and Sanders is reportedly negotiating a contract extension with the Buffaloes going beyond the three years left on his five-year, $29.5 million deal. 

Sanders is not currently on the Cowboys’ list of coaching candidate interviews, but communication between him and team owner Jerry Jones remains open. 

Player Considerations

While the NFL coaching carousel continues to spin, a growing number of star players are approaching their own professional crossroads and considering whether and where they will play football next season. 

In particular, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp both said they were uncertain of their futures following the team’s divisional playoff loss Sunday to the Eagles. Both players still have two years remaining on their respective contracts, but such details matter less in the NFL, where acceptance of dead money to protect key roster spots continues to grow.

“Who knows what’s going to happen,” Kupp said. “That’s out of my control. … Obviously, [I] would love to be in L.A., but I don’t know what that’s going to look like.”

On Nov. 30, Ohio State fans and alumni were calling for the school to fire head coach Ryan Day following a fourth consecutive loss to rival Michigan. Less than two months later, the Buckeyes are national champions under Day’s leadership.

Day’s redemption arc comes with a massive payday: $1 million for winning the national title. This is on top of his estimated $10 million annual salary, which was the fifth highest among college football coaches this past season, according to USA Today. Day has compiled a 70–10 regular-season record in Columbus since taking over for Urban Meyer. He’s 1–4 against Michigan but improved to 6–4 in the postseason. 

“There’s a point where a lot of people just counted us out, and we just kept swinging. It’s the reason why you get into coaching. To see guys overcome things, learn life lessons, and reach their dreams. That’s what happened tonight,” Day told ESPN after the win.

Day’s contract with Ohio State runs until 2029 after he signed a contract extension in May 2022. The national title, the school’s first since 2014, likely solidifies his position as the coach for the long term and could open the door for restructuring that could mean more pay or incentives for future wins.

Freeman’s Future

Marcus Freeman did not receive the same ridicule as Day this season, and he even got the stamp of approval for his work regardless of the team’s CFP result when Notre Dame extended his deal in December.

The 39-year-old was earning less than $7 million last season, which was 28th among coaches, according to USA Today. His new contract is more than $9 million per year, according to Irish Illustrated, and ESPN reported that it runs until 2030.

The long-term deal doesn’t guarantee Freeman will coach the Fighting Irish, given the pedigree he’s already built. He was under consideration for the head coach position of the NFL’s Bears, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, though that was filled Monday by Ben Johnson. Freeman was not interviewed by Chicago.

“To hear that the Bears have interest, it’s humbling. It’s the NFL. It’s also a reminder that with team success comes individual success. I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL,” Freeman said a few days before the title game.

Looking Ahead

The Buckeyes are the betting favorites (+450) to repeat as national champions next season, according to FanDuel. They will be immediately tested as they open their campaign Aug. 30 against Texas, which is tied with Oregon for the second-best championship odds (+650). Arch Manning is expected to be the starting quarterback of the Longhorns since Quinn Ewers declared for the NFL draft last week.

Week 0 of the college football season starts Aug. 23. The national championship game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 19, in what will be Year 2 of the extended Playoff format.

When the Eagles host the Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field in Sunday’s NFC championship game, it will be Philadelphia’s third consecutive home game this postseason—a feat that has been accomplished only one other time in NFL history.

This wasn’t even possible until 2020, when the NFL playoffs expanded from 12 to 14 teams, and No. 2 seeds began playing on wild-card weekend. Before then, winners of each conference’s wild-card games automatically played on the road in the divisional round, against the two teams that secured first-round byes.

But with the expanded postseason, teams seeded Nos. 2 through 4 have a chance to host three playoff games if the cards fall their way. 

The Chiefs are the only other team to do so, when they were a two-seed in 2021, and played three games at Arrowhead Stadium. That same season, the Rams hosted two playoff games, and Super Bowl LVI was played at their home venue, SoFi Stadium, but that is considered a neutral-site game.

Home Field Advantage?

While the accomplishment is a nice treat for Eagles fans who want to support their team throughout January—Lincoln Financial Field will welcome more than 200,000 this postseason—it’s not as lucrative for the franchise’s bottom line as one might think.

Home teams in the NFL playoffs don’t keep revenue from postseason-ticket sales (as they do in the regular season), which is collected by the league and distributed out to all 32 franchises equally. Major matchups like playoff games can easily surpass $10 million in ticket sales.

However, home clubs do get to keep game-day revenue like parking fees and in-stadium concession sales, which can total more than $1 million per game in some cases.