NFL Coaching Searches Heat Up As Harbaugh, LaFleur Rumors Swirl

As the NFL playoffs roll on and whittle down to the postseason’s final eight teams, there are also eight franchises still searching for their next head coach, as no hires have been made yet.

But that doesn’t mean the NFL coaching carousel isn’t speeding up, with plenty of intriguing movement taking place over the weekend.

The Man in Charge

John Harbaugh is seen by many as the hottest coaching candidate available. 

The Ravens fired Harbaugh, 63, after 18 seasons in Baltimore, which included winning Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 season.

Harbaugh told Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer that while many teams had reached out to him about their openings, he was planning to take the weekend and narrow down to three or four to go interview for, rather than all across the board.

Lambeau Leap?

The Packers are not one of the eight teams with a coaching vacancy, but after squandering a lead and losing to NFC North rival Chicago on Saturday night, the future of Matt LaFleur in Green Bay could be in question.

This is the first full offseason for Packers chairman, president, and CEO Ed Policy, who succeeded longtime team leader Mark Murphy in July. 

As the only publicly owned franchise in the NFL, Green Bay’s CEO is the team’s de facto “owner,” typically making the final call on major decisions like hiring and firing coaches and GMs.

LaFleur was hired in 2019 and signed a contract extension in 2022 that runs through the 2026 season. If he is not offered an extension this offseason, he would begin next season as a rare “lame duck” coach entering the final year of his deal.

Southern Hospitality

The Falcons, who are searching for a coach and GM, are one of the more interesting teams to watch after Atlanta officially hired franchise legend Matt Ryan as its new president of football Saturday.

“You want to be in the mix—in the playoffs, and it’s been too long there,” Ryan said Sunday on CBS, where he has served as an NFL analyst for the past two seasons. “And we’re gonna work really hard and find the right people to get us back into that position to be successful.” 

The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot after the season ended, and Rich McKay, the longtime right-hand man of owner Arthur Blank, also stepped down as Falcons CEO.

While there are no restrictions on interviewing free agents like Harbaugh or former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, teams cannot conduct in-person interviews with assistant coaches who are under contract with other clubs until Jan. 19, unless those teams are playing in the AFC or NFC championship game.