The NFL's upcoming coaching cycle is set to be particularly dramatic, primarily due to two big names: Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh. The former has been mum on his future with the Patriots as he closes the worst season of his storied career, while the latter has taken steps to potentially make a long-rumored bolt from college football.
Besides Belichick and Harbaugh, however, there are plenty of other candidates to land new jobs who already boast prior head coaching experience. Here's a look at some of the top "retread" possibilities, or potential 2024 hires who've held top jobs before:
Note: Any current head coach who is dismissed this offseason would obviously also be eligible for this list, including the Commanders' Ron Rivera. For the purpose of this exercise, however, only current non-HCs were considered.
7. Vic Fangio
Current job: Dolphins DC | Last HC job: Broncos (2019-2021)
Miami's defense has certainly improved under his watch, entering Week 18 ranked No. 9 in yards allowed per game. It's also buckled severely in some key spots this year. And we're just two years removed from him going 17-31 as Denver's head man. He'll surely get a look or two, but at 65, he may be better-suited remaining in a coordinator role.
6. Raheem Morris
Current job: Rams DC | Last HC job: Buccaneers (2009-2011)
The Rams no longer boast an elite defense, but Morris has helped Sean McVay shepherd another playoff run after a roster deconstruction prior to 2023, and he oversaw Los Angeles' "D" when the club won the Super Bowl in 2021. He was just 32 when he got his first crack at a top job back in 2009, and he's widely respected for his leadership.
5. Steve Spagnuolo
Current job: Chiefs DC | Last HC job: Rams (2009-2011)
Like Vic Fangio, and even current head coaches such as Dennis Allen and Todd Bowles, the 64-year-old Spagnuolo may be better off as second-in-command, solely focused on defense. He went just 10-38 as Rams coach years ago, after all, and got all three of his Super Bowl rings as a coordinator. But he's now overseen three top-10 scoring defenses in the last four years -- the best stretch of his career -- and has the Chiefs "D" carrying K.C.'s latest playoff push even more than Patrick Mahomes.
4. Steve Wilks
Current job: 49ers DC | Last HC job: Cardinals (2018)
Wilks infamously got just one year as Arizona's head man back in 2018, when the team went 3-13 with Josh Rosen under center. He fared much better with an ailing Panthers squad in 2022, going 6-6 as the interim before owner David Tepper booted him for Frank Reich, who's of course since been fired himself. Wilks has San Francisco playing with the same tenacious edge it possessed under DeMeco Ryans, helping Kyle Shanahan put the 49ers on another path toward the NFC title game.
3. Dan Quinn
Current job: Cowboys DC | Last HC job: Falcons (2015-2020)
Hyped as a candidate to return to a top job for years, Quinn's about to finish 2023 having led the playmaking Cowboys to three different top-five marks as a scoring defense, even with star corner Trevon Diggs out of the picture due to injury this year. He's also got a winning track record as a head coach, going 43-42 in more than five years in Atlanta, most notably advancing to the Super Bowl in 2016. Quinn is well-liked as a leader, so the only concern is whether he's adaptable enough to build an entire team.
2. Jim Schwartz
Current job: Browns DC | Last HC job: Lions (2009-2013)
The longtime coordinator led just one winning season in five years as Detroit's coach, but he also guided the franchise's first playoff bid in more than a decade, bringing a physical edge to an otherwise listless team. Since then, he helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl as their DC, helped the Titans to a 12-win season as a top aide to Mike Vrabel during the latter's Coach of the Year season, and is currently helping the Browns to an improbable postseason appearance by overseeing one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. Schwartz's hard-nosed approach may be old-school, but he's got the resume to warrant another look up top.
1. Brian Flores
Current job: Vikings DC | Last HC job: Dolphins (2019-2021)
It's fairly apparent the Dolphins made the right choice to replace Flores with Mike McDaniel, who's unlocked Tua Tagovailoa in an offensively minded league. But that doesn't discount Flores' ability to maximize certain talent, which he's done in Minnesota, keeping the injury-riddled Vikings in the playoff picture much longer than expected. While he finished just 24-25 in Miami, he also guided the Dolphins' first back-to-back winning seasons since 2002-2003. At 42, with four Super Bowl titles under his belt from his time as a Bill Belichick understudy, it'd be a shock if he didn't get another serious crack at a job.
