The NFL's 2025 Head Coaching Hires: Five Franchises Betting on Offensive Coordinators

The NFL's 2025 head coaching cycle produced five new hires, with four of the five involving coaches with offensive coordinator backgrounds. The cycle reflected a continuing trend: NFL franchises increasingly prefer head coaches who have built their reputations on offensive schemes, particularly modern pass-heavy systems developed through the college game.

The five 2025 hires — Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears), Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints), Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars), Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans, returning from 2024 hire), and Mike Vrabel's successor still pending at Tennessee — represent a distinct generational shift. All four of the offensive-coordinator hires will make their NFL head-coaching debuts in 2026.

Ben Johnson in Chicago

Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator since 2022, was hired by the Chicago Bears on January 13 to replace Matt Eberflus. Johnson's Lions offense finished the 2025 season first in the NFL in total yards, second in points, and first in passing success rate. The Lions went 14-4 in the regular season and reached the NFC Championship Game.

Johnson will take over a Bears franchise that drafted Caleb Williams as its franchise quarterback in 2024. Williams's rookie year was inconsistent — 3,541 yards and 16 touchdowns with 12 interceptions — and Johnson's primary task will be Williams's development. The Bears' ownership committee approved a five-year contract for Johnson worth an estimated $45 million, among the highest for first-time NFL head coaches in league history.

Kellen Moore in New Orleans

Kellen Moore, the Eagles' offensive coordinator under Nick Sirianni, was hired by the New Orleans Saints on January 20. Moore, 37, is the youngest NFL head coach and continues a trend of early-career coordinators moving directly to head coaching roles. His Eagles offense ranked third in the NFL in 2025.

Moore takes over a Saints franchise with aging core players and significant salary cap challenges. Quarterback Derek Carr will enter 2026 at age 34 with declining arm strength. Moore's hiring represents the Saints' first coaching change since Dennis Allen was hired in 2022. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has publicly committed to Moore for a three-year development window.

Liam Coen in Jacksonville

Liam Coen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator who turned around Baker Mayfield's career in 2024-25, was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 25. Coen's Buccaneers offense finished fourth in the NFL in passing yards during 2025. Mayfield's 34-touchdown season was largely attributed to Coen's system.

Jacksonville's hiring of Coen came after a protracted search that included interviews with 11 different candidates. The franchise, which finished 4-13 in 2024 under Doug Pederson, authorized a full rebuild. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will enter 2026 under his third head coach in five seasons, a stability concern that Coen will need to address.

The Philadelphia Eagles Model

The Eagles' continued success — winning the 2024 Super Bowl and reaching the 2026 Conference Championship — has solidified the franchise as the NFL's most-imitated organization. General manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have produced four consecutive playoff appearances and two Super Bowl trips, despite significant roster turnover.

The Eagles' hiring of rising coordinators has been central to their success. Nick Sirianni, who came to Philadelphia as a first-time head coach in 2021, has himself been a product of the organization's willingness to trust unproven coaches. The Eagles' retention of Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator for two seasons (2023-2024) before his departure to New Orleans represents the franchise's pattern of developing and losing coaching talent.

College-to-NFL Pipeline

The current generation of NFL head coaches increasingly has college coaching experience. Matt LaFleur (Wisconsin, Louisiana Tech), Mike McDaniel (Yale — playing, then assistant), and Ben Johnson (North Carolina) all have college roots. The reverse pipeline — Kliff Kingsbury's move from Texas Tech to Arizona Cardinals in 2019 — ended badly, but the more recent cycle has favored college coordinators with tested NFL experience.

The NFL's relationship with college football has become more integrated. Several franchises, including the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears, now have formal consulting arrangements with college coaching staffs. The purpose is primarily player evaluation, though the arrangements also produce coordination-level feedback that influences NFL scheme development.

The Rise of Pass-First Offenses

All four of the 2025 hiring decisions — Johnson, Moore, Coen, and Callahan — have built their reputations on passing-heavy offensive schemes. The choice reflects the NFL's evolution toward pass-first offenses, particularly the integration of RPOs (run-pass options), shallow crossing routes, and tight-end-focused pass concepts.

The shift represents a departure from the run-first philosophies that defined the pre-2018 NFL. Teams that have retained run-heavy schemes — including the Baltimore Ravens (with Lamar Jackson) and the San Francisco 49ers (with Brock Purdy) — have done so deliberately, often with personnel that optimizes the running game's efficiency.

Front Office and GM Power

The 2025 coaching cycle reinforced the growing power of NFL general managers relative to head coaches. In Chicago, Jacksonville, and Tennessee, the general managers (Ryan Poles, Trent Baalke, and Mike Borgonzi) controlled the hiring process with limited direct owner involvement. This represents a shift from the previous era, when owners often selected coaches without GM input.

The trend has implications for future coaching hires. Candidates now emphasize their working relationships with general managers during the interview process, and franchises increasingly require aligned philosophies between GM and head coach. The Tennessee Titans' hiring process, which involved extensive personality testing and joint decision-making between Borgonzi and owner Amy Adams Strunk, has been cited as the template for future NFL cycles.

The Missing Black Coaches

The 2025 coaching cycle did not include any Black head-coaching hires, continuing a troubling trend in NFL coaching diversity. Of the 32 current NFL head coaches, only three are Black: Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans), and Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The NFL's Rooney Rule, requiring interview panels to include minority candidates, has not produced proportional hiring outcomes.

The NFL Coaches Association has publicly called for more transparent hiring processes. Commissioner Roger Goodell responded at the March owners' meetings by expanding the Rooney Rule to include two minority candidates per interview cycle. Whether the expanded requirement will change outcomes in the 2026 cycle remains to be seen.