The end of the 2021 NFL regular season saw five head coaching vacancies open up, as Mike Zimmer, Brian Flores, Vic Fangio, and Matt Nagy fell victim to Black Monday, while Joe Judge became unemployed on Tuesday — with the Jaguars and Raiders looking to make full-time hires after interims handled the stretch run.
Will Jim Harbaugh make a triumphant return to the NFL after several years coaching the Michigan Wolverines? He's been a popular name in the early going.
The NFL head coach hiring cycle and interview process bring about plenty of rumors and candidates big and small. So, to help you take advantage of another NFL betting market, we've got the latest NFL head coach odds for you below.
| Chicago Bears | Miami Dolphins | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Denver Broncos | Minnesota Vikings | New York Giants |
| Las Vegas Raiders |
Chicago Bears next coach odds
| Chicago Bears 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Brian Flores | +200 |
| Doug Pederson | +400 |
| Nathaniel Hackett | +500 |
| Jim Harbaugh | +600 |
| Leslie Frazier | +800 |
| Brian Daboll | +800 |
| Matt Eberflus | +1,000 |
| Todd Bowles | +1,200 |
| Byron Leftwich | +1,500 |
| Pat Fitzgerald | +1,500 |
| Kellen Moore | +1,500 |
| Mike Singletary | +3,000 |
| Mike Ditka | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of MaximBet, as of January 13, 2022.
Flores, ousted by Miami despite plenty of encouraging moments, is the favorite to take over in Chicago. The former Patriots defensive coach will be one of the hottest names on the market and would make sense for a Bears brass likely to look toward the defensive side of the ball after Nagy, an offensive coach, crashed out.
Harbaugh, a former Bears quarterback, has been rumored to be eager to return to the NFL but nothing concrete has emerged yet. Pederson and Daboll would both be sensible fits, having previously helped to develop physical, big-armed passers in Carson Wentz and Josh Allen, not unlike Justin Fields.
Denver Broncos next coach odds
| Broncos 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nathaniel Hackett | +300 |
| Dan Quinn | +400 |
| Brian Callahan | +400 |
| Jerod Mayo | +500 |
| Kevin O'Connell | +600 |
| Luke Getsy | +800 |
| Eric Bieniemy | +1,000 |
| Jonathan Gannon | +1,200 |
| Doug Pederson | +1,200 |
| Kellen Moore | +1,500 |
| Kyle Shanahan | +1,500 |
| Aaron Glenn | +2,000 |
| Mike Shanahan | +3,000 |
| Peyton Manning | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of MaximBet, as of January 13, 2022.
Hackett, the Packers' offensive coordinator, who has never been in the big chair at any level but has helped revive a Green Bay offense that grew stale under Mike McCarthy, is now the favorite to become the guy in Denver. After moving on from a grizzled, veteran defensive coach in Fangio, it's not a surprise to see mostly offensive coaches listed here, with Dan Quinn and Leslie Frazier two prominent exceptions.
A successful year coordinating the Cowboys' defense and showing evidence of growth as a schemer has seemingly helped to restore Quinn's reputation, as the former Falcons head coach has received multiple HC interview requests and is second on the odds board to become the new head coach in Denver.
Miami Dolphins next coach odds
| 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nathaniel Hackett | +300 |
| Doug Pederson | +400 |
| Eric Bieniemy | +500 |
| Mike McDaniel | +500 |
| Brian Daboll | +600 |
| Kellen Moore | +1,000 |
| Byron Leftwich | +1,200 |
| Jim Harbaugh | +1,200 |
| Dan Quinn | +1,200 |
| Todd Bowles | +1,500 |
| Joe Brady | +1,500 |
| Vance Joseph | +2,000 |
| Dan Marino | +3,000 |
Odds courtesy of MaximBet, as of January 13, 2022.
Miami's firing of Flores may have been a surprise but a majority of coaches listed above being offense-minded sure isn't, as the team looks for the opposite of its former coach that was deemed a poor fit. Whether it's with Tua Tagovailoa, Deshaun Watson, or another, it appears the Dolphins have a desire to pair their franchise QB with an OC-turned-head coach.
Still early in the search, we know Dolphins owner Stephen Ross never tires of going star hunting, so don't be surprised if an unlikely figure — Harbaugh, perhaps — later emerges as the No. 1 target.
Minnesota Vikings next coach odds
| 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Doug Pederson | +300 |
| Brian Daboll | +400 |
| Eric Bieniemy | +500 |
| Jim Harbaugh | +500 |
| Andre Patterson | +700 |
| Nathaniel Hackett | +700 |
| Kellen Moore | +1,000 |
| Brian Flores | +1,100 |
| Lane Kiffin | +1,500 |
| Randy Moss | +2,500 |
Odds courtesy of MaximBet, as of January 13, 2022.
Minnesota moved on from one of the NFL's longest-tenured head coaches in Zimmer, opening up what should be one of the most sought-after jobs on the market. The Vikings' odds board has a mix of offense and defense, as well as someone already in the building in Andre Patterson, who was controversially named co-defensive coordinator by Zimmer in 2020 — sharing the promotion with the far less qualified Adam Zimmer.
The Vikes could look to either side of the ball here and choose to either retool on the fly with their existing nucleus or take the chance to have a harder reset, so it's one of the more uncertain openings early in the process.
Jacksonville Jaguars next coach odds
| 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Bill O'Brien | +200 |
| Nathaniel Hackett | +300 |
| Doug Pederson | +400 |
| Byron Leftwich | +600 |
| Kellen Moore | +800 |
| Jim Caldwell | +1,000 |
| Darrell Bevell | +1,200 |
| Todd Bowles | +1,200 |
| Matt Eberflus | +2,000 |
| Dan Quinn | +2,000 |
| Josh McDaniels | +2,500 |
Odds courtesy of MaximBet, as of January 13, 2022.
The Jags swung for the fences last year with the hire of Urban Meyer, an appointment that was doomed from the start. With Trevor Lawrence showing signs of promise in what was largely an underwhelming rookie season, Jacksonville must get this hire right or risk ruining the best QB prospect it could have ever asked for.
On an unrelated note, Bill O'Brien is somehow the favorite here after a year as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator, the latest coach to rehabilitate his reputation in Tuscaloosa. Current Bucs OC and former Jags QB Byron Leftwich, a franchise legend, is one to watch here as owner Shad Khan tries to mend fences with a fanbase that attended Week 18 dressed as clowns.
New York Giants next coach odds
| 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Josh McDaniels | +200 |
| Nathaniel Hackett | +300 |
| Doug Pederson | +400 |
| Jim Harbaugh | +500 |
| Jim Caldwell | +700 |
| Kellen Moore | +800 |
| Brian Daboll | +1,000 |
| Brian Flores | +1,500 |
| Eli Manning | +2,500 |
| Tom Coughlin | +4,000 |
Odds courtesy of MaximBet, as of January 13, 2022.
Year 2 of the Joe Judge era came with higher expectations as the Giants added wide receivers Kenny Golladay (free agency) and Kadarius Toney (draft), while also getting running back Saquon Barkley back, to support quarterback Daniel Jones and the offense. The result was an abject disaster, as injuries plagued the team all season, the offense finished with the fewest touchdowns in the league (24), and the G-Men finished 4-13.
More damningly, the team appeared to totally quit, losing its last six games by double digits. Fans were calling for Judge to be removed as early as November, and after surviving the "Black Monday" wave of firings, Judge was let go on Tuesday after going 10-23 in two seasons.
With the offense struggling so mightily, which led to OC Jason Garrett getting fired mid-season, it's no surprise that offensive-minded coaches led New York's odds board, headlined by New England offensive coordinator (and former Denver head coach) Josh McDaniels and current Green Bay OC Nathaniel Hackett, followed then by more former head coaches in Doug Pederson, Jim Harbaugh, and Jim Caldwell, then more offensive-minded coaches in Dallas OC Kellen Moore and Buffalo OC Brian Daboll.
Las Vegas Raiders next coach odds
| 2022 head coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jim Harbaugh | +200 |
| Mike Tomlin | +300 |
| Rich Bisaccia | +400 |
| Doug Pederson | +500 |
| Todd Bowles | +1,000 |
| Eric Bieniemy | +1,000 |
| Sean Payton | +1,000 |
| Dabo Swinney | +1,000 |
| David Shaw | +1,200 |
| Byron Leftwich | +1,200 |
| Brian Daboll | +1,400 |
| Joe Brady | +1,600 |
| Nathaniel Hackett | +2,000 |
| Lane Kiffin | +10,000 |
After Rich Bisaccia finished the season as the Raiders' interim head coach, it was only a matter of time before the rumor mill started swirling about who would ultimately take over in Vegas. Bisaccia is still in the running, but a pair of high-profile names have opened with better odds. The first is current Michigan Wolverines - and former San Francisco 49ers - head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh is probably the biggest splash the Raiders could make, but it requires the 58-year-old to leave the college game behind.
If Harbaugh works out a new deal with Michigan, Mike Tomlin is apparently the next-best bet at +300. Tomlin, 49, is technically still employed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he's served as head coach since 2007. With a career coaching record of 162-94-2 (regular season and playoffs), he would be a major addition to a Raiders franchise that hasn't seen much stability at head coach. During Tomlin's tenure in Pittsburgh, the Raiders have employed eight different men in the same role.
Bisaccia is next on the board after being named interim coach following Jon Gruden's dismissal. The Raiders went 7-5 under his watch.
Head Coach Odds FAQs
When are head coaches typically hired?
Most hires are done in January, in the weeks after the end of the regular season, though some hires are delayed by postseason runs, such as Kyle Shanahan's move from Falcons OC to 49ers HC following Atlanta's Super Bowl loss.
What teams need to hire a new head coach?
Currently, there are five teams searching: the Bears, Vikings, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Broncos. The Raiders will join the search once their season ends.
Who are popular head coach candidates this year?
The newly fired Brian Flores is near the top of most odds boards, while Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles, Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, and Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy are sought-after candidates across the league.
