National Football League

Every NFL team has hired a new offensive coordinator since 2021. This is why

Published Jan. 26, 2024 9:39 a.m. ET

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Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

For all the attention understandably paid to the annual firing and hiring of NFL head coaches, the league's most incredible churn is at offensive coordinator, where all 32 teams will now have a different coach in place than they did three years ago.

In today's NFL, offensive coordinator is a very important position. If you're good enough, you'll quickly become a head coach, and if you're not good enough, you're out of a job. Nowhere is that sink-or-swim duality more clearly illustrated than the NFC South, where the Bucs, Saints, Falcons and Panthers are now all simultaneously searching for offensive coordinators, two on new staffs, one from a promotion and one from a firing.

New Panthers coach Dave Canales is a good example of how quickly a star can rise in offensive coaching. He spent 13 years in Seattle and was passed over for their OC job multiple times, but after one promising season with the Bucs and interviewing with only one team, he was able to land a six-year contract with Carolina.

So far, the balance of power in the league's 30 head coaches (Washington and Seattle remain open) still has a strong offensive tilt — 18 head coaches have offensive backgrounds, 11 come from the defensive side, with Baltimore's John Harbaugh alone with special-teams roots. This hiring cycle has seen no net change, with two offensive-minded coaches (Titans' Brian Callahan and Chargers' Jim Harbaugh) replacing defensive coaches, and two defensive-minded coaches (Falcons' Raheem Morris and Raiders' Antonio Pierce) replacing offensive coaches.

To appreciate the volatility of the OC ranks, consider where the 32 offensive coordinators at the start of the 2021 season are, less than three years later. Five are now head coaches: the Colts' Shane Steichen, Dolphins' Mike McDaniel, Vikings' Kevin O'Connell, Giants' Brian Daboll and now Callahan. McDaniel, O'Connell and Daboll have already made the playoffs in their short time as head coaches, and Steichen had a winning record in his debut season.

Another five have been able to tread water and are still offensive coordinators but with new teams — the Bills' Joe Brady, Jets' Nathaniel Hackett, Bears' Shane Waldron, Rams' Mike LaFleur and Broncos' Joe Lombardi.

But almost two-thirds — 21 of 32 — are either in lesser roles or out of the league entirely right now. Nine were working in the NFL as position coaches or passing-game coordinators, and four are in limbo, unemployed because their 2023 head coach got fired. But eight are out of the NFL right now, some names fleeting enough you've forgotten them — Byron Leftwich, Jason Garrett, Kliff Kingsbury, Josh McDaniels, Greg Roman, Alex Van Pelt, Matt Canada and Pat Shurmur. Kingsbury and McDaniels have done a full cycle, going from coordinator to head coach to already being fired since 2021.

The offensive majority will carry on in the NFL in the 2024 season. Even if a defensive coach like Dan Quinn lands in Seattle, gaining a seat, that's likely offset by an up-and-coming coordinator like the Lions' Ben Johnson or the Texans' Bobby Slowik taking over for a defensive coach in Washington.

With longstanding defensive-minded NFL coaches like Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll now gone from the coaching ranks, the offensive tilt could get even more pronounced. There are offensive coaching trees in full bloom under Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, but the defensive dynasties are harder to appreciate.

Titans hire former Bengals OC Brian Callahan to replace Vrabel as HC

While much of the head-coach hiring cycle is complete, with six of eight jobs now filled, the OC circuit is just getting going — two spots have been filled with Waldron in Chicago and Dan PIicher getting promoted in Cincinnati, but eight OC jobs remain open: Cleveland, Las Vegas, New England, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Tampa Bay. Four of those teams made the playoffs and two more had winning records, so successful new hires could become head coaching candidates for 2025 as the cycle continues.

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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Greg Auman