National Football League

QB Confidential: Which NFL coach has the best offensive mind?

Published Sep. 3, 2024 8:35 a.m. ET

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Greg Auman

NFL Reporter

As we laid out the questions for FOX Sports' Quarterback Confidential, our anonymous survey of 38 NFL passers, we asked for many superlatives about their position, but we also wanted their insights on the innovative coaches who make NFL offenses go.

So we asked: Which NFL coach has the best offensive mind?

There's a slight offensive tilt to the current NFL head coaches — 18 of 32 have backgrounds on that side of the ball — and six of the past eight Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year winners have come from the offensive side. There are veteran coaches with perennial success, and there are young prodigies, some not even 40 years old, who are revered across the league.

We had expected a closely contested three-way race atop this poll, but it ended up being more of a two-coach finish. The 49ers' Kyle Shanahan led the way with 12 votes, and the Chiefs' Andy Reid took second with eight.

"A lot of teams are trying to do what they're doing," one quarterback said of Reid's offense.

Then again, a lot of teams don't have superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has led Kansas City to back-to-back championships and three titles in the past five years.

[RELATED: QB Confidential: NFL quarterbacks pick the league's smartest passer]

Perhaps developing Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft, into a Pro Bowl QB is why Shanahan, who has lost two Super Bowls to the Chiefs in the past five years, got the nod over Reid. And many quarterbacks referenced the influence of Shanahan's coaching tree across the NFL, which includes Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Texans OC Bobby Slowik and Rams OC Mike LaFleur. 

It is a bit surprising that Rams head coach Sean McVay, still only 38 and boasting a Super Bowl ring and a budding coaching tree of his own, received only three votes in finishing third. McDaniel, 41, who worked with both Shanahan and McVay as a young assistant and is 20-14 in two years in Miami, also got three votes.

We didn't specify that quarterbacks choose a head coach, but nearly all of them did. One said if he had a second vote, it would go to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who might very well be an NFL head coach next season. "He's a sleeper," the QB said.

In all, 13 coaches received votes, and it's worth mentioning with a smile that some quarterbacks might have used their vote to support someone with whom they've worked closely.

Final results: 

Kyle Shanahan, 49ers: 12
Andy Reid, Chiefs: 8 
Mike McDaniel, Dolphins: 3
Sean McVay, Rams: 3 
Brian Callahan, Titans: 1 
Matt LaFleur, Packers: 1 
Mike McCarthy, Cowboys: 1 
Kevin O'Connell, Vikings: 1
Sean Payton, Broncos: 1 
Arthur Smith, Steelers OC: 1
Shane Steichen, Colts: 1
Zac Taylor, Bengals: 1 
Alex Van Pelt, Patriots OC: 1

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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Greg Auman