The NFL head coach hiring cycle for 2024 is complete. There were a total of eight teams around the league that were looking for new leaders this off-season, and we’ve had a busy few weeks as the jobs have slowly been filled by some of the big name candidates that were on the open market.
Commanders Are Final NFL Team To Hire Head Coach
From Dallas to D.C.: the Commanders are hiring Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach, per league sources.
Quinn and Commanders’ GM Adam Peters are the two men now charged with leading Washington into the future. pic.twitter.com/G9DUdspQPK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 1, 2024
But there are a few of the more notable names in the coaching ranks over the past decade-plus that went overlooked during the hiring process, and they will be without head coaching jobs for the 2024 season.
Things finished up on Thursday when the Washington Commanders chose Dan Quinn to be their next leader. They were the final team that needed to hire a new head coach, completing this year’s search on the day the calendar turned to February.
And with the move, that means that Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, and Pete Carroll will all be out of the head coaching ranks, for at least a year, during the 2024 NFL season.
Some Big Names Won’t Be Coaching In 2024
All NFL head coaching vacancies have now been filled.
Two notable names of candidates that were not hired during this coaching carousel:
• Bill Belichick
• Mike Vrabel pic.twitter.com/BBnPgNwqlo
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 1, 2024
It looked as though Belichick had a single designation in mind. He interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons two separate times, and it was widely reported that the two sides had mutual interest in joining forces. But Atlanta ultimately decided to go a different way, and hired Raheem Morris instead, leaving Belichick with little to no other options.
It is assumed that he will take a role in media for the upcoming year, and then look to get back into the ranks in 2025.
General thought had Vrabel replacing Belichick in New England. It seemed like the writing was on the wall when the Titans let him go after the conclusion of the season, as it was assumed that they would want to bring in a former player to continue the “Patriot Way”.
They did just that, but it wasn’t Vrabel who they chose. They instead hired from within, and promoted Jerod Mayo to the lead position after Belichick’s 24 years at the helm. Vrabel also interviewed with the Falcons and Panthers during the process.
It is unclear what either coach will decide to do with his time during the upcoming season. But they won’t be far away, and expect to see them back in the NFL sooner rather than later.