NFC Wild Card Prediction: Who will advance and who will go home?
USA TODAY Sports Chris Bumbaka and Joe Rivera share who they think will emerge from the NFC wild-card round.
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When you start the music, the merry-go-round will start moving.
The NFL regular season has ended, and the offseason has begun for 18 of the league’s 32 teams. After all, every minute is precious to those who missed the playoffs. The moment Tyler Roop’s field goal went wide right on “Sunday Night Football” ended the Baltimore Ravens’ season, it was time for several coaches to walk off the stage in conjunction with the NFL’s “Black Monday.”
It was a mostly uneventful day across the league, but four head coaches were given pink slips, leaving a total of six vacancies before offseason activities get into full swing.
Then the Baltimore Ravens decided to start the merry-go-round by parting ways with John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. This is a move that will completely change the entire coaching world this offseason.
There are currently seven head coaching vacancies this season. The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants avoided “Black Monday” by waiving Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll midway through the season. At season’s end, the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens followed suit.
Now, it’s a big game of musical chairs where you never know where everyone will end up when the music stops.
Which coaching candidates will ultimately land potential jobs across the NFL? Here are USA TODAY Sports’ predictions for the NFL’s 2026 recruiting cycle.
NFL Coach Landing Prediction 2026
Arizona Cardinals: Clint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator
The Cardinals have felt like a forgotten franchise at times and may have the worst head coach at the moment. Arizona’s quarterback situation remains uncertain, with big questions surrounding Kyler Murray hanging over the organization.
To make matters worse, the Cardinals will enter the 2026 NFL Draft with the No. 3 pick in a two-quarterback class at best. Barring a trade or some interesting business, the Cardinals won’t find a solution during the draft. It seems like the bad outweighs the good at this point. Arizona currently plays in a loaded NFC West with no real way to compete.
It’s natural to wonder if the Cardinals could find a better talent than Jonathan Gannon. In a world where there are only 32 openings, someone is bound to get the job, but will that be the best candidate? That’s hard to imagine. The Cardinals feel like a team ready to follow the Kellen Moore path the Saints did last offseason. It worked well for them.
Perhaps poaching an offensive coordinator from a division rival will pay off in more ways than one. Kubiak led Seattle’s offense this season, averaging 28.4 points per game and ranking third in the league in scoring. For a Cardinals team in need of direction, Kubiak is perfect for the job.
Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski, former Cleveland Browns head coach
The Falcons have perhaps the league’s most attractive head coach opening. At least that was the case until the Ravens fired John Harbaugh. Either way, Atlanta has skill position players in a division they can win every year. Stefanski will have to contend with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders in the NFC East, but he doesn’t have the same threat anywhere in the NFC South.
Between that and Atlanta’s general manager absence, the former Browns coach could step into the situation with a clean slate and win right away.
The quarterback situation is far from resolved, but if Stefanski believes in Michael Penix Jr., this is a home run. Despite countless issues this season, the Falcons finished tied for first place in the NFC South with an 8-9 record. With better coaching and another year of development for some of the team’s younger players, a quick turnaround could be possible.
They don’t have a first-round pick in 2026, so that’s a negative. But Stefanski would likely welcome the idea of calling plays for Bejan Robinson and Drake Rondon, two players who weren’t with the Browns during their time in Cleveland.
Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator
Baltimore fired John Harbaugh on Jan. 6, leaving a huge void for a potential Super Bowl contender and sending shockwaves through the NFL coaching merry-go-round. Despite these high expectations, the Ravens fell far short of winning a championship in 2025, but this roster remains talented, led by two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson.
It makes sense to think the Ravens would choose an offensive-minded coach to pair with Jackson, but why not dip into the old coaching staff that once patrolled the sidelines in Baltimore? Minter is not Harbaugh, but he was part of the Ravens’ coaching line under the former manager.
A close relationship with Harbaugh could be enough to eliminate him. But if Mike McDonald was in charge of the Ravens right now, no one in Baltimore would be upset. The Seahawks coach led Seattle to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and is currently one of the best coaches in the sport.
Perhaps the Ravens can find their next great coach in Minter, who profiles as a solid leader who can also fix the team’s poor defense. In that world, keeping Todd Monken as offensive coordinator wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. As it turned out, offense wasn’t the problem for Baltimore.
Cleveland Browns: John Harbaugh, former Baltimore Ravens head coach
Harbaugh is currently at the top of the top storyline on the coaching merry-go-round. The Browns may not have the most glamorous job, but they offer some things that other teams don’t. Harbaugh is an Ohio State native who also played college football at Miami (Ohio).
Perhaps there is a desire to return to your roots without going far. After all, his younger brother Jim did it at the University of Michigan and coached his alma mater. Harbaugh would immediately add credibility to a Browns organization that has lacked credibility in recent years.
Jimmy Haslam could back up the Brinks truck and increase the franchise’s profile by giving Harbaugh everything he wants and more.
The Browns are still rebuilding and it’s anyone’s guess whether Harbaugh will accept that. But after his sudden departure, he will have the opportunity to play against the Ravens twice a year. For a player like Harbaugh, who already has a Super Bowl ring on his back, building the Browns into a championship contender could be appealing.
Las Vegas Raiders: Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator
Tom Brady seems determined to rebuild the behemoth he was in mid-2010. He tried unsuccessfully to sign Pete Carroll in 2025. I took the Seahawks off that list. Now he could set his sights on his former team, the Patriots, and bring Flores to the team.
Without a doubt, Flores is an attractive candidate. He has regularly coached some of the league’s better, more offensive defenses. Things didn’t end well in Miami. Flores is also suing the league and several teams. These lawsuits were filed in 2022 alleging racial discrimination in the hiring process.
But none of that would prevent the Raiders from hiring Flores. In fact, he may be one of those coaches who improves after being given a second chance. Will Daboll also be the one to join Flores in the desert? Given the dysfunction the past few seasons, the Raiders need a steadying force like Flores.
New York Giants: Jeff Hafley, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator
If there’s one thing I like about the Giants, it’s the connection they have with the coaches they ultimately hire. Daboll was a disciple of Bill Belichick, as was Joe Judge. Pat Shermer previously worked for Steve Spagnuolo, who had a relationship with Tom Coughlin in the good old days, as well as Ben McAdoo.
Hafley doesn’t have those connections, but he does have ties to the area. The Packers defensive coordinator from Montvale, New Jersey, has a long coaching history dating back to 2001. He coached one season at Rutgers and also served as head coach at Boston College from 2020-2023.
It may not be the flashy hire fans want, but you can’t steal headlines and win games. Hafley’s defense took a step back in Green Bay last month after losing Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt to season-ending injuries.
The injury isn’t Hafley’s fault, and he could be a good fit for the Giants if they can bring in a solid offensive coordinator.
Tennessee Titans: Mike McCarthy, former Dallas Cowboys head coach
McCarthy appears determined to take the head coaching job this offseason. The former Cowboys coach was on the sideline after parting ways with Dallas after the 2024 season.
Now, he seems ready to get back into coaching and feels Tennessee is the perfect fit. The 62-year-old likely doesn’t want a long-term rebuild, but that’s not guaranteed with the Titans. But if he’s a fan of Cam Ward, McCarthy could afford to help shape the roster he envisions.
Offense has never been an issue for McCarthy’s teams, and he is one of the most established coaches available this offseason.
The Titans will also want to take steps in the right direction before moving to a new stadium in 2027. Like it or not, football is a business too, and selling a coach like McCarthy to fans is much easier than acquiring any coordinator in a lackluster cycle.
