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The 2021 NFL season has reached Week 12, and that means it is time to begin thinking about the firings that will take place, following the conclusion of the year. The Las Vegas Raiders lost their head coach earlier this year, and the Chicago Bears might be following suit.
The list goes on, and there are going to be some major jobs opening this NFL offseason, as there are every year. So who could fill these head coaching roles? We can break this down by top candidates who will likely get plenty of interviews, and surprise candidates who may seemingly come out of nowhere to land an NFL job.
Likely NFL head coaching candidates in 2022
There are three names that immediately come to mind when we are discussing NFL head coaching candidates, and that is because all three were in the news during the latest hiring cycle as well.
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles all remain top candidates. Bowles is the only one with head coaching experience, but Daboll and Bieniemy have put in the time and are bound to get a head coaching job at some point.
The fact that Bieniemy has never gotten a shot is surprising since he has been the Chiefs offensive coordinator since 2018. However, he does have some legal history that could hinder him, and most seem to think Andy Reid is the actual one running the offense.
Daboll's case may be taking a bit of a hit because of the Bills' struggles, but that doesn't change his entire body of work. He made Josh Allen into an MVP candidate. Developing a young quarterback is something many teams out there are looking for. Daboll has that skill, and that is a huge mark in his favor.
As for Bowles, he had a rough go with the Jets from 2015-2018. Yet to be fair, no coach is having much success with that team since Rex Ryan left. Bowles certainly deserves another job, but may also be comfortable guiding a dominant Tampa Bay defense.
Surprising NFL head coaching candidates to keep in mind
Three surprising names come to mind, and one is even from the college ranks. Let's start with him. Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day continues to have his name show up in the NFL head coaching rumor mill.
The question is, does he wants to leave such a comfortable and high-paying job at Ohio State? But maybe a team like the Bears can convince him to make the leap back to the NFL, where he served as a quarterbacks coach in the past.
Another name to keep an eye on is Doug Pederson. The former Philadelphia Eagles head coach went from winning a Super Bowl to being fired, in a matter of years. He is from the Reid coaching tree in Kansas City, and it is rare to have a Super Bowl champion coach sitting on the open market.
Speaking of winners, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels may try to make the jump into a head role once again. He was close to becoming the Indianapolis Colts head coach in 2018 and was even announced as the new hire. He pulled out late, and while that damaged his reputation, teams may still be interested after seeing him work so well with Mac Jones.
We know, for a fact, several new coaches will get hired. There may even be some more surprises as some NFL teams try to get creative by starting over with a new head coach.
Also check out: Complete Monday Night Football Schedule 2021
