Each year, NFL teams hire a handful of first-time head coaches. Four men in the class of 2025 ascended to that level for the first time.
Perhaps this offseason's leaguewide hiring cycle will bring us more first-time NFL head coaches. With that in mind, the team at RotoWire.com broke down where each of the 16 first-time NFL head coaches since 2017 has coached before their current positions. We wanted to get a sense of which assistant roles are the best incubators of head coaching success, lending NFL betting insight.
NFL Head Coaching Trends: How Recent First-Timers Got There
2025
- Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears): Prior job, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator
- Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars): Prior job, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator
- Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints): Prior job, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator
- Aaron Glenn (New York Jets): Prior job, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator
2024
- Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers): Prior job, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator
- Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks): Prior job, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator
2023
- DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans): Prior job, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator
- Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts): Prior job, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator
- Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings): Prior job, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
2021
- Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): Prior job, New Orleans Saints assistant head coach/tight ends coach
- Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): Prior job, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator
2019
- Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): Prior job, Los Angeles Rams QB coach
- Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): Prior job, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator
2017
- Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): Prior job, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): Prior job, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator
- Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): Prior job, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator
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What To Know About Current 1st Time NFL Coaches
When it comes to aspiring NFL head coaches, the path to the sidelines often runs through the offensive coordinator position. Of the 16 first-time coaches still employed, 10 previously served as offensive coordinators before donning the headset full time.
Those 10 include Super Bowl winners Sean McVay (above) of the Los Angeles Rams and Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles (McVay's Rams are still alive for Super Bowl wagering at sports betting apps). The authors of two turnaround stories in the 2025-26 season for underdog bettors at sports betting apps – Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen – also fit this description.
Another four recent first-time NFL head coaching hires were defensive coordinator before landing promotions: DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks. Those Seahawks are current Super Bowl betting favorites, with the best price of +300 odds for folks using the BetMGM bonus code today.
The other two (Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions and Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals) were tight ends or quarterbacks coaches before moving up to their current roles. Campbell learned the ropes from Sean Payton in New Orleans and Taylor coached under Sean McVay in Los Angeles.
Which NFL Head Coaching Trees Are Strongest?
Surprisingly, when it comes to the men that molded the current crop of first-time NFL head coaches, one two-time Super Bowl winner stands tall. Former Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders head coach Mike Shanahan is responsible for three coaches in the league right now that were hired from off of his staff to be first-time NFL head coaches.
That trio includes his son, Kyle, as well as McVay and Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers. Their roles in Washington were as offensive coordinator (Kyle Shanahan), tight ends coach (McVay) and quarterbacks coach (LaFleur) during the elder Shanahan's four-year run in the nation's capital from 2010 to 2013, or at least part of it. Kyle Shanahan's 49ers are +1000 at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the NFC Championship Game and reach the Super Bowl for the ninth time.
Overall, the elder Shanahan is the only NFL coach (current or former) to mentor three current first-time NFL head coaches. Pete Carroll, Dan Campbell and Payton helped usher two head coaches apiece into their roles.
All told, the elder Shanahan is partly responsible for two of the brightest minds in the NFC today.
Which Teams Produce the Most Coaches?
When broken down by their prior employer, four teams in the NFL have produced two current first-time head coaches apiece. They would be the Rams, Lions, Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On top of that, seven teams have produced a single first-time head coach since 2017, speaking to the diverse background that each man in charge of an NFL franchise brings to the table on any given Sunday.
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