Black Monday came a couple of days late for Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Those teams now join the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers as franchises in search of their next head coach.
Every year the coaching carousel is full of surprises, and most of the time it’s at the disposal of plenty of qualified Black candidates. Thanks to the Rooney Rule minority coaches have gotten interviews, but not often are they the choice.
That could very well happen again this cycle, either way here are our top five Black candidates.
1. Eric Bieniemy, Commanders
In his first-year as the primary play-caller after years of holding the title in Kansas City, EB finished the season with mixed results. Second-year quarterback Sam Howell was inconsistent but tossed the ball around often, leading the league in pass attempts (612) while also throwing a league-leading 21 interceptions. Being sacked a league-high 65 times didn’t help.
In many ways Bieniemy didn’t do enough to protect his young QB, leaving folks who have doubted him another reason to question his ability to lead a team.
That won’t stop teams from interviewing him, because he’s still a genius offensive mind and if nothing else he’s proven to hold players accountable.
Bieniemy will be considered for the vacant Commanders job and, per reports, the Falcons are also interested in talking with the former Colorado Buffaloes legend and two-time Super Bowl champion.
Any place that has weapons and a franchise QB could use Bieniemy who guided Patrick Mahomes to two Super Bowls.
2. Steve Wilks, Niners
When DeMeco Ryans left to become the Houston Texans head coach many wondered if the Niners’ dominant defense would suffer.
Enter defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who’s kept the ship afloat with the same dominant attacking style of defense. San Fran finished third in points allowed, second in total touchdowns allowed (31) and top ten in other various categories.
That should be good enough to get Wilks back on a sideline, a place he was given just one season with Arizona in 2018.
And last season he led the Panthers to a 6-6 finish after the firing of Matt Rhule, only to be overlooked as the permanent head coach, despite having the support of the players.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned to the media that he’s receiving a ton of calls about Wilks.
“Officially, yes,” he stated. “I get a lot of phone calls, so I know there’s a lot more people interested, but you got to go through the process of formally requesting an interview. I’ve only got that from the Chargers so far.”
3. Aaron Glenn, Lions
The former speedy defensive back is a rising star in the coaching ranks, having led the Lions defense to its best showing in 30 seasons. The 12-5 Lions won their division for the first time since 1993 and will host former star quarterback Matt Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in their first home playoff game since that memorable run.
Glenn’s strength is his reputation as a player’s coach. The rising defensive play-caller was voted the most enjoyable Defensive Coordinator to play for in a survey conducted by the NFLPA. Having the support of the players is vital in today’s NFL culture, where the relationship between players and ownership is becoming more of a partnership.
4. Brian Flores, Vikings
The former head coach of the Miami Dolphins just turned an awful Minnesota Vikings defense into a respectable unit that ranked among the top half of the league.
Despite going 13-4 in 2022, the defense couldn’t get a stop. That changed in 2023 under Flores.
The former Super Bowl-winning defensive play-caller of the New England Patriots stepped in and made a passive Vikings defense ultra-aggressive.
Ranked 31st overall in 2022, Flores improved that unit to 13th overall in 2023. That tells you all you need to know about Flores’ ability to turn things around.
5. Raheem Morris, Rams
Morris, a former Tampa Bay Bucs head coach and the architect of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning defense, has heard his name in the last couple of coaching cycles.
His work with the Rams defense — a unit that wasn’t expected to be very competitive — definitely caught the attention of teams around the league. In winning seven of their last eight games to grab a wild card spot, Morris’ unheralded defense was elite.
Antonio Pierce finished with a 5-4 record as the interim coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s either he gets that job or he remains a coordinator for another season.
