We do not yet know who, between the LA Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, will stand alone atop the NFL's mountaintop following the Super Bowl later this month. However, what we do know is that the Jacksonville Jaguars, who finished bottom of the league, will have a new head coach going into next season. Of the nine head coaching vacancies that were available entering the 2022 campaign, the Jaguars are the latest of six teams to have filled that position.
Six of the vacancies have now been filled, with the New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins remaining as the three teams left. to make appointments They too are down to their final candidates and are hopeful of concluding the process in the coming weeks. We look at the teams that have finalized their head coaches heading into next season.
The Jaguars become the latest team to appoint a new head coach
#1 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Doug Pedersen
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Doug Pedersen was finalized by the Jaguars yesterday and he brings an impressive resume to the job. He won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, which in itself is impressive. But what was truly impressive was how Pederson was able to coax the best out of Carson Wentz as a novice quarterback before Nick Foles took over when he went down injured.
The Jaguars are in a similar spot right now where they have a generational talent in Trevor Lawrence waiting to be given the right guidance. With another first overall draft pick coming up and ample cap room, Pederson should be able to turn the fortunes of the franchise around.
#2 - Minnesota Vikings - Kevin O'Connell
Kevin O'Connell is set to cap a rapid rise up the coaching ranks by becoming the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings once the offseason has officially started. But O'Connell still has one more assignment left as leads the Los Angeles Rams' offense in the Super Bowl next week.
Under him, the Los Angeles Rams have been one of the best offenses in the league and they will be hoping that his touch can rub off on Kirk Cousins and company in Minnesota.
#3 - Las Vegas Raiders - Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels will get another chance to make a dent as head coach when he takes charge of the Las Vegas Raiders next season. He had an unhappy time with the Denver Broncos as he was fired in his second season with a 3-8 during that campaign and a combined 11-17 losing record up until that point.
But the Raiders will be hoping he has learned from that experience. Since returning to the New England Patriots, he has led the team to multiple Super Bowl victories as offensive coordinator. Considering he has been a part of six Super Bowl winning campaigns, the Las Vegas Raiders will be hoping he brings some of that championship-pedigree when he comes to Vegas.
Teams other than the Jaguars who have also changed their head coach
#4 - New York Giants - Brian Daboll
The Jaguars are not the only team taking a chance with an offensive-minded coach as the the New York Giants look to get their sputtering offense moving with Brian Daboll. Brian Daboll has been a relevation with the Buffalo Bills as he has made their offense one of the best in the league.
Josh Allen's performances over the last couple of seasons have improved greatly as compared to his first couple of years in the league.
The New York Giants had the second-worst offense in the league right after the Houston Texans. So It made sense for them to select an offensive coordinator as head coach.
Brian Daboll will be under immense pressure to get this proud franchise playing great offense again as he will always be under scrutiny having been hired ahead of Brian Flores, which spurred his lawsuit against the NFL pertaining to a lack of diversity in the league.
#5 - Denver Broncos - Nathaniel Hackett
Nathaniel Hackett gets the post as head coach of the Denver Broncos after being responsible for two of Aaron Rodgers' best seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. It is his first head-coaching role in the NFL, as he served as offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills before acting as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He has been widely acclaimed by the Broncos' fanbase and will be even more widely heralded if he can get Aaron Rodgers to join him in Denver this offseason.
#6 - Chicago Bears - Matt Eberflus
The Chicago Bears bucked this hiring cycle's trend of hiring offensive-minded head coaches when they hired the Indianapolis Colts' defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus. It may have come as a surprise to some given that it was widely expected that they would look to hire an offensive coordinator for the head coaching role so that they could get the most out of Justin Fields.
He has a history of improving defenses, as he did with the Colts when he took over, getting from 28th position in the league to 16th. Maybe the thought process is that Justin Fields will take time to develop and during that time, they will be a defense oriented team going forward.
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