play1:28Rex Ryan: Joe Burrow is the only one trying to bring it for BengalsRex Ryan believes Joe Burrow is disgusted with the performance of his teammates after their loss to the Ravens.
play2:18Stephen A. blames Stefanski for not developing Browns QBsStephen A. Smith calls out Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for refusing to develop other quarterbacks while the team tries Shedeur Sanders at QB.
play1:38Why a full offseason could be key for Jaxson Dart’s growthJason McCourty and Jeff Saturday explain how the upcoming offseason will be important for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
play2:06Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving onAdam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
play1:07What does Quinn Ewers at QB mean for Jaylen Waddle in fantasy?Daniel Dopp breaks down whether fantasy managers should start Jaylen Waddle with Quinn Ewers starting as quarterback.
Stephen A. reacts to Tua Tagovailoa being benched by the Dolphins (2:19)Stephen A. Smith explains why the Dolphins had to bench Tua Tagovailoa. (2:19)
Rex Ryan: Joe Burrow is the only one trying to bring it for BengalsRex Ryan believes Joe Burrow is disgusted with the performance of his teammates after their loss to the Ravens.
Rex Ryan believes Joe Burrow is disgusted with the performance of his teammates after their loss to the Ravens.
Stephen A. blames Stefanski for not developing Browns QBsStephen A. Smith calls out Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for refusing to develop other quarterbacks while the team tries Shedeur Sanders at QB.
Stephen A. Smith calls out Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for refusing to develop other quarterbacks while the team tries Shedeur Sanders at QB.
Why a full offseason could be key for Jaxson Dart’s growthJason McCourty and Jeff Saturday explain how the upcoming offseason will be important for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Jason McCourty and Jeff Saturday explain how the upcoming offseason will be important for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving onAdam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
What does Quinn Ewers at QB mean for Jaylen Waddle in fantasy?Daniel Dopp breaks down whether fantasy managers should start Jaylen Waddle with Quinn Ewers starting as quarterback.
Daniel Dopp breaks down whether fantasy managers should start Jaylen Waddle with Quinn Ewers starting as quarterback.
I’ll go from the most desirable job to the least, sorting through the pros and cons for each opportunity. But first, I need to start with two honorable mentions that would rank at the top of the list if they did come available. I’m just not sure either is likely to do so.
We don’t often see a team give up on its season, which is why what the Bengals did in the fourth quarter against the Ravens was so curious last week. Admittedly, the Bengals weren’t in a great spot. At 4-9, they needed to run the table to have any shot at making it to the postseason. And after Joe Burrow threw a pick-six with 7:55 to go in the fourth quarter, the Bengals trailed 24-0 against the Ravens, whom they needed to beat to keep their playoff hopes alive.
What Zac Taylor did after the Bengals got the ball back stunned me. Even with a superstar quarterback and one of the league’s best passing games on paper, they didn’t try to sprint their way back into the game. With their playoff hopes dissipating, the Bengals … ran the ball. They chewed up clock. Eight of the 10 calls on their ensuing drive were runs, with the Bengals letting the clock run down before snapping the football.
By the time Samaje Perine was stopped on a fourth-and-1 to truly extinguish all hope, the Bengals had run 5½ minutes off the clock. And while you might understand giving up if Burrow was hurt or the situation was compromised, Taylor still had his franchise quarterback on the field, handing the ball off to Perine and Chase Brown for most of the Bengals’ final meaningful drive of 2025.
Rex Ryan: Joe Burrow is the only one trying to bring it for Bengals
But at the same time, there’s Burrow. There aren’t many Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks around the NFL at any one time, and given how successful they usually are, the chance to coach one of them through their prime years rarely comes available. Most coaches join organizations hoping (or promising) that they can find a QB of Burrow’s caliber. The Bengals already have a Burrow. Now, they just need to find someone who can get him to believe again.
Are the Cardinals better than their record? Absolutely. They are 2-7 in games decided by seven points or fewer. They were a first down away from beating the 49ers, conspired against themselves to blow a lead through some of the most inexplicable play you’ll ever see against the Titans, failed in a goal-to-go sequence down four points to the Colts, blew a lead in the final two minutes against the Packers and lost in overtime to the Jaguars.
The other issue is the division. The Cardinals are stuck in a juggernaut of an NFC West, where the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all have 10 or more wins under potential Coach of the Year candidates. If you’re a coach with options, the idea of ending up in, say, the NFC South might be a lot more appealing than an NFC West division where going 3-3 might feel wildly successful in any given season.
Stephen A. blames Stefanski for not developing Browns QBs
Could the Titans be next year’s version of the Patriots? The 2024 Pats went 4-13 and fired Jerod Mayo after one disappointing season, but there were reasons to believe that they had landed their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. He didn’t put up impressive numbers in his debut season, but with little help at receiver and along the offensive line, Maye still flashed potential on film.
The Patriots hired the right coaches in Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels, leveraged the league’s most cap space by going on an offseason spending spree in free agency and built a competent offensive architecture around Maye. Playing one of the easiest schedules in league history has helped, but Maye is an MVP candidate in 2025 and the Patriots are in position to win the AFC East.
There’s just not a lot around Ward. The Titans have the worst group of receivers in the NFL, and though they’ve spent a lot between draft capital and free agency on their offensive line, the players protecting Ward haven’t been great. Free agent additions like Calvin Ridley, Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Zeitler and draft picks like JC Latham and Tyjae Spears simply haven’t been good enough.
Good coaches want stability and a personnel department they can trust, and the Titans might not be able to offer either. Ward is more promising than the numbers indicate, and with no state income tax, Tennessee will always be an appealing landing spot for free agents. There’s even more work to be done here, though, than there was in New England 12 months ago.
Why a full offseason could be key for Jaxson Dart’s growth
Coaches were expected to be thrilled at the possibility of working with Jaxson Dart, who got off to a promising start during his rookie season. Dart wasn’t winning many games, but his competitiveness, mobility and big-play ability made him an immediate fan favorite alongside fellow rookie Cam Skattebo, who was lost for the year with a serious ankle injury.
There have been positives, of course. Nabers and Abdul Carter look like potential building blocks on both sides of the ball, and they’re in the middle of rookie contracts. The offensive line is in better shape than it had been over the past few years, although that’s an extremely low bar. Dart and Skattebo have the potential to be playmakers, though they’ll have to change their playing styles to stay healthy.
The problem, of course, is everything else. GM Terry Fontenot traded his 2026 first-round pick to the Rams to acquire Pearce, and at the moment, that’s going to land in the top 10. Fontenot signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and then selected Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2025 draft. Cousins, of course, was benched before the end of 2024 and has become the most expensive backup quarterback in NFL history in his second and what will presumably be his final season in Atlanta.
It’s unclear what the Falcons have in Penix. In his first full year as a starter, Penix’s 56.7 Total QBR was good for 17th in the league. He struggled with his accuracy, running the league’s worst off-target rate (22.2%), and consistency has been an issue. But Penix played really well in wins over the Bills and Commanders, and he has done a good job of protecting the football despite playing all season with a third-string tackle (Elijah Wilkinson) protecting his blindside.
Instead, McDonald might have earned himself a reprieve by going on a winning streak. That run started with an impressive victory over the rival Bills, but the three ensuing games were victories over the Commanders, Saints and Jets — teams that are a combined 11-31 this season. When the Dolphins faced another competent team Monday night in Pittsburgh, the Steelers shut down Tua Tagovailoa and stomped the Dolphins 28-15, eliminating a 6-8 Miami team from the playoffs.
Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving on
Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
What does Quinn Ewers at QB mean for Jaylen Waddle in fantasy?
The problem is that there’s just so much work to be done. The team’s two best players, Kolton Miller and Maxx Crosby, were drafted in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The only regulars left from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 drafts are Malcolm Koonce (who will be a free agent after the year) and Dylan Parham (who might be one of the worst starters in the league at guard). The only starter from 2023 might be speedster Tre Tucker, as Tyree Wilson, Michael Mayer and Byron Young have disappointed.
Today, I’m sorting through the various jobs that might (or might not) come open this offseason and how appealing those opportunities might be, given their roster construction, front office, ownership, cap situation and draft capital in 2026. (I’m using the league’s current standings, the traditional Jimmy Johnson draft chart and the compensatory projections from OverTheCap to figure in draft capital.) To be clear: This column doesn’t root for any coaches to get fired, and I’m not arguing that any of these teams should fire their respective coaches. This is just trying to help potential new coaches pick the best possible landing spot.