The NFL replaced nine head coaches this offseason, matching the modern record set in 2021, and installed a bench of coordinators who will audition for the next wave of vacancies beginning Week 1. Two of those coordinators—Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and defensive coordinator Chris Shula—are already drawing quiet interest from front offices sizing the 2026 hiring cycle.
The nine vacancies filled in January represented 28% of the league's head-coaching positions, the highest turnover rate since 2021, when the pandemic-delayed 2020 season produced similar volatility. Among the nine: Chicago, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, New England, New Orleans, New York Jets, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Washington. Seven of the nine hires came from coordinator roles, continuing the decade-long trend away from hiring retreads. The average age of the nine new head coaches is 43, down from 47 in the prior cycle.
Scheelhaase, 32, joined the Rams in 2024 as a senior offensive assistant before taking the coordinator role in 2025. He spent three seasons under Sean McVay, the league's template for offensive play-calling and communication infrastructure. Shula, 39, is the grandson of the late Don Shula and has been with Los Angeles since 2023, coordinating a defense that finished seventh in expected points added in 2025. Both men benefit from McVay's coaching tree, which has produced five head coaches since 2017, including Matt LaFleur (Green Bay), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati), and Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota).
The market for coordinators reflects two structural shifts. First, owners are hiring younger candidates willing to adopt analytics infrastructure and modern quarterback development models. Second, offensive coordinators with play-calling experience are commanding higher salaries and shorter timelines to head-coaching interviews. Scheelhaase fits both profiles. He called plays for 16 games in 2025, coordinating an offense that ranked third in pass rate over expectation and fourth in red-zone efficiency. Shula's candidacy is less certain but benefits from positional scarcity—defensive coordinators represent only 31% of head-coaching hires since 2020, down from 48% in the prior decade.
The Rams' organizational structure complicates both trajectories. McVay, 40, is signed through 2027 and has no public succession plan. General manager Les Snead has repeatedly stated the team will not block coordinator interviews, but the Rams' thin depth chart at coordinator—no obvious internal replacements—suggests they may resist losing both in the same cycle. Worth noting: the Rams blocked offensive coordinator Liam Coen from interviewing with Tampa Bay in January 2024, though they later released him when Jacksonville offered a head-coaching position.
Seven other coordinators are drawing similar attention entering 2026. Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and San Francisco defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen are the most frequently cited names in early front-office conversations. Johnson, 38, declined four head-coaching interviews in January 2025, a rare move that signals either extreme selectivity or concern about organizational fit. Monken, 58, is the oldest candidate in the group but benefits from coordinating Lamar Jackson's two MVP seasons. Sorensen, 44, took over San Francisco's defense in 2024 and is less proven but carries Kyle Shanahan's coaching-tree premium.
The financial stakes are straightforward. First-year head coaches entering 2026 are earning an average of $7.2 million annually, up from $6.1 million in 2023. Coordinators typically earn between $2 million and $3.5 million, meaning a head-coaching promotion represents a 100%-to-150% raise before accounting for contract length. Most coordinator contracts are two years; most head-coaching contracts are five, with three years guaranteed. The delta explains why coordinators rarely turn down interviews, even when organizational fit is poor.
The next cycle begins in December 2025, when teams with sub-.500 records start internal succession planning. The Rams face the Chiefs in Week 1, a primetime Thursday showcase. Scheelhaase and Shula will call plays under conditions—national audience, playoff-caliber opponent—that typically accelerate coordinator-to-head-coach timelines. McVay's offense has produced four head coaches in eight years. The over-under on five is shortening.