The Miami Dolphins hired Jeff Hafley as their head coach on Monday, beginning a new era for the franchise. Hafley joins Miami after two years as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. He enters the position as the first time, he has been named an NFL head coach, though he did spend four years as the head coach at Boston College.
Dolphins fans are struggling with the hire. Some have issues with the team’s new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was previously the Packers’ vice president of player personnel, hiring a coach with whom he worked previously. Two weeks ago, Dolphins fans wanted the then-head coach, Mike McDaniel, fired so the new GM could hire a head coach he wanted and with whom he could work. Sullivan hired a coach he wanted and with whom he could work, and somehow that is wrong.
Another issue Dolphins fans are having revolves around hiring a “first-time head coach.” Many fans wanted the new coach to bring previous NFL head coaching experience to the team. Arguments are made that first-time head coaches always fail, so the Dolphins needed to go get a coach with experience. In an offseason that includes John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott being fired while Mike Tomlin stepped down, there are options for an experienced coach, but is that the only way to have success in the NFL? How do coaches get experience as a head coach if they should not be hired to be a head coach the first time? How many “retread” coaches are there in the NFL?
I went through each of the 32 teams this morning to look at what experience their head coach had. Across the league, eight teams have a coach who was a head coach for another NFL team at some point in his career. There are 16 teams who have a head coach who had no head coaching experience prior to being hired. The Dolphins are the only team with a coach who has only had head coaching experience at the collegiate level. The remaining six teams are still searching for their next head coach – with McDermott likely to land one of those jobs and increase the number of experienced coaches.
It also appears that the Pittsburgh Steelers are closing in on hiring Mike McCarthy as their head coach, potentially adding another former head coach to the list.
Of note, no head coach has won a Super Bowl with multiple teams – just to add that to the discussion.
Previous NFL Head Coaches
Atlanta Falcons – Kevin Stefanski
- Falcons head coach (2026-Present)
- Browns head coach (2020-2025)
Denver Broncos – Sean Payton
- Broncos head coach (2023-Present)
- Saints head coach (2006-2011, 2013-2021)
- Super Bowl XLIV (2009-20210) winner
Kansas City Chiefs – Andy Reid
- Chiefs head coach (2013-Present)
- Super Bowl LIV (2019-2020), LVII (2022-2023), and LVIII (2023-2024) winner
- AFC Champion (2024-2025, 2020-2021)
- Eagles head coach (1999-2012)
- NFC Champion (2004-2005)
Los Angeles Chargers – Jim Harbaugh
- Chargers head coach (2024-Present)
- University of Michigan head coach (2015-2023)
- San Francisco 49ers head coach (2011-2014)
- NFC Champion (2012-2013)
- Stanford University head coach (2007-2010)
- University of San Diego head coach (2004-2006)
New England Patriots – Mike Vrabel
- Patriots head coach (2025-Present)
- Titans head coach (2018-2023)
New York Giants – John Harbaugh
- Giants head coach (2026-Present)
- Ravens head coach (2008-2025)
- Super Bowl XLVII (2012-2013) winner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Todd Bowles
- Buccaneers head coach (2022-Present)
- Jets head coach (2015-2018)
Tennessee Titans – Robert Saleh
- Titans head coach (2026-Present)
- Jets head coach (2021-2024)
Washington Commanders – Dan Quinn
- Commanders head coach (2024-Present)
- Falcons head coach (2015-2020)
- NFC Champion (2016-2017)
Previous College Head Coaches
Miami Dolphins – Jeff Hafley
- Boston College head coach (2020-2023)
First-Time Head Coaches
Highest assistant coaching positions annotated.
Carolina Panthers – Dave Canales
- Panthers head coach (2024-Present)
- Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2023)
Chicago Bears – Ben Johnson
- Bears head coach (2025-Present)
- Lions offensive coordinator (2022-2024)
Cincinnati Bengals – Zac Taylor
- Bengals head coach (2019-Present)
- AFC Champion (2021-2022)
- University of Cincinnati offensive coordinator (2016)
- Dolphins offensive coordinator (2015)
Dallas Cowboys – Brian Schottenheimer
- Cowboys head coach (2025-Present)
- Cowboys offensive coordinator (2023-2024)
- Seahawks offensive coordinator (2018-2020)
- University of Georgia offensive coordinator (2015)
- St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator (2012-2014)
- New York Jets offensive coordinator (2006-2011)
Detroit Lions – Dan Campbell
- Lions head coach (2021-Present)
- Saints tight ends coach/assistant head coach (2016-2020)
Green Bay Packers – Matt LaFleur
- Packers head coach (2019-Present)
- Titans offensive coordinator (2018)
- Rams offensive coordinator (2017)
- Ashland University offensive coordinator (2007)
Houston Texans – DeMeco Ryans
- Texans head coach (2023-Present)
- 49ers defensive coordinator (2021-2022)
Indianapolis Colts – Shane Steichen
- Colts head coach (2023-Present)
- Eagles offensive coordinator (2021-2022)
- Chargers offensive coordinator (2020)
Jacksonville Jaguars – Liam Coen
- Jaguars head coach (2025-Present)
- Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2024)
- University of Kentucky offensive coordinator (2023)
- Rams offensive coordinator (2022)
- University of Kentucky offensive coordinator (2021)
- University of Maine offensive coordinator (2016-2017)
Los Angeles Rams – Sean McVay
- Rams head coach (2017-Present)
- Super Bowl LVI (2021-2022) winner
- NFC Champion (2019-2020)
- Commanders offensive coordinator (2014-2016)
Minnesota Vikings – Kevin O’Connell
- Vikings head coach (2022-Present)
- Rams offensive coordinator (2020-2021)
- Commanders offensive coordinator (2019)
New Orleans Saints – Kellen Moore
- Saints head coach (2025-Present)
- Eagles offensive coordinator (2024)
- Chargers offensive coordinator (2023)
- Cowboys offensive coordinator (2019-2022)
New York Jets – Aaron Glenn
- Jets head coach (2025-Present)
- Lions defensive coordinator (2021-2024)
Philadelphia Eagles – Nick Sirianni
- Eagles head coach (2021-Present)
- Super Bowl LIX winner
- NFC Champion (2022-2023)
- Colts offensive coordinator (2018-2020)
San Francisco 49ers – Kyle Shanahan
- 49ers head coach (2017-Present)
- NFC Champion (2023-2024, 2019-2020)
- Falcons offensive coordinator (2015-2016)
- Browns offensive coordinator (2014)
- Commanders offensive coordinator (2010-2013)
- Texans offensive coordinator (2008-2009)
Seattle Seahawks – Mike McDonald
- Seahawks head coach (2024-Present)
- Ravens defensive coordinator (2022-2023)
- University of Michigan defensive coordinator (2021)
Vacant
Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Cleveland Browns
Las Vegas Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
Patience is a virtue
First, the obvious. Every coach had to be a first-time head coach at some point in their career. Second, it seems like a lot of the successful head coaches, including both NFC Championship coaches this year (Seattle’s Mike McDonald and the Rams’ Sean McVay), are in their first job as a head coach. John Harbaugh was the biggest name on the market this year, coming off his first role as a head coach. Mike Tomlin, who stepped down from the Steelers, is an in-demand coach, though he is choosing to take some time off from the game before potentially returning to the sidelines in the future. He was a successful coach in his first assignment.
Nick Sirianni, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Zac Taylor, Dan Quinn, John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh, Andy Reid, and Sean Payton all made it to the Super Bowl in their first role as head coaches.
Being a first-time head coach does not necessarily lead to failure. The coach’s ability, the coordinators around him, the front office with whom he works, and the organization as a whole determine success or failure.
And patience. Some coaches make an immediate splash, then fizzle out, leading to a firing. The Dolphins are great at letting the fizzle lead to a firing – Mike McDaniel, Brian Flores, Adam Gase, Tony Sparano, and Dave Wannstedt all had great starts to their career (admittedly, giving Flores the benefit of not counting the Dolphins’ 2019 season against him because that team was rough at best). Only Wanndtstedt made it into a fifth year with the team – and then it was only nine games into that season.
Based on the lists, giving a coach time to find himself and tailor his staff to what works and what does not is important. McDaniel is getting head coaching interviews this offseason because the flashes have been there. Could he return to a coordinator position, then come back as a head coach? Of course. But, he could also find himself running the sidelines again, continuing to grow into his role as a head coach – and potentially having success because of it.
Obviously, that does not work for everyone. Gase was 23-25 with the Dolphins, plus a loss in the one playoff berth they claimed during his three seasons, and he was immediately hired by the Jets, where he was 9-23 in two years. He has not worked as a coach in the NFL since. Sometimes, the growth and development are not there.
But, giving a coach time to learn and find himself seems like a good way to build toward success. Firing a coach every three or four years and starting over does not allow for a coach to figure out what works and what does not. Half the league employs coaches in their first tenure holding that role. With six positions still to be filled, that number will likely continue to grow.
Hiring a “retread” coach does provide experience and can lead to a solid staff being built fairly quickly, but giving a first-time coach the benefit of the doubt and letting him have the time to grow can be just as effective.
What will Jeff Hafley be for the Dolphins? No one knows. However, he is not going to fail just because it is his first time being an NFL head coach, as there seem to be plenty of first-time head coaches who succeed. Otherwise, how would we ever see a new coach in the league?
