Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is far from perfect. He’s overly interested in the run game – both on the field and in the draft room – and sometimes his conservative instincts can drive us up the wall on fourth down. That said, Carroll has long been one of the most successful coaches in the NFL and has now managed to make the playoffs with several different core rosters since taking over back in 2010. So how does Pete compare to the competition ? Let’s find out.
Here’s how we rank all 32 head coaches in the league entering the 2023 season.
Rookie Head Coaches of the Year
These coaches are entering their first year in the NFL. They also have three of the worst rosters to work with. Gannon and Ryans also work for owners who have tended to blame head coaches for organizational failures in recent years. Steichen also has the advantage of Anthony Richardson.
32. Jonathan Gannon – Arizona Cardinals: 0-0
31. DeMeco Ryans – Houston Texans: 0-0
30. Shane Steichen – Indianapolis Colts: 0-0
Experienced, just not very good
These three trainers have been around for a while. While they were all excellent coordinators and playcallers, they have yet to experience sustained success as a head coach at this level.
29. Josh McDaniels – Las Vegas Raiders: 17-28
28. Dennis Allen – New Orleans Saints: 15-38
27. Todd Bowles – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 34-50
Too early to say
This next group has only been in the league for one or two seasons as head coaches. Although their results have not been great so far, it is still too early in their coaching careers to know if they will coach or not.
26. Matt Eberflus – Chicago Bears: 3-14
25. Robert Saleh – New York Jets: 11.-23
24. Arthur Smith – Atlanta Falcons: 14-20
Middle of the pack
This next group of coaches has at least a few years of experience and has shown at least some promise. However, there is no guarantee that they will hold on to their positions in the long run (4-5 years).
23. Dan Campbell – Detroit Lions: 17-28-1
22. Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns: 26-24
21. Zac Taylor – Cincinnati Bengals: 28-36-1
20. Frank Reich – Carolina Panthers: 40-33-1
19. Matt LaFleur – Green Bay Packers: 47-19
Not great, not terrible
This group of coaches is very experienced, including a lot of playoff games. However, McCarthy and Rivera were boosted by having Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton in their respective primes. Vrabel is capable, but his window to reach the Super Bowl may now be closed.
18. Ron Rivera – Washington Commanders: 98-90-2
17. Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys: 155-97-2
16. Mike Vrabel – Tennessee Titans: 48-34
Promising but not proven
This next group of three has only trained with their current team for one season. However, they all had solid rookie seasons and the future looks bright for them and their respective franchises.
15. Kevin O’Connell – Minnesota Vikings: 13-4
14. Brian Daboll – New York Giants: 9-7-1
13. Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins: 9-8
The aggressive risers
![[Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/uf55BOzv9T_YtR2_LxnebQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/seattle_seahawks_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_798/c8e40b3f34b27f8a004ff18b7b2f2ad4)
These three head coaches are known for their aggressive instincts and willingness to embrace the “analysis” as playcallers, also known as math. Pederson has won a Super Bowl, while McDermott and Staley should have plenty of chances with their respective top-five franchise QBs.
12. Brandon Staley – Los Angeles Chargers: 19-15
11. Sean McDermott – Buffalo Bills: 62-35
10. Doug Pederson – Jacksonville Jaguars: 51-45-1
Pete and Sean and Sean
Reaching the top 10, we finally find Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who is grouped here with two other Super Bowl winners in Sean Payton and Sean McVay.
9. Pete Carroll – Seattle Seahawks: 161-112-1
8. Sean Payton – Denver Broncos: 152-89
7. Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams: 60-38
The NFC heavyweights
These two are being grouped together thanks to their age and the dominance of their respective teams, who met in the NFC Championship last season. Neither has yet won a ring, but both should have a legitimate opportunity to do so this year.
6. Nick Sirianni: Philadelphia Eagles: 23-11
5. Kyle Shanahan – San Francisco 49ers: 52-46
The evergreen success group
These future Hall of Famers have proven their mettle time and time again, in the regular season, the postseason and the Super Bowl. Harbaugh (1) and Tomlin (2) have both won rings, while Belichick has six. Even with terrible rosters, these goats will have their teams in or near the playoffs every year.
4. John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens: 147-95
3. Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers: 163-93-2
2. Bill Belichick – New England Patriots: 298-152
A1
The Cheeseburger King gets his own spot because Andy Reid is coaching in his own league right now. It helps to have the most dynamic quarterback in NFL history on his side, but it’s hard to imagine Patrick Mahomes having the same success as literally any other coach. Kansas City has won two of the past four Super Bowls and at least nine games 10 years in a row.
1. Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs: 247-138-1