- Washington and Dallas both turned to proven NFL talent, while the Panthers and Giants are both taking potentially risky bigger swings.
- The Cleveland Browns are the only team still looking for their next head coach, but are expected to make a final decision soon.
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Just two weeks after the end of the NFL regular season, four of the five NFL head coaching vacancies for the 2020 season have already been filled.
Matt Rhule
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Things move fast in the NFL.
Not even two weeks removed from the final weeks of the regular season, four of the five head coaching vacancies across the league have already been filled.
After disappointing seasons, the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns all decided it was time for a change. All but the Browns have already found their man.
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Some teams opted for proven NFL talent, while others looked to the world of college football for their future head coach.
Take a look below at where the coaching carousel stands heading into the 2020 offseason.
The Washington Redskins kicked off the hiring spree by bringing in former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
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Washington was the first team to make their moves, firing head coach Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start to the 2019 season. Gruden made the postseason just once in his five-year tenure with the Redskins, losing to the Packers in the wild-card round four seasons ago.
After Carolina fired Ron Rivera from his position later in the season, Washington acted quickly and finalized a deal to make him the new head coach on December 31st.
Rivera is an experienced coach who comes with a solid track record of success, leading the Panthers to three straight NFC South titles from 2013-2015, including a 15-1 record and Super Bowl appearance in the 2015 season. That said, his last two seasons were disappointing for Panthers fans, which saw promising starts fall apart thanks to abysmal losing streaks in the second half of the year.
Rivera offers Washington some stability and structure and has already gone about making his mark on the locker room, having the ping pong table and shuffleboard table removed . It's a tale as old as coaching the new guy comes in and proves he means business with some symbolic gesture. But with Washington without a playoff win since 2005, the change of pace might be just what the doctor ordered.
Once the season ended, the Dallas Cowboys were next to make their move, firing Jason Garrett and hiring former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
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Up next on the coaching carousel was Mike McCarthy, who took over the top job in Dallas after the Cowboys eventually parted ways with Jason Garrett in what proved to be a painfully overlong exit interview process .
McCarthy spent 2019 unemployed, but remained busy, reportedly studying up on the trends of the modern NFL to develop a new playbook to unleash on the league in 2020. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys must have liked his plans as they handed him the keys to one of the most scrutinized teams in the league.
McCarthy also comes with a track record of success, leading the Packers to nine playoff appearances in 13 seasons as head coach, including six NFC North division titles and a Super Bowl win in the 2010 season. While the end of his tenure came amidst an apparently tenuous relationship with superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers , the duo worked well together in their early seasons.
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The Cowboys are likely hoping he and Dak Prescott can have a similarly successful relationship as they begin their time together next season.
On Tuesday, the hot stove was burning, first with the Carolina Panthers announcing that Baylors Matt Rhule would take the head coaching job along with a huge payday.
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Having already ousted Rivera during the final stretch of the regular season, the Carolina Panthers found their man in Baylor head coach Matt Rhule.
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Rhule was something of a wild card entering this season's NFL job fair, having pulled off two impressive turnarounds over the past few years. After years as an assistant and coordinator with the Temple Owls, Rhule took over the top job in 2013, and in just four years, took the program from 2-11 to two straight 10-win seasons and a conference title in 2016.
From there, he took over at Baylor, who needed a hard reset after numerous players were involved in a sexual assault scandal that eventually cost coach Art Briles his job .
Rhule and the Bears went 1-11 in his first season, and two years later finished 11-3 on the year and came within just a few plays of taking down Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship to steal a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Panthers are hoping Rhule can pull off a similar turnaround for the Panthers, and have committed fully to him as their coach of the future with a seven-year, $60 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter .
With a contract like that, Carolina will be looking for both stability and success. While some in the past have struggled to make the transition from college to NFL coaching, the Panthers seem to believe Rhule has got what it takes.
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The Giants followed up soon after, announcing that Patriots special teams and wide receivers coach Joe Judge would be taking the top job.
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Just minutes after the Panthers announced Rhule as their new head coach, the Giants came out with some news of their own, hiring Patriots wide receivers and special teams coach Joe Judge for the top job in New York.
Judge takes over for Pat Shurmur, who went 9-23 in two disappointing seasons leading the Giants before getting fired this year.
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New York was reported as being high on Rhule as well , and Rhule went as far as calling the Giants to see if they wanted to match the Panthers offer . The team instead decided to go in another direction, and in turn, add another branch to the ever-growing coaching tree of Bill Belichick.
Judge is something of an unknown, having not held a head coaching gig at any level thus far in his career. Still, Judge comes with an impressive pedigree, having served under both Belichick and Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
The Cleveland Browns are the only team left to make their hire and have several meetings scheduled before their final decision.
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That leaves the Cleveland Browns, who as the last team in the league looking to fill the job, will not have to rush the decision for fear of being scooped by a competing team.
According to ESPN , the Browns have already interviewed Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
They are also meeting with Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on Wednesday, and could have further meetings later in the week should they decide to look at a few more applicants.
The Browns have decided to move on from head coach Freddie Kitchens after just one season, having coached the team to a disappointing 6-10 record after an offseason that was full of promise.
Whoever winds up taking the job will benefit from one of the most talented groups of players that were in need of a head coach, but will also have to deal with the pressure of leading a team that hasn't held on to a coach for more than four seasons since rejoining the league in 1999.
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