Even without Bill Belichick in the mix, there was some serious star power in this year’s hiring cycle.

Former head coaches Pete Carroll and Mike Vrabel secured new opportunities, while heavily coveted coordinators Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and Liam Coen earned their first chances to lead a team. Brian Schottenheimer, the son of longtime coach Marty Schottenheimer, and long-considered candidate Kellen Moore rounded out the hirings.

The Athletic polled 10 NFL personnel executives and coaches, asking them to assess each coach’s fit and rank their top five hires, with a first-place vote worth five points, a second place vote worth four points and so forth. Votes were not solicited from members of each coach’s new organization to limit subjective balloting.

Here’s how it shook out, with some analysis on each hire to follow.

1. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots (48 points)

The New England Patriots Hall of Famer dominated this vote, proving how respected he is by his peers.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player, served as the Tennessee Titans coach for six seasons before being fired after the 2023 season. Considering the results of this poll, it’s more surprising now in hindsight that Vrabel didn’t get a longer look at a head-coaching job during last season’s hiring cycle.

Vrabel will command a more disciplined culture in New England after the organization was stuck in somewhat of a purgatory last season, as it swung the pendulum too far from Belichick’s style and struggled to stay the course during Jerod Mayo’s lone season in charge.

Owner Robert Kraft recognized Mayo was promoted too quickly, so Kraft is banking on experience this time around. It’s paramount to make the team more competitive after nailing the draft selection of quarterback Drake Maye.

“(Vrabel has been a) successful head coach with bona fide leadership ability, which is underrated with the personalities in today’s game,” said an executive, who, like all sources in this story, was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly about the coaches. “He’s really organized situationally within the game. His personality fits the northeast, where they’re going to run the ball and play good defense. And he has a quarterback.”

2t. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears (33 points)

Johnson, who turns 39 in May, has been the “it” candidate for a couple years after his dynamite performances as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator.

Johnson was seen as being overly selective during the 2024 hiring cycle, but there was a growing belief midway through this past season that he’d land with the Chicago Bears. The Lions offense led the league in scoring this season (33.2 points per game) under Johnson, but his challenge will be far greater in Chicago where he’ll need to lift more than just the offense.

One former head coach liked the hire, “If Johnson can bring Campbell’s program focus with him.”

The Bears have the pieces, assuming quarterback Caleb Williams can reach his potential. But don’t forget, the Lions were so dominant on offense because they had an elite line. The Bears still need to improve to reach that point, allowing a league-high 68 sacks in 2024.

With Johnson’s ingenuity, improvements on the offensive line and a defense that should be at least above average under coordinator Dennis Allen, there’s reason to like the fit. But each branch of the organization still needs to prove it has a unified vision. That hasn’t always been the case in Chicago.

“I’m still unclear on the fit,” an executive said. “I just think (Johnson) is intrigued by the quarterback and his physical skill set.”

2t. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders (33 points)

Carroll finished in the top three in nine ballots, evidence the league knows what it can expect from the now-73-year-old coach.

And really, that’s exactly what the Las Vegas Raiders need. Minority owner Tom Brady has maintained a guiding hand on the offseason path, and he understandably identified the Raiders required a culture shift. Carroll, who signed a three-year contract with a fourth-year team option, will be a steadying presence even if his tenure is short.

The culture is important, but it will only get the Raiders so far if they can’t develop a quarterback. There’s belief Russell Wilson could be the stopgap option, though Brady will be determined to find someone who can perform the positional duties up to his standard.

“The roster is a ways away,” an executive said. “(Carroll’s) energy, self-belief and ability to build culture is going to have an immediate impact on a place that hasn’t had it for a long time. The wins might not be there for a couple years. It won’t be three or four wins (per season), but probably seven or eight because of what he brings. I’d imagine they get a veteran quarterback right away, but do they have the time to take off with needing to get the players in place?”

4. Aaron Glenn, New York Jets (20 points)

Glenn finished in the middle of the rankings, 13 points behind the upper tier and 13 points ahead of the lower tier.

He helped the Lions improve from 23rd in points allowed in 2023 to seventh in 2024 despite facing a daunting schedule and a mountain of injuries. The 52-year-old has been viewed for years as a head-coaching candidate, and he developed a more prominent profile as the Lions morphed into a league power.

“Hell of a coach,” a former head coach said.

Glenn is one of three defensive-minded head coaches hired this cycle, but the other two (Vrabel and Carroll) were retreads. While the offensive minds are coveted for their potential to develop a quarterback, it seems defensive coaches are leaned upon to set the standard with the culture in the building.

The New York Jets need that.

“I love that dude,” an executive said of Glenn. “His press conference, that’s exactly who he is — the way he came across, he’s confident, intelligent, authentic, will set the culture from a leadership standpoint. I just don’t know if anybody can win there because of the setup. He’s got the confidence and personality to bring that team together.”

Glenn has learned from some quality leaders. Carroll, then the Jets head coach, drafted Glenn in the first round in 1994. Glenn also played for Bill Parcells and coached under Sean Payton and Dan Campbell.

Glenn’s background is impressive. But can he lead the Jets out of a 14-year playoff drought and navigate change — starting with a decision on quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ future — for an organization that desperately needs it?

“The defense will be better,” the executive said. “But can they figure out the quarterback situation? If they can fix the (offensive) front, they can run the ball and play good defense and look like a Parcells teams or a Detroit team with that model.”

5. Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints (7 points)

The former left-handed QB has been viewed as a head-coaching candidate for a half decade, and the Philadelphia Eagles always seem to have a way of progressing their coordinators along that path. Frank Reich, Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon also have jumped from Eagles coordinator to head coach since 2018.

“He will bring some of the Philly program with him,” a former head coach said.

Moore’s spotlight faded in recent years. He surprisingly split with the Dallas Cowboys in 2023, and he joined Brandon Staley’s Los Angeles Chargers staff that got wiped out a year ago. After navigating some early season turbulence in Philly, Moore leaned on running back Saquon Barkley and a dominant offensive line to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl.

Consider, Moore’s offenses were in the top three in pass attempts in 2020 (Cowboys) and 2023 (Chargers), but they were first in rush attempts and last in pass attempts this season. That’s the mark of a coach who leans into his team’s strengths.

“All they’ve done this year is run the ball,” an executive said. “He had a reputation coming out of Dallas as being pass-happy, so this shows me he can run an offense to fit their strengths, which is cool to see. I’m just concerned about the roster and cap situation. It might look a lot like it did with (Allen).”

The Saints are $54 million over the cap, according to Over The Cap. While it’s not uncharted territory for the Saints, it’s still a challenge for a new coach who will be taking over a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020 and needs a long-term answer at quarterback and a younger, more affordable core.

6. Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars (5 points)

After proving himself as a play caller at the NFL level, Coen solidified his standing as a head-coaching candidate before the Jaguars aggressively stole him from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, Coen came up surprisingly short in this vote.

One critic pointed to Coen’s lack of experience with the defense as a certain challenge as a first-time head coach. He’s also bounced between the NFL and college, twice jumping from the Los Angeles Rams to the University of Kentucky before landing in Tampa. While job hopping is the norm in that business, there was concern about how that could impact Coen’s staff hires.

An executive countered that argument, though.

“Jacksonville has done a really nice job,” the executive said. “The head coach is one thing, but looking at the staffs, Grant Udinski will be an outstanding OC. He just doesn’t have play-calling experience. He’s a rising star. Shane Waldron is really organized and good. They’re stacking good, young coaches. The DC (Anthony Campanile) is impressive. It’s one thing to have the head coach, but he’s got to have good people around him, or it doesn’t matter.

“Liam’s unknown is his ability to handle the responsibilities as a head coach. But as a play caller, having the best quarterback (among the seven vacancies), I can see them making a big jump. If they can find someone to get on the same page as him making personnel situations, they’re going to take off.”

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was clearly a huge draw. Now the Jaguars must hire a general manager who shares Coen’s vision.

7. Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys (4 points)

Despite his last name, the 51-year-old has kept a low profile, which made Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ decision to promote him surprising. Schottenheimer had been on former head coach Mike McCarthy’s staff for three seasons before taking the top job.

“He’s a good coach,” a coach said. “The team will improve.”

Schottenheimer has been an offensive coordinator in five of his last seven seasons in the NFL, first with the Seattle Seahawks (2018-20) before his last two seasons in Dallas. He led top-10 scoring offenses in four of those years as OC, with the exception being this season with the Cowboys when quarterback Dak Prescott got injured.

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“He’s underrated,” an executive said. “He has the ability to be a better head coach than coordinator. He’s confident. He has a vision for who he wants to be and how he wants to play, and he’ll be able to communicate that across the team.”

There will be plenty of star power at Schottenheimer’s disposal, but he’ll need better injury luck to be successful with such a top-heavy roster. He figures to have the benefit of time, too. All five Cowboys coaches since 2000 have gotten at least three full seasons on the job.

 (Photos of Mike Vrabel and Brian Schottenheimer: (Billie Weiss and Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)