And then, there were four. Following the hirings of Ben Johnson (to the Bears) and Aaron Glenn (to the Jets), four NFL teams are still searching for their next head coach with the start of free agency less than two months away. 

The Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are the teams that are still trying to figure how who will lead them in 2025. Jacksonville is also now in the market for a new general manager after parting ways with Trent Baalke this week. 

Each position has its pros and cons. But which one offers the best situation, and conversely, which one appears to be the least attractive opening? Here’s a ranking of each opening, starting with the most attractive landing spot. 

1. Cowboys 

Surprised to see the Cowboys’ opening at the top? I am. Dallas has an owner who is also the general manager, little cap space to work with and plays in arguably the NFL’s most competitive division. When you consider those things, this doesn’t seem like an ideal spot. 

Those things are true, but there are plenty of reasons why the Cowboys’ head coaching position is a great situation. While he clearly presents some challenges for any coach, there is no denying Jerry Jones’ desire to win another championship while snapping the Cowboys’ long drought without an NFC title game appearance. Jones has other priorities, but the Cowboys being successful is near the top of his list. That’s never a bad thing to have from ownership. 

There’s also a blueprint for how to work with Jones, and that’s by working alongside him and embracing his inclusion in everything the Cowboys do. In the beginning, that’s the relationship that Jones shared with Jimmy Johnson, and the result was back-to-back Super Bowl wins. 

The Cowboys have also an ideal starting point with Dak Prescott at quarterback. You can’t win in the NFL without a franchise quarterback, and the Cowboys have one, which is something that two other teams looking for a head coach can’t say. Along with Prescott, the Cowboys also have other key building blocks in place with wideout CeeDee Lamb, linebacker Micah Parsons, cornerback Trevon Diggs, kicker Brandon Aubrey, special teams ace KaVontae Turpin and emerging running back Rico Dowdle. 

Yes, there are legitimate issues in Dallas. The Cowboys have more contracts (like Parsons) to address, and they need to make significant upgrades at several positions, including the offensive line. But there are way more positives than negatives here. It also helps that the Cowboys don’t play in the AFC, which fields four of the NFL’s top quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. 

2. Jaguars 

While this past season was an unmitigated disaster, there are still several reasons why Jacksonville is an attractive spot. 

It’s easy to forget, but the Jaguars are just a year removed from a 9-8 season and two years removed from winning a playoff game. The Jaguars have a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and promising young players like Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Etienne. They are in the middle of the pack in terms of expected salary cap space for 2025, but they are armed with 10 picks in the upcoming draft that include six in the first four rounds. 

Whomever the Jaguars select as their next GM will obviously go a long way in determining how good of a job this truly is. Jacksonville needs its next coach and GM to work together while sharing the same vision as far as roster and culture building. 

3. Saints 

There’s considerable work to be done, but the Saints have the ability to get back to being a playoff-contending team relatively quickly. 

Let’s lay out the positives first. The Saints play in a winnable division and have several building blocks to work around in running back Alvin Kamara, wideout Chris Olave, 2023 first-round pick Bryan Bresee and veteran defenders Tyrann Mathieu, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis. The Saints won their first two games in convincing fashion last year before injuries and several close losses quickly sent their season into a tailspin. 

Speaking of veterans, the Saints also have 33-year-old quarterback Derek Carr, who played OK last year before his season ended early due to an injury. New Orleans also has two other quarterback projects in Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, who both got chances to start last year. 

New Orleans is in salary cap hell, so barring some big internal roster moves, don’t expect the Saints to be movers and shakers in free agency. They do have eight draft picks, however, that include six in the first four rounds. 

4. Raiders 

Las Vegas doesn’t have much to get excited about from a roster standpoint. There’s a reason why the Raiders finished with a 4-13 record, after all. But that may not be a terrible thing for a head coach that is OK with a rebuild. The Raiders’ next head coach will likely be given an opportunity to start from the ground up in an effort to establish sustainable success, something that alluded this proud franchise for the majority of this century. 

The Raiders will have a ton of cap space at their disposal heading into free agency, so they should be able to fill many of their roster needs there. Las Vegas also owns eight picks in the upcoming draft, including the No. 6 overall pick. 

It should also be noted that the Raiders have Tom Brady working with them as a minority owner. It’s well-known that Brady has been active in the team’s head coaching search, which is clearly a good thing. In Brady, the Raiders have someone who knows what a winning culture looks like, and that’s something the seven-time Super Bowl champion is hoping to bring to Las Vegas, starting with the team’s next head coach.