Week 14 in the NFL means we’re a little more than a month away from the annual head-coaching carousel. Three teams — the Jets, Saints and Bears — have already fired coaches this season, and more openings are expected when the regular season concludes in early January.

People spend a lot of time talking about which coaches might be fired, but it’s important to also talk about who might be hired to replace them. To that end, I put together a list of the top 10 head-coaching candidates for this cycle, based on chatter around the league.

To be clear: This is not intended as a comprehensive list of candidates. There are names who aren’t on this list but will get interviews — virtual sessions can begin after the season, but in-person interviews can’t begin until after the divisional round of the playoffs — and possibly even jobs. There’s also a chance the top names on this list don’t get jobs. A lot of season remains, and a lot can happen between now and the time interviews begin. The ranking is loosely based on conversations I’ve had with people around the league, be it front-office executives, other coaches, scouts and agents.

Here are the 10 hottest names right now. Treat this list as predictions if you like, but it’s an inexact science, so it’s probably better to treat this as a guideline to what could happen in one month.

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Top offensive coordinator
Top defensive coordinator
Top candidate not currently coaching

1. Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

The architect of the Lions’ explosive offense that has propelled Detroit to Super Bowl contender status, Johnson is the clear top candidate in this cycle. He has toyed with some open jobs the past couple of years, and it’s always possible he could test the waters and decide to stay put once again. But this feels like the year for Johnson, and he could have several options.

Teams are intrigued by his scheme designs and playcalling prowess; the Lions are scoring 31.0 points per game on offense (No. 1 in the NFL). But people who’ve worked with Johnson say they believe he’s more than just an offensive guru and has the ability to lead his own building, build a strong staff and shine in ways that go beyond putting points on the board.

I expect Johnson to be of interest to each of the three teams that currently have openings, at the very least. Bears fans in particular are enamored with the idea of seeing what Johnson could do with quarterback Caleb Williams and those talented wide receivers.

Let go by the Titans last offseason after six largely successful seasons in Nashville, Vrabel has spent this season as a consultant with Kevin Stefanski’s coaching staff in Cleveland. His career record as an NFL coach is 56-48 (counting the postseason), and he took the Titans to the playoffs three years in a row from 2019 to 2021. He was also named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading the Titans to a second straight division title and the AFC’s top seed. Two of his former assistants — Matt LaFleur and Arthur Smith — went on to become head coaches. He’s relatively young at 49 and had a distinguished career as an NFL linebacker.

In a pool of coordinators and head coach prospects, Vrabel is an actual, experienced head coach — and is regarded as a good one. Several teams will be intrigued by the idea of giving him a second shot at a job.

When he was let go by the Patriots last offseason after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles as their coach, Belichick received interest from only one team. But the Falcons passed on hiring the coaching legend and instead went with Raheem Morris. Since then, Belichick has stayed in the spotlight (to say the least), appearing regularly on a wide array of football TV shows and podcasts. Needing 14 more wins to catch Don Shula for the all-time record for head coaches (including playoffs), he is widely believed to want back in and should get interest this cycle. In fact, he already has had an interview in the college ranks — for the open North Carolina job.

Belichick is a complicated case. He is considered the greatest coach in NFL history, but he’s also turning 73 in April, and his final few years in New England did not go well. Some people close to the situation will tell you Belichick won’t insist on the same level of organizational control at his next stop as he had in New England, but not everyone believes that. It’s possible that a team hiring him would have to make major changes to its front office structure to accommodate him.

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It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Belichick get one of the coaching jobs that comes open this cycle, but he might not have the array of options commensurate with his record.

4. Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator

Being able to keep Dan Campbell’s coaching staff together amid the recent run of success has been a major benefit to the Lions. But part of the price for the success could be the loss of their offensive and defensive coordinators after this season.

Glenn has established himself as a strong candidate because of his ability to motivate his players emotionally as well as his skills in implementing and evolving his defensive scheme. This season’s defense has weathered the loss of several key players to injury, including star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, and that’s to Glenn’s credit as a leader and a defensive mind. Detroit is sixth in defensive efficiency and tied for second in points allowed per game (18.0).

Glenn is a former NFL defensive back who played for two of the teams with open jobs (Jets and Saints) and two more that could have openings (Jaguars and Cowboys). He started his post-playing career as a scout with the Jets in 2012-13 and served as an assistant on Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans from 2016 to 2020 before following Campbell to Detroit. Glenn’s credentials are strong, as are his connections. He is and deserves to be a serious candidate.

5. Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator

Flores was head coach of the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021, and it was a surprise when he was let go after the 2021 season. He interviewed in 2022 for the Giants job but lost out to Brian Daboll, and the circumstances surrounding that process led him to file a class action lawsuit against the Giants, Broncos, Dolphins and NFL alleging racial discrimination. That lawsuit is still pending, which is probably the biggest impediment to Flores’ return to head coaching. Assuming that can be resolved, he could find himself back on the interview circuit in short order.

He spent the 2022 season on Mike Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh and has had two strong seasons as Kevin O’Connell’s defensive coordinator in Minnesota. Flores’ coaching credentials are solid, as his Vikings defense leads the league in efficiency.

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Beyond the lawsuit, there are also lingering questions about some of his relationships from his time in Miami, most prominently the one involving him and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa has spoken publicly about some of the issues he had with Flores. People who have worked with and played for Flores in Minnesota have said that Tagovailoa’s comments don’t line up with their experience, and it’s certainly possible things would be different if he gets a second chance to be a head coach. He’s going to have to convince teams that will be the case.

6. Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator

Another former head coach hoping for another shot, Joseph has done excellent work as Payton’s defensive coordinator the past two years (ironically, for the team he served as head coach in 2017-18). Joseph is well-regarded around the NFL, and some defend his time as the Broncos’ coach by pointing out how dismal the quarterback situation was when he was there. (The Broncos were 29th in QBR and yards per attempt over those two seasons.)

Heading up one of the best defenses in the league this season has thrust him back onto the radar for a potential second chance at running his own show. The Broncos have the third-best yards allowed per play (4.9) and second-best defensive efficiency.

7. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator

Brady has been on NFL teams’ radar screens for half a decade now, since he coached Joe Burrow with the 2019 national champion LSU Tigers. He had a brief and unsuccessful term as Matt Rhule’s offensive coordinator in Carolina, but he has earned rave reviews for his work over the past year and a half as offensive coordinator in Buffalo.

Brady has interviewed for head coach jobs in the past, and the performance of Josh Allen and the Bills after an offseason that saw them trade away star wideout Stefon Diggs has only bolstered his status. Don’t be surprised to see his name surface as a candidate.

8. Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator

A couple of years ago, Moore was a popular enough candidate that he seemed on the verge of landing a head-coaching job. The end of his time as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator led to an ill-fated 2023 season in that same job with the Chargers. But he has rebounded in his first season in Philadelphia, designing and calling one of the league’s most explosive offenses around Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and a terrific offensive line.

If the Cowboys move on from Mike McCarthy, could Moore be a candidate to return to Dallas in the big job?

Kingsbury was a surprise hire by the Cardinals as head coach in 2019 and spent four years in that role before being let go after the 2022 season. He then spent 2023 on the USC coaching staff, helping mentor Caleb Williams in his final college season, before being hired by the Commanders to shepherd Jayden Daniels through his rookie season. Daniels is a front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Washington is a surprise playoff contender, all of which has helped restore Kingsbury’s credentials in short order.

Some have connected him with the Bears job, given his link to Williams. Chicago passed on a chance to hire Kingsbury as offensive coordinator after last season but could give him a second look after Shane Waldron didn’t work out.

Minter’s name keeps coming up as an interesting candidate, and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh recently said he believed Minter would be an NFL head coach next season. Harbaugh is sometimes prone to hyperbole, but don’t rule out the possibility. Minter has the pedigree.

He worked for John Harbaugh in Baltimore from 2017 to 2020, and he succeeded Mike Macdonald as defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan when Macdonald became Ravens defensive coordinator in 2022. After winning a national title at Michigan, Minter followed Harbaugh to Los Angeles and is coordinating one of the top defenses in the league in his first season. Macdonald, now in Seattle, is the league’s youngest head coach, and his success only strengthens Minter’s Harbaugh-backed case.