The 2022 NFL campaign hasn’t even ended yet, but several head coaching jobs already need to be filled for next season.

The Denver Broncos became the latest team to part ways with their head coach—joining the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers—before playing out the string. With Nathaniel Hackett out of the picture, Denver immediately becomes one of the hottest spots for a high-profile candidate to land.

Not every franchise can secure a head coach perceived to be in the upper echelon, however. Some clubs simply aren’t as attractive because of their roster construction, front office makeup, ownership group, financial situation and other factors.

With that in mind, here is a ranking of best head coaching jobs already available or likely to soon become so.

 

No. 4: Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a mess, and it’s going to take a ton of work to get this organization back on track.

While it could remain Kliff Kingsbury’s job, it’s looking likely the fourth-year head coach’s time in the desert is ending. Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post reported league execs “are anticipating” the Cardinals will move in a different direction before next season.

Arizona went into this year with the hope of building on a disappointing wild-card exit but is just 4-11 with two games left. Injuries have played a part in this disheartening showing, but the team is also tied to a quarterback who didn’t perform at a high level.

With Kyler Murray under contract until the 2028 after he signed a massive five-year extension this past summer, Arizona’s next head coach won’t have much of a choice on who their signal-caller will be.

While the Cardinals do have some talented pieces to build around—notably a pair of elite wideouts in Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins—there are more questions than answers heading into 2023.

Long-time GM Steve Keim is on an indefinite health-related leave of absence and has a strong chance of being axed this offseason as well. The next head coach could benefit from establishing a fresh relationship with a first-year GM as they look to build the team together.

A full regime change may help entice some of the better candidates to Arizona, but the combination of the Bidwill family’s lackluster ownership reputation, Murray’s potential albatross of a contract and having seen Kingsbury—once one of the top head coaching candidates in the league—go just 28-35-1 in his first 64 games could scare off the best ones.