Ranking the Five Best Head Coaches in the NFL for 2024

Coaching in the NFL is certainly no piece of cake. And as the head coach of an NFL franchise, that person has to oversee every minute detail be it on offense, defense, special teams, or even in management. The job is not for everyone and even the best of the best seem rattled when the going gets tough.

Nevertheless, the reward of coaching an NFL team goes beyond just the work done on the practice field or in games. It is also about inducing a loving environment within the team, motivating the players and staff around them to get the best out of everybody, and creating a lifetime of bonds that extend off the field.

With that in mind, let us take a look at the top five head coaches in the NFL in 2024.

5. Mike Tomlin

To round off the top five, we have Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin. If it were not for the lack of his recent success in the NFL, Tomlin could easily have been in the top three. Unfortunately, though, his one Super Bowl win came back in 2009 which was just his second season as a head coach.

Tomlin who has the distinct honor of never having a losing season in the NFL has found postseason success difficult to come by since 2016. The Steelers have lost in the Divisional round in 2017 as the No. 2 seed and then have lost three times in the Wild Card Round.

What Tomlin does best is that he manages and motivates players very well to get the best out of them. He is known to be an excellent leader and these are perhaps all the qualities due to which Tomlin has been able to take underperforming teams to achieve better results.

In fact, since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, Tomlin hasn’t had a great quarterback to lead the team and despite that he has put the Steelers in winning positions time and again.

4. John Harbaugh

At No. 4 is Baltimore Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh. A few years ago before Lamar Jackson entered the scene, Harbaugh probably wouldn’t find himself on this list. He has had the rare success of winning a Super Bowl but that came a long time ago in 2013.

As the head coach of the Ravens since 2008, Harbaugh has missed the postseason only 5 times in 16 seasons which speaks volumes due to the competition in this league. With the arrival of Jackson, the Ravens’ head coach has found new vigor and his ability to hire the right coordinators around him has been a leading factor to his success.

The greatest pride comes from the fact that he and Jackson have led the Ravens to the number 1 seed in the AFC twice coming from the tough AFC North division as well as in the era of Reid and Mahomes in Kansas City.

Harbaugh, for his part, is a good speaker and motivator. He has an appealing personality and a soft side which helps him to connect with his players.

3. Sean McVay

Going by recent success, Los Angeles Rams head coach, Sean McVay takes the No. 3 spot. Now 38 years old, McVay became the youngest NFL head coach in the modern day when the Rams gave him the job in 2017 at the age of 30 years.

Since his tenure with the Rams began, McVay has already reached the Super Bowl twice. He lost his first Super Bowl against the Tom Brady-led Patriots in 2018 in just his second year in charge. However, he came back stronger and guided L.A. to the championship in 2021 against the Bengals.

In his seven years in charge as a head coach, McVay has made the playoffs five times. Moreover, he is young, dynamic, and an energetic person to be around.

2. Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan has been around the NFL ever since he was a small boy. Son of Mike Shanahan who won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Kyle has adapted and evolved the run game strategy that suits his players in the modern-day game. He is known to be one of the best offensive play callers in the league and has been highly successful as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers since taking the job in 2017.

In the last five years, Shanahan has guided the 49ers to the playoffs where they have had two Super Bowl losses and two NFC Championship game losses. While he is still awaiting his first ring as a head coach, there is no denying the fact that Shanahan is an immensely talented head coach who can fit a winning formula around the team he has at his disposal.

He has a great ability to get the most out of his players and has shown many times how he can improve his players to a level that may not otherwise have been possible.

1. Andy Reid

The No. 1 spot as of 2024 is basically a no-brainer. Andy Reid takes this one with ease quite simply because of the level of success he has achieved recently and the type of player manager he is. Reid has been coaching for a long time in this league and the upcoming 2024 season will be his 25th as a head coach.

While at one point in time, it seemed that Reid was just not destined to lay his hands on the Lombardi Trophy, his recent level of success with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs has elevated him to a whole new level as a coach.

A career record of 258-144-1 serves testament to how great of a coach he has been not only with the Chiefs but with the Eagles as well. The three-time Super Bowl winner has five Super Bowl appearances and 12 AFC/NFC Championship games under his belt.

Moreover, players love him because along with making them better on the field, his caring nature makes him easy to be around.

Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here . Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network .

The post Ranking the Five Best Head Coaches in the NFL for 2024 appeared first on NFL Analysis Network .