Jay Gruden

Cincinnati OC, Age 47 in 2014

Gruden has done a fantastic job in Cincinnati getting the most out of Andy Dalton as their offensive coordinator, since taking over in 2011. He’s drawn the respect of the rest of the league and has been considered for head coaching jobs in the past, but has maintained a stance that he’s not ready to be an NFL head coach. Maybe this year he’ll have interest.

Greg Roman

San Francisco OC, Age 42 in 2014

Greg Roman is another guy that has drawn interest from around the league in terms of him being an NFL head coach and if the 49ers hadn’t made long playoff runs in each of the past two years, he might already have his own team. Teams usually like to have their head coach in place by mid-January, so assistants whose teams are still playing at that point are at a disadvantage. If the 49ers don’t make a long playoff run, Roman will be a hot commodity. He and Jim Harbaugh have been tied at the hip since he took over as Stanford’s offensive coordinator in 2009 and many around the league see him as a Jim Harbaugh-lite.

Darrell Bevell

Seattle OC, Age 44 in 2014

Last season, the Seahawks lost defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where the successful defensive coordinator became the new head coach. They could face a similar situation with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell this season. Bevell was hand-picked by Pete Carroll and has been the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator for each of the past 3 seasons and over the past 2 seasons he’s helped Russell Wilson develop from an overlooked 3^rd round pick into one of the best signal callers in the NFL.

Ken Whisenhunt

San Diego OC, Age 52 in 2014

Ken Whisenhunt was Arizona’s head coach from 2007-2012, going 45-51 and making a Super Bowl. When he was fired, it was a little bit of a surprise and he could certainly be seen as a capable head coach by teams around the league this off-season, especially after he redeemed himself in San Diego, doing a masterful job helping turn around the career of Philip Rivers.

Todd Bowles

Arizona DC, Age 51 in 2014

When the Dolphins fired Tony Sparano in 2011, Todd Bowles took over as the interim head coach for the final few games of the season. He’s yet to really be considered for a head coaching job, but that could just be because he’s never had a lot of coordinator experience. However, in his first full season as a defensive coordinator this season, the long-time secondary coach has led one of the best stop units in the NFL in Arizona.

Mike Zimmer

Cincinnati DC, Age 58 in 2014

Mike Zimmer has been Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator since 2008, which is a very long time for someone to stay in one job in the NFL. He’s been very good, especially over the past few seasons as Cincinnati’s defense has been one of the better defenses in the NFL and helped carry the Bengals to 3 straight post-season appearances. Before that, he did a very good job as the defensive coordinator in Dallas from 2000-2006 (with a one year stop in Atlanta in between). He’s gotten some interest in the past as a head coaching candidate, but nothing substantial. Perhaps this is the year he’ll do the rounds in the interview process and possibly end up as a head man. There’s also the possibility he has no desire to move beyond the defensive coordinator position, where he’s been in the NFL for 14 seasons, which is fine because he’s very good at it.

Bob Sutton

Kansas City DC, Age 63 in 2014

Bob Sutton has done a fantastic job as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator this season and has been in the NFL since 2000, in a variety of capacities with the New York Jets, including defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He also has experience as a head coach, coaching at the United States Military Academy from 1991-1999. His age could work against him, but he’ll get some looks this off-season.

Vic Fangio

San Francisco DC, Age 56 in 2014

Like San Francisco offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Vic Fangio might have his own team already if the 49ers hadn’t made long playoff runs in each of the past two seasons. Also like Roman, Fangio has been bound at the hip with Jim Harbaugh for a few years, coming over with him from Stanford, where he was the defensive coordinator in 2010. In the NFL, he’s coordinated a defense that has been among the league best in each of the last three years. If the 49ers don’t go on another long playoff run, Fangio could easily be elsewhere as a head coach in 2014.

Art Briles

Baylor HC, Age 59 in 2014

While some of the big name college head coaches like Stanford’s David Shaw and Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin probably aren’t going anywhere, we could still see at least one college head coach making the leap to the NFL this season. Art Briles has done a great job turning around Baylor’s football program, taking it from a 3-9 team with a 0-8 record in the Big-12 in 2007 to an 11-1 team with an 8-1 Big-12 record in 2013, producing big seasons from quarterbacks Robert Griffin and Bryce Petty along the way. If Mike Shanahan is not back in Washington next season, Briles would figure to be the favorite to replace him, reuniting with Griffin in DC.

Bill O’Brien

Penn State HC, Age 45 in 2014

Bill O’Brien is another college head coach who could make the leap. O’Brien has an NFL background, being part of the Patriots’ coaching staff from 2007-2011, including offensive coordinator in 2011. As head coach of Penn State, O’Brien has done a fantastic job in a near impossible situation, taking over for Joe Paterno after the Jerry Sandusky scandal, leading them to 8-4 and 7-5 seasons. It’s no secret he’d like to return to the NFL as a head coach if an opportunity presents itself as he’s trying to get the buyout in his contract reduced even further and I think an opportunity will present itself.

Lovie Smith

Ex-Chicago HC, Age 56 in 2014

Lovie Smith is one of just a few head coaches to be fired after a 10+ win season over the past 25 years or so and it was kind of a surprise when he was let go. The Bears’ defense has noticeably missed his leadership this season. Smith was out of the NFL this season, but only because he was collecting a salary from the Bears either way. After a year off, it’s widely assumed he’ll try to come back to the NFL and more likely than not he’ll have a job waiting for him. As head coach of the Chicago Bears, he went 81-63 in 9 seasons and made a Super Bowl.

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