Signing you in

In the NFL, having a top-tier quarterback and coach is crucial for success.

If you’re short at one of those positions, you have to be near-flawless everywhere else to have a shot at raising the Lombardi Trophy. Short at both? Welcome to the top of the 2027 draft. While the rest of the roster matters, nothing can compensate for the two most important spots in the NFL hierarchy.

In some cases, there are unknowns. For first-year coaches, it’s impossible to rank them highly, something that hurt the quarterback-rich Bills and Ravens in these rankings. In other cases, we haven’t seen enough from the quarterbacks, holding back teams such as the Raiders, Saints and Titans.

Ultimately, though, the list below provides a detailed look at where teams sit going into the spring, both proven and unproven. And we start in Cleveland, where a first-time coach and a quarterback with seven career starts aim to prove they have the right stuff to elevate a long-suffering franchise.

Note: In cases where teams had the same overall points, ties were broken using the quarterback ranked highest.

At 60, Monken is getting his second head-coaching gig. The first came from 2013 to ’15 with Southern Miss, where Monken led the Golden Eagles to a 13–20 record, including a 1–11 mark in his first season. Over the past three years, Monken oversaw the Ravens’ offense, led by a pair of future Hall of Famers, quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.

Unfortunately for Monken, that duo isn’t in Cleveland. Instead, he takes over a Browns team that has one playoff win since rejoining the league in 1999, and has a quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Sanders. As a rookie, Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while Watson has played only 19 games over the past five seasons.

LaFleur is the latest branch off Sean McVay’s coaching tree, but he’s a relative unknown at 39. Never a head coach at any level, LaFleur’s most notable experience was as Los Angeles’s offensive coordinator over the past three years, which saw the Rams reach the playoffs each season.

However, LaFleur also struggled as the Jets’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and ’22, a team with a quarterback situation similar to what Arizona has in Jacoby Brissett. In those two years, New York’s offense ranked 26th and 25th, respectively. For LaFleur to make this work, he’ll need Brissett to be average while rookie running back Jeremiyah Love and All-Pro tight end Trey McBride take over.

The southern migration from Green Bay to Miami has been a well-traveled path this offseason. With the Dolphins cleaning house, Miami brought in a power trio from the Packers: general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, coach Jeff Hafley and quarterback Malik Willis.

For each, this is a new role. Hafley was a head coach at Boston College, but never in the NFL. Sullivan has never run his own team, and Willis has been a career backup with six total starts. While Willis was excellent in a small sample size with the Packers (11 games, three starts), completing 78.7% of attempts with six touchdowns and zero interceptions, he’s a relative unknown. As for Hafley, he led Green Bay’s defense to a ranking of 11th in points and 12th in yardage. Of course, this unit doesn’t have Micah Parsons.

Smith returns to where it all began after the Raiders traded him to the Jets this offseason. Taking over for Justin Fields, Smith will be trying to rebound after tossing a league-high 17 interceptions last year with Las Vegas.

Glenn is in his second season with an improved roster. The Jets added a trio of first-round picks, including edge rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and receiver Omar Cooper Jr. Defensively, Glenn has to find more success. A former NFL defensive back and defensive coordinator, New York’s 31st-ranked scoring unit is the biggest argument against him going into 2026.

This pairing could skyrocket up the rankings, but since they’ve never been in this position before, they start from near the bottom.

Meanwhile, Kubiak led Seattle’s offense to a Super Bowl title only four months ago as offensive coordinator. The unit produced the league’s top receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Super Bowl MVP and a 1,000-yard back, Kenneth Walker III, and quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns. If Kubiak can get the trio of Mendoza, running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers in sync, the Raiders can surprise.

Canales is a terrific up-and-coming coach. The Panthers won 24 games over the five years before Canales arrived, and it took him two years to win the NFC South (albeit with an 8–9 mark). This, despite being saddled with a receiving corps that had one player amass more than 400 yards.

A major part of the problem is Young, who has underperformed since being the No. 1 selection in 2023. He’s thrown for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns just once, and although it was last season, he still finished with the 28th-best EPA (-40.8) behind Tua Tagovailoa, who was so bad that the Dolphins ate $55.4 million in dead cap just to release him this offseason.

The Saints quietly played much better at the end of 2025. They won four of their final five games, including wins over the Buccaneers and Panthers. Much of that can be attributed to Shough, who three times threw for at least 270 yards, including a pair of 300-yard efforts.

With New Orleans adding first-round receiver Jordyn Tyson and free-agent signing Travis Etienne Jr., the offense should be considerably better. To that end, Moore has the ability to be more aggressive in his play-calling, especially with Shough now entering his second year in the scheme.

The Titans added multiple weapons on offense to help elevate the play of quarterback Cam Ward. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images25. Tennessee Titans (48)-->25. Tennessee Titans (48)Coach/QB: Robert Saleh (23) and Cam Ward (25)

The Titans are one of the more intriguing teams in the league. After finishing 3–14 last season, Tennessee hired Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, signed a host of veterans, including slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, and corners Cor’Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor, and drafted wideout Carnell Tate and defensive end Keldric Faulk in the first round.

All this is great for Ward, who posted the league’s worst EPA by a considerable margin (-143.2) despite throwing for 3,169 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie. As for Saleh, the former Jets coach and 49ers defensive coordinator inherits a much-improved unit, including Taylor and Flott on the back end, with John Franklin-Myers, Jeffery Simmons and Faulk up front.

Who starts for the Falcons? With Penix coming off a torn ACL, it could be Tua Tagovailoa, who signed a one-year deal this offseason after his release by the Dolphins. Regardless of who starts, there’s plenty to prove under center. Penix struggled in his second NFL season, throwing nine touchdowns and completing 60.1% of his attempts over nine games.

Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year with the Browns (that’s a feat worth Canton), and has weapons to work with, including All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, second-team All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts and star wideout Drake London. He should also be able to entrust coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with the defense, who, in his first season with Atlanta, saw the unit rank 15th overall and second in sacks.

Steichen is a good coach who has been saddled with an impossible situation. Over his three years in Indianapolis, he’s had to start Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew II, Joe Flacco, Riley Leonard, Philip Rivers and Jones under center. That’s a recipe for failure, evidenced by his 25–26 record. There’s not a coach in football who would succeed with that group leading the way.

As for Jones, he’s coming off a fractured leg and a torn Achilles sustained in December. If he’s ready for the season, the looming question is which version are the Colts getting? Last year, Jones started white-hot with a 7–1 record, completing 71.2% of passes with 8.5 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. In the following five contests, Jones went 1–4, completing 62.4% of passes with a 7.4 YPA, six touchdowns and five picks.

While Tampa Bay has reached the playoffs two of the three seasons these two have been together, the Buccaneers have never seriously threatened in the NFC. And with Mayfield turning 31 this offseason and Bowles entering his ninth season as a head coach with one postseason win, change could be coming.

Coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl in their 13 seasons together in Green Bay. | Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel21. Pittsburgh Steelers (36)-->21. Pittsburgh Steelers (36)Coach/QB: Mike McCarthy (16) and Aaron Rodgers (20)

If this were 2010, we’d be talking about one of the top five pairings in the league. Instead, it’s ’26, and the Steelers might have a championship roster held back by this duo.

McCarthy is a good coach who has fallen short of expectations. During his 18 years with the Packers and Cowboys, he’s won consistently, with 174 victories, ranking 15th all-time. However, he’s reached just one Super Bowl despite having Rodgers and Dak Prescott in their prime.

Rodgers has proclaimed this is his final season, and some would argue that he should have quit years ago. After two injury-plagued years with the Jets, Rodgers signed with Pittsburgh last year and averaged a league-worst 3.7 completed air yards per attempt. At 42, there’s no reason to think he will suddenly revert to his four-time MVP form.

O’Connell is regarded as one of the best offensive minds within league circles, but he’s been searching for stability at quarterback. Since arriving in Minnesota before the 2022 season, the Vikings have employed Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy and others as starting quarterbacks. Darnold was brilliant in ’24 with 4,319 yards and 35 touchdown passes, but he left in free agency before winning a ring with the Seahawks.

This year, O’Connell has another partner in Murray, who comes over from the Cardinals after seven seasons and a pair of Pro Bowl appearances. In recent years, though, Murray hasn’t been healthy, playing 30 games over the past three seasons. When he was available, Murray posted positive EPAs two of the past three years, including +39.2 in 2024.

What to make of Stroud? After watching him throw for 4,108 yards as a rookie while leading the Texans to an AFC South title, the team results remain, but the individual play has dwindled. In 2023, Stroud posted an EPA of +35.3 only to see that figure tank to -42.3 in ’24. Last year, Stroud’s EPA was +31.5, but in the postseason, he threw five interceptions and fumbled five other times, ultimately losing in the divisional round.

While Ryans has proven himself an excellent coach who specializes in dominant defense—Houston ranked first in yards and second in points allowed in 2025—nothing matters if Stroud can’t become the star he was tracking to be early on.

The Commanders reached the NFC championship game in 2024, then failed to make the playoffs last season. The difference? Daniels’s health, which saw him play only seven games, while Washington finished in third place in the NFC East.

If Daniels is healthy, he’s electrifying. As a rookie, he threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for another 891 yards and six scores. Going into his third year, he needs to find a way to stay healthy.

With the Commanders adding a ton of defensive talent this offseason to aid Quinn’s specialty, including edge rushers Odafe Oweh and Charles Omenihu, linebackers Sonny Styles and Leo Chenal, and safety Nick Cross, they could make a huge leap back into contention.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott passed for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns under coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images17. Dallas Cowboys (32) -->17. Dallas Cowboys (32) Coach/QB: Brian Schottenheimer (24) and Dak Prescott (8)

The Cowboys have plenty of questions, but most center on a defense that ranked 30th a year ago. Offensively, the unit was second in yardage primarily because of Prescott, and receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, one of the league’s best trios. In 2025, Prescott threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns after finishing second in the MVP balloting two years before.

In Schottenheimer’s case, the coach enters his second season after finishing 7-9-1 in his first campaign. After moving off defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus for Christian Parker, did Schottenheimer push the right button? That choice will hover over Dallas’s season and potentially determine its fate.

It’s been a long time since there was a new face roaming the sideline in Baltimore. But with the ousting of John Harbaugh after an 8–9 debacle, Minter gets the opportunity to coach a team with perennial Super Bowl ambitions. Since Jackson’s arrival in 2018, the Ravens have posted an 86–47 mark with six seasons of double-digit wins and four AFC North titles.

However, Baltimore has failed to achieve much postseason success in that span, with only three wins and a single AFC title game appearance. Despite winning two MVPs, that failure partially defines Jackson’s career to this point. If the Ravens can finally thrive in January, Minter will be seen as a home-run hire, while Jackson will jump a few levels historically.

The new power couple in New York has reason to hope it can get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Harbaugh comes over after 18 years with the Ravens, during which he won a Super Bowl, six division titles and made 13 playoff appearances. Joining the Giants, he has familiar faces with him, including tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard and All-Pro punter Jordan Stout, all signing from Baltimore.

No team has a bigger spread between the coach and quarterback. Allen is a phenomenal talent who has an MVP and two second-team All-Pro honors to his credit. He’s arguably the best player in the NFL, accounting for 39 touchdowns last season. If he can finally reach and win a Super Bowl, he’ll truly join the conversation of all-time greats.

That said, Brady has plenty to prove. Many Bills fans screamed for his dismissal last year, when, as offensive coordinator, he often called for safe throws instead of more aggressive shots. The result was Allen ranking 25th in intended air yards per attempt (7.3), tying him with Bo Nix, Joe Flacco and Mac Jones. Taking over a team with championship dreams, Brady has plenty to prove.

What to do with the Eagles and this ranking? Hurts is a Super Bowl champion, having made two appearances, and he’s one of the better big-game players in the game. However, he also struggles to throw in the middle of the field and has only 6,127 passing yards over the past two seasons. He’s a good player, but not a great one.

With Sirianni, his résumé speaks for itself. His record of 59–26, a .694 win percentage, is spectacular, and the latter figure ranks fifth all-time for any coach with at least 50 victories. Still, he’s perpetually put on the hot seat by fans despite two Super Bowl trips, but also three years without a playoff win.

Goff continued putting up huge numbers with 4,564 yards and 34 touchdowns, but saw his EPA drop from +144.0 in 2024 to +79.1, still checking in fifth, however. There’s room for the Lions to shoot up the rankings, but much of that depends on Campbell’s ability to get something out of a defense that is hoping safety Kerby Joseph (knee) and do-it-all defensive back Brian Branch (Achilles) can regain their star status.

It’s fair to argue that if Nix doesn’t fracture his ankle during Denver’s overtime win against the Bills in the divisional round, we’re talking about the AFC champs. That’s a credit to Payton, who hired defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to lead the league’s second-ranked unit while finishing first with 68 sacks.

Of course, Payton has also coaxed enough offense from a limited group. Nix has been solid, helping Denver reach the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. That said, he paced the NFL with 612 attempts and failed to throw for 4,000 yards, something only Sam Howell can match over the past 15 years. With the offseason trade for star receiver Jaylen Waddle, Nix has a chance to improve his numbers.

Most of Taylor’s time in Cincinnati has been marked by underachievement, as evidenced by his 52-63-1 record, including three consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. While some of that can be explained by Burrow missing 16 games over that span, the Bengals are also just 19–16 when he plays. If this were any other ownership group, Taylor would be on an annual hot seat.

With Burrow, the only question is availability. In his six-year career, he hasn’t played in 23 games. When healthy, he’s a superstar. In 2024, he led the league with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns. He’s also reached a Super Bowl and two AFC championship games. Lining up with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside, Burrow is poised for another great season—if he’s upright.

Under Ben Johnson's tutelage, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns while engineering a league-high six fourth-quarter comebacks. | David Banks-Imagn Images9. Chicago Bears (21)-->9. Chicago Bears (21)Coach/QB: Ben Johnson (10) and Caleb Williams (11)

The Bears captivated Chicago last year, winning 11 games and a playoff game over the Packers despite ranking 29th defensively.

The coupling of Johnson and Williams has proven dynamic. Johnson schemed up the rushing attack between veteran D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai, helping the Bears check in third with 144.5 yards per game. Then there’s Williams, who threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns while engineering a league-high six fourth-quarter comebacks.

With Johnson and Williams entering their second season together, and with an offense loaded with stars, including tight end Colston Loveland and wideout Rome Odunze, there’s no limit on what can be accomplished.

Lawrence started slow but got comfortable in Coen’s scheme as the year went on, tossing 15 touchdowns against one interception over Jacksonville’s final six regular-season games. If he can continue playing anywhere near that pace in 2026, the Jaguars are Super Bowl contenders.

Meanwhile, Darnold was solid in the regular season with 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns before excelling in the playoffs, throwing for five touchdowns and zero interceptions, headlined by a 346-yard performance in a 31–27 win over the Rams in the NFC title game. Darnold will never be a top-tier quarterback, but he’s more than enough.

Shanahan has primarily been defined by his Super Bowl shortcomings, but league insiders see a coach who has mastered the run game while creating easy throws for his quarterbacks. With five playoff appearances over his nine seasons, including four NFC title games, Shanahan has shown he can adapt despite having average quarterback play.

Speaking of Purdy, he’s trying to recapture his 2023 form when he threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. Since then, Purdy has played 24 games and thrown for 251.2 yards per game, with 40 passing touchdowns against 22 interceptions. If he continues to play at that pace, he’s at risk of being a cap casualty after the 2027 season, when he can be released for a savings of $42.2 million.

The first of five teams with both their quarterback and coach inside the top 10, the Packers have the bones of a championship team.

For Green Bay, the problem has been finding the star power needed to make a deep run. Over the past three seasons, the Packers have been a wild-card team and have won only a single playoff game. The problem hasn’t been LaFleur or Love, but a defense that allowed 27.2 points per game throughout that stretch. The answer was supposed to be edge rusher Micah Parsons, who was great with 12.5 sacks until he tore his ACL in Week 15 against the Broncos.

Entering his fourth season as a starter, Love has shown the chops needed to win. He’s thrown for 25 touchdowns on two occasions and averaged 7.6 yards per attempt for his career. He’s also terrific at avoiding sacks, being brought down on just 4.27% of dropbacks, the best of any active quarterback. Finally, with a +95.6 EPA in 2025, Love ranked third behind only All-Pros Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford.

For the Chargers, it’s all about finding postseason success. Los Angeles has been there each of the two seasons under Harbaugh, only to be rudely bounced from the wild-card round by a combined score of 48–15. Harbaugh has changed the culture, establishing a run-first identity that saw the Chargers sign Y-tight end Charlie Kolar and fullback Alec Ingold this offseason.

The defense has also played the part, ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 2024 and ’25. However, with former coordinator Jesse Minter now in Baltimore, there are questions to be answered.

With Herbert, the narrative has become that he can't win the big game. In three playoff games, he’s lost a 27–0 lead, thrown four interceptions and totaled 159 yards on 5.1 yards per attempt. Still, he’s also had very little help. He was sacked 54 times last season, third-most in the league. Herbert also has Ladd McConkey and no other proven commodity on the perimeter, with rookie Jake Slaughter and retread Cole Strange projected as his starting guards. Herbert’s talent is undeniable, but he’ll need to rise above the challenges.

Suffice to say, this hasn’t been a banner offseason for Vrabel and the Patriots. On the field, though, Vrabel authored a tremendous turnaround, helping New England capture the AFC East for the first time since 2019 before reaching the Super Bowl. This is a continuation of Vrabel’s ability from his time with the Titans, where he led Tennessee to three consecutive playoff appearances and an AFC title game.

Last summer, the talk was about whether Stafford would be able to play due to a disc problem in his back. He then went out and had the best statistical season of his career, winning MVP honors with 4,707 passing yards and 46 scores. Although he’s 38 years old, nobody is playing at a higher level both mentally and physically than Stafford.

In McVay, the Rams have the ultimate chess master. After almost exclusively playing 11-personnel for much of his career, he had Los Angeles lined up with three-tight-end sets on more than 30% of offensive snaps, more than double any other team. His versatility and the ability to match talent to scheme while disguising intent are unparalleled.

For the first time in years, there’s a case to be made that the Chiefs don’t belong here. Kansas City went 6–11 in 2025 after three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and Mahomes is now coming off a torn ACL and LCL. While he was on the field for the first day of OTAs, it remains unclear when he’ll be 100%.

Regardless, Mahomes is the standard-bearer of his generation. He’s a two-time MVP, a three-time Super Bowl champion and has reached five Super Bowls and seven AFC title games. While the Chiefs struggled to a 6–8 mark with Mahomes under center, he still threw for 3,587 yards and 22 touchdowns in 14 games while ranking sixth in EPA (+65.2) despite missing almost a month. In short, Mahomes remains elite.

The bigger question is Reid, who, despite being a future Hall of Fame coach, struggled to find the right formula last year. The result was the re-hiring of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to replace Matt Nagy, along with changes to the running backs and receivers coaches. Reid, 68, needs to refresh his scheme, creating easy yardage through clever design and going under center more in the run game. Can he do it?

Published May 28, 2026 | Modified May 28, 2026MATT VERDERAMEMatt Verderame is a national NFL staff writer for Sports Illustrated, writing features, columns and more. Before joining Sports Illustrated in March 2023, Verderame wrote for FanSided and SB Nation. He’s a proud husband to Stephanie and father of two girls, Maisy and Genevieve. In his spare time, Verderame is an avid collector of vintage baseball cards.

One of our pairings moved up 18 spots from last year, and for the first time in years, the No. 1 duo is not a slam dunk to own the top spot.