Shula, Schmula and seven, schmeven.

Bill Belichick eschewed the opportunity to surpass Don Shula for the most coaching wins in NFL history and vie for his seventh Super Bowl this week, agreeing instead to a five-year deal to give it the new college try.

Belichick’s upcoming gig guiding North Carolina represents his first college job. It also removes him from this list of NFL head coaching candidates to watch. Yes, the playoffs are nigh, but the flip side tells us the offseason looms for 18 of 32 teams.

The Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets will be seeking new leadership after firing coaches during the season. Multiple other organizations—the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, to name two—could well follow suit.

These are the leading possibilities to be next in line. 

Mike Vrabel

Experience and pedigree highlight the attributes of the former New England Patriots linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach. Those should scream out to each organization seeking a new coach or pondering pulling the plug on their current one.

Vrabel didn’t coach this season after Tennessee dismissed him following the 2023 campaign. He went 54-45 in six seasons with the Titans, including three playoff appearances, and won three Super Bowls as a player under Belichick.

His resume is tops on the list, hands down.

Ben Johnson

Coaching dismissals frequently stem from a lack of offensive innovation and execution. That wouldn’t be a problem under Johnson, the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator who has orchestrated a top-five scoring attack in each of his three seasons at the position.

Detroit enters Week 15 as the NFL leader in points (417) and points per game (32.1) and ranks second with 394.8 yards per game.

The iffy statuses of veteran quarterbacks in New Orleans (Derek Carr) and New York (Aaron Rodgers) may muddle things in those locales, but imagine Johnson working alongside Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.

Aaron Glenn

There’s no sense worrying about it amid a run for the NFC’s top seed, but Lions faithful might be more than Honolulu blue this winter, even if the 2024 season ends in elusive ecstasy.

That’s because Detroit’s defensive coordinator is a prime coaching candidate, too. Glenn’s stability leading the ‘D’ has coincided with the Lions’ organizational rise, and his fourth season has been his best.

Even with injury upon injury besetting the depth chart, the Lions are tied with Detroit and Philadelphia for the second-fewest points per game allowed (18). They also rank 10th in defensive yards per game (318.2).

Brian Flores

Another candidate with previous head coaching experience, Flores was 24-25 with the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21 but won 19 games over his final two seasons.

His continued strong work as Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator makes him an intriguing option for another crack at a head job.

While the resurgence of quarterback Sam Darnold is a big reason why the Vikings are 11-2 and one game back of the Lions, the defense has been equally magnetic. Minnesota’s unit ranks first in interceptions (20), second in takeaways (27) and rushing yards allowed per game (87.2) and sixth in scoring (18.5 points per game). 

Jesse Minter

Being cool by association never hurts in the NFL coaching game or life in general.

Minter fits the bill for having shined under the tutelage of both Harbaugh brothers, but he’s clearly lots more than a lackey. The former Michigan defensive coordinator followed Jim Harbaugh to the NFL after the Wolverines’ national championship and now leads the NFL’s top-scoring ‘D’ with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Another branch on the Harbaugh coaching tree bolsters Minter’s candidacy. His predecessor as Michigan D-coordinator was first-year Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who pivoted from U-M to become Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator before heading to Seattle.