FLOWERY BRANCH — With the Cowboys electing to stay with Mike McCarthy, seven NFL teams are searching for new coaches.
The Falcons, Chargers, Commanders, Seahawks, Titans, Panthers and Raiders are in coach-search mode.
“I believe this team is very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals, and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach,” Dallas owner Jerry Jones said in a statement released Wednesday. “There is great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership as our head coach.”
The Cowboys are in the A-league of the NFL, the group of 10-12 teams who frequently make the playoffs and have a chance to compete for the Super Bowl title.
Teams such as the Falcons and the others searching for coaches are in the B-league.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talks about parity, but teams in the B-league are chronic strugglers.
The Jets didn’t score a touchdown for four weeks during the regular season.
In Las Vegas, where tickets average $400, the Raiders beat the Vikings 3-0. The fans had a right to a rebate or a refund.
The B-league teams can beat each other, but they are treading water, and that’s why the Falcons, who have six consecutive losing seasons, and others are looking for new coaches.
Here’s how the openings rank when taking into consideration the quarterback situation, draft position, Pro Bowl players, salary-cap situation and the culture of losing:
1. Chargers: The Chargers have what most coaches are looking for, a quarterback.
Justin Herbert is set to enter his fifth season in the league. He has a 30-32 record as a starter. He passed for more than 5,000 yards in 2021 and was named to the Pro Bowl. He guided the Chargers to the playoffs in 2022 and lost in the wild-card round.
The Chargers, who are valued at $4.15 billion by Forbes, have two Pro Bowlers in wide receiver Keenan Allen and linebacker Khalil Mack. They also have four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa and three-time Pro Bowl safety Derwin James.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, has interviewed for the job and is widely considered the front-runner. Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brian Callahan also is set to interview with the Chargers.
However, the Chargers are $44 million over the 2024 salary cap and will have to restructure contracts or have salary-cap casualties.
2. Commanders: The Commanders have a new ownership group, with Josh Harris buying the team from Daniel Snyder. What makes them attractive is that they have the No. 2 pick in the draft and can settle their quarterback situation. Also, they have a league-high $84.3 million in salary-cap space.
The fan base is ready for a return to their glory days, but after the team traded some of its top players at the trade deadline, the Commanders are in for a rebuilding period.
They don’t have a long-term solution at quarterback in Sam Howell. He went 4-13 as a starter and threw a league-high 21 interceptions and was sacked a league-high 65 times.
The Commanders, who are valued at $6.05 billion, also didn’t not have any players going to the Pro Bowl this season.
The Commanders have the second overall pick in the draft and will have a chance to draft either USC’s Caleb Williams or LSU’s Jayden Daniels. North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Washington’s Anthony Penix Jr. and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy also are fine NFL quarterback prospects.
3. Seahawks: The Seahawks moved on from longtime coach Pete Carroll, 72, after 14 seasons and a Super Bowl title. He guided the Seahawks to the playoffs 10 times and had three losing seasons.
The Seahawks have quarterback Geno Smith, but he’s 33.
They have three Pro Bowlers in linebacker Brian Wagner, cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safety Julian Love. They also have wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who went to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
The Seahawks, who are valued at $5 billion, are the third most-desirable team because they have a winning tradition.
The Seahawks are set to pick 16th in the draft, which is too far back to get one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. The Seahawks are projected to be $4 million over the salary cap.
4. Titans: The Titans may have their quarterback of the future in Will Levis, who made his debut against the Falcons and beat them this season.
After looking like John Elway against the Falcons, Levis went 2-6 in his other starts. He was drafted in the second round (33rd overall), just a year after the former regime drafted Malik Willis in the third round (86th overall).
The Titans, who are valued at $4.4 billion, have the seventh overall pick in the draft, and the new coach may want his own quarterback.
Running back Derrick Henry, who was the Titans’ only Pro Bowl player, appears headed for free agency.
The Titans started lining up for the rebuild when they traded safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles in-season. The Titans have had two consecutive losing seasons and are set to have $73.9 million in salary-cap space, which ranks third in the league.
5. Falcons: The Falcons need a quarterback, which makes them one of the least-desirable teams in the search. Also, they have only $29.8 million in salary-cap space, which ranks 18th in the league.
Not only do they need a quarterback, they are not in position to get one of the top two prospects in the draft. They are set to pick No. 8 and would have to trade up to get Williams, Daniels and possibly Maye. Penix and J.J. McCarthy could be available with the eighth pick.
The Falcons may have to sign Kirk Cousins in free agency or try to acquire Justin Fields from the Bears in a trade.
Cousins has thrown for nearly 40,000 yards and has a 76-67-2 regular-season record. He was drafted by Washington in 2012 when Falcons executive Kyle Smith was a scout with the team.
Bill Belichick, the first candidate to have a second interview set up with the Falcons, tried to replace Tom Brady with an aging Cam Newton, so he can play with an athletic quarterback such as Fields. Cousins is coming back from an Achilles injury.
The Falcons are valued at $4.7 billion.
6. Panthers: The Panthers have some talent assembled on defense and may have their long-term answer at quarterback in Bryce Young.
The Panthers moved up to the No. 1 spot in the draft to select Young last year. He struggled behind a makeshift offensive line and without any weapons.
While the Panthers did not have any Pro Bowl players from last season, they can build the defense around tackle Derrick Brown and outside linebacker Brian Burns. The don’t have a first-round pick this season after trading for Young, but they have $31 million in salary-cap space.
The Panthers, who are valued at $4.1 billion, have interviewed Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
7. Raiders: The Raiders have had only one winning season over the past seven, and they need a quarterback.
Aidan McConnell, who was a fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue, started last season as a rookie, and Jimmy Garoppolo was injured.
Garoppolo, 32, has a 43-20 record as a starter, but has never been selected to the Pro Bowl.
The defense is anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby. The Raiders have $43.4 million in salary-cap space.
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