Super Bowl LII wrapped up on Sunday night and completed the 2017-2018 NFL season. With the season be in over, teams are free to reach out and speak with coaching staffs from the New England Patriots and the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. It seems that each and every year, teams like to pick apart the New England Patriots coaching staff as they are led by one of the greatest coaches of all time and Bill Belichick.
There are currently numerous Head Coaching positions that have already been filled by prior Bill Belichick Assistant Coaches, Offensive and Defensive Coordinators, and since Sunday night, a few more have joined the ranks.
Overall, there have been 7 coaching vacancies that have been filled since the end of the NFL regular season. Some of these coaching positions were filled by top caliber candidates and some were filled by sort of off-the-wall names. Let’s take a look at some of the new faces you will see along the sidelines and how they will affect the odds for the 2018-2019 NFL season.
Arizona Cardinals – Steve Wilks
The Arizona Cardinals former head coach Bruce Arians retired after 5 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals leaving open a coaching vacancy in Arizona. The Cardinals organization didn’t take very long to find Arians replacement. The Cardinals have named Steve Wilks as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Wilks was the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and built up one of the best defense of squads in the NFL. Wilks does not have any head coaching experience at this level and that probably attributes to the deep odds of the Cardinals winning the 2018-2019 Super Bowl LIII. The Cardinals are currently listed at 50/1 to win the Super Bowl next year.
Chicago Bears – Matt Nagy
The John Fox era, or what some would call a error, is over in Chicago as the Bears have cut ties with Fox and are now moving on and what many feel is an offensive position. The bear signed Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy to become their new head coach and replace John Fox.
Nagy is 39 years old and has spent his entire career coaching under Kansas City head coach Andy Reid. Nagy was successful in Kansas City as the Offensive Coordinator but it remains to be seen if that will carry over to head-coaching success. The Chicago Bears are one of the longest shots on the board at 150/1 to win Super Bowl LIII.
Detroit Lions – Matt Patricia
The Detroit Lions cut ties former head coach Jim Caldwell after 4 seasons. Caldwell had many questionable play calls towards the end of the year and failing to advance to the playoffs sealed his fate. The Lions had their eyes on the prize in head coaching candidates and wait until after the Super Bowl to announce the signing of New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
Patricia has been with the Patriots organization as their defensive coordinator since 2004, serving in various positions under coach Bill Belichick. Patricia has served as an Offensive Assistant, Assistant Offensive Line Coach, Linebackers Coach, Safeties Coach, and his final position a Defensive Coordinator. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and will look to carry that success to Detroit. The Lions are 50/1 to win Super Bowl LIII.
Indianapolis Colts – Josh McDaniels
The Indianapolis Colts were another team that snagged an Assistant Coach from Bill Belichick this year. The Colts signed New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels to be their new head coach. McDaniels will replace Chuck Pagano who was fired last year after missing the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year.
McDaniels is a very talented offensive guru who is a 5 time Super Bowl champion. McDaniels had a brief stint as the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009 to 2010 before moving on to become the Offensive Coordinator in St. Louis. McDaniels lasted one year in St. Louis before returning home to the New England Patriots in 2012. McDaniels spent majority of his career in New England and is a proven commodity as far as operating in offense. The Indianapolis Colts were 100/1 when the NFL Super Bowl LIII odds were released but they have since dropped to 35/1!
Update: After this article was written, it was discovered that McDaniels backed out of the contract with the Colts to become their head coach and will now remain on with the New England Patriots as the Offensive Coordinator. It is unknown at this time who will take over as the Colts head coach.
New York Giants – Pat Shurmur
The New York Giants didn’t wait until the end of the year to figure out they needed to part ways with former head coach Ben McAdoo. McAdoo took a ton of heat this year when he sat Eli Manning breaking his consecutive games streak.
The Giants have hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to take over head-coaching responsibilities for the Giants. Shurmur did an amazing job this year flip-flopping between quarterbacks and losing their star running back in Dalvin Cook. The Giants and Shurmur are 75/1 to win Super Bowl LIII.
Oakland Raiders – Jon Gruden
The Oakland Raiders parted ways with their former head coach Jack Del Rio and went back to history and signed a former Oakland Raiders coach in Jon Gruden. It seems each and every year Gruden’s name circulates about taking over an NFL team and each year the former ESPN analyst turns down NFL coaching position rumors.
This year was a little bit different, as Gruden will be returning home where he wanted to coach. Gruden was the head coach in Oakland from 1998 until 2001 and as he’s been open about, he never wanted to leave the Oakland Raiders. Vegas oddsmakers have made the Oakland Raiders 30/1 to win Super Bowl LIII.
Tennessee Titans – Mike Vrabel
Making the playoffs and securing a win in the playoffs simply was not enough for Mike Mullarkey to retain his position with the Tennessee Titans as the head coach of the organization. The Titans and Mullarkey parted ways following their postseason playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Tennessee wasted little time in reaching out to Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel. Vrabel will take over a Tennessee team that is stacked with talent and one of the youngest offenses in the NFL. Oddsmakers have made the Tennessee Titans 50/1 to win Super Bowl LIII.
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