The Washington Commanders became the 8th and final NFL team to fill their head coaching vacancy this off-season when they hired Dan Quinn on Thursday. Five of the eight new hires are first time coaches in the league, one of them becoming the youngest coach in the game today when the Seahawks brought on 36-year-old Mike Macdonald on Wednesday.
Commanders Hire Quinn To Finish NFL Coach Hiring Cycle
NFL’s now completed 2024 head-coaching hiring-cycle scorecard:
🏈Commanders: Dan Quinn
🏈Seahawks: Mike Macdonald
🏈Falcons: Raheem Morris
🏈Panthers: Dave Canales
🏈Chargers: Jim Harbaugh
🏈Titans: Brian Callahan
🏈Raiders: Antonio Pierce
🏈Patriots: Jerod Mayo— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 1, 2024
There has been a youth movement in the league recently, as evidenced by the two oldest head coaches in the NFL being let go by their teams already this off-season. There are now seven coaches who are under the age of 40, and 21 of the league’s 32 coaches are under 50 at the time of writing.
The 8 new hires made this year are in addition to the 5 that were made in 2023, meaning that well over a third of the league has changed over coaches in just the last two years. In fact, there are only 8 current head coaches who have been with their current teams since before the 2020 NFL season.
Who Is The Longest-Tenured Coach In The League?
Here are the eight longest-tenured coaches active in the league today:
1. Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers
2007 to Present – 17 Years
2. John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens
2008 to Present – 16 Years
3. Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs
2013 to Present – 11 Years
4. Sean McDermott – Buffalo Bills
2017 to Present – 7 Years
5. Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams
2017 to Present – 7 years
6. Kyle Shanahan – San Francisco 49ers
2017 to Present – 7 Years
7. Matt LaFleur – Green Bay Packers
2018 to Present – 6 Years
8. Zac Taylor – Cincinnati Bengals
2019 to Present – 5 Years
Perhaps interestingly, three of the longest-tenured current head coaches come from the same division. Both #1 and #2 on the list have had years of heated battles between the Steelers and Ravens, and the Bengals now have one of the longest-tenured lead men as well.
Two of the coaches on the list will be meeting in the Super Bowl this year in Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan.
Each of the coaches on the list qualified for the playoffs this past season, outside of Taylor, whose team dealt with a quarterback injury and inconsistent play to start the year.
Mike Tomlin would have to be at the helm in Pittsburgh for 12 more years if he wants to challenge the all time record. Curly Lambeau coached the Green Bay Packers for 29 straight years from 1921 until 1949, and Tom Landry had the same length of tenure with the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 until 1988.
Bill Belichick’s 24 seasons in New England mark the 3rd longest tenure in NFL history.
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