Top Green Bay Packers Head Coaching Candidates for 2019

PackFan2005 For the first time since after the 2005 season, the Packers are looking for a new head coach to succeed Mike McCarthy. Here, I will provide a list of who I think are the best candidates for the job.

Honorable Mentions

Bruce Arians
He would have made the initial top ten, but since he ruled out coaching Green Bay, I have him in as an honorable mention.

Lincoln Riley
(Oklahoma Sooners Head Coach)
He’s an honorable mention also because he just signed an extension with Oklahoma following an Orange Bowl loss to Alabama. He’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

#10. Zac Taylor
(Los Angeles Rams Quarterbacks Coach)
Taylor is a young offensive mind that has worked with Sean McVay and helped Jared Goff flourish. Taylor is garnering interest from other teams, but not as much Green Bay. This may be a long shot to happen.

#9. Dave Toub
(Kansas City Chiefs Special Teams Coach)
This actually makes sense on Green Bay’s part, considering how awful their special teams unit has been. They could knock Ron Zook to the curb and bring Green Bay’s special teams back from the dead.

#8. Adam Gase
Look, I’m not exactly going to rule out Adam Gase to be Green Bay’s next head coach. Yeah, I know he was fired by the Dolphins, but he was given little talent to work with. By 2018, Ndamukong Suh, Jarvis Landry, and Jay Ajayi were all gone. Ryan Tannehill also hasn’t exactly been a sufficient starter in Miami in a while. We know what he can do with talent. He was the offensive coordinator behind Peyton Manning’s legendary 2013 season, and that proves with a quarterback, Gase can get you places. Aaron Rodgers could revive himself under him. However, if Green Bay were to bring him in, he would probably be a coordinator rather than head coach.

#7. Jim Caldwell
Is #7 too high for Caldwell? I put him here because I think he’s a good coach. Say what you want about his rocky tenure with Detroit, but he actually made them average, and even got them to the playoffs in 2016. He kept them consistent. He also did good work in Indianapolis and Baltimore, both of whom he won Super Bowls with. As a head coach, he even got Indy to the big game in 2009. With the right talent, Caldwell can make a team a contender. He would have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, something many coaches would love to have.

#6. Pete Carmichael
(New Orleans Saints Offensive Coordinator)
Just look at what he’s done in New Orleans over the years. He’s been with Drew Brees since 2002 (he was also in San Diego with Brees) and turned him into one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. If he came to Green Bay, he would have a quarterback that is just as good or maybe better than Brees. He could turn around our stale offense. Of course, it may be hard to convince him to leave New Orleans, since he’s been there since 2006.

#5. Brian Flores
(New England Patriots Linebackers Coach)
Of course, we all know he’s their defensive coordinator, but it just hasn’t been mentioned yet. I feel he would be ready to lead this Packers team coming from a team like the Patriots. I wouldn’t mind him.

#4. Vic Fangio
(Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator)
I mean, of course he’s on the table here. Just look at what he’s done in Chicago. He has made their defense into one of the league’s most feared. He’s an older and seasoned coach and could turn around Green Bay’s defense. Would we keep Mike Pettine however? I don’t know, but I like him. The disadvantage with bringing in Fangio would be that Pettine would probably be shown the door. Also, what are the odds our most hated rival would allow us to interview their defensive coordinator? Not good. However, just imagine a Packers team that doesn’t have to completely rely on their offense all the time. It would be amazing.

#3. Pat Fitzgerald
(Northwestern Wildcats Head Coach)
What really stands out here is that Fitzgerald has some connections with us. By that, I mean our team president Mark Murphy hired him at Northwestern in the first place before heading to Green Bay in 2007. Fitzgerald has turned a sub par college football team into decent and above average squads. They’re not flashy, but they generally compete in the Big 10 among powers such as Michigan and Ohio State. Fitzgerald doesn’t have NFL experience, but he would fit right in here. He would revitalize our whole team. Unfortunately, what are the odds he’d leave his alma mater? That’s the huge drawback. They would have to convince him to go north.

#2. Eric Bieniemy
(Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator)
It’s just his first season as Matt Nagy’s successor in KC, and he has already turned them into the league’s best offense and made Patrick Mahomes the MVP. Just think about what he could bring to Green Bay. I get excited thinking about having a creative, 21st century offense that would rock the NFL. He could get Aaron Rodgers his third MVP award, and make Davante Adams truly respected by the league. He’d bring energy to the whole team.

#1. Josh McDaniels
(New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who Green Bay’s #1 candidate should be. McDaniels is my personal favorite for our head coaching vacancy, as evidenced by my current profile picture. Sure, you could bring up the fact that his time in Denver as a head coach was a complete failure, but he was young and inexperienced back then. He’s more seasoned now. You could also argue that he blew off the Colts job and went back to New England. You’ve got a point, but with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, could you resist? McDaniels has fielded one of the league’s best offenses for years, and could get Green Bay to those elusive Super Bowls. In my opinion, Josh McDaniels should be our next head coach.

Comments

Pete Carmichael has to be your first choice, but it's probably not gonna happen. I would either go with Josh McDaniels or Eric Bieniemy. - 2storm (1/2/2019)

I completely agree, but McDaniels seems more interested in the Browns job and there are several teams pursuing Eric Bieniemy - visitor (1/4/2019)

Pat Fitzgerald would be a choice nobody would see coming that might actually be a good hire I mean there's a reason Northwestern was a very good team in the west Big Ten. - visitor (1/4/2019)