The Saints completed the current coaching cycle by going young. At 35, Kellen Moore is now the league’s youngest head coach. Moore is 2 years younger than Mike Macdonald.
Three of the league’s five youngest coaches, in fact, were recently hired, with Ben Johnson and Liam Cohen being 39 on opening day. All three fit the profile of the young up-and-coming play-caller – stabs at landing another Sean McVay.
In general, that’s been the trend to recent years, and it’s been bolstered by guys like Kevin O’Connell, Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur. DeMeco Ryans and Zac Taylor have also had some success.
But it’s not the only way to go. There are currently only 10 who are 50-plus years old, and three of them just got hired – Pete Carroll, Aaron Glenn and Brian Schottenheimer. Mike Vrabel will be 50 on opening day and comes with previous coaching experience.
Six current coaches are over 60, and four of them are located in the AFC West (and with all four having appeared in Super Bowls – Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll).
| CURRENT COACHES BY AGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coach | Team | Age |
| • Kellen Moore | New Orleans | 35.6 |
| Mike Macdonald | Seattle | 37.7 |
| • Ben Johnson | Chicago | 38.8 |
| Sean McVay | LA Rams | 39.1 |
| • Liam Coen | Jacksonville | 39.3 |
| Kevin O'Connell | Minnesota | 39.7 |
| Shane Steichen | Indianapolis | 39.8 |
| DeMeco Ryans | Houston | 40.6 |
| Brian Callahan | Tennessee | 40.7 |
| Zac Taylor | Cincinnati | 41.8 |
| Jonathan Gannon | Arizona | 41.9 |
| Mike McDaniel | Miami | 42.0 |
| Kevin Stefanski | Cleveland | 42.8 |
| Nick Sirianni | Philadelphia | 43.7 |
| Dave Canales | Carolina | 43.8 |
| Kyle Shanahan | San Francisco | 45.2 |
| Matt LaFleur | Green Bay | 45.3 |
| Raheem Morris | Atlanta | 48.5 |
| Dan Campbell | Detroit | 48.9 |
| • Mike Vrabel | New England | 49.5 |
| Brian Daboll | NY Giants | 49.9 |
| Sean McDermott | Buffalo | 50.9 |
| • Brian Schottenheimer | Dallas | 51.4 |
| • Aaron Glenn | NY Jets | 52.6 |
| Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh | 53.0 |
| Dan Quinn | Washington | 54.5 |
| Sean Payton | Denver | 61.2 |
| Jim Harbaugh | LA Chargers | 61.2 |
| Todd Bowles | Tampa Bay | 61.3 |
| John Harbaugh | Baltimore | 62.4 |
| Andy Reid | Kansas City | 67.0 |
| • Pete Carroll | Las Vegas | 73.5 |
Glenn and Schottenheimer will be 53 and 52 years on opening day, older than any other current coaches were when making their debuts. Both have plenty of experience as assistants, but the big-picture numbers don’t suggest that’s much of an advantage.
Of the 15 current coaches who coached their first game when they were over 40, only three won double-digit games in their first season. Combined, those guys went 112-132-2.
Every coach and situation is different, but the track record has been better for young coaches. Of the 12 current coaches who coaches their first game when they were under 40, all but three had a winning record in their first season – seven won double-digit games.
| RECORDS IN FIRST SEASONS (BY AGE) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Coach | Age | Record |
| 2017 | Sean McVay | 31.6 | 11-5-0 |
| 2009 | Raheem Morris | 33.0 | 3-13-0 |
| 2007 | Mike Tomlin | 35.5 | 10-6-0 |
| 2025 | • Kellen Moore | 36.2 | ? |
| 2019 | Zac Taylor | 36.3 | 2-14-0 |
| 2024 | Mike Macdonald | 37.2 | 10-7-0 |
| 2022 | Kevin O'Connell | 37.3 | 13-4-0 |
| 2017 | Kyle Shanahan | 37.7 | 6-10-0 |
| 2023 | Shane Steichen | 38.3 | 9-8-0 |
| 2020 | Kevin Stefanski | 38.3 | 11-5-0 |
| 2023 | DeMeco Ryans | 39.1 | 10-7-0 |
| 2025 | • Ben Johnson | 39.3 | ? |
| 2022 | Mike McDaniel | 39.5 | 9-8-0 |
| 2025 | • Liam Coen | 39.8 | ? |
| 2019 | Matt LaFleur | 39.9 | 13-3-0 |
| 2021 | Nick Sirianni | 40.2 | 9-8-0 |
| 2024 | Brian Callahan | 40.3 | 3-14-0 |
| 2024 | Jonathan Gannon | 41.4 | 4-13-0 |
| 1999 | Andy Reid | 41.5 | 5-11-0 |
| 2006 | Sean Payton | 42.7 | 10-6-0 |
| 1994 | • Pete Carroll | 43.0 | 6-10-0 |
| 2018 | • Mike Vrabel | 43.1 | 9-7-0 |
| 2024 | Dave Canales | 43.4 | 5-12-0 |
| 2017 | Sean McDermott | 43.5 | 9-7-0 |
| 2015 | Dan Quinn | 45.0 | 8-8-0 |
| 2021 | Dan Campbell | 45.4 | 3-13-1 |
| 2008 | John Harbaugh | 46.0 | 11-5-0 |
| 2011 | Jim Harbaugh | 47.7 | 13-3-0 |
| 2023 | Brian Daboll | 48.4 | 9-7-1 |
| 2015 | Todd Bowles | 51.8 | 8-8-0 |
| 2025 | • Brian Schottenheimer | 51.9 | ? |
| 2025 | • Aaron Glenn | 53.2 | ? |
For me, I look first at situation. On that front, I like the way things are laid out for Ben Johnson and Liam Coen.
—Ian Allan