It’s only a matter of time until several active HCs add their names to the list of Super Bowl-winning head coaches. On the other hand, there are several others who’ve had more than enough time to lead their clubs to the promised land — and it’s clear that it’ll never happen.
With that said, here are five NFL head coaches who will eventually win a Super Bowl, and five who never will.
Will: Kyle Shanahan
Among all active head coaches who have yet to win a ring, nobody has been so-close-yet-nowhere-near as much as Kyle Shanahan.
BUT — but — the heartbreak for Shanny is about to end soon.
Why? Because he’s too freaking good of a coach to keep losing like this. John Lynch is too great of a GM. The 49ers have too good of a roster led by Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave. (Exhales).
No team in the NFL is better built than these 49ers, who have the most star power AND no true weaknesses. With a healthy Purdy and Run CMC, they’ve been practically unbeatable — and only the Eagles look like a legitimate threat to them in the NFC.
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To us, it’s not a question of “if” Kyle Shanahan will win a Super Bowl as head coach of the 49ers. The question is HOW many.
Never Will: Matt LaFleur
How do we put this nicely? Oh, we can be perfectly blunt?!
Well alright, how about this: “LaFleur botched his best chance to win a Super Bowl as head coach of the Green Bay Packers once Aaron Rodgers walked out of the door.
The Packers won three straight NFC North division crowns to begin the LaFleur era, reaching the 2019 and 2020 NFC Championship Games. As well, Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
You know all that talk about how Tom Brady made Bill Belichick? It’s already looking like Aaron Rodgers made LaFleur, who shall be on borrowed time in Green Bay if Jordan Love doesn’t end up being the answer.
Will: Nick Sirianni
Sirianni and his Eagles were potentially one non-tacky holding call away from making him ineligible for this list. But alas, the refs threw the flag on James Bradberry — and the Eagles dropped a heartbreaker to Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.
Gut-wrenching? Yes. But isn’t it obvious that this was just one of what should be multiple trips to the big game for the Eagles with this core. Let us state the obvious, if you’d be so kind:
Jalen Hurts is a top-five QB. DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown are football’s best receiving duo outside of Miami. Philly has the best o-line in the league and the best front seven in football. We think that’s pretty good?
The Eagles’ only legitimate threat in the NFC is Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers. Philly has the perfect mix of young studs and proven veteran winners — and to think the likes of Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Jordan Davis haven’t hit their primes yet.
And soon enough, Sirianni will be the second head coach to guide the Eagles to a Lombardi Trophy. Book it.
Will: Dan Campbell
Campbell made a name for himself when he promised to bite off the opposition’s kneecaps in his first press conference as the Detroit Lions’ head coach.
It seemed like nothing more than a harmless soundbite at the time, but Campbell and GM Brad Holmes have done a remarkable job in quickly rebuilding this program in Detroit in the post-Matthew Stafford era.
Campbell’s passion, energy and admiration among his players has made him one of the game’s most lovable figures. Throw in the stellar work of Mr. Holmes at the draft table, and you suddenly have a championship foundation in place.
Campbell has turned Jared Goff back into a franchise QB. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs promise to be a terrifying offensive nucleus for many years to come — not to mention the always-stout o-line led by Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker.
And when all is said and done, Campbell will go down as a Detroit icon after he leads this team to its first Super Bowl championship.
Never Will: Kevin Stefanski
The sky once felt like the limit for Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns. In his first year on the job, he coached the club to 11 wins and their first postseason appearance in 18 years.
The Browns then upset the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wild Card Weekend before narrowly falling to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Still, 2020 was a tremendous success for a Browns team that finally took a step forward — and Stefanski was subsequently named NFL Coach of the Year.
But the Browns have taken steps back ever since, recording back-to-back losing seasons and becoming an afterthought in the AFC. They gave up too quickly on Baker Mayfield and made a mistake by trading for Deshaun Watosn.
With limited cap space and few draft assets in the coming years, it’s hard to see how the Browns will build a sustainable winner in football’s toughest division. This team just isn’t on par with the Chiefs, Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills or Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stefanski can’t take all the blame in Cleveland. But this is a team mired in mediocrity, with an owner who condones mediocrity. Unless he lands another gig in his post-Cleveland endeavors, it’s impossible to see how he wins a Super Bowl as a head coach.
Will: Mike McDaniel
What more is there to say about this guy? What McDaniel has done in South Beach is simply Oscar-worthy stuff.
He’s turned a long-struggling Miami Dolphins’ club into must-watch television. Somehow, he got Tyreek Hill to take his game to a higher level after leaving Kansas City. He turned Tua Tagovailoa from “potential bust” to superstar.
Yes, the Dolphins have plenty of competition in a crowded AFC. But who in the league can stop these guys when they’re at full strength again? Mark our words, it’s only a matter of time until this juggernaut finally brings the Lombardi Trophy back to South Beach.
Never Will: Robert Saleh
The NFL is a results-oriented business. And the New York Jets are looking at a third losing and non-playoff season in as many years under Saleh. At some point, you gotta think Woody and Christopher Johnson grow impatient and decide to find a new coach.
Saleh has turned the Jets’ defense into one of football’s best, but the offense is a wreck year after year. You can use Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear in 2023 as an excuse, but it’s not.
But Saleh had his chances to put together a winner with the Jets. It shouldn’t have come down entirely to a healthy Aaron Rodgers for Saleh to experience success in Gotham.
Even if Saleh stays on a couple of more years, it’s not like the Jets’ championship window is open long-term with a QB in his 40s.
Will: Sean McDermott
The McDermott-Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills feel like the pre-2006 Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts: They’re always a regular season juggernaut and you just know it’s a matter of time until the playoff bounces go their way.
Buffalo consistently fields a top-five offense and defense under McDermott. Allen is a top-three QB in the game. Stefon Diggs, Dalton Kincaid, James Cook and Gabe Davis give Allen more than enough weaponry to keep up with – or outdo — the other juggernauts in the AFC.
The Bills have the best all-around roster in the AFC. Allen is a proven postseason performer and loves the clutch moments. One of these days, the bounces will go Buffalo’s way and result in a Lombardi Trophy — maybe two or even three?! — with McDermott and Allen leading the way.
