The NFL is the most-watched sports league in America, and has been since 2015, with games seen on all the major over-the-air networks, ESPN, and streaming sites such as Amazon Prime. The ultimate NFL contest, the Super Bowl, is the most-viewed single-day sports event in America every year. As such, the 32 NFL head-coaching jobs are among the most coveted positions in professional sports. What comes with that is the admiration or ire of fans.
To determine the most-liked and disliked coaches in the NFL, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study of the subject by Betway, an online sports betting site. The site monitored online conversations about the head coach of each of the 32 NFL teams on X (the site formerly known as Twitter), and used the social-listening tool Linkfluence to note positive sentiments about each one over the 30-day period ending on Sept. 5, 2023.
Of the 32 current coaches in the NFL, five have held their jobs for more than 10 years. All five – Bill Belichick (New England Patriots), Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks), Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs), and John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens) – have won at least one Super Bowl. (But here are 12 NFL teams that have never won one.)
Success doesn’t mean they are well-liked based on online conversations about them, however. Six-time Super Bowl winner Belichick, despite controversies such as videotaping opponents that were against the rules, is the fourth-most liked coach on the list. Tomlin, who’s been with the Steelers for 16 years, is sixth. While Carroll and Reid are in the middle of the list, Harbaugh is 24th. (Team owners get both love and hate from fans, too. These are the NFL’s best and worst owners.)
Getting fired from a coaching job hasn’t hurt the careers or appeal of Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints), Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys), or Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), all of whom are in the top-10 of most-liked coaches.
The least-liked coach by far is Robert Saleh of the New York Jets. He also has the highest number of online posts – topping second-place Belichick by more than 8,500. Jets fans have not had a Super Bowl champion since 1969 and expectations were high this year because former Green Bay Packers quarterback and All-Pro Aaron Rodgers joined the team. He was injured in the first game and is out for the year.
32: Robert Saleh
> Team: New York Jets
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 26,161
> Positive online sentiment score: 8.30%
31: Sean McVay
> Team: Los Angeles Rams
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 9,273
> Positive online sentiment score: 10.20%
30: Brandon Staley
> Team: Los Angeles Chargers
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 4,174
> Positive online sentiment score: 10.30%
29: Jonathan Gannon
> Team: Arizona Cardinals
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 5,750
> Positive online sentiment score: 10.40%
28: Frank Reich
> Team: Carolina Panthers
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 3,286
> Positive online sentiment score: 11.70%
27: Kevin Stefanski
> Team: Cleveland Browns
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,267
> Positive online sentiment score: 12.30%
26: Matt LaFleur
> Team: Green Bay Packers
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 4,598
> Positive online sentiment score: 13.00%
25: Josh McDaniels
> Team: Las Vegas Raiders
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 3,460
> Positive online sentiment score: 13.40%
24: John Harbaugh
> Team: Baltimore Ravens
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 4,993
> Positive online sentiment score: 13.70%
23: Kyle Shanahan
> Team: San Francisco 49ers
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 13,824
> Positive online sentiment score: 15.70%
22: Sean Payton
> Team: Denver Broncos
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 14,744
> Positive online sentiment score: 15.80%
21: Nick Sirianni
> Team: Philadelphia Eagles
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 5,264
> Positive online sentiment score: 16.00%
20: Kevin O’Connell
> Team: Minnesota Vikings
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 1,362
> Positive online sentiment score: 16.20%
19: Matt Eberflus
> Team: Chicago Bears
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 3,880
> Positive online sentiment score: 16.30%
18: Brian Daboll
> Team: New York Giants
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 4,849
> Positive online sentiment score: 17.30%
17: Doug Pederson
> Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 4,952
> Positive online sentiment score: 17.30%
16: Andy Reid
> Team: Kansas City Chiefs
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 18,541
> Positive online sentiment score: 18.00%
15: DeMeco Ryans
> Team: Houston Texans
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,859
> Positive online sentiment score: 18.50%
14: Arthur Smith
> Team: Atlanta Falcons
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 5,123
> Positive online sentiment score: 20.00%
13: Pete Carroll
> Team: Seattle Seahawks
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 4,425
> Positive online sentiment score: 20.10%
12: Dan Campbell
> Team: Detroit Lions
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 14,325
> Positive online sentiment score: 22.10%
11: Zac Taylor
> Team: Cincinnati Bengals
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,823
> Positive online sentiment score: 22.20%
10: Todd Bowles
> Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,319
> Positive online sentiment score: 22.80%
9: Ron Rivera
> Team: Washington Commanders
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 6,849
> Positive online sentiment score: 22.80%
8: Shane Steichen
> Team: Indianapolis Colts
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,051
> Positive online sentiment score: 23.90%
7: Mike McCarthy
> Team: Dallas Cowboys
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 7,268
> Positive online sentiment score: 26.40%
6: Mike Tomlin
> Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 8,546
> Positive online sentiment score: 27.20%
5: Mike McDaniel
> Team: Miami Dolphins
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 8,720
> Positive online sentiment score: 31.50%
4: Bill Belichick
> Team: New England Patriots
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 17,508
> Positive online sentiment score: 32.00%
3: Sean McDermott
> Team: Buffalo Bills
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,319
> Positive online sentiment score: 36.60%
2: Dennis Allen
> Team: New Orleans Saints
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 2,784
> Positive online sentiment score: 39.30%
1: Mike Vrabel
> Team: Tennessee Titans
> Number of Posts (Tweets): 3,439
> Positive online sentiment score: 40.00%