Top 10 current longest-tenured NFL coaches ranked by their tenure
Towards the end of August, NFL teams start wrapping up pre-season training and preparing for a roster reduction from 90 to 53 players. As depressing as player turnover may be, football teams often choose to part with head coaches at the slightest point of dissatisfaction. Some have, however, evaded the cut and remain the longest-tenured NFL coaches.
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To create this list of the current longest-tenured NFL coaches, we used data from official sports websites such as NFL.com, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and NFLPA.
Who are the current longest-tenured NFL coaches?
George Halas of the Chicago Bears is the longest-tenured NFL coach of all time, having spent 40 seasons with the football team. Other coaches like him include Curly Lambeau of the Green Bay Packers and Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys, who spent nearly three decades in their teams. Here is a summarised analysis of other head trainers with similar career trajectories.
| Rank | Coach | Team | Tenure |
| 1. | Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 |
| 2. | John Harbaugh | Baltimore Ravens | 16 |
| 3. | Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs | 11 |
| 4. | Kyle Shanahan | San Francisco 49ers | 7 |
| 5. | Sean McDermott | Buffalo Bills | 7 |
| 6. | Sean McVay | Los Angeles Rams | 7 |
| 7. | Zac Taylor | Cincinnati Bengals | 5 |
| 8. | Matt LaFleur | Green Bay Packers | 5 |
| 9. | Mike McCarthy | Dallas Cowboys | 4 |
| 10. | Kevin Stefanski | Cleveland Browns | 4 |
1. Mike Tomlin — 17
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- Full name: Michael Pettaway Tomlin
- Date of birth: 15 March 1972
- Age: 52 years as of 2024
- Place of birth: Hampton, Virginia, United States
- Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Appointment date: 22 January 2007
As of August 2024, Tomlin had received a contract extension guaranteeing him three more years with the Steelers. Tomlin is a former college football player as a wide receiver at William & Mary.
Soon after, he became the defensive and wide receivers coach for the University of Memphis Tigers, the Virginia Military Institute, the University of Tennessee at Martin, and the University of Cincinnati. His NFL career began with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Minnesota Vikings.
Tomlin is the second-youngest head coach to lead the Steelers and is currently regarded as one of its most successful trainers. His achievements with the Pittsburgh Steelers include a Super Bowl win, an unbroken home win streak, and seven AFC North titles. At the time of writing, he holds a 227-159-2 record with a 58.76 win percentage.
2. John Harbaugh — 16
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- Full name: John William Harbaugh
- Date of birth: 23 September 1962
- Age: 61 years as of 2024
- Place of birth: Toledo, Ohio, United States
- Team: Baltimore Ravens
- Appointment date: 14 January 2008
John Harbaugh set the record in his maiden year with the Ravens. In 2008, he recorded 13 victories, setting an NFL record for the most wins ever by a rookie head coach. His influence on the team is seen by the number of successful athletes receiving Pro Bowl honours each year since his appointment.
Since 2008, Harbs, as he is popularly known, has led his team to 160 regular-season wins and five AFC North Division titles. He won Super Bowl XLVII. His efforts at the helm earned the Ravens their first-ever No. 1 playoff seed and the third-best winning percentage in the NFL of .715.
3. Andy Reid — 11
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- Full name: Andrew Walter Reid
- Date of birth: 19 March 1958
- Age: 66 years as of 2024
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
- Team: Kansas City Chiefs
- Appointment date: 7 January 2013
Twelve of Andy Reid's 26 years as an NFL head coach have been spent with the Kansas City Chiefs. Before joining the coaching rank, he was a tackle and guard player at Brigham Young University.
True to his title as the most-winning NFL coach, Reid has led the Kansas City Chiefs to three Super Bowl wins with Patrick Mahomes. He is the first head coach to hold the most total wins (284-210-1) among active coaches in the NFL. According to Pro Football History, he has a 333-181-1 career record with a 64.76 win percentage.
4. Kyle Shanahan — 7
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- Full name: Kyle Michael Shanahan
- Date of birth: 14 December 1979
- Age: 44 years as of September 2024
- Place of birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- Team: San Francisco 49ers
- Appointment date: 6 February 2017
At the time of this writing, Kyle Shanahan has spent seven years training the San Francisco 49ers. He is the 20th head trainer in the team and has over 20 years of experience coaching NFL teams.
Although the 2019 NFC Coach of the Year is described as American football's most innovative mind, he has yet to win a championship ring at the Super Bowl. His career record stands at 161-162-0 as of August 2024, with a 49.85 win percentage and a 58.82 playoff win percentage in 21 years.
5. Sean McDermott — 7
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- Full name: Sean Michael McDermott
- Date of birth: 21 March 1974
- Age: 50 years as of 2024
- Team: Buffalo Bills
- Place of birth: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
- Appointment date: 11 January 2017
Within seven years on the Bills, Sean McDermott has led the Bills to six playoff appearances. Although McDermott led the Bills to the 50th Super Bowl, he has not claimed a championship ring. The head trainer led the team to four AFC East division titles.
His unrivalled win percentage ranks him first in team history. StatsMuse estimates his all-time coaching record to be 10-8 with a .556 win percentage.
6. Sean McVay — 7
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- Full name: Sean McVay
- Date of birth: 24 January 1986
- Age: 38 years as of August 2024
- Place of birth: Dayton, Ohio, United States
- Team: Los Angeles Rams
- Appointment date: 12 January 2017
On 12 January 2017, Sean McVay became the 23rd full-time head coach appointed to the LA Rams. At the time of his appointment, McVay was the youngest coach in modern NFL history.
Since then, he has led the team to four playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl LVI win. He is also the youngest coach to win AP Coach of the Year. The 2017 NFL Coach of the Year has a 124-118-1 career record, a 51.23 win percentage and a 53.85 playoff win percentage.
7. Zac Taylor — 5
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- Full name: Zachary William Taylor
- Date of birth: 10 May 1983
- Age: 41 years as of 2024
- Place of birth: Norman, Oklahoma
- Team: Cincinnati Bengals
- Appointment date: 4 February 2019
The Bengals head coach, Zac Taylor, holds a 42-46-1 record. He is the 13th head coach to win five of his first six postseason games in NFL history.
His prowess at the top job became more apparent in 2023 when he led the team through three consecutive wins without key players. During the 2021 season, he led the Cincinnati Bengals to their first AFC North championship since 2015, three postseason games, an AFC title and a Super Bowl LVI berth.
8. Matt LaFleur — 5
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- Full name: Matthew Patrick LaFleur
- Date of birth: 3 November 1979
- Age: 44 years as of August 2024
- Place of birth: Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
- Team: Green Bay Packers
- Appointment date: 8 January 2019
LaFleur is a former college football and National Indoor Football League player turned head coach. He is the 15th head coach to head the Green Bay Packers.
At the time of writing, he has a 56 regular-season win record with a .675 win percentage, the highest in the NFC. In 2023, he led the team to their fourth playoff appearance in the five years he has coached.
9. Mike McCarthy — 4
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- Full name: Michael John McCarthy
- Date of birth: 10 November 1963
- Age: 60 years as of 2024
- Place of birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
- Team: Dallas Cowboys
- Appointment date: 8 January 2020
Before joining the Cowboys, McCarthy spent 12 years working for the Green Bay Packers, where he left a 125-77-2 coaching record for regular seasons and a Super Bowl XLV championship title. As of 2024, Pro Football Reference reports that the former quarterback has led the Cowboys in 67 matches, where they recorded 42 wins and 25 losses with a .627 win percentage.
At the time of his appointment, the American coach had racked up 26 years of experience as a head coach, an assistant coach, and an offensive coordinator.
10. Kevin Stefanski — 4
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- Full name: Kevin Lawrence Stefanski
- Date of birth: 8 May 1982
- Age: 42 years as of 2024
- Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Team: Cleveland Browns
- Appointment date: 13 January 2020
Coach Stefanski has coached for nearly two decades, achieving an overall record of 154-135-2 with a 53.26 win percentage. His overall playoff win percentage record is 33.33. Since 2020, he has served at the helm of the Cleveland Browns training staff, garnering a 37-31-0 record.
Who is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL currently?
Mike Tomlin leads the pack of the current longest-tenured NFL coaches, having spent seventeen seasons at the helm of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2024 Professional Coach of the Year awardee is the team's 16th coach.
Who has the longest NFL coach contract?
Mike Tomlin is set to enjoy a longer tenure thanks to a contract extension until 2027. The extension guarantees him three more years.
What is the shortest tenure of an NFL coach?
Celebrated football coach Bill Belichick spent a day as the head coach of the New York Jets, marking the shortest NFL coaching tenure. While his record remains unbeaten, Gorge Allen's tenure at the helm of the Los Angeles Rams left much to be desired after two pre-season performances, prompting his discharge.
Who is the oldest NFL coach?
Andy Reid, one of the current longest-tenured NFL coaches, is the oldest head trainer. At the time of writing, he is 66 years old, having been born on 19 March 1958.
The current longest-tenured NFL coaches enjoy the privilege of seeing their programs come to fruition. They also record high-performance records on the pitch, with their players bearing the fruits of their efforts. The longest-serving coaches, such as Mike Tomlin, Harbaugh, and Andy Reid, have spent several years as head coaches.
Legit.ng has published an article ranking the highest-paid NFL coaches. The list covers head coaches whose jobs earn them millions in annual salaries.
NFL coaches hold one of the most coveted seats in American sports. For the top earners, their salaries, which range between $20 million and $5 million, are merely the cherries on top of illustrious careers. Read on for details of each coach, their teams, records and salary details.
Source: Legit.ng
