NFL coaches who never played football are Todd Haley, Joe Gibbs and Adam Gase. Former NFL coaches in college football are Jim Mora, Bill Walsh and Joe Walton.
Todd, an American football coach, is the current head coach in the United States Football League for the Memphis Showboats. Haley was the WR coach of the Jets, Bears, and Cowboys from 1997 to 2006.
He never played college or professional football in his career but went on to become an NFL coach.
Joe is the former Washington Redskins coach from 1981 to 1992. He never played in college or professional football but became one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
NFL Coaches In College Football
Former NFL coaches in college football include Jim Mora, Bill Walsh, Bill O’Brien, Joe Walton, Nick Saban, and many more.
Jim Mora
Jim Mora served as the head coach for 15 seasons in the National Football League. Jim became an assistant coach at the college football level in 1960.
From 1986 to 1996, he coached New Orleans Saints before working at the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2001. Mora was the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars’ head coach in the USFL.
Jim was fired by the Seattle Seahawks after finishing just 5-11 in his 2009 final season and replaced with then-USC head coach Pete Carroll.
Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh served as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal.
Walsh worked as a sports broadcaster for several years after retiring from the 49ers and then returned to coaching at Stanford for three seasons.
With the 49ers, Bill had a record of 102-63-1 (wins-losses-ties), winning 10 of his 14 postseason games along with 6 division titles, 3 NFC Championship titles, and 3 Super Bowls.
In 1981 and 1984, Bill received the NFL Coach of the Year award, and in 1993, he was selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bill O’Brien
Bill O’Brien is the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the New England Patriots.
He was with the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020 and at Pennsylvania State University from 2012 to 2013.
O’Brien was the general manager of the Texans in 2020, and from 2021 to 2022, he served as the offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama.
He started his coaching career in 1993 at Brown University before spending decades as a coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Joe Walton
Joe Walton was the creator of the football program at Robert Morris University and retired after 20 years as the head coach.
Joe spent eight seasons as a pass-catching tight end in the National Football League for the Redskins and Giants. He also served as the head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons.
During his 20-year stints, he served as the assistant coach for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nick Saban
Nick Saban has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. He is considered the greatest coach in football history.
Previously, he was the head coach for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League and at three other universities, such as Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Toledo.
As a head coach, he won seven national titles and became the first coach in college football history to win a national championship in 1936.
Here is the list of the other former NFL coaches in college football:
- Bobby Petrino
- Steve Spurrier
- Butch Davis
- Dan Devine
- Pete Carroll
How Many NFL Coaches Are Former Players
26 NFL coaches are former players in the past fifty years. Larry Wilson, Ken Whisenhunt, Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Reeves, etc. are among them.
As per BleacherReport, there are a number of top NFL players who never decided to be coaches and players who went on to become NFL coaches.
Larry Wilson
Larry Wilson played with the St. Louis Cardinals as a free safety from 1960 to 1972. Six years later, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Larry was selected to the eight-time Pro Bowl and spent his 13-year career with the Cardinals.
In 1994, he was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team; in 2019, he was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Wilson was the highest-ranked player who spent most time with the Cardinals and was ranked 43 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999.
His final stats were 52 career picks for 800 yards, five touchdowns, 14 fumble recoveries for 173 yards, and two more scores.
Ken Whisenhunt
Ken Whisenhunt is a former tight end who is a special assistant to the head coach at Alabama. Ken played college football at Georgia Tech.
The Atlanta Falcons drafted him in the 12th round of the 1985 NFL Draft, where he played four seasons. Afterward, he played two more seasons with the Washington Redskins and two more seasons with the New York Jets.
He began his coaching career in 1995, and from 2007 to 2012, he served as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and the Tennessee Titans from 2014 to 2015.
Whisenhunt set a record of 48-71 as head coach, including a 4-31 record in his last 35 games.
Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin spent 12 seasons in the National Football League. Norm spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles as a quarterback.
He served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974. Brocklin has been a running back coach at Georgia Tech since 1979.
In his final season, he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1960, and he was an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
The following list shows the other NFL coaches who played the game previously:
- Dan Reeves
- Don Shula
- Tony Dungy
- Jim Ringo
- Mike Mularkey
- Dick Jauron
- Dick Nolan
- Jeff Fisher
- Herm Edwards
- Tom Landry
How Much Do NFL Coaches Make Per Year
NFL coaches make $6.6 million per year on average. Bill Belichick is the highest-paid coach, while Kevin Stefanski is the lowest-paid coach in the NFL in 2023.
Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick is the highest-paid coach, with $20 million in 2023. Bill set the record for most Super Bowl victories with six as a head coach with the New England Patriots.
Belichick is the greatest head coach in the NFL. He is the all-time leader in playoff wins as a coach and a three-time AP coach of the year.
A coach was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year for the seasons 2003, 2007, and 2010. He was selected to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Sean Payton
Sean Payton is second on the list of highest-paid head coaches with $18 million in 2023. Sean is a former quarterback and head coach in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos.
Previously, Payton was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021. Sean served as the quarterback at Naperville Central High School and Eastern Illinois University.
He professionally played in 1987 with the Chicago Bears and in 1988 overseas in Britain for the Leicester Panthers. A coach started his coaching career as an offensive assistant at San Diego State University in 1988.
Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll is the third most paid head coach with $15 million in 2023. He served as executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks.
Previously, he served as the head football coach at USC from 2000 to 2009, where his team won six bowl games and back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004.
Caroll is one of the four head coaches to win both a college football national championship and an NFL championship, along with Paul Brown, Jimmy Johnson, and Barry Switzer.
The other highest-paid coaches in the NFL in 2023 are as follows:
- Sean McVay – $14 million
- Mike Tomlin – $12.5 million
- Andy Reid – $12 million
- John Harbaugh – $12 million
- Kyle Shanahan – $10 million
- Josh McDaniels – $10 million
- Mike Vrabel – $9.5 million
- Doug Pederson – $8.5 million
Kevin Stefanski
Kevin Stefanski is the lowest-paid coach in 2023 in the NFL, with $3.5 million a year. Kevin coaches the Cleveland Browns.
He agreed to a five-year contract with the Browns and became the 18th head coach of the team in January 2020. He started his NFL career from 2006 to 2019 as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
Kevin served as the offensive coordinator during his final two seasons. He led his team to their first playoff appearance since 2002, and he won the NFL Coach of the Year award.
Nathaniel Hackett
Nathaniel Hackett is the lowest-paid coach in 2023 with $4 million. Nathaniel is the offensive coordinator in the National Football League for the New York Jets.
Previously, he was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills, and also held several positions for the Syracuse Orange in college football from 2010 to 2012.
In 2022, Hackett was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, but he was fired during the season after a 4-11 record.
Zac Taylor
Zac Taylor is paid $4.5 million a year as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Zac began his NFL career as an offensive assistant.
He was the quarterback coach for the team when the Los Angeles Rams made a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl LIII. Zac was named Cincinnati’s head coach in 2019, and he had a 6-25-1 record in his first two years.
Other lowest-paid coaches in the NFL in 2023 are Robert Saleh and Matt LaFleur, who both make $5 million annually.
How Many Minority Head Coaches In The NFL
There are six minority head coaches in the NFL. Mike Tomlin, Lovie Smith, Todd Bowles, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, and Ron Rivera are minority head coaches in the NFL.
Mike (Pittsburgh Steelers), Lovie (Houston Texans), and Todd (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) were black head coaches at the start of the 2022–23 NFL season.
The head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel, is biracial, whereas the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh is of Lebanese heritage. Ron Rivera is Hispanic, and he served as the head coach for the Washington Commanders in the National Football League.
The Rooney Rule was implemented to solve the lack of diversity among the head coaches in the league. This rule mandates that every NFL team must interview a minority applicant for open head coaching positions.