Top coaching candiates for NFL openings

There were few surprises Monday as a few NFL teams parted ways with their head coaches.

The Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are all in the market for a new head coach, along with the Oakland Raiders, who went through much of the season with an interim coach.

None of the four moves that came between late Sunday – when the Niners announced their divorce from head coach Jim Harbaugh – and Monday morning, when Rex Ryan was fired by the Jets, Mike Smith fired by the Falcons and Mark Trestman was fired by the Bears – came as a surprise, not to the men who are now out of jobs, not to the players who no longer have a coach, nor to fan bases who were awaiting change.

There are plenty of interesting candidates for the five openings – including several former head coaches looking for a second (or third) chance and some up-and-coming coordinators looking for their first job.

Here's a look at some of the candidates:

Second chances

Rex Ryan: Ryan does not figure to be out of work for long. The recently fired coach of the Jets might be the best defensive coach on the market, and he would immediately bring life into a stagnant franchise with his boisterous personality. One of the most intriguing possibilities with the idea of Ryan landing a new head coaching job is the chance he could bring along his twin brother, Rob, with him, should Rob Ryan get fired from his defensive coordinator job in New Orleans.

Jack Del Rio: Del Rio spent nine years as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars before he was fired in 2011. After three years as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos (and a month-long stint last year as the Broncos' interim head coach), Del Rio appears ready for his second head coaching job. The Raiders hired their last coach (Dennis Allen) from Denver.

Mike Shanahan: The former head coach of the Washington Redskins and Denver (where he won two Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998) spent 2014 out of football after he was fired by the Redskins last year, and he would like to coach again. But is the cache he built in the 1990s in Denver, and one good year in Washington enough to make him a hot candidate? The perfect landing spot for Shanahan could be in Chicago, if the Bears brass want to make quarterback Jay Cutler happy. Shanahan is one coach who truly understands Cutler's issues – and his potential – and it would be interesting to see Shanahan, Cutler and receiver Brandon Marshall reunited six years after Shanahan was fired in Denver.

Josh McDaniels: Let's throw another former Broncos head coach into the mix here in McDaniels, the New England Patriots offensive coordinator who garnered some interest last year. McDaniels flamed out in Denver, but if he learned from the mistakes he made in his first head coaching job, he certainly has the coaching credentials that should make him a hot candidate for teams looking for an offensive-minded head coach.

Hue Jackson: If the Raiders had never fired Jackson after 2011, maybe they wouldn't be looking for a new head coach now. Jackson was promoted to offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals this season, and the work he did with the Bengals running game – and with quarterback Andy Dalton – should have him back in the mix for another head coaching job.

Mike Singletary: Singletary, the former Bears star linebacker, failed in his first head coaching stint in San Francisco, but he's among the candidates being endorsed now by the Fritz Pollard Alliance. Singletary spent 2014 as a senior advisor to NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, consulting on a variety of football matters. It might be worth it for the Bears to at least give him an interview in hopes that he could help rebuild that defense.

First-timers

Adam Gase: The Broncos' offensive coordinator garnered interest last year (he declined to interview for the Cleveland Browns job, for instance), and he will be one of the hottest candidates this year, because of his work with Peyton Manning, but also for what he was able to do as the quarterbacks coach for Tim Tebow in 2011. Gase is young (36) and has been groomed by John Fox, Mike Martz and Nick Saban – as well as Manning. Look for Gase to follow the path of former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy in looking for the right job – and not just the first job. That likely means a team with a quarterback already in place. Gase has history with the 49ers after spending 2008 as an offensive assistant there.

Todd Bowles: The Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator is no stranger to head coaching searches – he interviewed for jobs as far back as 2009 when he was an assistant for the Miami Dolphins– but this should be the year he lands a job, thanks to the work he did for the Cardinals. Arizona gave Bowles a contract extension and a raise in November, but that would not preclude Bowles from accepting a head coaching job elsewhere. He has certainly earned it. That the Cardinals were able to get to the playoffs while using four quarterbacks is a testament to Bowles' defense.

Dan Quinn: Quinn coordinated the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning defense last year, and has that group clicking again right now. Part of that is the players, sure, but Quinn has proven repeatedly that he can devise a brilliant defensive scheme and puts underdog players, guys like Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner, in positions to become stars. The Seahawks lost their last defensive coordinator (Gus Bradley) to a head coaching job in Jacksonville, and now Quinn could be next.

Vic Fangio and Jim Tomsula: They are the likely internal candidates to replace Harbaugh in San Francisco. Hiring either would ensure continuity for the Niners defense, which has been the strength of that team throughout the Harbaugh Era, and should be improved in 2015 with the healthy return of linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis. Fangio, the 49ers defensive coordinator, and Tomsula, defensive line coach, have plenty of support from San Francisco players, which could carry weight in the front office.

Pep Hamilton: The Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator had Andrew Luck on a historic pace for much of 2014, and should be in play for head coaching jobs for the first time. He's another guy who once worked for Harbaugh – at Stanford – but it is his work with Luck that should have other NFL teams intrigued.

Darrell Bevell: The Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator, could draw interest based on his work with quarterback Russell Wilson, and how he helped reshape the Seahawks' offense after the major decision to trade receiver Percy Harvin midseason. Teams that need help developing or fixing a quarterback should be interested in Bevell, who has also worked with Brett Favre.

Teryl Austin: Another candidate who is endorsed by the Fritz Pollard Alliance, Austin is a relative unknown, but he certainly has earned consideration after his first season as defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, where the unit finished the season ranked second in the NFL in total defense. Austin won't be able to interview for jobs until the Lions, the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, are eliminated, or until the bye week before the Super Bowl should they advance.