Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and while the tool has real-life, practical purposes, it can also be used to rank the top 10 head coaches in the NFL. As a relatively new tool, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that most of these rankings align with consensus, but there are a few interesting choices on the list. At the end of the day, ChatGPT believes that these coaches are the best in football:
- Bill Belichick
- Andy Reid
- Sean Payton
- John Harbaugh
- Pete Carroll
- Mike Tomlin
- Kyle Shanahan
- Sean McVay
- Frank Reich
- Dan Campbell
The Top 10 NFL Head Coaches, Per ChatGPT
The Obvious Choices
It should come as no surprise that Bill Belichick and Andy Reid hold the top two positions on this list, as both coaches are locks for the Hall of Fame when they eventually decide to call it quits. There is a case to be made that Reid deserves the top spot over Belichick, as the eight-time Super Bowl champion hasn’t quite been the same without Tom Brady, but that’s a nitpick. These two are clearly the best head coaches in the NFL, so ChatGPT got that right.
Andy Reid is low key a roast machine 😂 @newheightshow pic.twitter.com/IyZ7SuEpHx
— BBQ Dom (@RealBBQDom) May 11, 2023
On top of that, it’s also hard to argue against the inclusion of guys like John Harbaugh, Pete Carroll, Mike Tomlin, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan. All of these guys are clearly below Reid and Belichick but are clearly in the second tier of NFL head coaches. Carroll’s 2022 season was one of the most impressive of his career, as Seattle made the playoffs even after trading their star quarterback.
Mike Tomlin continues to win games regardless of who is actually on the field, and Kyle Shanahan might just be the best offensive mind in football. Sean McVay, meanwhile, might have had a rough 2022, but his track record is impressive enough to overlook poor results from an injury-riddled campaign.
The Debatable NFL Head Coaches
Sean Payton is a good NFL head coach and he should find some success with the Denver Broncos, but is he really the third-best in the league? Probably not. The former Saints head coach spent the vast majority of his tenure with Drew Brees under center, and it’s very easy to look smart when you have a guy like that leading your offense.
Perhaps he tailored his quick-passing scheme to Brees’ strengths, but the fact that he hired Joe Lombardi to coach Russell Wilson of all people implies that he’s not willing to change his scheme for the talent around him. Only time will tell for sure, but he should probably be lower on this list.
Frank Reich, meanwhile, looked like a great NFL head coach in four of his five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. In the fifth, however, Indianapolis had a terrible season, and Jim Irsay fired him midway through the season. Irsay doesn’t have the strongest track record of smart decision-making, so maybe he just used Reich as a scapegoat, but it will be interesting to see what happens in Carolina.
The Detroit Lions are an up-and-coming club, but the hype might be getting out of hand here. Dan Campbell has yet to lead the Lions to a 10-win season, so ChatGPT is calling their shot here, so to speak. Perhaps he justify a top-10 spot among NFL head coaches at this point next year, but he still has work to do before he can justify it now.
Main Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski – USA Today Sports
