Longest-Tenured NFL Head Coaches in 2026

Most NFL coaches do not get a long runway. The average current coach has been with his team for 3.7 seasons, while the median is only 2.5 seasons. 10 coaches are entering Year 1, and 20 are no further than Year 3. Only 5 have reached at least seven seasons with their current team.

The short clock is not always about one bad record. A quarterback change, a new general manager, coordinator turnover or an owner who wants a different identity can speed up the reset. That is why a coaching run can end before the staff ever gets a stable version of the roster it was hired to lead.

Years 2 and 3 are often where patience gets tested. By then, the scheme is no longer new, the staff has had time to shape the roster and the quarterback plan should make sense. If those answers are still missing, teams rarely wait around just because the original hire sounded good.

That makes Andy Reid’s run with the Kansas City Chiefs stand out. He is entering his 14th season, and only 3 current coaches have reached ten seasons with the same team. That kind of staying power usually comes from winning, quarterback stability and a clear fit between the coach and the front office—not simply from surviving the calendar.

A shorter run can still be strong. Mike Macdonald is only in his 3rd season with the Seattle Seahawks, but that coaching situation sits at 87.8, No. 2 in the league. Continuity can help a staff install its systems and develop players, but it does not guarantee the current operation is good. The PFM Coaching Direction rankings grade what the staff looks like now, not how long the nameplate has been on the office door.