As we enter the final month of the 2024 NFL season, plenty of teams still have their eyes on the upcoming playoffs. However, a few franchises are already looking ahead to the 2025 offseason and the next coaching cycle.

The Chicago Bears, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints have already fired their head coaches, and more will inevitably follow suit.

Future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick was expected to be an enticing candidate in 2025, but he threw a wrench into the coaching carousel this week when he officially accepted the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina.

Some remain skeptical of the 72-year-old's decision.

"We'll see how the NFL jobs search goes and all that. I will have to see him on the sideline coaching in Chapel Hill to believe that's happening," Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said, per the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala.

While Belichick's foray into the college world feels legitimate, we are rapidly approaching the NFL's smokescreen season. Let's dive into the latest coaching buzz and try to separate fact from fiction.

Sell: Belichick Became 'Disgusted' with the NFL

Before we dive too deeply into what's next for the 2025 coaching cycle, it's worth examining why Belichick would bolt for college while needing only 15 NFL wins to surpass Don Shula's record of 347.

According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham, the six-time Super Bowl winner wasn't happy with the direction of the NFL.

"It was because, in the words of a confidant, Belichick is 'disgusted' in what he believes the NFL had become," he wrote on Thursday.

Sorry, but we're not buying it. The more likely reason is that Belichick still wants to coach and wasn't going to find an NFL opportunity in 2025. After all, he only received one interview last offseason—with the Atlanta Falcons—and didn't land the job.

His prospects this year may have been no better. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, one team with a coaching vacancy had "already ruled out" the idea of even interviewing Belichick.

And if he wouldn't draw significant interest this coming offseason, he could be even further off of teams' radar in 2026, when he'll be on the verge of turning 74.

While some opportunities will be less enticing to other candidates than others, there will be some great opportunities in 2025. It would seem there just wouldn't have been many, if any, for Belichick.

Buy: Bears Likely to Target an Offensive Coach

The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving and will have a new head coach in 2025.

According to Wickersham, Belichick and his camp—which includes new UNC general manager Michael Lombardi—viewed Chicago as an attractive but unrealistic destination:

"According to sources with direct knowledge, the group deemed that the Chicago Bears were probably the most attractive job, but that team brass was unlikely to consider Belichick. The group expects the same thing that most around the league do: that the Bears will go offense."

Wickersham's source is probably correct here. The Bears have a talented defense, several offensive playmakers and a promising rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams, and they might be the top opening for coaching candidates. Chicago will also likely target offensive coaches first.

There are two reasons for this. The first and most obvious is that developing Williams into a true franchise quarterback must be Chicago's top priority. The Bears have tried and failed to make quarterbacks like Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields their future but to no avail. They can't afford to fail with Williams too.

Secondly, Eberflus came to Chicago with a defensive background. When franchises fire their head coach, they often look to go in the opposite direction with their next hire. The Bears have followed that formula since hiring Lovie Smith in 2004.

Smith, a coach with a defensive background, was followed by Marc Trestman (offensive), John Fox (defensive), Matt Nagy (offensive) and Eberflus.

A defensive coach could still make sense for Chicago, if he's able to bring in the right offensive staff. We're guessing the Bears will start their search with offensive coaches, though, and Wickersham mentioned Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as a likely top target.

Buy: Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel Among Top Candidates

Johnson's success with the Lions offense—which ranks first in scoring this season—is expected to make him a top candidate.

ESPN's Dan Graziano also believes the 38-year-old will draw serious interest from Chicago.

"I still expect the Bears to take a run at Johnson, and it's possible they could get him," Graziano wrote on Wednesday. "I believe Johnson will be a hot candidate."

There's no reason to believe teams won't pursue Johnson in the offseason. He's young, he can deliver a quarterback-friendly offense, and he has a strong resume.

Cleveland Browns coaching consultant Mike Vrabel, who was fired by the Tennessee Titans last offseason, also appears to be a top 2025 candidate.

"The buzz seems legitimate based on what I've heard around the league," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. "Vrabel is considered a prime candidate to get one of the seven to eight jobs that will inevitably open."

There's little reason to doubt this one, either. Vrabel tallied a 99-54 record in his six seasons as Tennessee head coach, and he helped to deliver three playoff berths. At 49, he's young enough to be considered a long-term answer.

He would be a logical target for any franchise seeking experience and stability at the top, though his background as a defensive coach may limit his opportunities.

Fowler also mentioned the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders as sensible landing spots for Vrabel, though neither team currently has an opening.

Sell: The Cowboys Believe in Mike McCarthy

The Cowboys' coaching situation is an interesting one because Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract.

Dallas won't have to fire its head coach to find a new one in 2025, and the 61-year-old will also be free to pursue other opportunities if he isn't happy with the Cowboys' direction.

Former Cowboys quarterback and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman believes Dallas hasn't lost faith in McCarthy.

"I sense that it's a team that really believes in Mike McCarthy," he told Jon Machota of The Athletic. "I feel the locker room wants him back. I think he's a really good football coach. I believe Jerry Jones thinks he's a really good football coach, too."

We can buy part of Aikman's statement. Players like Dak Prescott have publicly voiced their support for their head coach.

"I believe in him wholeheartedly," the Cowboys quarterback said, per Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein.

It's harder to believe franchise owner and general manager Jerry Jones believes in McCarthy as much, though, despite what he's said publicly.

"Mike is an outstanding coach," Jones said after Monday night's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, per Clarence E. Hill Jr. of DLLS. "He has an outstanding record. He's got great experience. A lot of what he's about, some of the benefits that we're having out there, we're gaining from the type coach that he is."

We get it. Jones isn't about to throw his coach under the bus while he's still employed. However, if he truly believed in McCarthy, the owner never would have allowed him to coach this season on a lame-duck contract.

Injuries have derailed the Cowboys' season, but they underperformed early in the year too. McCarthy's lack of postseason success in Dallas must also be considered.

The Cowboys haven't reached the Super Bowl since the 1995 season, and one can only assume Jones would love to see a return trip to the title game. McCarthy hasn't come close to delivering it.

Dallas may ultimately re-sign McCarthy, but Jones is probably evaluating other candidates as the season draws to a close.

Buy: Giants Want to Stick with Front-Office Plan

The New York Giants may also have a head coaching vacancy in 2025, though the team hasn't moved off of Brian Daboll yet.

He and general manager Joe Schoen are expected to return in 2025, largely because franchise owner John Mara doesn't want another front-office shake-up.

"I don't think there's a strong appetite for change," one source told CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones in November.

New York hasn't won a game since early October, but sticking with Daboll and Schoen still appears to be the plan, though as Fowler noted, that plan could change.

"While I've spoken to people with the team who believe Mara wants to stick to his plan, outsiders are wondering how difficult that will be if it's Week 17 and MetLife Stadium is half-full with the Giants stuck on two wins," Fowler wrote.

While Daboll hasn't delivered good results over the past two years, it's worth noting that he helped the Giants reach the postseason in 2022. That was the one year New York got an average season out of former quarterback Daniel Jones, so the HC probably deserves a chance to operate with "his" signal-caller.

The Giants, in theory, can give him that opportunity in 2025. If the season ended today, New York would have the second overall pick in the draft and a realistic shot at a QB prospect such as Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

Our guess is that the Giants do plan to allow Daboll and Shoen to land their preferred signal-caller in the offseason. Otherwise, Mara probably wouldn't have approved the benching or the release of Jones in the first place.

Buy: Ben Johnson 'Won't Chase Interviews'

As noted, Ben Johnson is poised to be the hottest candidate in the 2025 coaching cycle. However, that doesn't mean that every team will have a shot at landing him.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Johnson plans to be selective about his football future:

"He won't chase interviews. The ones he takes will be out of genuine interest in getting that job, not just a job. He has two criteria: organizational alignment, and recognition from a team of its mistakes with a willingness to fix them. He will sell teams on his vision, to see whether they're willing to go all in on it."

For some coaching candidates, publicly taking a selective approach might simply be a leverage play. There are only 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL, and those who aspire to be head coaches often jump on their first opportunity.

This probably isn't the case with Johnson, though. He's in a great situation with a Super Bowl-caliber team. He's been with the Lions since 2019,and now that the franchise has found success under Dan Campbell, he's in no rush to go elsewhere.

Johnson received interest last offseason too before opting to stay put.

"I like the sunshine," he told reporters in May. "I like what we've built here, starting with ownership, the head coach, the GM on down."

If the right opportunity is available, the 38-year-old will likely seize the opportunity to be a head coach. If he can't find an organizational situation as good as the one he's got in Detroit, though, he'll likely stay put for another year.

In other words, while teams like the Bears may have circled Johnson as their top target, they would be wise to have a longer list of candidates.

Sell: Deion Sanders Not Drawing Much NFL Interest

Johnson and Vrabel are two of the top candidates currently in the NFL ranks. Others include Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Kingsbury.

Teams do hire from the college ranks, though, and there might not be a hotter name right now than Deion Sanders. The former NFL star and Hall of Famer guided the Colorado Buffaloes to nine wins in only his second season with the program.

According to Fowler, though, he hasn't drawn significant interest in the NFL to this point:

"In what's considered a weaker candidate pool this NFL cycle, prominent collegiate coaches could be intriguing to NFL owners and decision-makers. But the evaluators and executives I've checked with so far aren't hearing Sanders' name often in coaching circles—at least not yet."

This is hard to believe. While there's no guarantee Sanders' coaching style would work in the NFL, he'd be an instant attraction, and franchises are always looking to generate attention and sell tickets.

It's far more likely some teams are interested in Sanders but are either keeping that interest quiet or simply don't believe he's ready to make another move. The 57-year-old has repeatedly said he's not interested in leaving Colorado.

"I'm happy where I am, man," Sanders said last month, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "I've got a kickstand down."

It's likely Sanders' name will come up far more often after other jobs become available. Whether he agrees to interview for an NFL job in 2025 is another story.