Out with the old, in with the new.
There has been a youth movement among NFL head coaches in recent years. Just this past offseason, Jerod Mayo (37) and Mike Macdonald (36) were hired by the Patriots and Seahawks, respectively, to take over their franchises.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of veterans roaming the sidelines for NFL clubs.
There was a changing of the guard at the top of the list of oldest NFL head coaches. In fact, the two teams mentioned above went from having the two oldest head coaches to the two youngest, as Seattle went from Pete Carroll to Macdonald and New England went from Bill Belichick to Mayo.
In fact, four of the top five coaches that made the 2023 list for oldest sideline bosses are no longer in the league, resulting in quite a few changes to the order.
MORE: Youngest head coaches in NFL for 2024 season
Which NFL teams employ the oldest coaches in 2024? Here’s a rundown of those leaders.
Oldest NFL coaches of 2024
The NFL saw the two oldest coaches in NFL history become inactive this offseason. So, who holds the title now?
Below is a look at the 10 oldest coaches in the NFL for the 2024 season.
Age and record listed as of Sept. 1, before the start of the 2024 regular season.
1. Andy Reid, Chiefs
- Age: 66
- Experience: 26th season
- Record: 258-144-1
Reid has been in the league so long, his nickname, “Big Red,” really can’t be used anymore with his red hair turning gray. However, his ability to lead a team has only gotten stronger year after year.
The current Chiefs head coach began his coaching career in 1999 when he was hired by the Eagles. He spent 14 seasons in Philadelphia, leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance and nine winning seasons. In 2012, after Reid’s worst season to date, the Eagles elected not to renew his contract.
It did not take long for Reid to find another home, as he was immediately hired by the Chiefs to take over as their head coach. The move has worked out incredibly well, as Kansas City has never had a losing record under Reid. His teams have recorded double-digit wins and made the playoffs in nine consecutive years. They have also appeared in four Super Bowls and won the championship three times.
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2. John Harbaugh, Ravens
- Age: 61
- Experience: 17th season
- Record: 159-99
One of the NFL’s longest-tenured coaches, Harbaugh has been the head coach of the Ravens for 17 seasons.
Harbaugh, the brother of Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, has been sensational during his time in Baltimore. The Ravens have only posted two losing records with Harbaugh at the helm.
Harbaugh climbed the top of the NFL mountain during the 2012 season, as the Ravens defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl 47. Baltimore has not been back to the big game since, although the Ravens have made the playoffs in five of the past six seasons.
3. Mike McCarthy, Cowboys
- Age: 60
- Experience: 19th season
- Record: 167-102-2
McCarthy has coached two of the most historic franchises in NFL history, starting his head coaching career with the Packers and currently acting as the Cowboys’ head honcho.
McCarthy took over in Green Bay in 2006, helping build the Packers into perennial Super Bowl contenders with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The pair won their lone championship together in 2011, the only time the two made it to a Super Bowl. The Packers elected to part ways with McCarthy during the 2018 season, with Green Bay sitting at 4-7-1 through Week 13.
After sitting on the sidelines in 2019, McCarthy was hired by the Cowboys to take over for the fired Jason Garrett. After a dismal first campaign, McCarthy posted back-to-back seasons with 10-6 records and secured Dallas’ first playoff win since 2018 . However, the Cowboys exited early in 2023 in embarrassing fashion. The expectations are always bigger down in Jerry World, and McCarthy has to find a way to make a deep playoff run in order to keep his job.
4. Todd Bowles, Buccaneers
- Age: 60
- Experience: 8th season
- Record: 43-58
Bowles checks in at No. 4 on this list, but just barely. He was born eight days after McCarthy, but that extra week-plus puts McCarthy ahead of him.
Bowles is in his second stint as an NFL head coach — third if you include his three games as interim head coach for the Dolphins. He got his first full-time gig in 2015 with the Jets, as New York handed the defensive-minded Bowles a four-year contract. After a strong first year, the Jets finished under .500 the next three seasons, resulting in Bowles not being brought back after 2018.
After New York, Bowles joined the Buccaneers as a defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians. When Arians announced his retirement after the 2021 season, Bowlers was named as his replacement. He’s currently in his third season as Tampa Bay’s head coach.
5. Jim Harbaugh, Chargers
- Age: 60
- Experience: 5th season
- Record: 44-19-1
Harbaugh is back for his second stint in the NFL. The younger sibling of the Ravens coach was the head coach for the 49ers from 2011-14, helping San Francisco reach a Super Bowl in that span. However, he lost to John and the Ravens in Super Bowl 47.
In 2015, Harbaugh left the NFL to take over at Michigan, his alma mater. He coached the Wolverines for nine seasons, ending his stint by going out on top, winning the 2023 national championship.
After capturing the title, Harbaugh left Ann Arbor for Los Angeles, taking the opening with the Chargers this offseason. He immediately enters the top five of oldest NFL head coaches.
6. Sean Payton, Broncos
- Age: 60
- Experience: 17th season
- Record: 160-100
After a one-year hiatus, Payton came back to the NFL coaching world in 2023. The longtime Saints head coach announced his retirement after the 2021 season, with Dennis Allen taking over his role in New Orleans. However, that retirement was short-lived.
Payton spent 15 years down in New Orleans with the Saints, working predominantly with quarterback Drew Brees. Under Payton, the Saints won Super Bowl 44, defeating the Colts in the championship game. New Orleans posted 10 winning seasons with Payton.
The veteran coach is now at the helm of the Broncos, entering his second season in Denver.
7. Doug Pederson, Jaguars
- Age: 56
- Experience: 8th season
- Record: 60-53-1
There’s a fairly big drop-off after Payton, with a four-year gap between the Broncos head coach and Pederson. However, the Jaguars coach finds himself at No. 7 on the list, a bump from No. 10 in 2023.
Pederson began his NFL head coaching career with the Eagles in 2016, helping the team to three winning seasons and a Super Bowl during that time, defeating Belichick and the Patriots in Super Bowl 52. However, after a 4-11-1 campaign in 2020, the two sides elected to part ways.
After a year off from coaching, Pederson took the Jaguars’ opening after the 2021 season, following the disastrous and short-lived Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville. The Jaguars enjoyed a strong turnaround season in 2022, making the playoffs as Trevor Lawrence greatly improved under Pederson. It was a stagnant year last season, as Jacksonville hopes to take another step forward in 2024.
8. Matt Eberflus, Bears
- Age: 54
- Experience: 3rd season
- Record: 10-24
Eberflus may be fairly new to the NFL head coaching scene, but he’s one of the oldest in the league. The Bears coach is currently in his third season at the helm in Chicago.
The 54-year-old spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Colts from 2018-21. In 2022, Eberflus was hired by the Bears to take over in the Windy City. After two sub-par seasons, Chicago now has a franchise quarterback in 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, and Eberflus is doing what he can this season to unlock his potential.
9. Dan Quinn, Commanders
- Age: 53
- Experience: 7th season
- Record: 43-42
Quinn is back in the head coaching ranks for the first time since 2020. The current Commanders boss spent six seasons in Atlanta with the Falcons, coaching the team during the Matt Ryan era from 2015-20. He helped the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016, but it ended in the infamous 28-3 game, losing to the Patriots.
The veteran coach was the defensive coordinator in Dallas from 2021-23, working underneath Mike McCarthy. He helped the Cowboys defense be one of the most lethal in the league, and he parlayed that into getting his second head coaching gig this offseason.
After firing Ron Rivera, the Commanders poached Quinn from their divisional rival, bringing in Quinn to be the new head coach. He, along with rookie QB Jayden Daniels, are in their first year in D.C.
10. Mike Tomlin, Steelers
- Age: 52
- Experience: 18th season
- Record: 173-100
When Tomlin first began coaching in the NFL, he was one of the youngest coaches ever to get a head coaching job. Now, he cracks the top 10 of oldest ones still active.
Tomlin has been around forever. No one has coached one team among active coaches for as long as he has, spending all 18 seasons with the Steelers. He has two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl title during that time.
The most impressive part of Tomlin’s campaign in the NFL is that the Steelers have never finished with a losing record. Pittsburgh has gone .500 three times, but outside of that, every Steelers season has been a winning one — a testament to Tomlin’s ability to get the most out of his group year in and year out.
