NFL 2023 - NFL Head Coaches Set Sights on Major Milestones

The NFL's top head coaches set sights on major milestone, while up-and-coming coaching greats continue their ascent.

Belichick, Reid Closing In On Milestones

New England head coach BILL BELICHICK enters the 2023 season with the most-ever Super Bowl titles (six) and postseason wins (31) by a head coach. His 329 total wins, including the postseason, are the second-most in league history, after he surpassed George Halas (324 total wins) last season. Only Don Shula (347) has more. Belichick's second win of the season this year will mark his 300th career regular-season victory, joining Shula (328 regular-season wins) and Halas (318) as the only head coaches ever to reach the 300-win milestone in the regular season.

Kansas City head coach ANDY REID ranks fifth all-time in both total wins (269) and regular-season wins (247). This season, he can surpass Tom Landry for fourth place on both lists, while becoming the fifth coach in league history to reach the 250-win milestone in the regular season.

On his road to leading the Chiefs to a second Super Bowl championship in four years, Reid -- who now has 22 career postseason victories -- surpassed Landry (20 postseason wins) for the second-most postseason wins by a head coach in NFL history, trailing only Belichick (31). Reid became the 14th head coach in league history to win multiple Super Bowls, with he and Belichick being the only active head coaches to do so.

When New England hosts Kansas City on Monday Night Football in Week 15, it will mark the first time that two of the top five head coaches with the most regular-season wins all-time will meet in a game since 1990, when Don Shula's Dolphins met Chuck Noll's Steelers in Week 4.

Super Bowl-Winning Head Coaches

In addition to Belichick and Reid, the 2023 season will feature seven other Super Bowl-winning head coaches -- Seattle's PETE CARROLL, Baltimore's JOHN HARBAUGH, Dallas' MIKE MCCARTHY, the Los Angeles Rams' SEAN MCVAY, Denver's SEAN PAYTON, Jacksonville's DOUG PEDERSON and Pittsburgh's MIKE TOMLIN.

TOMLIN has led the Steelers to a .500-or-better record in each of his 16 seasons as head coach. That is tied with George Halas for the third-longest streak of .500-or-better seasons by a head coach in NFL history. Overall, Tomlin's 163 career regular-season wins trail only Don Shula (165) for the most wins ever by a head coach in his first 16 seasons.

Last season, HARBAUGH led the Ravens to their 10th playoff appearance since being hired in 2008. Baltimore's 158 total wins (including the postseason) are the fourth-most in the league over that span. Harbaugh has 11 playoff wins in his career, including eight on the road, the most road playoff wins by a head coach in NFL history.

PAYTON, who has 152 career regular-season victories, returns to the NFL sidelines this season after being hired by the Broncos in January. Along with Kansas City's Andy Reid (247 regular-season wins), the 2023 AFC West is the second division since 1950 to feature two head coaches entering the season with at least 150 career regular-season victories. The only previous division to hold that distinction was the 2013 NFC East, with the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin and Washington's Mike Shanahan.

Payton will be looking to join Belichick, Carroll, McCarthy, Pederson and Reid as active head coaches to win a playoff game with multiple franchises. No head coach in league history has ever won a Super Bowl with two different franchises.

Head Coaches with First-Year Successes

Last season, for the first time in NFL history, five teams that hired a new head coach prior to the season advanced to the playoffs -- Jacksonville (DOUG PEDERSON), Miami (MIKE MCDANIEL), Minnesota (KEVIN O'CONNELL), the New York Giants (BRIAN DABOLL) and Tampa Bay (TODD BOWLES). It marked the seventh-consecutive season in which at least one rookie head coach led their team to the postseason.

New York's Daboll was named Associated Press Coach of the Year after leading the Giants to their first postseason appearance since 2016 and their first playoff win since 2011.

New Head Coaches in 2023

A total of five teams hired new head coaches this offseason -- Arizona (JONATHAN GANNON), Denver (SEAN PAYTON), Carolina (FRANK REICH), Houston (DEMECO RYANS) and Indianapolis (SHANE STEICHEN). Both Payton and Reich will begin their second stint as NFL head coaches.

PAYTON spent 15 seasons (2006-11, 2013-21) with New Orleans, leading the Saints to their first and only Super Bowl championship following the 2009 season.

REICH led the Colts to two playoff appearances during his four and a half seasons (2018-22) in Indianapolis.

GANNON comes to Arizona after spending the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator for Philadelphia. Under Gannon, the Eagles had a top-10 defense in each of the past two seasons. In 2022, the unit ranked second in total defense and recorded 70 sacks, tied for the third-most by a team in a single season in league history, which contributed to an NFC Championship.

RYANS was hired by Houston after serving as the San Francisco defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Under Ryans, the 49ers led the league in total defense (300.6 yards allowed per game) and points allowed per game (16.3) in 2022.

STEICHEN comes to Indianapolis having spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator for Philadelphia. Over those two seasons, the Eagles ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards per game (153.6), rushing yards (5,224) and rushing touchdowns (57).

NFL 2023 - NFL Head Coaches Set Sights on Major Milestones this Season