The NFL regular season is behind us, and we now have nine head-coaching openings, none of which has been filled.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars firing Urban Meyer on Dec. 16 after less than one season, we know they are going to be on the hunt for a permanent option, and they've already started requesting interviews with candidates. Same with the Las Vegas Raiders, who had interim coach Rich Bisaccia in place after Jon Gruden's resignation in October. They have been interviewing candidates as well.
The Denver Broncos were the next to fire their coach, as Vic Fangio was let go after three seasons. The day after the season ended, the Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears fired their coaches. The New York Giants followed the day after, and the Houston Texans did two days later.
On Tuesday, sources confirmed New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is retiring.
Here's everything you need to know about the latest NFL head-coach movement, with news on open jobs, potential open jobs and candidates.
More: Latest buzz on each open NFL coach job 
OPEN HEAD-COACH JOBS
New Orleans Saints
Former coach: Sean Payton (retired)
Saints longtime coach Sean Payton, 58, has decided to retire after 16 years, a source confirmed to ESPN. New Orleans missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons with a 9-8 record in 2021. But in many ways, it ranked among Payton's most impressive coaching jobs considering quarterback Drew Brees' retirement, a roster that was depleted by major injuries, salary-cap cuts and COVID-19 issues, and a hurricane evacuation to Dallas for the first month of the season. Payton acknowledged how trying the season was in Week 18, and although he is under contract, he recently had remained uncommitted to coaching in 2022.
Payton posted a career record of 152-89 (.631 winning percentage), not including his season-long suspension in 2012 because of the league's bounty investigation. Payton went 9-8 in the postseason, including the only Super Bowl victory in franchise history in 2009.
More:
Jacksonville Jaguars
Former coach: Urban Meyer (fired on Dec. 16)
Meyer was fired after less than one season as coach of the Jaguars -- and reportedly for cause. His time with the Jaguars included incidents on and off the field. While the team did finally win a game after a 20-game losing streak, it was only 2-10 at the time of his firing. And shortly before he was fired, a former Jaguars kicker claimed Meyer kicked him while at practice. Not the year that was expected after drafting Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall in the 2021 draft.
Interview requests: Former Eagles HC Doug Pederson (interviewed), former Colts and Lions HC Jim Caldwell (interviewed), Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich (interviewed), Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles (interviewed), Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, Colts DC Matt Eberflus, Alabama OC Bill O'Brien, Jags interim HC Darrell Bevell
More:
Jaguars interim head coach Bevell hands playcalling responsibilities to Brian Schottenheimer
Jaguars QB Lawrence says coaching change gives locker room 'focus'
Denver Broncos
Former coach: Vic Fangio
Fangio's downfall, beyond the simple win-loss numbers in his three seasons -- 19-30 -- was fueled by the ongoing search for a long-term solution at quarterback, a change at general manager (George Paton was hired to replace John Elway in 2021), an almost constant struggle to score points on offense, and upheaval at the ownership level (which has included a legal battle), with the team expected to be sold in the coming year. The Broncos failed to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season and averaged fewer than 20 points a game.
The Broncos will be an attractive landing spot for Fangio's replacement. They have a young roster, plenty of cap space and 11 picks in hand for April's draft.
Interview requests: Pats LB coach Jerod Mayo, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, Rams OC Kevin O'Connell, Packers QB coach/pass game coordinator Luke Getsy, Lions DC Aaron Glenn, Bengals OC Brian Callahan
More:
Legwold: Broncos want to find a 'leader' among nine early coaching candidates
Legwold: Why the Broncos will keep replacing coaches until the quarterback question is answered
News: Broncos fire Fangio after second straight last-place finish
Minnesota Vikings
Former coach: Mike Zimmer
In eight seasons with the Vikings, Zimmer had a 72-56-1 record and made three trips to the postseason (2015, 2017, 2019), with two playoff wins. The Vikings fell short of reaching the playoffs in 2020 with a 7-9 record and they fell short in 2021, too. They had not missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since Zimmer took over in 2014.
The story of this year's Vikings team was defined by games that came down to the final possession. Of Minnesota's 17 games this season, 13 were decided by one possession. You can see them listed quite a few times in the win and loss columns of all the walk-off wins of the season.
The Vikings invested north of $46 million in guaranteed money on defensive contracts in the offseason to restore their once-vaunted defense. But before Week 18, Minnesota ranked 31st in yards per game (385.4), 26th in yards per play (5.81), 27th in rushing yards allowed per game (133.3), 26th in passing yards allowed per game (252.1) and 25th in points allowed (409).
Interview requests: Bucs DC Todd Bowles, Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, Rams OC Kevin O'Connell, Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Rams DC Raheem Morris
More:
Chicago Bears
Former coach: Matt Nagy
Nagy was hired in 2018 with the belief he would ignite Chicago's offense. That didn't happen -- the Bears have scored the eighth-fewest points in the NFL under his leadership -- nor has rookie quarterback Justin Fields' development gone according to plan.
Nagy, just three years ago, was named NFL Coach of the Year in his first season in Chicago as the Bears surged to 12-4 and reached the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The Bears went 8-8 in 2019 and 2020 and qualified for the postseason last year as a wild-card team. Nagy was 0-2 in the playoffs. His handling of playcalling duties was troublesome this season, and the 226 points Chicago surrendered in its 11 losses made it more likely for ownership to hit the reset button.
General manager Ryan Pace was also fired. The Bears had one winning season (2018) since he took over GM duties in 2015. The team is hiring Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles as its new general manager.
Interview requests: Bills DC Leslie Frazier, Bills OC Brian Daboll, Doug Pederson, Bucs OC Byron Leftwich, Bucs DC Todd Bowles, Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, Colts DC Matt Eberflus, former Miami HC Brian Flores, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Jim Caldwell, Saints DC Dennis Allen
More:
Miami Dolphins
Former coach: Brian Flores
Flores was fired by the Dolphins after three seasons. General manager Chris Grier will remain with the team in his current role.
Flores' career record was 24-25. The Dolphins started the 2021 season 1-7 before going on a seven-game winning streak -- becoming the first team in NFL history to have a seven-game winning streak and a seven-game losing streak in the same season. But the Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. The Dolphins never reached the postseason under Flores, despite his twice leading them to a winning record, including 10-6 in 2020.
Flores is expected to be a prime candidate to get head-coaching consideration elsewhere during this next hiring cycle.
Interview requests: Bills OC Brian Daboll, 49ers OC Mike McDaniel, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Cardinals DC Vance Joseph, Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, Bills DC Leslie Frazier, Rams AHC/RBs Thomas Brown
More:
Louis-Jacques: Making sense of Flores' firing and where the Dolphins go from here
Reid: Miami's firing of Flores is latest blow to NFL's poor record of inclusive hiring
New York Giants
Former coach: Joe Judge
The Giants fired coach Joe Judge after two losing seasons with the team. The move came a day after general manager David Gettleman retired after four seasons on the job.
Judge, a first-time head coach, went 10-23 in his two years. He is the third consecutive Giants coach to be fired after two seasons or less, following Ben McAdoo (13-15) and Pat Shurmur (9-23), as the once-proud franchise stumbles through one of the worst 10-year stretches in its history.
The Giants hired Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their new GM and now must find a coach to replace Judge.
Interview requests: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, former Dolphins HC Brian Flores, Bills OC Brian Daboll, Bills DC Leslie Frazier, Giants DC Patrick Graham, Bengals DC Lou Anarumo
More:
Houston Texans
Former coach: David Culley
The Texans fired Culley one year after the longtime assistant became the oldest first-time NFL head coach at age 65.
In Culley's first season as a head coach, the Texans won the same number of games as they did the previous season under interim coach Romeo Crennel. Culley did it with a depleted roster and team that has had just one first-round pick in the last four years.
Interview requests: Former Dolphins HC Brian Flores, Chargers OC Joe Lombardi, Florida Atlantic WRs coach Hines Ward, Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, former QB Josh McCown, Rams OC Kevin O'Connell
More:
Las Vegas Raiders
Former coach: Jon Gruden (resigned Oct. 11)
Rich Bisaccia took over for Gruden and led them to the playoffs, but the Raiders are interviewing head-coach candidates to take the full-time job. They also fired general manager Mike Mayock and are in need of a new GM.
Bisaccia, 61, had been promoted from special teams coordinator upon the resignation of Jon Gruden. It was the first time in a coaching career that began in 1983 that Bisaccia was a head coach at any level.
Interview requests: Bisaccia, Patriots ILB coach Jerod Mayo, 49ers OC Demeco Ryans
More:
Gutierrez: Football lifer Bisaccia tasked with leading Raiders through choppy waters
Gutierrez: Is Mike Mayock's job in jeopardy? Evaluating the Raiders general manager
Barnwell: Gruden built a bad Raiders roster: Why his tenure was a disaster
News: Gruden resigns as Raiders coach after report of anti-gay, misogynistic language used in emails