Being an NFL head coach has increasingly become a young man’s game, and one can point to the start of the 2017 NFL offseason as the beginning of that trend.
That’s when the Los Angeles Rams hired Sean McVay to be the team’s new head coach. McVay was not yet 31 years old when the Rams handed the reins to the Washington offensive coordinator, and the results were fruitful.
McVay helped turn Jared Goff into a solid quarterback and the Rams into a Super Bowl contender. He eventually won a Super Bowl after the team traded for Matthew Stafford, and that allowed McVay to etch his name into the annals of NFL history.
This success has led NFL teams to copy McVay’s success. NFL owners have increasingly gravitated towards younger, offensive-minded coaches to run the show for their teams. The results have been mixed, but the youth movement has continued on despite that.
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The average age of NFL head coaches entering the 2024 season was just 47.7 years old. While many of the younger head coaches are offensive-minded, the youngest leader in the NFL cut his teeth on the defensive side of the ball.
Here’s what to know about the NFL’s youngest coaches for 2024.
Who is the youngest NFL head coach?
Mike Macdonald is currently the youngest coach in the NFL. The first-year Seattle Seahawks coach is the lone 37-year-old to be coaching in the league this season.
Macdonald’s hiring took away Sean McVay’s standing as the league’s youngest coach, a position he held for his first six seasons in charge of the Rams.
Youngest NFL coaches in 2024
There are five NFL head coaches who have not yet turned 40 years old. They are as follows:
Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks (37)
Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots (38)
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams (38)
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings (39)
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts (39)
Youngest NFL head coaches in history
Sean McVay remains the youngest NFL head coach ever hired. He wasn’t yet 31 years old when the Rams hired him to be their head coach before the 2017 season.
Below is a look at the 10 youngest coaching hires of the Modern Era, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams: 30 years, 11 months (2017)
Lane Kiffin, Oakland Raiders: 31 years, 8 months (2007)
Harland Svare, Los Angeles Rams: 31 years, 11 months (1962)
John Michelosen, Pittsburgh Steelers: 32 years, 2 months (1948)
Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 32 years, 4 months (2009)
David Shula, Cincinnati Bengals: 32 years, 7 months (1992)
Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos: 32 years, 8 months (2009)
John Madden, Oakland Raiders: 32 years, 10 months (1969)
Don Shula, Baltimore Colts: 33 years, 4 days (1963)
Al David, Oakland Raiders: 33 years, 6 months (1963)
