Out with the old, in with the new.

There has been a youth movement among NFL head coaches in recent years. Just last 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 the two oldest head coaches to the two youngest, while Seattle went from Pete Carroll to Macdonald and New England went from Bill Belichick to Mayo.

In fact, four of the top five coaches who were on the oldest minors list in 2023 are no longer in the league, which led to some changes in the order.

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Oldest NFL Coaches of 2024

In the NFL, the two oldest coaches in NFL history became inactive this offseason. Who now holds the title?

Below is a look at the NFL’s 10 oldest coaches heading into the 2024 season.

Age and record are listed as of September 1, before the start of the 2024 regular season.

1. Andy Reid, Chiefs

• Old: 66
• Experience: 26th season
• Record: 258-144-1

Reid has been in the league for so long that his nickname “Big Red” really can’t be used anymore as his red hair is turning gray. However, his ability to lead a team has gotten stronger every 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 decided not to renew his contract.

It didn’t take long for Reid to find another home, as he was immediately hired by the Chiefs as their head coach. The move worked incredibly well, as Kansas City never had a losing record under Reid. His teams have posted double-digit wins and made the playoffs nine years in a row. They have also played in four Super Bowls and won the championship three times.

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2. John Harbaugh, Ravens

• Old: 61
• Experience: 17th season
• Record: 159-99

Harbaugh, one of the NFL’s longest-tenured coaches, was the Ravens’ head coach for 17 seasons.

Harbaugh, the brother of Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, turned heads during his time in Baltimore. The Ravens have recorded just two losses with Harbaugh at the helm.

Harbaugh reached the NFL’s pinnacle during the 2012 season when the Ravens defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl 47. Baltimore hasn’t been in the big game since, although the Ravens have made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.

3. Mike McCarthy, Cowboys

• Old: 60
• Experience: 19th season
• Record: 167-102-2

McCarthy has coached two of the most historic franchises in NFL history, beginning his head coaching career with the Packers and currently serving as head coach of the Cowboys.

McCarthy took over Green Bay in 2006 and helped turn the Packers into perennial Super Bowl contenders with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The two won their only championship together in 2011, the only time the two made it to a Super Bowl. The Packers decided to part ways with McCarthy during the 2018 season, with Green Bay going 4-7-1 through Week 13.

After sitting on the sidelines in 2019, McCarthy was hired by the Cowboys to replace the fired Jason Garrett. After a dismal first season, McCarthy posted back-to-back seasons of 10-6 records and secured Dallas’ first playoff win since 2018. However, the Cowboys were eliminated in embarrassing fashion in early 2023. Expectations are always higher in Jerry World and McCarthy has to find a way to get to the playoffs to keep his job.

4. Todd Bowles, Buccaneers

• Old: 60
• Experience: 8th season
• Record: 43-58

Bowles comes in at number 4 on this list, but only just. He was born eight days after McCarthy, but with that extra week, McCarthy is ahead of him.

Bowles is in his second term as an NFL head coach – third if you include his three games as interim head coach for the Dolphins. His first full-time job came with the Jets in 2015, when 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 moved to the Buccaneers as defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians. When Arians announced his retirement after the 2021 season, Bowlers was named as his replacement. He is currently in his third season as Tampa Bay’s head coach.

5. Jim Harbaugh, Chargers

• Old: 60
• Experience: 5th season
• Record: 44-19-1

Harbaugh is back for his second stint in the NFL. The Ravens coach’s younger brother was head coach of the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, during which time he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl. However, he lost in Super Bowl 47 to John and the Ravens.

In 2015, Harbaugh left the NFL to take over at Michigan, his alma mater. He coached the Wolverines for nine seasons, ending his tenure by winning the 2023 national championship.

After winning the title, Harbaugh left Ann Arbor for Los Angeles, where he finished in first place with the Chargers that offseason. He immediately lands in the top five oldest NFL head coaches.

6. Sean Payton, Broncos

• Old: 60
• Experience: 17th season
• Record: 160-100

After a year-long break, Payton returned to the NFL coaching world in 2023. The Saints’ long-time head coach announced his retirement following the 2021 season, with Dennis Allen assuming his role in New Orleans. However, this retirement was short-lived.

Payton spent 15 years in New Orleans with the Saints, working primarily with quarterback Drew Brees. Under Payton, the Saints won Super Bowl 44 and defeated the Colts in the championship game. New Orleans had 10 winning seasons with Payton.

The experienced coach is now at the helm of the Broncos and begins his second season in Denver.

7. Doug Pederson, Jaguars

• Old: 56
• Experience: 8th season
• Record: 60-53-1

There’s a pretty 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, an increase from No. 10 in 2023.

Pederson began his NFL head coaching career with the Eagles in 2016, during which time he helped the team to three winning seasons and a Super Bowl, defeating Belichick and the Patriots in Super Bowl 52. However, after a 4-11-1 season in 2020, the two sides decided to go their separate ways.

After a year off from coaching, Pederson took over as the Jaguars’ opener after the 2021 season, following the disastrous and short-lived Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville. The Jaguars enjoyed a strong turnaround season in 2022 and made the playoffs as Trevor Lawrence improved significantly under Pederson. Last season was a stagnant year as Jacksonville hopes to take another step forward in 2024.

8. Matt Eberflus, Bears

• Old: 54
• Experience: 3rd season
• Record: 10-24

Eberflus may be relatively new to the NFL head coaching scene, but he is one of the oldest in the league. The Bears coach is currently in his third season at the helm of Chicago.

The 54-year-old was the Colts’ defensive coordinator for four seasons from 2018-21. In 2022, Eberflus was hired by the Bears to take over the Windy City. After two subpar 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 fulfill his potential.

9. Dan Quinn, Commander

• Old: 53
• Experience: 7th season
• Record: 43-42

Quinn is back in the head coaching rankings for the first time since 2020. The current Commanders boss spent six seasons in Atlanta with the Falcons and coached the team during the Matt Ryan era from 2015 to 2020. He helped the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016, but that ended in the infamous 28-3 game ended and lost to the Patriots.

The veteran coach was the defensive coordinator in Dallas from 2021 to 2023, working under Mike McCarthy. He helped make the Cowboys’ defense one of the league’s highest-scoring, and he used that to land his second head coaching job this offseason.

After firing Ron Rivera, the Commanders poached Quinn from their division rival and hired Quinn as their new head coach. He is in his first year in DC along with rookie QB Jayden Daniels

10. Mike Tomlin, Steelers

• Old: 52
• Experience: 18th season
• Record: 173-100

When Tomlin first started coaching in the NFL, he was one of the youngest coaches to ever get a head coaching job. Now he cracks the top 10 of the oldest still active.

Tomlin has been around forever. No other active coach has coached a team as long as he has and spent all 18 seasons with the Steelers. During this time he had two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl title.

The most impressive part of Tomlin’s NFL campaign is that the Steelers have never finished with a losing record. Pittsburgh hit .500 three times, but otherwise every Steelers season was a successful one – a testament to Tomlin’s ability to get the best out of his group year after year.