Before we close out a wild decade in America’s most popular sports league, we’re looking back at some of the best of the 2010s in the NFL.
Here’s a breakdown of the 10 best professional football coaches from the last 10 seasons.
10. Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
Rivera had three double-digit-win seasons in a six-year span, and was Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2015. At one point he won three consecutive NFC South crowns, and his 15-1 Panthers went to the Super Bowl in 2015.
9. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles/Kansas City Chiefs
The problem is that Reid has just two playoff wins this decade. But there’s no denying his immense regular-season success. He’s had a losing record just once, and he’s won 10-plus games in six seasons. His Chiefs are once again Super Bowl contenders this year, and he deserves some credit for what he’s done with Patrick Mahomes.
8. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers
He won eight playoff games in just four seasons with the 49ers, never posting a losing campaign. His 49ers also won the NFC title in 2012. If he stayed in the NFL beyond 2014, Harbaugh would almost certainly be a lot higher on this list.
7. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
If the Saints win their final regular-season game of the decade, Payton will be one of only four coaches to win 100 games this decade. His Super Bowl technically came in 2010 (at the end of the 2009 season), and the Saints won four division titles this decade.
6. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
The third-winningest coach this decade always keeps his Steelers in the mix. He’s a Coach of the Year candidate for what he’s done without plenty of key players this season. He’s never had a losing season, but has six campaigns with double-digit wins since 2010.
5. Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles
The coaching jobs he’s done late in three consecutive seasons have been phenomenal. Pederson’s Eagles were left for dead in 2017 and won the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback, and then they made another run with a backup in 2018 and are doing it again despite being totally depleted in 2019.
4. Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts/Arizona Cardinals/Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The two-time Coach of the Year went 9-3 as the interim coach in Indy, won double-digit games in three consecutive seasons in Arizona, and has now revived the Buccaneers, who appear to be on track to compete in 2020. He’s a quarterback whisperer who succeeds wherever he goes.
3. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have undergone near-constant change this decade, but they always remain competitive. Harbaugh won the Super Bowl in 2012 and could do it again this year. He’s won seven playoff games this decade, and he’s had just one losing season.
2. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
Carroll and Bill Belichick are the only men who have coached in two Super Bowls this decade, although John Harbaugh can join them in the new year.
1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
In addition to three Super Bowl wins and three more AFC titles in an eight-year span (just ridiculous), Belichick has an incredible 141 regular-season and playoff wins as a coach this decade. No other coach has 110. The Patriots won the division every single season this decade.
About Brad Gagnon
Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.