The 10 NFL Coaches Who Fared Best — and Worst — at Replacing Legends

Few NFL coaches have ever stepped into a hornets’ nest as big as the one Jimmy Johnson hit in 1989 when he was hired to replace the legendary Tom Landry in Dallas. The circumstances around the firing and hiring made it worse, but Johnson knew taking over for a Hall of Famer would be a challenge regardless. “I don’t expect to replace someone like him,” he said back then. “But just let me do my thing and judge me by what happens later.” It was a quaint notion, but the reality was he was always going to be compared to his predecessor until he had similar extraordinary success of his own. It’s what Mike Macdonald surely felt in replacing Pete Carroll in Seattle. It’s what Mike Vrabel likely felt in Bill Belichick’s New England shadow too, even though another coach (Jerod Mayo) was a buffer in between. Macdonald and Vrabel are doing all right, but only a handful of coaches have had the kind of success Johnson had replacing one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Here’s a look at the five coaches who had the most success in the shadow of a legend, and the five who were the biggest disasters. Five Most Successful TOM FLORES, OAKLAND/LOS ANGELES RAIDERS (1979-87) Replaced: John Madden, who had a 103-32-7 (.759) record over 10 seasons (1969-78). He went to the playoffs eight times, winning at least one postseason game seven times, and led the Raiders to the Super Bowl XI. He retired for health reasons after going 9-7 in 1978, having never suffered a losing season. Flores’ Record: 83-53 (.610), two Super Bowl championships After serving as Madden’s receivers coach, it took Flores just two years to get back to, and win, the Super Bowl (XV). Then he won another one, three years later (XVIII), after enduring the franchise’s move from Oakland to Los Angeles. He had just two losing seasons in his nine years with the Raiders, and was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. GEORGE SEIFERT, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (1989-96) Replaced: Bill Walsh, “The Genius,” who turned the 49ers into a dynasty by winning three Super Bowls (XVI, XIX, XXIII) and posting a 92-59-1 record in his 10 years in San Francisco (92-59-1, .609). He had 10 wins seven times, including in his last six seasons. He resigned right after the 49ers won Super XXIII. Seifert’s Record: 98-30 (.766), two Super Bowl championships He was handed a Super Bowl-winning team after serving as Walsh’s defensive coordinator, and he just kept running with it. The 49ers went 14-2 in each of his first two seasons and won their second consecutive Super Bowl (XXIV) in his first year. They reached the NFC Championship Game five times in his first six seasons. And, after overseeing the messy QB switch from Joe Montana to Steve Young, he won a second Super Bowl in Year 6 (XXIX). He never won fewer than 10 games in a season. He was pushed out after a 12-4 season in 1996, after the 49ers lost in the divisional round. JIMMY JOHNSON, DALLAS COWBOYS (1989-93) Replaced: Tom Landry, the original Cowboys coach who oversaw their transformation from an expansion team to America’s Team. He spent a remarkable 29 years as the Cowboys’ coach, going 250-162-6 (.607), leading them to five Super Bowls and winning two (VI, XII). He had a stretch of 10 wins or more in 13 of 14 seasons (1968-81) and made the playoffs in 18 of 20 years from 1966-85. It all fell apart in his final three seasons, though, ending with a 3-13 year in 1988 that led to his ugly departure when Jerry Jones bought the franchise. Johnson’s Record: 44-36 (.550), two Super Bowl championships His record looks a lot better if you take out his 1-15 start in QB Troy Aikman’s rookie season. Thanks to the Herschel Walker trade and some shrewd drafting, he quickly built the Cowboys into a powerhouse. They were in the playoffs by Year 3 and won back-to-back Super Bowls in his final two seasons (XXVII, XXVIII). In fact, he went 36-12 (.750) in his final three seasons and 7-1 (.875) in the playoffs before his relationship with Jones went south. He was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame, too. BILL COWHER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1992-2006) Replaced: Chuck Noll, who turned the Steelers and their Steel Curtain defense into the dominant team of the 1970s. He went 193-148-1 (.566) over 23 seasons, winning four Super Bowls along the way — two separate back-to-back championships (IX, X, and XIII, XIV). Noll had an eight-year run from 1972-79 that’s hard to match: Seven 10-win seasons, eight trips to the playoffs and those four championships. He faded at the end, failing to reach the playoffs in six of his last seven seasons, which led to his retirement. Cowher’s Record: 149-90-1 (.623), one Super Bowl championship He was a 34-year-old defensive coordinator in Kansas City when the Steelers hired him to replace a legend, and it didn’t take him long to restore their luster. The Steelers made the playoffs in each of his first six seasons and reached the Super Bowl in his fourth year. His quest for a championship took a while, though, as it came in his 14th season (Super Bowl XL). In all, he made the playoffs 10 times and went 12-9 (.571) in the postseason during his Hall of Fame career. He resigned after an 8-8 campaign in 2006. MIKE TOMLIN, PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2007-2025) Replaced: Bill Cowher (see above) Tomlin’s Record: 193-114-2 (.628), one Super Bowl championship He was only 34 and had spent just one year as the Vikings defensive coordinator when the Steelers hired him, but he still got off to a blistering start. He went 10-6 and made the playoffs in his first season and then won 12 games and went to two Super Bowls, winning one (XLIII) over the next three years. That started an impressive run of consistent success which featured 13 trips to the playoffs and not a single losing season in 19 years. He didn’t win a playoff game over his last nine seasons, though, which is part of what led him to step aside in January. Five Least Successful PHIL BENGTSON, GREEN BAY PACKERS (1968-70) Replaced: Vince Lombardi, the most iconic of NFL coaches, who helped the Packers dominate the 1960s and the early Super Bowl era. All he did in nine seasons in Green Bay was go 89-29-4 (.754), make the playoffs six times and win five NFL championships/Super Bowls. He didn’t suffer a single losing season yet resigned — and stepped in the GM role — after winning three straight championships, including Super Bowls I and II. Bengtson’s Record: 20-21-1 (.488) Never mind that the Packers’ core was beginning to age and that he had a legend looking over his shoulder from the front office. He had the ultimate, no-win situation, taking over a dynasty that had clearly run its course. Lombardi’s longtime defensive coordinator went 6-7-1 in his first season and only had one winning season in his three, finishing in third place in the Central division each time. He was fired after going 6-8 in 1970. His stint on Lombardi’s staff, though, earned him a spot in the Packers Hall of Fame in 1985. RAY HANDLEY, NEW YORK GIANTS (1991-92) Replaced: Bill Parcells, the coach who put the franchise back on the NFL map after they had missed the playoffs in 19 of 20 seasons from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. He was 77-49-1 (.610) in his eight years with the Giants, winning two Super Bowls (XXI, XXV) and making the playoffs five times. He retired (briefly) several months after the 1990 season and his second championship. Handley’s Record: 14-18 (.438) A trusted and brilliant “offensive backfield coach” under Parcells, he was GM George Young’s hand-picked successor over then-defensive coordinator Bill Belichick. But Parcells’ late retirement meant Handley didn’t get the job until May. He botched it from the start, too, beginning with his first big decision — opening up a training camp competition between two Super Bowl-winning QBs, Jeff Hostetler and Phil Simms. That quarterback mess haunted him for two years, as he lost the locker room. His rough relationship with the media didn’t help, and the fans turned on him quickly, too. He was fired after going 6-10 in Year 2. RICHIE PETITBON, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (1993) Replaced: Joe Gibbs, who turned Washington into one of the NFL’s power teams of the 1980s. In 12 seasons (during his first of two runs as Washington’s head coach), Gibbs went 124-60 (.674), went to the playoffs eight times, reached four Super Bowls and won the championship three times (XVII, XXII, XXVI). He made the playoffs and won a postseason game in his final season (1992), but two months after it ended, he retired (briefly) for health reasons. Petitbon’s Record: 4-12 A four-time Pro Bowl safety and Gibbs’ longtime defensive coordinator, he built the defense that was the backbone of Washington’s three Super Bowl titles. But that defense collapsed when he took over as head coach, along with the rest of his aging team, which was hurt by injuries and some questionable free-agent and coaching staff decisions. Doomed by a 1-6 start, Washington was 2-9 by December. He was fired a few days after Washington’s worst season in 30 years. JOSH McDANIELS, DENVER BRONCOS (2009-10) Replaced: Mike Shanahan, who finally got the Broncos out of their Super Bowl-losing rut and helped QB John Elway to his two championships (XXXII, XXXIII). Shanahan spent 14 years in Denver (1995-2008) and went 138-86 (.616), making the playoffs seven times. His final three seasons were mediocre, though, and he was fired after the Broncos went 8-8 in 2008, missing the playoffs following an 8-5 start. McDaniels’ Record: 11-17 (.393) Hailed as one of the brains behind the offense that powered the Patriots dynasty, McDaniels was instead one of many Belichick proteges who couldn’t approach his boss’ success. His season-plus in Denver was filled with controversy, starting with a quick falling out with QB Jay Cutler, that led to him being traded. He later had a similar falling out with star WR Brandon Marshall, too. And he got caught in a mini-Spygate incident, taping a 49ers walkthrough practice (though the NFL determined his video director, Steve Scarnecchia, acted alone). McDaniels was fired 12 games into his second season, after going 3-9. JEROD MAYO, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2024) Replaced: Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. He took the Patriots to nine Super Bowl in his 24 seasons, winning an unprecedented six times. He also made 13 trips to the AFC Championship Game and missed the playoffs just three times in a 21-year stretch (2001-21). He went 266-121 (.687) and his 302 regular-season wins (including his time with Cleveland) rank second among coaches in NFL history, and his 333 total wins rank third all time. Mayo’s Record: 4-13 The former Patriots linebacker spent five years as Belichick’s inside linebackers coach, and early on he was identified by owner Robert Kraft as an eventual successor for his head coach. He was handed a rebuilding team that had just one winning campaign in the last four and went 4-13 in Belichick’s final season, but the 37-year-old Mayo somehow made it worse. He seemed unprepared. His team lacked discipline. And there were worries about how he was handling rookie quarterback Drake Maye. He was fired as soon as his first season ended.