What are the best HC-GM pairings in the NFL?

Where do Sean McVay and Les Snead rank among head coach and general manager combos around the NFL?

Continuity and longevity are luxuries in the National Football League, which commonly is referred to as “not for long”. Even one misstep can be the undoing for a front office or coaching staff, and often times we see individuals dismissed before their vision has a chance to fully unfold.

It’s important this time of year to analyze the top general manager and head coach combos around the NFL as we assess free agent signings and look forward toward the NFL Draft. Which franchises have unique pairings running their organization that help prime their teams for success?

Let’s take a look at the best HC-GM combos across the league:

1 – Brett Veach & Andy Reid; Kansas City Chiefs

You can’t dispute back-to-back Super Bowls and three wins in four years. Veach and Reid perfectly executed the transition from Alex Smith to Patrick Mahomes, which allowed their team to move forward from perennial playoff berth to perennial AFC contender. KC took home the world championship in 2023 even though their roster arguably took a step back overall.

2 – Les Snead & Sean McVay; Los Angeles Rams

While the Rams can be up and down at times, McVay and Sean have led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances and a victory in their seven seasons together. LA surprised and made the playoffs amidst their 2023 rebuild, and they’ve aggressively added veterans this offseason ahead of the draft where they are slotted to make 11 picks. Can the Rams keep their arrow pointed upwards in 2024?

3 – John Lynch & Kyle Shanahan; San Francisco 49ers

While the 49ers’ pairing doesn’t yet have championships to their names, they still have a wealth of success and have knocked on the door nearly every year their starting quarterback has remained healthy. Lynch and Shanahan deserve a heap of credit for not only identifying Brock Purdy, but putting him in a position to start over former top pick Trey Lance and eventually leading the team to two straight NFC Championship games. How long can San Francisco keep this ride going?

4 – Kwesi Adofo-Mensah & Kevin O’Connell; Minnesota Vikings

While there are significant questions at quarterback for Minnesota, it’s clear that the Vikings are taking a measured and data-driven approach to their team build. O’Connell showed maybe too much ability to adapt his offense to reserve QB’ after Kirk Cousin tore his Achilles last year, and now he’ll likely be tasked with grooming a rookie. The rest of the Vikings roster is ready to compete, so if the team plugs in the right signal caller Minnesota could be frisky.

5 – Andrew Berry & Kevin Stefanski; Cleveland Browns

There may be no better roster from top to bottom in today’s NFL than the Browns, and Berry certainly deserves credit for that. Stefanski now must get the most out of Deshaun Watson and string together a postseason run to get the most out of a roster that’s ready to win.

6 – Brad Holmes & Dan Campbell; Detroit Lions

Holmes and Campbell have taken the Lions from bottom dweller to amongst the most exciting to watch in all of football. The Lions are an intriguing underdog story with Jared Goff under center amidst his redemption arc, and they’re out to win a championship for the city of Detroit.

7 – Chris Ballard & Shane Steichen; Indianapolis Colts

It may be early to include this pairing so high on the list, but I’m encouraged by what Steichen was able to accomplish with Gardner Minshew at quarterback a year ago. Anthony Richardson showed incredible flashes in his short rookie season, though if he remains healthy the Colts are a force to be reckoned with in the AFC South.

8 – Brian Gutekunst & Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers

The book is still out on Jordan Love, though if he continues to ascend the Packers could be a tough out for years to come. While Green Bay continually gets value out of lower round draft picks—especially at receiver—it’s fair to wonder if they are missing the impact of truly blue chip players and prospects.

9 – Eric DeCosta & John Harbaugh; Baltimore Ravens

You can argue Baltimore’s duo should be higher on this list. Being in the upper third is still a compliment, though I think this is fair until the Ravens show us they can win in the postseason with Lamar Jackson at quarterback.

10 – Nick Caserio & DeMeco Ryans; Houston Texans

Caserio took a measured approach to the Texans’ roster until they were able to move on from Watson. But now Houston’s window of contention has been pried open with CJ Stroud’s rookie contract, and they’re looking to maximize their opportunity by loading up on weapons such as Danielle Hunter and Stefon Diggs.

Other notes:

No, I did not include Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills. Beane, of course, has recently grown infamous for his comments suggesting that he’d prefer to avoid a Rams-like collapse. Instead, the Bills spent the offseason shedding costly veterans and trading away one of their best individual players in Stefon Diggs. If the mission was to build a sustainable future, Beane and Buffalo failed. They’ll need to get creative and build a new iteration of the Bills in order to find success moving forward.

Also, one of the biggest departures in the NFL this offseason was that of Pete Carroll. Carroll and John Schneider would have been shoo-ins for the top ten HC-GM pairings, but without Carroll Schneider will have much to prove. Can he build a ready to win roster with a new head coach?