5 NFL teams that should hire Les Miles

If the recently fired Les Miles decides to try his hand in the NFL, here are five teams that should consider hiring him.

Les Miles has reportedly been fired by Louisiana State University after spending 11 full seasons as their head coach. A loss to Auburn was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and while Miles will be getting paid quite a princely sum by LSU thanks to his expensive contract, everyone knows he won’t be able to stay away from football for long.

Miles has NFL experience, having served as the tight-end coach for the Dallas Cowboys from 1998 to 2000. He has a lot of experience with offense and it’s probably his area of expertise. If Miles wants a job in the NFL, whether it’s as a coordinator or a head coach, these five teams should definitely be interested.

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5. Cleveland Browns

Should the Cleveland Browns be considering firing Hue Jackson or Pep Hamilton? Absolutely not. If they do, it’s just another example of the Browns never giving coaches or coordinators a chance to succeed. However, they would benefit from having Les Miles around.

Hamilton currently serves as the Browns’ offensive coordinator. It’s impossible to judge how good of a coordinator he is because the Browns lack offensive talent. He has a history of success with the Indianapolis Colts, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt. But perhaps the Browns could use another experienced coach on offense.

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The Browns already have a fairly large group of assistant coaches, including eight assistant coaches on offense. So why not bring in Miles and make it nine? Miles could serve as the assistant tight-ends coach and get his foot in the door. If a bigger position opens up, Miles would be in a prime position to grab it. And just being around Miles could make the Browns a better team.

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4. New York Jets

As with the Browns, the New York Jets shouldn’t fire their head coach Todd Bowles — at least not yet. But they could use some help on offense. While Chan Gailey has 20 years of NFL experience and has only been with the Jets for two seasons, his offense clearly isn’t working. Firing him for Miles, who hasn’t been in the NFL in nearly 20 years, would be silly. However, the Jets should consider bringing Miles on in some capacity.

Miles has experience as a tight ends coach and an offensive line coach. Both Jimmie Johnson (tight ends coach) and Steve Marshall (offensive line coach) could be scapegoats for the Jets’ offensive failures so far this season. Miles could replace either of the two and perhaps give the Jets a bit of a spark.

If Miles wants to get a head coaching job for an NFL team, he’s likely going to have to work his way up. Once he proves he can inspire and motivate at the NFL level, he should be able to climb his way up to the head-coaching ranks quickly. Experience is never a bad thing, so if Miles’ ego would allow him to take on a smaller role in the NFL, that could help him find a consistent job in the NFL.

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3. Chicago Bears

If Les Miles wants an organization to join and perhaps quickly advance in, the Chicago Bears are a great fit for him. The Bears would also benefit from having Miles’ experience and fiery attitude around. Chicago should replace Frank Smith (their tight-ends coach) with Miles, for the simple fact that Smith simply hasn’t been getting the job done. His background is better suited for an offensive line coach job anyway. So the Bears could fire Dave Magazu, replace Magazu with Smith, and let Miles coach the tight ends.

The Bears are struggling mightily in 2016, which could lead to their offensive coordinator and head coaching jobs becoming vacant. Miles would have a great chance of filling one of those roles if he joins the Bears and does a half-way serviceable job. Of course, the Bears could also fire John Fox and let Miles take over. After all, Miles couldn’t do much worse than Fox at this point.

What would Miles bring to the Bears? Perhaps his aggressiveness would rub off on the traditionally conservative to a fault Fox. Maybe he can motivate the players to do a better job. Miles has his flaws, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a very effective coach in the NFL.

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2. Gus Bradley

The Jacksonville Jaguars should deeply consider firing head coach Gus Bradley. He unquestionably has talent around him, but all the Jaguars have seen with him are soul crushing losses. Bradley has been consistently out coached during his tenure. The Jaguars were supposed to see results in 2016. So far, the only result they have is an 0-3 record.

Les Miles could be just the guy they need. While he shouldn’t replace Bradley yet, the Jaguars could be looking for a new offensive coordinator. Greg Olson has done a not-awful job, but somebody has to be the scapegoat, and all signs point to that being Olson. With his proven leadership and troop-rallying abilities, Miles could be just what Jacksonville needs to get off the snide.

The Jaguars, much like the Bears, would provide Miles with potentially a quick rise to being a head coach. Bradley will most likely finish out the season, but Miles could insert himself in the conversation to be his replacement by getting a head start and joining the Jaguars early. Miles is well known for being an opportunist as a coach, so don’t be surprised if he adopts a strategy similar to this one if he wants to join the NFL. The Jaguars make a ton of sense of Miles and Miles makes a ton of sense for Jacksonville.

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1. Indianapolis Colts

If Les Miles wants to join an NFL team that could provide him with a quick chance to be a head coach, the Indianapolis Colts are a great choice. Should the Colts fail this season, Chuck Pagano will most likely be gone as their head coach. That leaves a wide open vacancy for Miles. But in order to get it, he’ll have to prove himself in the NFL. If Miles gets a chance with the Colts, he’ll make the best of it.

Joe Gilbert has helped coach an underachieving offensive line as their assistant offensive line coach. The Colts could fire him to make him a scapegoat and hire Miles. Miles has experience as an offensive line coach, serving in the role at Colorado from 1982 to 1986 and Michigan from 1987 to 1994. At each stop, he helped their offensive line improve immensely.

Even if Miles doesn’t get the head coaching job, the new head coach will likely hire a new offensive coordinator. Miles has the experience and resume necessary to be a serious candidate for that job. It’s sort of questionable if Miles is a great fit for the Colts. But at this point, they should be open to anything. The Colts, however, are a perfect fit for Miles.