But as teams prepare to make decisions about keeping or dismissing coaches, there is one consideration being cited by both front office executives and agents who represent coaches as being a significant factor. The pool of prospective replacements is lacking in glamorous candidates, and that could work in the favor of those current coaches whose teams are debating what to do.

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One agent called it the least exciting group of candidates he’s seen in decades. An executive with one team said: “It might be one of those years where you look at your own guy a lot differently because you don’t feel like you can do better.”

It’s not that there aren’t capable candidates on the market. McCarthy is a former Super Bowl winner and could land another job quickly. Former coaches Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano already have been interviewed by the Packers. The group of assistant coaches who could in line for promotions includes offensive coordinators Josh McDaniels of New England, Eric Bieniemy of Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Ken Whisenhunt; Pittsburgh offensive line coach Mike Munchak; Dallas secondary coach Kris Richard; and New England linebackers coach Brian Flores.

But unless a team is able to lure a prominent college coach such as Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh or Alabama’s Nick Saban to the pro ranks, there won’t be a hire made that qualifies as a big-splash move. The Baltimore Ravens eliminated the possibility of another former Super Bowl-winning coach going on the market when they announced that they will retain John Harbaugh for next season, whether they beat the Browns on Sunday to clinch the AFC North.

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Could a loss to the Browns and another playoff near miss lead the Ravens to reconsider? That seems unlikely given that they went as far as making a formal announcement about Harbaugh staying. It was a statement that seemed oddly timed, with owner Steve Bisciotti saying he considered firing Harbaugh after the Ravens missed last season’s playoffs with a Week 17 defeat. There has been speculation that the Ravens wanted to send a signal that any NFL team interested in Harbaugh would have to work out a trade for him.

Or perhaps the Ravens merely realized that they weren’t going to find a coach on the market whom they like more than Harbaugh. If that’s the case, the same sort of thinking could work in the favor of on-the-bubble coaches such as the Washington’s Jay Gruden, Miami’s Adam Gase, Carolina’s Ron Rivera and Jacksonville’s Doug Marrone.

The Jaguars have been one of the league’s biggest disappointments. But Marrone had them in the AFC championship game just last season. Rivera has had plenty of success in Carolina and took the Panthers to a Super Bowl. But how will new owner David Tepper react to this season’s downward spiral out of playoff contention? Has Gase run out of time in Miami and exhausted the patience of owner Stephen Ross? The Redskins fell out of the playoff race but only after Gruden held things together with a depleted roster and a revolving door at quarterback from Alex Smith to Colt McCoy to Mark Sanchez to Josh Johnson.

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Other coaches are believed to be in greater jeopardy. The New York Jets seem prepared to move on from Todd Bowles and could be among the teams that consider McCarthy. Denver’s Vance Joseph and Tampa’s Dirk Koetter are probably on the chopping block. The Cardinals reportedly are prepared to dismiss Steve Wilks after only one season. Marvin Lewis’s 16-year tenure in Cincinnati could come to an end.

There generally is a surprise or two in each NFL firing season.

But in this case, that might mean several teams keeping the coaches they have rather than going looking for replacements.