Bryan Altman, CBS Local Sports

Not all jobs are created equally, and that’s especially true when it comes to the NFL’s vacant head coaching jobs. Don’t get me wrong, any and all head coaching jobs in the NFL are highly competitive positions that can only be snagged by the best of the best in the coaching world, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t better jobs than others.

So now that we’re in the midst of the NFL’s Black Monday coaching fire sale, let’s take a look at some of the best job openings and worst job openings for prospective coaches for the 2016-17 season. We’ll also take a look at some possible candidates to fill these jobs. There are also a few coaches that we think might be let go or resign over the next day or two and have included them in our list.

1. New York Giants

Last Coach – Tom Coughlin (Stepped down after 12th Season)

Record – 102-90

Job Attractiveness – 9.5

Stability is a hallmark of the New York Giants organization, but that’s about to change. Tom Coughlin has stepped down as head coach of the New York Giants, leaving the team searching for a new head coach for the first time since 2004.

Now that Coughlin decided to wrap up a Hall of Fame coaching career, he leaves some big shoes for the next coach to fill.

Pros

Odell Beckham Jr. Oh yeah, and Odell Beckham Jr. Did I mentioned Odell Beckham Jr.? Yes, he’s mercurial and temperamental and probably has a screw loose, but my lord is he talented. He’s the most exciting receiver in the NFL, and with the right coaching and mentoring, could be the greatest receiver to ever wear Giants blue.

He’s also rejuvenated Giants quarterback, Eli Manning. With a complementary weapon on offense – you know, like a Le’Veon Bell to the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, or a Julian Edelman to the Patriots’ Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, this offense could be scary good.

Not to mention the fact that the Giants are one of the best run organizations in the NFL. Ownership is stellar and stable and general manager Jerry Reese has proven he knows how to build winners in the past.

Cons

The Giants’ defense is a mess. They finished dead last in the league in yards per game allowed and pass yards per game allowed. They have no linebackers, no safeties, and their pass rush was non-existent until Jason Pierre-Paul came back, upon which time it improved slightly from non-existent to pathetic.

Their entire defense will need to be reworked and re-evaluated and that’s their biggest problem heading into the 2016 offseason.

2. Tennessee Titans

Last Coach – Ken Whisenhunt (Fired Week 8 of 2nd Season)

Record – 3-20

Job Attractiveness – 8.0

Let’s not kid ourselves here, this team is a good year or two away from really being competitive. Having said that, there’s a lot to like about the Titans.

Pros

It’s a little bit too early to tell, but Marcus Mariota sure looked like he can be a franchise quarterback on more than a few occasions this year. His numbers weren’t exactly gaudy in year one (2,818 yards passing, 19 TDs, 10 INTs) but he proved he’s a weapon with his legs and his arm at the NFL level.

On top of that, the Titans have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, which should enable them to draft either a wide receiver or an offensive lineman to help Mariota develop even further in year two.

Cons

The Titans’ offensive ranked near the bottom of the league in every offensive category mainly because tight end Delanie Walker was their only real threat. Walker had 1,088 yards receiving while the team’s top wide receiver, Harry Douglas, had just 411 yards.

On top of that, the Titans allowed 54 sacks this year, a league high, which signals that their problems might be bigger than just filling in a few gaps.

Still, they have $19 million in cap room and can be competitive with a solid draft and a few key free agent pickups.

3. Miami Dolphins

Last Coach – Joe Philbin (Fired Week 4 of 4th Season)

Record – 24-28

Interim Coach – Dan Campbell

Record – 5-7

Job Attractiveness – 6.8

The Miami Dolphins underachieved greatly this year and it cost Joe Philbin his job. At the beginning of the season, Philbin’s Dolphins were expected by many to bring the stiffest challenge to the Patriots’ reign over the AFC East but that never came to fruition.

Instead, the Dolphins struggled to a 6-10 record and tumbled to the basement of their division.

Still, this is a team with talent and plenty of upside for a head coach.

Pros

Offensively, the Dolphins have tons of talent. Jarvis Landry has morphed into one of the best young receivers in the NFL and having DeVante Parker and Jordan Cameron alongside him has given Ryan Tannehill plenty of options in the passing game.

The team announced yesterday that they have hired Chris Grier, the team’s former director of college scouting who has been with the club for 16 seasons. Grier has an immense background when it comes to personnel and talent evaluation, which makes him a great fit for this job. Whatever coach he hires can rest assured that they’ll have a GM with a great scouting background helping them find the talent they need to win.

Cons

Running back Lamar Miller had a down year by any standard, but he also looks poised to leave this offseason as he’s a free agent. The Dolphins also have major issues in their secondary that need to be addressed this offseason.

On top of that, questions persist regarding Tannehill and whether or not he’s the long-term answer at QB for the Dolphins. His final game of the year was a great one against the division-rival Patriots, but it’ll take more than that to get Tannehill to make a believer out of a new coach/GM.

The team is also projected to be $6.5 million over the cap in 2016, giving them no room to build through free agency. The roster is what it is for the foreseeable future, which could spell bad news if the next coach can’t get this roster to start winning games.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Last Coach – Chip Kelly (Fired after Week 16)

Record – 26-21

Job Attractiveness – 6.1

The Eagles underachieved this year, and the bigger problem there is that whatever Chip Kelly’s grand vision for this team was when he wheeled and dealed all offseason long never really started to take shape.

Sure, there were glimmers of hope from the offense and signs of life from the defense here and there, but not enough to save Kelly’s job. Still, there is a lot to like about this team. There’s also a lot to figure out for the next head coach as well.

Pros

There’s a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. The thing about the Eagles is that the talent never seemed to gel. The sum of the Eagles’ parts is much greater than the whole, but that can change with a few tweaks to scheme and player responsibilities from a new head coach.

They have immense talent at skill positions such as running back and wide receiver and have plenty of talent on defense as well, especially if they can resign linebacker Fletcher Cox. The biggest question is how all of these parts will fit together in a new scheme.

Cons

In spite of all the talent, there are still some glaring issues in Philadelphia. Their offensive line is porous, their running back by committee approach has all but failed, Sam Bradford hasn’t proven that he’s a reliable No. 1 quarterback, and, the defense with all of that talent, was among the worst in the league in nearly every category this season. There’s a lot of work to be done for whoever takes this job on.

5. San Francisco 49ers

Last Coach – Jim Tomsula (Fired After 1st Season)

Record – 5-11

Job Attractiveness – 2.1

Do not be deceived. You will reap what you sow. — Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) January 4, 2016

Jim Tomsula felt like a dead man walking from the moment he took the reins in San Francisco. Now the 49ers are targeting the big names like Chip Kelly, Sean Payton, Josh McDaniels and Adam Gase.

Pros

The San Francisco 49ers name. That’s one of the few beacons of hope for a team that really doesn’t have much going for it at the moment. The biggest positives this year came from Carlos Hyde (before he got hurt in Week 7) and NaVorro Bowman, who returned from a devastating knee injury to lead the league in tackles.

Cons

The 49ers ranked 28th in total defense and 31st in total offense, meaning both sides of the ball are in need of a rebuild. Colin Kaepernick, once thought to be the team’s franchise quarterback, was lost for the season in Week 9. Before that, he struggled mightily and evoked boos from the fans and trade rumors from the team’s front office.

They have aging wide receivers, no tight end, an offensive line that allowed 53 sacks last season (one short of the league high) and a defense that was decimated a year ago by a combination of retirements and departures from key players.

6. Cleveland Browns

Last Coach – Mike Pettine (Fired After 2nd Season)

Record – 10-22

Job Attractiveness – 1.4

You might notice an interesting trend here… pic.twitter.com/knutITvItk — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) January 4, 2016

The Browns are a perpetual mess, there’s no doubt about that. Things are so dicey in Cleveland that when Denis Leary petitioned on Twitter for the team to hire the cast of “Draft Day” to take over the top management positions in the organization, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

In all seriousness though, they just hired “Moneyball” man and New York Mets’ vice president of player development and scouting, Paul DePodesta, to run their football ops and now they just need a coach to lead this team. Here’s what that coach will have to look forward to.

Pros

Things can’t get much worse. The Browns’ best quarterback on their roster is a 23-year-old who went clubbing in Las Vegas before the last game of the season while wearing a disguise. If that’s not rock bottom, I don’t know what is.

The Browns secondary has pro bowl talent but couldn’t piece it together this year. On offense they lack any real weapons and have even managed to deflate the spirit of long-time Browns lineman and perennial pro bowler Joe Thomas. Things aren’t looks great in Cleveland.

Cons

(See: Pros).

Regardless of what coaches end up in which jobs, the only certainty is that each of these teams is at the beginning of a long process and will undergo significant changes before we see them on the field again in August.

(Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker.)

Bryan Altman is, for some reason, an unabashed fan of the Rangers, Jets and Mets. If he absolutely had to pick a basketball team it would be the Knicks, but he’d gladly trade them for just one championship for any of his other three teams.

Questions or comments? Feel free to follow Bryan on Twitter or send him an email.