NFL coaches abundant in the 2025 ELF season

One of the headlines of the ELF off-season was the Paris Musketeers signing Jack Del Rio as their next head coach. The story made waves across the football world as the ELF and the Musketeers were able to convince the former superbowl winning coach to come to France.

“Yeah, Jack Del Rio is obviously a household name in the NFL. He's been a coordinator, been a head coach in the NFL. To me, it speaks volumes about the quality of the league and it's a testament to what the franchises have done in order to convince somebody of his magnitude to come over and be the head coach.” -Commissioner Patrick Esume

Jack Del Rio & Jim Tomsula

ELF fans know Del Rio isn’t the only former NFL head coach in the league as Jim Tomsula has led the Rhein Fire to back to back titles in his three years in Düsseldorf. Now the former San Francisco 49ers coach leads the Fire into 2025 without MVP quarterback and running back Jadrian Clark and Glen Toonga, giving the Fire and Tomsula new challenge:

“It’s consistency again that keeps you still up there. And the consistency is Jim Tomula and his coaching staff, right? Richard Kent, tremendous coach. So, I think that these two gentlemen, they're going to put a very good football team on the field that's well coached. They might not be as strong as the two years before, but they're going to be up there again.”

Along with Del Rio and Tomsula, the ELF has several coaches with NFL experience including new head coach of the Frankfurt Galaxy Bart Andrus, who spent 5 seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, as well as coaching in the CFL and USFL. 

Other coaches in the ELF this season with NFL experience include:

Berlin Thunder: OL coach Art Valero

Nordic Storm: Head coach John Schoop & defensive coordinator Brandon Noble 

Prague Lions:  DB coach Darqueze Dennard 

Madrid Bravos: Head coach Andrew Weidinger, defensive coordinator Jim Collins

Fehervar Enthroners: Head coach Mark Ridgley

Raiders Tirol: Head coach Jim Herrmann, offensive coordinator Charlie Eger, and RBs coach Terry Malone 

Hamburg Sea Devils: Defensive coordinator Ray Woodard

Helvetic Mercenaries: DL coach Nordly ‘Cap’ Capi 

Vienna Vikings: Analyst Norm Chow and kicking coach Giorgio Tavecchio