Two head coaches have already been fired this season and more are about to head out the door. And that list could include a few of the biggest coaching names in the NFL.
The firings will start in a few days, when the regular season ends and the NFL’s annual Black Monday purge begins. And with the frustrations of owners of struggling teams mounting, the list of endangered coaches is growing. That’s why our final Hot Seat ranking of the season has been expanded to 10.
10. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers (PR: unranked)
It is crazy and ridiculous, and yet there is so much noise about LaFleur being fired if the Packers don’t win a playoff game this season that it’s impossible to ignore. It’s all because new team president Ed Policy wouldn’t extend LaFleur’s contract and said he’d assess his status after the season. Well, LaFleur’s team is 9-6-1 despite injuries to quarterback Jordan Love, linebacker Micah Parsons and several other key players. He’s also got a .659 career winning percentage (76-39-1) and taken the Packers to the playoffs six times in seven seasons. But if they get bounced in the first round for the second straight year, maybe all bets are off.
With the Packers stumbling down the stretch, does Matt LaFleur have to win a playoff game to keep his job? (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
9. Aaron Glenn, New York Jets (PR: unranked)
I’ve asked this for several weeks now: Are we really sure Woody Johnson isn’t going to fire Glenn after one season? I mean, really sure? The word out of One Jets Drive has been that he’s safe and the Jets owner is preaching patience. But Glenn just oversaw one of the worst months in Jets history — and just think about the gravity of that statement for a minute. A smart owner typically wouldn’t fire a head coach after just one season. But at this point, if Glenn is really safe, I can only assume that someone has locked Johnson in his office and won’t let him out until March.
8a/8b. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers; John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens (PR: both unranked)
Their teams will battle for the AFC North title and a playoff berth Sunday night. Will the loser be out of a job? It is inconceivable that either will be fired, but it’s not inconceivable that either will choose, or mutually agree, to move on. Tomlin feels more likely to opt out after 19 seasons (and not a single one with a losing record), especially considering the mounting frustrations in Pittsburgh over the fact that he hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016.
Harbaugh’s had more recent playoff success, with wins in each of the past two postseasons, and the Ravens have double-digit wins in six of the past eight seasons. But this has been a particularly difficult one, and there’s reportedly a rift brewing between him and quarterback Lamar Jackson. No one doubts they’ll both be allowed to choose their own terms and continue if they want. But no one would be surprised if the loser decides that enough is finally enough.
One of Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh will miss the playoffs. Will a coaching change follow? (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
7. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins (PR: 7th)
A plaque with his name on it was nearly welded to the hot seat earlier this season, but then a funny thing happened: The Dolphins started winning — at one point four straight and five of six. He actually seemed safe until a disgraceful blowout loss at home against the Bengals two weeks ago, but they rebounded nicely with a win over Tampa Bay this past Sunday. Ultimately, his fate might be in the hands of a new general manager, but owner Stephen Ross seems to have signaled that his embattled coach has his support.
6. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (PR: 5th)
No one wants to blame him for a season that was completely undone by an injury to Joe Burrow. Also, the Bengals quietly extended his contract through 2027 and their notoriously cheap owners have no interest in paying someone for two years not to coach. So why is he on this list? Because of the mysterious unhappiness of the franchise QB, who recently revealed he hasn’t been having fun. If Taylor has anything to do with that, he should be No. 1 on this list, because even the Bengals’ owners aren’t crazy enough to side with a questionable coach over one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Will Zac Taylor be given a mulligan for another lost Joe Burrow season? (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
5. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (PR: 6th)
It’s not just that this has been a wildly disappointing (albeit injury-plagued) season. It’s that the Bucs have been mostly mediocre and underwhelming for four years under Bowles. Also, his two winning seasons might have had a lot to do with his offensive coordinators, both of whom quickly got head coaching jobs (Dave Canales in 2023, Liam Coen in 2024). A playoff berth could be enough to save him, but the standards used to be higher in Tampa. So he might need at least one win this postseason to really be safe.
4. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (PR: 4th)
A 7-26 record over the past two seasons hasn’t diminished the league-wide respect for the two-time Coach of the Year. But he may be in an untenable situation in Cleveland, home to the league’s worst quarterback mess. The Browns may be in for an organizational reset. It’s also possible GM Andrew Berry has to sacrifice Stefanski to keep his own job. Regardless, the consensus around the league is that Stefanski won’t be unemployed for long if the Browns compound their many mistakes by making one more and firing their coach.
3. Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons (PR: 2nd)
The fact that they won’t lose the NFC South by much is a testament to how poorly coached this talented team is. They might be the biggest underachievers in the league. And it sounds like owner Arthur Blank knows it. Both Morris and GM Terry Fontenot are in trouble and pending an offseason review, which is never a good sign. They have enough problems in Atlanta not knowing how healthy QB Michael Penix Jr. will be next season. The Falcons will be better off with a coach and staff that can take better advantage of all the talent on this roster.
Is Raheem Morris going to get another year in Atlanta given the Falcons’ late surge? (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
2. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders (PR: 3rd)
When Carroll’s legendary career is remembered, it’s probably best that what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas. It has been a miserable, dysfunctional, confounding year that sure has the 74-year-old wishing he stayed retired. Nothing he’s done has worked. In fact, in many ways, he’s made the Raiders worse. Now they’re going to have to basically start over after they draft a quarterback at the beginning of the 2026 draft.
Carroll surely doesn’t want to stay around for a rebuilding project, and the Raiders don’t want that either. That’s ironic, though, because Carroll’s willingness to help them tank for the top pick has jump-started the project for somebody else.
1. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals (PR: 1st)
The Cardinals seemed to have quit on their coach in Cincinnati in Week 17. And really, who could blame them? They’ve been terrible all season on offense and defense. They know the organization will probably start over with a new quarterback to replace Kyler Murray next season. And oh, by the way, Gannon’s guys have now lost eight in a row and 13 of 14.
It’s amazing to consider Arizona was 2-0 and then lost its next two games by a combined three points — to the 49ers and the Seahawks, arguably the two best teams in the NFC. The fact that it all fell apart from there is a terrible indictment of the coaching. Keeping him for another year would be hard for even the Cardinals owners to justify.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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