Two NFL head coaches have already been fired this season. Who else is on the hot seat?
Following a 23-22 loss to the lowly Carolina Panthers that extended their losing streak to seven games, the New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday.
Allen replaced Robert Saleh, formerly of the New York Jets, when the second head coach was fired this season. Allen posted an 18-25 record in 2 1/2 seasons in New Orleans. It is the second time in his career that he has failed to complete his third season at the helm of a team. In 2014, the Oakland Raiders fired Allen after just four games of his third year with them. For his career, Allen is 26-53 as a head coach.
Allen won’t be the last NFL head coach to be fired this season. Through nine weeks of action, nine of the NFL’s 32 teams have managed just two wins each. Fifteen teams losing records.
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Time evaporates quickly and without sudden rebounds, some of these losing teams will likely follow the example of the Jets and Saints and turn their attention to the future.
Here’s a look at the coaches seemingly on the hot seat as the second half of the NFL regular season gets underway.
Jacksonville’s astonishing decline continues. Pederson and his team appear to be on their way to double-digit losses just two seasons after winning the AFC South and reaching the divisional round of the playoffs, where they lost 27-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pederson and the Jaguars went 1-1 on their trip to London in Weeks 6 and 7, but returned to the United States and promptly lost games to Green Bay and Philadelphia. Trevor Lawrence’s regression continues, Jacksonville’s defense gave up 400+ yards for the fifth time this season on Sunday, and the Jaguars are minus-7 in the turnover department (third worst). Next? A home game against the 6-2 Minnesota Vikings, followed by a trip to the 7-1 Detroit Lions. It feels like a matter of when, not if, owner Shad Khan pulls the plug again.
Antonio Pierce fired his offensive coordinator and two more assistants after just nine games on his staff. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)
A year after Pierce took over for the floundering Josh McDaniels midseason and propelled the Raiders to a spirited 5-4 finish, the former linebacker appears to have already lost his touch. Game management is a huge challenge for the novice head coach. He’s turned the quarterbacks around twice now, and on Sunday he fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello after just nine games on his staff.
This roster isn’t well constructed, but Pierce seems to be in over his head. It would be a surprise to see him make it to Year 2. If he doesn’t, keep an eye on former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel this offseason, who has a strong relationship with new Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. Vrabel is now a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (2-7)
Deshaun Watson’s inability to get his mojo back on the field was apparently just part of Cleveland’s struggles. The Browns have regressed on almost every front in 2024. A week after Jameis Winston provided a spark in an upset of the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns crashed back to earth in a 27-10 loss to the LA Chargers. Stefanski turned over play-calling duties to Ken Dorsey before the win over Baltimore, but three turnovers and a sputtering rushing attack kept the Browns in check against the Chargers. Meanwhile, their defense also continues to underperform.
The Browns made a second-half playoff surge last season with a backup quarterback (Joe Flacco), but that seems highly unlikely this year. Watson is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, but given the Browns’ apparent commitment to him despite his struggles, they could opt for a coaching change.
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Team owner John Mara said last month that he remains committed to Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, but as Daniel Jones’ ineptitude continues and losses continue to mount, it’s hard to imagine him sticking to that position. Especially since running back Saquon Barkley (the one who got away) delivered jaw-dropping highlights just down the road with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jerry Jones continues to say he is committed to McCarthy, but McCarthy remains a lame-duck coach and his team continues to underperform in virtually every phase of the game. Jones opened the checkbook for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, but the Cowboys offense has gotten worse and things are only going to get uglier with Prescott now out for several weeks with a hamstring injury. With or without Prescott, however, McCarthy lacks the innovation to solve this operation. As the shame and losses continue to mount, you have to wonder how much more of this Jones can handle.
Matt Eberflus’ Bears are losing pace in the NFC North to the Lions, Vikings and Packers. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
He started the season on thin ice, but Eberflus hoped Caleb Williams could lead a revival in Chicago. Instead, the coach is once again overseeing a difficult season that seems destined to end badly. A shaky start preceded some encouraging developments and a three-match win streak. But then came Washington’s embarrassing Hail Mary loss, followed by Sunday’s flat performance against Arizona — a game in which the Bears failed to score a touchdown despite Williams and a talented collection of offensive players. Eberflus seems to be losing control of the team as his players show signs of poor discipline and professionalism. Hope is fading in the Windy City, and Eberflus may be running out of time and excuses.
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Of course, these coaches are not alone with their disappointing body of work. Things haven’t gone well for Mike McDaniel (2-6) of the Miami Dolphins, Jerod Mayo (2-7) of the New England Patriots, Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers (2-7) or the Tennessee Titans this season. “Brian Callahan (2-6).
It appears McDaniel will get the benefit of the doubt as his team’s struggles could be tied to Tua Tagovailoa’s four-game absence due to concussion. If anyone’s seat continues to rise in Miami, it could be that of general manager Chris Grier, who failed to secure an adequate backup for Miami’s injury-prone starting quarterback. If Grier had given McDaniel a serviceable veteran, the Dolphins might have been able to tread water until Tagovailoa returned.
Meanwhile, David Tepper will likely give Canales more time despite the firing of Frank Reich after just 11 games last season. If Bryce Young can build on the success that Sunday’s win brought, Canales, Young and the Panthers can enter the offseason with a degree of optimism. Considering Robert Kraft hand-picked Mayo as the Patriots’ coach-in-waiting late in Bill Belichick’s storied tenure, it appears the former New England linebacker will get additional time to settle into his role grow, while the Patriots continue to strengthen the roster. Drake Maye. The same goes for Callahan, who oversees a roster in the midst of a rebuild that needs a better starting quarterback than Will Levis before he can truly showcase his ability as a coach.
(Top photos of Brian Daboll and Mike McCarthy: Brad Penner/Imagn Images and Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
