The NFL has a coaching problem… Whether it wants to admit it or not! Either the coaches are terrible—or the general managers are! Because nowadays, teams burn through coaches like Taylor Swift runs through boyfriends.
With the intense X’s and O’s that go into running both sides of the ball and the presidential level of politics that the individual needs to be prepared to navigate, the NFL Head Coach is far from a simple job.
In any case, it is uncommon for teams to part ways with their Sideline CEO in short order these days—and this upcoming season should be no different.
Let’s take a look around the league heading into the 2024-2025 season and identify the 10 NFL coaches that could be given their pink slip before the seasons up.
Which NFL coaches are in the hot seat in the upcoming 2024-2025 season?
Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys
Mike McCarthy, like many Dallas Cowboys coaches before him—and likely, many after—finds himself under intense scrutiny as he enters the 2024 season.
Despite leading the team to a 12-5 record in 2023, the season ended in disappointment with an embarrassing playoff loss to his former team, the Green Bay Packers, despite Dallas coming into the game as a massive favorite.
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This defeat, marked by questionable play-calling and game management, was not just a narrow loss either… They were humiliated in front of a national audience in a way that undeniably cast a shadow over McCarthy’s tenure and put him squarely in Jerry Jones’s crosshairs.
It was honestly stunning that Jones didn’t just fire him on the field after a loss like that with the expectations that the team had.
The Cowboys’ outspoken owner has made it clear that he expects Super Bowl contention every season, and if Dallas is heading that direction early, don’t put it past Jones to give McCarthy his pink slip mid-year!
Robert Saleh – New York Jets
Through no real fault of his own, Robert Saleh’s tenure with the New York Jets has been marked by unmet expectations and inconsistent performances. But it is tough to put the blame squarely on Saleh. After all, the Jets organization is regularly one of the most chaotic teams in the league, from top to bottom.
Making matters worse, he was first saddled with an absolute bust in a second overall pick at quarterback with Zach Wilson, who, reportedly, he never wanted to draft in the first place…
Then, in year 2, despite having a revamped roster led by star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets finished the 2023 season with a disappointing 7-10 record, putting his Jets career mark at 11 – 23. Again, Saleh was at the center of some misfortune, as Rodgers went out with an Achilles tear in the first series of the season…
But still!
It was not exactly the level of performance the team had expected when they signed him away from the San Francisco 49ers a couple of years back.
It is hard to say that Saleh has done a bad job all things considered, especially when you look at how the defense, which is Saleh’s specialty, has fared under his leadership.
However, with the Jets investing heavily in both free agency and the draft, ownership is expecting immediate results.
If Saleh is unable to right the ship and get the team back on the right track early in the 2024 season, especially in a competitive AFC East, his position could be in jeopardy. And with all of his eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket, it is hard to say it would be a surprise if things go sour quickly, either with another injury to the 40-year-old quarterback or, should, say, another off-the-field controversy sweep him up and derail the season!
Which, based on the Vice Presidential campaign rumors and OTA absenteeism, wouldn’t surprise anyone.
Matt Eberflus – Chicago Bears
I think that Matt Eberflus surviving the vaunted “Black Monday” this year surprised a lot of people. Once it was clear that Chicago was moving on from its former top pick, Justin Fields, at quarterback and going to be taking Caleb Williams out of USC with the number one overall pick in the Draft, it only seemed logical that they roll with a new NFL head coach as well.
Especially considering it hasn’t exactly been rainbows and sunshine for Eberflus in the Windy City.
That said, with Williams coming into the fold and the bevy acquisitions that they’ve made to support their rookie quarterback, there is actually some excitement around this roster that we haven’t seen in Chicago in some time. The Bears did one of the most un-Bears-like things imaginable and put together one of the best wide receiver trios in the league, adding veteran Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze to a room led by DJ Moore.
I say all of this to say that despite Bears General Manager Ryan Poles’s generally patient approach, there is a massive risk that if things go awry early, they decide to pull the rug out from under their head coach in a hurry to prevent further collateral damage to their promising young squad.
Dennis Allen – New Orleans Saints
Dennis Allen’s head coaching tenure with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints has been a rollercoaster, albeit not a particularly exciting one…
Since taking over in 2022, Allen has yet to deliver a winning season, with the Saints ending the 2023 campaign at a disappointing 8-9, despite a talented roster and the fact that they were vying for a division crown up until the last couple of weeks of the season.
The defense, which was Allen’s supposed area of expertise when New Orleans, has been solid but not spectacular enough to carry the team. With veteran quarterback Derek Carr heading into Year 2 with the team, the pressure is on Allen to make a playoff push in a relatively weak NFC South.
Nick Sirianni – Philadelphia Eagles
This one might surprise people a little bit… But for those closer to Philly—they know that the seat got might hot under Nick Sirianni in the City of Brotherly Love with the way last season ended.
Nick Sirianni’s situation is somewhat unique, given his previous success with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and while he did lead the team to a stellar 14-3 season that was capped by a near victory in the Super Bowl, Sirianni’s Eagles faltered massively down the stretch last season and the season flamed out in humiliating fashion. Fair or not, the bar is set incredibly high for Sirianni, and with the Eagles boasting one of the most talented rosters in the league, with quarterback Jalen Hurts emerging as a bona fide star, if the team needs a sacrificial lamb because things aren’t going well this year—let’s face it—it is going to be Sirianni that falls on the sword.
Jonathan Gannon – Arizona Cardinals
2024 is a big season for Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals begin coach Jonathan Gannon’s second season and the team’s top draft pick, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s first with a challenging set of games.
First, they travel on the road at Buffalo, then the team return gets to return to Arizona, but for a match up with the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions.
They’ll get a slight reprieve in Week 4 with the Washington Commanders coming to town…
But then it is 49ers, Packers, and Chargers on Monday Night Football Week 7—and if things go south with the Cards, which, based on Gannon’s abysmal first season at the helm during which the team finished 4 and 13, let’s just say I wouldn’t be shocked to see the first-time NFL head coach unceremoniously discharged if Arizona gets off to a slow start and suffers a national embarrassment on Monday Night Football. Harsh but true… The Cardinals just mended fences with star quarterback Kyler Murray and gave him a beefy extension… So, if a change needs to be made because the team isn’t performing, it is going to be Gannon who is out the door! No doubt about it!
Sean McDermott – Buffalo Bills
Though Sean McDermott has presided over one of the most successful periods in franchise histories, consisting of multiple playoff appearances and an impressive regular season mark, with the way that the Bills have struggled to live up to expectations once playoffs come around – and the fallout of the Stefon Diggs breakup – McDermott is going to need to get off to a good start this year!
It isn’t all bad for McDermott. Quarterback Josh Allen remains one of the league’s best, but his propensity for turnovers has been a concern. The Bills’ defense, once a formidable unit, showed serious vulnerabilities last season and he’ll need to do a better job of doing more with less, considering the chunk of salary cap that the aforementioned Bills eat up.
The Bills have real Super Bowl aspirations, and McDermott needs to get this team need to take the next step. Otherwise… he may see ownership flip on him quick!
Brian Daboll – New York Giants
Brian Daboll’s inaugural season with the New York Giants was filled with promise. The former Bills coordinator led New York to a 9-7-1 record and a stunning playoff berth, despite folks around the league predicting the Giants to be picking at the top of the Draft the following season.
Unfortunately for Daboll and the G-Men, the 2023 season saw a massive regression for the Giants, who finished the year with a 6-11 that was at many points even uglier than the record might suggest.
Granted, Quarterback Daniel Jones was in and out of the lineup with injuries, but when he was healthy, he struggled mightily, leading many to wonder why New York bothered to re-up his deal heading into the year.
New York is stuck with Jones for one more year… So Daboll does have a little bit of a human shield there. But if things completely deteriorate in the Meadowlands, don’t be shocked if we see the Maras go against their tradition and pull the plug on Daboll mid-year.
Sean Payton – Denver Broncos
Sean Payton’s high-profile arrival in Denver was met with lofty expectations and excitement in the Mile High City.
And understandably so, given his successful track record with the New Orleans Saints. After all, there are only so many NFL coaches that have won a Super Bowl—and Sean Payton is one of them.
But with expectations comes the risk of disappointment, and, my god, was the Broncos disappointing last year, with the team finishing 8 and 9 and Sean Payton failing miserably at his attempted reclamation project with another former Super Bowl winner, quarterback Russell Wilson.
This was a little bit troubling, considering Payton’s reputation as an offensive guru…
In any case, Payton won the war with Wilson and got the veteran signal-caller shipped out of town to Pittsburgh, meaning that all of the attention is now firmly on him.
And if we see the Broncos stumble out of the gate in 2024, Payton’s tenure could be shorter than anticipated. The Broncos are not a franchise that likes to waste time and considering what a polarizing figure Payton can be, it is very possible that we see Denver seek a new direction if early returns are not promising post-Russell Wilson.
Dave Canales – Carolina Panthers
Well… Let’s start this off by saying I am truly… truly sorry for Dave Canales, who is walking into a powder keg in Charlotte as a first-time NFL head coach.
Canales is up against it in a way that few coaches around the league are with mercurial and, at times, explosive owner David Tepper watching the rookie HC like a hawk.
For some reason, Tepper seems to think that he can run a pro football team like a 12-year-old playing Madden, recklessly wheeling and dealing players, hiring and firing coaches… and if the Panthers get off to a slow start and they continue to struggle offensively, it could lead the front office to reconsider their choice and put Canales at risk of a mid-season firing.
The NFC South, being relatively weak, provides a window, albeit a slim one, of opportunity for Canales and the Panthers. However, Canales must prove he can handle the pressures of head coaching and quickly implement his system, which, based on how the team and its young quarterback, Bryce Young, looked in 2023, is a tall order.
I don’t think it would surprise anyone if the Panthers get off to a slow start to see Tepper go rogue and start canning people left, right, and center… his rookie head coach included!
On the bright side… If Canales can turn this team around—he’ll surely be up for coach of the year honors!
