The NFL is a win-now league. The league’s head coaches are rarely granted patience – fairly or not – and are expected to generate results or at least flashes of potential to keep their jobs.
But if the wins and highlights don’t start stacking up, head coaches find themselves in the hot seat, a throne of pressure and anxiety that signals the precursor to being back on the job hunt.
Let’s see what coaches are feeling the heat.
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NFL COACHES FIRED IN 2025
Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have parted ways with head coach Mike McDaniel after four seasons, ending a tenure that showed early promise but ultimately couldn’t sustain success.
McDaniel got off to a solid start in Miami, leading the Dolphins to the playoffs two years in a row. The peak came in 2023, when Miami ranked first in total yards and second in points and both the passing and rushing attacks were top five.
After that, things started going downhill. The offense took a massive step down in 2024, dropping from first to 18th offensively. The slide continued into 2025, with the passing game especially struggling under Tagovailoa.
McDaniel had been on the hot seat since the 2025 season started. A 2024 letdown and relatively uncompetitive playoff appearances made this a make-or-break year.
Tagovailoa questioned McDaniel’s leadership throughout the season and was seemingly upset with the inability to run the offense as effectively as he once did. Ultimately, these struggles sunk the season and ended in McDaniel’s firing.
McDaniel is likely to land a job somewhere else if he wants to continue coaching. Whether that’s as a head coach or as the most sought-after offensive coordinator in this hiring cycle remains to be seen.
John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore entered this year as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. They finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs in backbreaking fashion on the last day of the season against their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Such missed expectations automatically qualify you for the hot seat, and when you’ve been in a job for 18 years, it’s fair to question whether or not you need a change in leadership. That’s exactly what’s happening in Baltimore as they let go of head coach John Harbaugh.
Harbaugh put together one of the best coaching runs of the last 25 years. He won 180 games (including 11 10+ win seasons), led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win in 2013 and won the 2019 AP Coach of the Year.
Recent playoff struggles combined with this year’s disappointing result were what ultimately drove Baltimore to make this seismic change. If he decides to continue coaching, Harbaugh could be one of the most sought-after candidates for open roles around the league — and on the television.
Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns
After six years with the Browns, Kevin Stefanski is out in Cleveland. With a combined 8-26 record over the last two years, the organization decided it was time for a change. Stefanski finished 45-56 overall.
The final two seasons saw the Browns struggle to find consistency or success at the quarterback position, though their defense was always among the league’s best. Cleveland still does not have a clear answer at quarterback but will have two first round picks, including a top 10 pick, for their 11th head coach since 1999. They also have the likely Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
Cleveland is opting to stay with general manager Andrew Berry, who will hire Cleveland’s next head coach. His 2025 draft class, future draft compensation and moves made throughout the year gave ownership enough of a young core to be excited about. They just need a new head coach on the sidelines.
Pete Carroll – Las Vegas Raiders
Pete Carroll is one and done in Las Vegas after a 3-14 debut season with the Raiders and finishing tied for the worst in the league. Vegas did not find the answer at quarterback in Geno Smith. Smith led the league with 17 interceptions and took a league-high 55 sacks.
Las Vegas will end up with the number one pick and will almost undoubtedly go quarterback with either Fernando Mendoza of Indiana or Dante Moore of Oregon, should he opt to enter the draft.
Las Vegas will now look for the head coach they feel is ready to usher in the new chapter in Vegas. The franchise has some exciting pieces on both sides of the ball: rookie Ashton Jeanty looks like a high-end talent at running back, Brock Bowers is among the most dynamic tight ends already and Maxx Crosby is one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the NFL.
With the number one overall pick and six total picks in the first four rounds, this draft is a huge opportunity for this franchise to flesh out this roster in key areas. If they want to compete in the AFC West, these are the kinds of drafts you need to win. The Raiders job will be a coveted one.
Want the full picture on how the NFL’s first year coaches did this year? Read our complete NFL Coaching Tracker.
Jonathan Gannon – Arizona Cardinals
Gannon is out in Arizona after three seasons and a 15-36 overall record. The Cardinals struggled with inconsistency at the quarterback position; they had one of the worst rushing teams in the league and one of the worst defenses. Gannon, a defensive coordinator in his prior role, new saw his defenses rank above 15th.
Gannon also got himself into trouble when he struck running back Emari Demercado after a key fumble. Gannon was fined $100,000 for the incident, and it seemed at the time like a difficult situation to come back from.
Arizona will have one of the top picks in the draft and still have talented offensive weapons in Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and 2025 breakout Michael Wilson.
Brian Callahan – Tennessee Titans
Brian Callahan was the first coach fired in the 2025 season. After a 3-14 season in his first year, Callahan was given the chance to draft quarterback Cam Ward with the number one overall pick. Such a move could grant another chance for the second-year head coach if it could tailspin into the team finding an identity and competing.
But that is not what happened.
After a 1-5 start to the season, a -69 point differential, a re-delegation of offensive playcalling duties and a press conference where he admitted to not fully knowing the rules for a completed catch, the Titans fired Callahan and promoted senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy to interim head coach.
Brian Daboll – New York Giants
Brian Daboll entered the year with a sizzling seat and it ended engulfed in flames. Each year got worse for Daboll as the head coach of the Giants.
After last year’s 3-14 finish, the release of Daniel Jones midseason and the uninspiring signing of Russell Wilson, his days appeared numbered. But then he pulled the “save my job” lever and drafted a first-round quarterback.
After an 0-3 start under Wilson, Daboll named rookie Jaxson Dart as the starter. Though they had glimmers of excitement, the team went 2-5 since the change.
The next head coach will not inherit a team in shambles. The Giants have core franchise pieces on offense in Malik Nabers, Dart and Cam Skattebo. And across the defensive line in Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kavyon Thibodeaux and rookie Abdul Carter.
Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will serve as the team’s interim head coach.
NFL Coaches Who Resigned in 2025
Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers
After suffering his seventh straight playoff loss as coach of the Steelers, Mike Tomlin made the decision to step down from his post as Pittsburgh’s head coach.
Tomlin ends a 19-year tenure as the coach of the Steelers where he won 193 games, a Super Bowl and eight AFC North titles.
Tomlin has expressed that he is in no rush to jump to another coaching opportunity, leading many to believe that he will pursue a detour in broadcasting.
Whether on TV or the sidelines, Tomlin will have no shortage of suitors for his next career move.
NFL COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT
Zac Taylor – Cincinnati Bengals
Zac Taylor took Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl in decades in 2021 and followed it up with a 12-4 finish and another appearance in the AFC Championship game. But since then, it’s gotten worse each year: two 9-8 seasons followed by a 6-11 campaign in 2025.
With Joe Burrow missing much of the year, it’s hard to pin this year’s record solely on Taylor. The one thing that Joe Burrow doesn’t affect, though, is their defense. Two years in a row, this defense has been among the league’s worst, and it’s gone from bad to worse with no clear end in sight.
With so much money tied up in the offense, the Bengals need to rely on outscoring people, which doesn’t give this team much margin for error. The best thing Taylor can do for his job security is stop allowing points.
Aaron Glenn – New York Jets
Aaron Glenn never really had a shot with the Jets. They started their season with Justin Fields, who’s on his third team in three years under center. He popped in week one, and it was downhill from there.
Then they turned to Tyrod Taylor, who won a game before getting hurt. With the Jets largely out of it, they turned to Brady Cook, a rookie out of Missouri.
A 3-14 season gifts the Jets the second overall pick in the 2026 draft. They also picked up an additional mid-first round pick in their trade of Sauce Gardner to the Colts.
The question now is whether or not the Jets want to see Glenn usher in that new era. While he inherited a lot of the roster and then watched two defensive All-Pro players in Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner get traded away.
The one glaring issue of Glenn’s was just how poor the Jets were defensively. Glenn, who got this job after three excellent seasons as Detroit’s defensive coordinator, saw the Jets rank 31st in points allowed and 29th against the run. The defense also didn’t force a single interception. With a former defensive back at head coach, you’d hope to get at least one.
NFL Coaches on the Warm Seat
Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers
Tomlin looked like he knew he was coaching for his job Sunday night against Baltimore. With the division on the line in their own building, the Steelers get a Baltimore missed field goal to pull out the win. Tomlin was jubilant as the kick sailed wide right.
The win got them into the playoffs and helped them avoid a late season collapse.
Tomlin leads the Steelers to the playoffs for the third straight year and the fifth time in the last six. He’s looking for his first playoff win since 2016. If the Steelers lose in round one, it’s possible Tomlin just bought himself a little more time.
Nick Sirianni – Philadelphia Eagles
It feels odd to put the head coach of the reigning Super Bowl champions on this list, but such is the nature of Sirianni’s tenure with the Eagles. This is a team that has experienced multiple stretches of turbulence on offense and Sirianni has been at the center of the doubter’s attention.
This year, the team finished 11-6 and faced questions throughout the year about the effectiveness of their offense, especially their passing attack. Key to Philadelphia’s success in 2024 was Saquon Barkley putting together a historic year.
Without an equally elite running game this season, the passing game was exposed, leaving their wide receivers visibly frustrated.
If Philly is one and done, it will be enough to question whether or not Sirianni is going to get another chance. This is objectively one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, there’s maybe no leash shorter in the NFL than the one in Philadelphia.
COACHES ON THE COOL SEAT
Shane Steichen – Indianapolis Colts
Colts’ owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon confirmed that Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard would remain in their jobs. She cited the first half of the year as enough of an indication that the team and the franchise were on the right track before Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury that also spelled the end of the Colts’ season.
For the first half of 2025, Steichen had the Indianapolis offense among the best in the league. They jumped out to an 8-1 start, and Jonathan Taylor was putting together an MVP-type season on the ground. But the loss of Jones, completely derailed their season.
For Steichen, the challenge at quarterback does not go away. Jones will be lost for next year as well. It’s unclear what will be available in free agency or through the draft, where they would not pick until the mid-second round.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson should be healthy after finishing the season on IR with an orbital bone fracture. Richardson was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 draft and struggled in his first two seasons, especially with accuracy.
Richardson was a raw talent coming out of Florida who possessed elite physical traits with a strong arm, and at 6’4″, 244 pounds, a massive rushing threat.
The other option at quarterback is backup Riley Leonard, who Steichen opted to hold out of the starting lineup after Daniel Jones was injured. They instead turned to retired 44-year-old Philip Rivers who couldn’t pull of the miracle. Leonard did finish the season in Week 18 against the Texans, throwing for 270 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and two fumbles lost.
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