It’s difficult to determine which NFL general managers could be fired every year. Anywhere between one-fourth and one-third of NFL teams change head coaches every season, but there are relatively very few changes in the player personnel department.
Nevertheless, a good chunk of those front offices faces turnover each offseason. We take a look at the general managers most likely to be fired following the 2022 season.
NFL General Managers That Could Be Fired
Steve Keim, Arizona Cardinals
It only ever seems like the Arizona Cardinals have had disappointing seasons. Among all general managers with at least five years of experience, Steve Keim has generated the lowest winning percentage. The only high-level executive without a “general manager” title with a lower win rate is Bengals’ director of player personnel Duke Tobin.
In some ways, Keim would end up being a victim of success – the Cardinals made the playoffs in 2021, and the collapse that followed in 2022 means Arizona has severely underperformed expectations.
Much of that has to do with the decisions Keim has made; the defense is full of “positionless” players who don’t do any specific job well, while the depth along the offensive line has left the team wanting.
Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts
It wasn’t uncommon to see Chris Ballard at the top of a number of lists ranking the best general managers before the season started. But the Colts have only underwhelmed since Andrew Luck retired.
A lot of that had to do with decisions that former head coach Frank Reich made – trading for two quarterbacks that they couldn’t win with and signing two quarterbacks that they didn’t do much with – but it’s not as if the cast around them has helped.
The offensive line hasn’t lived up to what many expected of it, the defense has fallen apart without linebacker Shaquille Leonard and former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and the Colts have been timid at best about approaching holes on their roster.
Mickey Loomis, New Orleans Saints
An NFL veteran as far as general managers are concerned, Mickey Loomis has steered the ship to a number of successful seasons in New Orleans. Much of this has to do with his ability to keep kicking the can down the road when it comes to the salary cap, but after the retirement of Drew Brees, the consequences hit the Saints hard.
Not only have the Saints done a poor job finding a quarterback, but they’ve also lost talent on both sides of the line and haven’t been able to weather injuries. Five years removed from the impressive 2017 NFL Draft class, Loomis has fewer and fewer accomplishments to point to justify his role.
Nick Caserio, Houston Texans
The worst tenure record among any general manager is Trent Baalke of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But they have a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and might be confident about the direction of the franchise. Nick Caserio has the second-worst tenure record of any general manager and also doesn’t have a quarterback to fall back on.
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The Texans have the worst roster in the NFL. While the Jaguars have won fewer games, they at least have a few highlight players to count on. The Texans don’t really have much of that, and Caserio hasn’t added much in that regard, even with a relatively good-looking rookie class. Two years would be a short tenure, but the Texans’ roster is a disaster, and the organization is a mess.
Honorable Mention: George Paton, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos have a great defense, something that remained true after they traded away Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins. But the team might be the biggest disappointment in the NFL. The big trade for Russell Wilson has doomed the team’s chances of building a contender for multiple years.
But outside of Wilson, they’ve made good offseason moves and have multiple draft classes they can count on. It would be very early to move on from Paton, but not impossible. With new owners, they could be looking to make their mark, but it might be best to signal stability.