If you’re not winning, you’re losing. The NFL hot seat is always burning, and the start of this season is no exception. It’s an interesting dynamic that takes shape as we progress.
Currently, teams that entered the 2024 season with expectations are getting antsy. The New York Jets were the first team to fire their head coach, moving on from Robert Saleh after their Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Which head coach will be next?
By season’s end, we may see some of the league’s worst teams make a change, but they rarely shuffle chairs on the Titanic during the season. With that said, let’s look at which coaches are currently feeling the heat.
Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Just a few short years ago, when he turned a 4-12 team into a 9-7-1 one, Brian Daboll was viewed as the solution, not the problem. However, the world of NFL coaches is very much “what have you done for me lately,” and those reviews aren’t nearly as optimistic.
After a dispiriting 28-3 loss at home to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, followed by a head-scratching primetime performance on Monday Night Football that resulted in a 26-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are legitimate questions about Daboll’s tenure.
The problems with New York’s offense start at the quarterback position. Daniel Jones has not thrown a touchdown in straight home starts, the longest streak by any quarterback this century. The Giants have one touchdown in 68 drives in their last six home games with Jones. Additionally, Jones and the Giants went 23 straight drives without a touchdown before finally snapping the streak with a Tyrone Tracy, Jr. score against Pittsburgh.
With Jones running out of guaranteed money on his contract after this season, the Giants could conceivably split with their starting quarterback and start fresh in 2025. While many thought New York might go in a new direction at head coach in the offseason as well, Giants co-owner John Mara recently expressed confidence in Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.
“Obviously we’re all very disappointed with where we are right now,” Mara said at a recent event, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “But I’m going to say one thing: we are not making any changes this season. And I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason, either.”
Giants co-owner John Mara just said here in New York City that there will not be any changes in season with the team and he does anticipate any changes after the season, either. Sounds like good news for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) October 24, 2024
It’s now fair to wonder how much further Mara’s confidence in Daboll and Schoen will extend. A divisional battle against the upstart Washington Commanders looms next week and may not allow the brain trust to continue to a Week 10 smash spot at the Carolina Panthers.
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
The collapse of 2023 was always going to be difficult to work past (1-5 after a 10-1 start in a season that was concluded with a 32-9 throttling at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round), and a 2-2 start didn’t exactly calm down the City of Brotherly Love.
Strength of schedule for all 32 NFL teams heading into the first bye week of the season. 📊
*Ranked hardest to easiest* pic.twitter.com/Xbi65rp2M8
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 2, 2024
However, the Eagles have responded well since that rough first month of the season, winning three straight games, including convincing wins over the New York Giants (28-3) in Week 7 and Cincinnati Bengals (37-17) in Week 8. These were Philadelphia’s first wins by multiple scores since Week 7 of last season.
The vibes should be considerably better after the team’s recent stretch. Still, this is a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and if they think their head coach is limiting their potential on that front, they might make a move to keep this winning window open.
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
The Browns won 11 games last season, but they got off to a horrible start, dropping six of their first seven games to start the year. However, with Deshaun Watson’s season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7, Cleveland escaped the most toxic quarterback situation in the NFL.
In Week 8, the Browns looked like a different team with Jameis Winston under center, pulling off a 29-24 upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. Making his first start in two years, Winston was incredible, throwing for 334 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
This much-needed win for the Browns would’ve been impressive against any team given the circumstances, but it’s pretty remarkable that Cleveland was able to do this against a red-hot Ravens team that looks like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Entering this game, the Ravens had scored 30+ points in four straight games. Meanwhile, the Browns had lost five straight games and hadn’t scored more than 16 points in any of them — the longest such streak within a single season since the 2017 Houston Texans struggled from Weeks 12-17. But on Sunday, the Browns put up season-highs in points (29) and passing yards (334).
Even without Cooper, Winston delivered a monster performance, connecting with Cedric Tillman (seven receptions, 99 yards, and two TDs), Elijah Moore (eight receptions for 85 yards), and David Njoku (five catches for 61 yards and a TD).
JAMEIS WINSTON FOR THE LEAD!!!! pic.twitter.com/lOPN9M8DNp
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 27, 2024
It remains to be seen if the Browns can turn the corner and salvage their season with Winston under center, but more wins like this could certainly cool Stefanski’s seat.
If Cleveland shows life down the stretch and the blame is largely placed on Watson’s shoulders, perhaps he can save his job.
To be clear, the Browns can’t move on from Watson easily. He still has a monstrous $72.9 million cap hit each of the next two years, and the fully guaranteed nature of his contract doesn’t give Cleveland any escape hatches.
Entering this week, Cleveland ranked last in yards per play, EPA per play, and virtually every meaningful offensive category. If a Winston-led unit can perform at a league-average level while the Browns hover around .500 down the stretch, Stefanski could argue that he would deliver over a full season with functional quarterback play.
Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Pederson earned some temporary relief with Jacksonville’s best game of the season, a 32-16 route of the New England Patriots in London. A second consecutive loss overseas could have conceivably spelled the end for Pederson’s time in Jacksonville, particularly against the one-win Patriots.
However, the Jaguars were back to losing in Week 8. Even with Jordan Love leaving the game early due to a groin injury, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Jaguars 30-27.
Going forward, the schedule doesn’t do Pederson any favors, as the Jags will likely be decisive underdogs in each of their next three games. Without an upset or two along the way, that could result in a pink slip heading into the Week 12 bye.
- Week 9 at Eagles
- Week 10 vs. Vikings
- Week 11 at Lions
Pederson was brought in from Philadelphia to replace Urban Meyer and oversee the development of Trevor Lawrence. This hiring seemed like a genius move after the Jaguars went to the playoffs in Year 1, doubling the franchise’s number of postseason trips since 2008.
Since then? Not so much.
The Jags lost five of six games to close the 2023 season and miss the playoffs, a collapse that could have been written off if the team started 2024 with promise. That, however, didn’t happen. Jacksonville was the last winless team in the NFL this season and remains a longshot to return to the playoffs.
This is a tenuous situation that is worth monitoring.
Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
The Saints started 2-0 after scoring 91 points in the first two games of the season. But six straight losses have New Orleans firmly out of the playoff mix, and Dennis Allen’s defense has totally collapsed.
In the last three weeks, the Saints have given up 624 rush yards. Since outscoring opponents 91-29 (+62) during their 2-0 start, the Saints have been outscored 177-94 (-83) during their six-game losing streak.
Without the defense showing significant improvement to help the injury-riddled offense, it’s highly unlikely the Saints will make a real run at contention.
Allen is down to 18-24 during his three-plus seasons in New Orleans and is running out of time to prove he deserves a longer stint in the Bayou.
FIRED: Robert Saleh, New York Jets
The 2-3 Jets made it official two days after their loss in London to the Vikings that they were parting ways with Saleh after three-plus seasons.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich stepped in as the interim for a team still in the AFC East race. This is the first time owner Woody Johnson has elected to make a mid-season change on the sidelines, which likely means we have a deep pool of replacement candidates as he tries to adjust on the fly for a team that entered the season in win-now mode.
In Week 8, the Jets were upset by the Patriots, 25-22. New York doesn’t get the benefit of its bye until Week 12, and decisions will have to be made quickly if this team wants to remain competitive.
Rumors are going to swirl around Bill Belichick, but with his TV commitments, that seems more of a dream than a reality at this moment. Rather, here are some more realistic head coach candidates in 2025.
Nathaniel Hackett, New York Jets
When playing in a market like New York, your every move is evaluated. When you push all of your chips in the middle of the table on a radioactive quarterback who is past his prime, that magnifying glass will only be focused that much more.
The Jets offense looked lifeless prior to Robert Saleh’s firing. That cost Saleh his job, but also resulted in Hackett losing playcalling privileges on offense. Under new playcaller Todd Downing, the Jets recorded a season-high 6.7 yards per play in Week 6 vs. the Buffalo Bills.
Hackett’s demotion likely takes some short-term heat off his job security, but his long-term fit in Florham Park is a real question.
Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
Despite many questioning Mike McCarthy’s job security following last season, the Dallas Cowboys opted to bring him back as the team’s head coach. Yet after a disappointing 3-4 start to the regular season, including several embarrassing losses at home, McCarthy is certainly on the hot seat in Dallas.
Following a much-needed bye week, the Cowboys fell short against the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 8. After a promising first half in San Francisco, the Cowboys ran out of gas down the stretch, ultimately losing 30-24 against the 49ers.
In each of the last three seasons, the Cowboys were 12-5 in the regular season. After losing four of their first seven games, it’s hard to envision McCarthy’s team replicating that same success in 2024.