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The top 25 most disastrous NFL head coaching hires of the 21st century. From Urban Meyer to Matt Eberflus, who are the worst NFL head coaching hires of the 21st century?
25 Most Disastrous NFL Head Coaching Hires of the 21st Century
A good head coach can make or break an NFL team. Head coaches set the culture for their team and dictate the overall offensive and defensive schemes. Additionally, quarterbacks are heavily dependent on their head coach and the personnel they hire for the offensive staff. Many young quarterbacks’ careers are squandered due to the shortcomings of bad head coaches. Let’s dive in and look at the 25 most disastrous head coach hires of the 21st century.
25. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears, 2022-2024
Matt Eberflus’ tenure in Chicago netted him two young and promising quarterbacks. He squandered both opportunities. With Justin Fields and then Caleb Williams, Eberflus’ teams should have taken off. Instead, he never won more than seven games and was fired after losing six straight in 2024.
24. Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins, 2006-2007
Nick Saban was a cautionary tale against hiring college coaches in the NFL. Saban went a respectable 15-17 during his two seasons with the team, but he could never quite take off. He decided to return to college, where he would go on to become the legendary coach that he is today with Alabama.
23. David Culley, Houston Texans, 2021
David Culley got his first crack at a head coaching gig at age 66. Unfortunately, it did not go well. He only won four games in his lone season with the Texans despite having a prime Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Culley hung up the coaching mic after that season.
22. Chip Kelly, San Francisco 49ers, 2016
Many may forget that Chip Kelly coached in the Bay Area immediately before the arrival of current head coach Kyle Shanahan. Kelly was coming off three tumultuous and declining seasons in Philadelphia. The NFL had figured out his offensive scheme. Things did not get better in San Francisco as Kelly would win just two games in one season.
21. Jim Tomsula, San Francisco 49ers, 2015
The quest to replace Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco was a long two years for the team. Tomsula went 5-11 in his lone season. He was more relaxed than most coaches during his tenure with the team. His tactics did not prove to be productive.
20. Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders, 2012-2014
Dennis Allen has not done well as a head coach in either Oakland or New Orleans, but it was his Oakland tenure that was truly disastrous. Allen won just eight of 36 games in less than three seasons with the team. To be fair, he never stood much of a chance with no quality quarterback in place.
19. Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions, 2018-2020
Matt Patricia spent six seasons as the defensive coordinator in New England before he got his first chance as a head coach with the Lions. He was never able to build serious momentum with the team, and the Lions never finished a season with more than six wins under Patricia. He seems to be better off as an assistant.
18. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos, 2009-2010
Josh McDaniels’ abilities as an offensive coordinator are undeniable. He has had incredible success with the New England Patriots in various offensive roles. He was the architect behind a solid rookie season from quarterback Mac Jones in 2021. Unfortunately, McDaniels’ first attempt at a head coaching gig was awful as he won 11 of 28 games before he was fired during his second season with the team.
17. Pat Shurmur, New York Giants, 2018-2019
Pat Shurmur oversaw the twilight of Eli Manning’s career in New York. After enjoying success as an offensive assistant in Minnesota and Philadelphia, Shurmur landed the Giants’ gig. His best trait was keeping the team selecting near the top of the draft.
16. Rod Chudzinski, Cleveland Browns, 2013
Taking the Browns’ job throughout the 2010s was a death sentence for coaches. Chudzinski lasted one season with the team and recorded just a 4-12 record. Chudzinski has remained in the coaching sphere with the Indianapolis Colts and, most recently, Boston College.
15. Steve Spagnulo, St. Louis Rams, 2009-2011
Long before his days as the mastermind behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl-caliber defenses of late, “Spags” was the head coach for the then St. Louis Rams. Spagnulo won seven games in 2010, but that season was bookended by one and two-win seasons, respectively.
14. Mike Pettine, Cleveland Browns, 2014-2015
In Mike Pettine’s defense, he was hired by the Browns at a time when the team gave no head coach a chance to succeed. Pettine was forced to navigate the fiasco related to quarterback Johnny Manziel during his tenure. Luckily, Pettine has had a successful NFL career as a defensive assistant.
13. Lane Kiffin, Oakland Raiders, 2007-2008
Lane Kiffin was brought into Oakland with the disaster that was quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Kiffin never stood in chance with a team that had been flailing for years and was entering a new period of lows.
12. Frank Reich, Carolina Panthers, 2023
Frank Reich came off a solid run as the head coach in Indianapolis with the plans to develop young quarterback Bryce Young in Carolina. Reich’s plans were foiled after 11 games. The team went 1-10 during Reich’s season and did not even get to keep their first-round pick due to the trade that landed them Young in the first place.
11. Marty Mornhinweg, Detroit Lions, 2001-2002
The majority of the 21st century has been a bad time to be a Lions fan. Marty Mornhinweg’s two-year tenure with the team was no exception and netted five wins. Mornhinweg coached the team at an especially awful time following the departure of star running back Barry Sanders a few years prior. The team lacked star power, and Mornhinweg could not do much with a depleted roster.
10. Adam Gase, New York Jets, 2019-2020
After failing as a head coach with the division-rival Dolphins, the Jets decided that Gase was the answer to their problems. Every NFL fan, including Jets fans, was wary of the hiring decision. Gase ultimately proved to be the wrong choice as he brought a lack of solid decision-making to the team. He would go 9-23 in two seasons. Gase has not coached since.
9. Joe Judge, New York Giants, 2020-2021
The New York Giants made their first mistake by hiring a special-teams coordinator as their head coach; something that has rarely worked out in the NFL. Something about these former Patriots assistants does not seem to work in the NFL.
8. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars, 2013-2016
NFL head coaches need more time than they are often provided, but Gus Bradley received many chances as the head coach of the Jaguars. Bradley only won 14 games in four seasons, never winning more than five in a single season. He is a quality defensive assistant, but a head coach he is not.
7. Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders, 2022-2023
Josh McDaniels falls on this list twice as he squandered the Raiders’ chances at taking a huge step forward. Coming off a season in which Jon Gruden resigned as head coach, owner Al Davis viewed McDaniels as a massive upgrade over interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. Bisaccia had just gone 7-5 and guided the team to the playoffs. McDaniels’ tenure lasted less than two years and was filled with poor game management and underachievement across the board.
6. Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons, 2007
Bobby Petrino was another college coach who made the jump to the NFL. He is undeniably a solid college head coach, but he flailed to a 3-10 record with the Falcons. Petrino was thrown for a loop when quarterback Michael Vick was found guilty on dog-fighting charges in 2007. As such, Petrino never really stood a chance and ultimately resigned after 13 games.
5. Cam Cameron, Miami Dolphins, 2007
In 2007, the Dolphins threatened to become the first winless team in NFL history when they began the season by losing 13 straight games. Who was their head coach? Cam Cameron, of course. Cameron lasted the one season with the team, but he can say that he did not become the first NFL head coach to go winless.
4. Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions, 2006-2008
It is difficult to go 0-16 in a season and not end up on this list. Marinelli had steadily improved the Lions over his first two seasons before a disastrous 2008 season that saw the team secure the first winless season in NFL history. The Browns have since done it as well, but it was Marinelli who will go down in infamy as the first coach to do so.
3. Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns, 2010-2018
Hue Jackson won a total of *checks notes* three, yes three, games in three seasons with the Browns. He guided the Browns to just the second winless season in NFL history in 2017. The Browns franchise hit a new low during that time, and Jackson has been stuck primarily in the college ranks ever since.
2. Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos, 2022
Who can forget the fiasco that was the Nathaniel Hackett era in Denver? All Hackett did was grossly mismanage games and lose his locker room. His crowning moment was attempting a 64-yard field goal with time winding down and three timeouts in Week 1. The Broncos would lose to the Seahawks in that game and go on to have a horrible season.
1. Urban Meyer, Jacksonville Jaguars, 2021
In 2021, Urban Meyer came out of retirement to coach Trevor Lawrence. He tried to run the team like a college squad and failed miserably. Meyer’s tenure lasted 13 games, and he recorded two wins. His time with the team was filled with scandals and an appearance that he had no idea what he was doing.
