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The 2023 NFL regular season seemingly began a few weeks ago, but we're already onto the Divisional Round of the NFL playoff leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. While discussing people losing their jobs in the day-to-day world is an unfortunate topic, it's always a hot topic in professional sports. Eight head coaches have already been fired, meaning a quarter of the league is looking for a new leader.
A few more head coaches could be relieved of their duties in the coming days or weeks, so it's time to dive into all the coaches who have been let go, which guys are on the hot seat, and over a dozen potential head coaching candidates in this year's cycle.
These are the latest head coaching developments as of January 16, 2024. Let's dive in.
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Fired NFL Coaches
Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders
Record With Franchise: 9-16
Playoff Record: N/A
Best Season: 6-11
The Josh McDaniels era in Las Vegas was over quickly, and he's now failed in two spots as a head coach. He'll likely be back as an offensive coordinator soon, but it would be surprising if he lands a head coach job ever again.
Report: Josh McDaniels could return to Patriots if Bill Belichick stays https://t.co/7SxrLNNSyn
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) January 9, 2024
Frank Reich, Carolina Panthers
Record With Franchise: 1-10
Playoff Record: N/A
Best Season: 1-10
Frank Reich's time in Carolina lasted shorter than McDaniels' tenure in Las Vegas. He was dealt a bad hand with a rookie quarterback and limited offensive talent, and team owner David Tepper is establishing himself as someone who is difficult to work for. Reich hinted at retirement after being let go.
Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers
Record With Franchise: 24-24
Playoff Record: 0-1
Best Season: 10-7
Brandon Staley has been criticized for years, and many people believed he should have been fired last season after blowing a 27-point lead in the AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His time has come to an end after disappointing results with Justin Herbert, but he'll likely land on a staff as an assistant moving forward.
Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Record With Franchise: 21-30
Playoff Record: N/A
Best Season: 7-10
Fans and fantasy football enthusiasts grew tired of Arthur Smith's inability to feature the highly-drafted Falcons skill players. Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London never seemed to be clear focal points in the offense, and Smith went 7-10 in each of the three years he led the team. Expect the 41-year-old to be an offensive coordinator or position coach for a new organization quickly.
Breaking: Falcons have fired HC Arthur Smith after three seasons pic.twitter.com/LaurUUFdwi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 8, 2024
Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
Record With Franchise: 26-40-1
Playoff Record: 0-1
Best Season: 8-8-1
Ron Rivera had a great run with Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, but he never found real success with Washington. To be fair, he was never given an above-average quarterback, but his defenses were fixtures at the bottom of all stats and rankings over the last two years. For a guy who is supposed to bring a strong defense with him, that would be the nail in the coffin.
Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans
Record With Franchise: 54-45
Playoff Record: 2-3
Best Season: 12-5
Mike Vrabel was the most surprising firing after the conclusion of the 2023 season, but the Titans have been a disaster in each of the last two years. Vrabel's team lost seven consecutive games to close out 2022 before going 6-11 in 2023. Although his 2019 AFC Championship Game appearance won't be forgotten by Titans faithful, the organization felt it was time to move on.
From The Insiders on #NFLPlus: A look at what led the #Titans to move on from coach Mike Vrabel. pic.twitter.com/FvqCgL9G2m
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2024
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
Record With Franchise: 137-89-1
Playoff Record: 10-9
Best Season: 13-3, Super Bowl Win
All good things must come to an end, which means Pete Carroll couldn't coach the Seahawks forever. It seems like Carroll and Seattle mutually agreed to change directions, as the former coach is expected to stay in the organization as a part of the front office. He's the best coach in franchise history, and his two Super Bowl trips will always be appreciated by Seahawks fans. An end of an era.
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Record With Franchise: 266-121
Playoff Record: 30-12
Best Season: 16-0
Bill Belichick will go down as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history after taking New England to nine Super Bowls, winning six. However, it's been ugly as of late in the post-Tom Brady era, so it was time for a change. He'll likely draw interest from other organizations if he doesn't want to hang it up, but for the first time since 2000, the Patriots head coaching job is vacant.
The Patriots promoted Jerod Mayo to be the next head coach in New England. Mayo spent eight seasons as a linebacker for Bill Belichick before joining his staff in 2019 as an assistant coach.
Coaches On The Hot Seat/Could Be Fired
Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
Record With Franchise: 42-25
Playoff Record: 1-3
Best Season: 12-5
The Cowboys have gone 12-5 in each of the last three regular seasons under Mike McCarthy's direction. The 2023 squad looked capable of finally competing for a Super Bowl, but they were destroyed by the Green Bay Packers in Dallas last weekend. The Cowboys became the first No. 2 seed to lose to a No. 7 seed, and the game was nowhere near as close as the 48-32 final score indicates. Jerry Jones isn't getting any younger and demands excellence, so McCarthy could be on his way out in the coming days.
DARNELL SAVAGE PICK-6. WOW.
📺: #GBvsDAL on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Ut3BRhC2CE pic.twitter.com/ERbaOsRW08— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2024
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Record With Franchise: 34-17
Playoff Record: 2-3
Best Season: 14-3
While it may seem unreasonable for Nick Sirianni to lose his job just one season after going 14-3 and losing a Super Bowl by three points, rumors are swirling that he could be let go. The Eagles have a loaded roster and won 10 of their first 11 games in 2023 -- only to lose six of the next seven, including in the Wild Card Round to the 9-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Doug Pederson was let go by Philly just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl title, so don't be shocked if Sirianni is canned after a collapse of epic proportions.
Potential Coaching Candidates
- Ben Johnson, Lions OC
- Bobby Slowik, Texans OC
- Raheem Morris, Rams DC
- Dan Quinn, Cowboys DC
- Mike Vrabel, Former Titans HC
- Bill Belichick, Former Patriots HC
- John Harbaugh, Michigan HC
- Brian Johnson, Eagles OC
- Eric Bieniemy, Commanders OC
- Frank Smith, Dolphins OC
- Brian Flores, Vikings DC
- Aaron Glenn, Lions DC
- Shane Waldron, Seahawks OC
- Lou Anarumo, Bengals DC
- Mike Macdonald, Ravens DC
- Dave Canales, Buccaneers OC
- Brian Callahan, Bengals OC
- Ejiro Evero, Panthers DC
- Mike Kafka, Giants OC
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