NFL Coaching Hot Seat 2025: Predicting which NFL Coaches will be Fired

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NFL Coaching Hot Seat 2025: Predicting which NFL Coaches will be Fired

NFL Coaching Hot Seat 2025: Predicting which NFL Coaches will be Fired — Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Matt Johnson · Sportsnaut

Mon, Dec 22, 2025 ·

6 min read

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There are just two weeks remaining in the NFL season, meaning we are closing in on that Black Monday period after the regular-season finale when we'll see NFL coaches fired. It certainly feels like a few franchises ahve already made their decisions, but the fates of other head coaches could be decided in the final two games.

Let's dive into our predictions for which NFL coaches will be fired at the end of the regular season based on the top names listed on the NFL coaching hot seat.

Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins : Returns in 2026

NFL Coaching Hot Seat, NFL Coaches FIred — Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins got worse for the second consecutive year and have now missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. There is a price to pay for that, and it felt safe to say that two of general manager Chris Grier, head coach Mike McDaniel, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would be pushed out this offseason. Grier was already fired, and Miami closed the door on Tagovailoa's future with the franchise by demoting him to third-string quarterback. He might return in 2026 because of his cap hit, but he will not be the starting quarterback next season.

Mike McDaniel will be back. A new front office will work with McDaniel to find a bridge starter for the 2026 NFL season, either acquiring one via trade or signing one of the top veterans in NFL free agency. It will be an opportunity for McDaniel to prove that he can get his passing game back on track with a better signal-caller, and his success in revitalizing Miami's ground game this season suggests he will be successful.

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns : Fired

A two-time NFL Coach of the Year winner, the Cleveland Browns opted to give Kevin Stefanski a second chance after last season's 3-14 record. He didn't make the most of it with the Browns offense getting even worse and the team poised to finish with 13-plus losses for the second consecutive season. This offseason, Cleveland will be bringing in both a new head coach and quarterback. As for Stefanski, given the lack of high-end coaching candidates available who are offensive minded, it wouldn't be a surprise if he immediately gets hired by another franchise. In the eyes of many, wonder happened in Cleveland is more of an indictment on the franchise itself than Stefanski as a head coach.

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals : Returns in 2026

There is a strong argument to be made for Zac Taylor being on the NFL coaching hot seat, and with a normal organization, it would make perfect sense. The Cincinnati Bengals have missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and there is a strong argument that Joe Burrow is the primary reason why Taylor had success before that. However, we're talking about the Bengals. Owner Mike Brown seemingly views director of player personnel Duke Tobin like a son, and this is a family-run organization that does not like to spend money and believes in loyalty. If Brown kept Marvin Lewis around for 16 years (.518 winning percentage, 0-7 in the playoffs), it's a pretty safe bet that Taylor will stay unless Burrow forces the team to fire his head coach.

Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders : Fired

The Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll to do one thing: instill a winning culture in the organization and bring some respectability to the club. Instead, Carroll is poised to finish his first season as the Raiders' head coach with half as many wins (two) as Antonio Pierce had last season, and the Pierce experiment was viewed as a disaster. Carroll has left the organization with no other choice; he needs to be fired if he is not willing to retire from coaching for good. Either way, there will be a new head coach in Las Vegas next season. This is probably one of the most unstable franchises in the NFL to work for, but the fact that the Raiders will have the number one pick does a lot of favors for where it will stack up among head-coaching vacancies.

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers : Fired

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams — Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

There is a strong argument that the real trouble for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is that they had two of the best young coaches in the NFL on their staff in Dave Canales and then Liam Coen. However, because those offenses were so good that they won the NFC South each time, head coach Todd Bowles stuck around and the brilliant architects behind those offenses left. Now, Tampa Bay is in a situation where Bowles seems to be losing some of the support from a veteran-led locker room, and it is evident that his offensive coordinators were largely responsible for the team's previous success. This is not a great cycle to be needing a head coach, but we would bet on the ability of general manager Jason Licht to evaluate the options available and find the right one. As long as Tampa Bay does not win this division, Bowles will be fired.

Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals : Returns in 2026

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is not particularly fond of spending money, as NFLPA report cards have made clear. Bidwill is already paying former head coach Kliff Kingsbury through 2027, and he is on the hook for all the money owed to the current Cardinals coaching staff. On that alone, we fully expect head coach Jonathan Gannon to return in 2026.

Besides, there is rationale Bidwill can use to justify keeping Gannon. While Arizona has one of the worst records in the NFL this season, it lost to the 49ers , Seahawks , Colts , and Packers by a combined 12 points early in the season and led in the fourth quarter in each of those games. Furthermore, the Cardinals' roster has been decimated by injuries ( Kyler Murray , James Conner , Trey Benson , Marvin Harrison Jr. , Paris Johnson Jr. , Garrett Williams , Max Melton , and Walter Nolen ) this season. That is enough to chalk this up to a lost year, especially with a new quarterback coming in this offseason.

Read More: NFL Coaching Candidates 2026

Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons : Fired

Someone always has to pay the price, or be the sacrificial lamb, when a team goes all-in and does not make the playoffs in either season. The Atlanta Falcons' locker room seems to be making an effort to save their head coach's job, winning the last two games, but they will close out the season at home against the Rams on Monday Night Football and the New Orleans Saints . That is a nationally televised game and a regular-season finale against a hated rival. If Atlanta loses both games, finishing 6-11, we believe Morris will be fired. Since we are predicting Los Angeles and New Orleans to win those matchups, the end result is the Falcons firing their head coach after Week 18.

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