Whos next? Five NFL head coaches who could be on the hot seat

June 05, 2024

The first pink slip officially was given early Wednesday morning as the Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after a 3-5 start.

We’re just about at the midway point of the season, but some teams’ campaigns already are headed nowhere good. And so, several other coaches could wind up joining McDaniels in the employment club before the end of the season.

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Positive results certainly could change fortunes, but a few coaches feel like dead men walking, while others also seem to find themselves in precarious situations.

Here’s a rundown of head coaches seemingly on the hot seat.

Ron Rivera

New Commanders owner Josh Harris seemed to put Ron Rivera on notice Tuesday when he traded away pass rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat for future draft picks. The Commanders are officially in rebuild mode, and Rivera seems unlikely to be a part of it. Harris and the members of his leadership team are in evaluation mode, but with every damning tweet offered by Magic Johnson after a loss by Rivera’s squad, the coach’s footing appears increasingly shaky. The only question is whether Rivera will make it through this campaign, or get the ax in season. At this point, neither defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio nor offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy seems fit to take the reins in the interim given the struggles of their respective units. So Rivera may wind up finishing out the season.

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Brandon Staley

The Chargers coach continues to struggle to push the right buttons for his team to live up to its potential. From questionable game-management decisions to the poor play of the defense (Staley’s area of expertise), to the lack of progress made after last year’s playoff-qualifying season, Staley isn’t making a strong case for job security.

Brandon Staley, now in his third season as Chargers head coach, is 22-19 in the regular season and 0-1 in the playoffs. (Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)

Matt Eberflus

The Bears have invested heavily in their roster, but the results haven’t come. Chicago opened the season with an 0-4 record, the team has endured wide-ranging controversy, from their defensive coordinator abruptly resigning, to Justin Fields blaming coaching for his disjointed play, to Eberflus firing his running backs coach this week. But above all, there have been little to no concrete signs of growth by Fields this season, and general manager Ryan Poles must decide whether he believes Eberflus is capable of turning this thing around, and if not, when to let him go.

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Todd Bowles

Bowles, in his second year as Tampa Bay’s head coach, seemed to have the Bucs headed in the right direction as they opened the season 3-1. But they’re now on a three-game losing streak in a very winnable NFC South. This seemed like a prove-it year for Bowles, who took over last offseason when Bruce Arians abruptly resigned. Bowles and Tampa brass believed this team was capable of a rebound after some retooling on the fly. But team officials could opt for a complete reset if the Bucs don’t reach the postseason.

Bill Belichick

The great Belichick going out on anything but his own terms once seemed unfathomable. But with each passing display of ineptitude from his latest Patriots team, it’s not at all hard to wonder just how much patience owner Robert Kraft has. Belichick swung and missed on Mac Jones. He committed malpractice by entrusting the young quarterback to Matt Patricia and Joe Judge rather than a talented offensive coach, and now that he has brought back Bill O’Brien, it feels like the damage to Jones has already been done. Otherwise, Belichick has made bad personnel decisions, leaving this team devoid of game-changing talent across the board. It’s still hard to envision Kraft firing Belichick in-season, but a “mutually agreed to part ways” news release after the season would surprise no one.

(Top photo of Matt Eberflus by Brian Cassella / Getty Images, Bill Belichick by Maddie Meyer / Getty Images, Ron Rivera by Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)

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