Every year, 6-8 coaches will be fired and enter the coaching carousel. The time horizons in the NFL are shorter than ever. For both coaches and quarterbacks, we need to see success quickly or they may be shown the door. Here are the 10 coaches at the highest risk of entering the unemployment line if they don’t perform up to expectations in 2025.
10. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Stefanski isn’t that far removed from winning Coach of the year, but there is nonetheless a slight simmer under his seat. After making the playoffs with Joe Flacco, they took a huge step back last year and ended up the second worst team in the league. Their quarterback room is going to be a mess to untangle, and whoever wins that competition won’t exactly be an all star. If the Browns once again sputter, the organization could look in a new direction to start a new era of Cleveland football. Stefanski is a great coach, and should demonstrate his value by winning enough games to save his job.
9. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Kyle is a highly respected and great coach, and the 9ers have been knocking on the Super Bowl door for a while. However, they have now paid Purdy and have an aging roster. If they don’t break down the door, they will need to start a new chapter, which might involve cleaning house. We all know Shanahan is a scheme wizard, but the limits of his scheme have been clearly defined, and when the pressure was the highest in the big game, he made a questionable overtime decision. No one is arguing that Kyle isn’t a great coach, but the 49ers have set a very high standard and if he can’t live up to it he may be gone sooner than anyone expects.
8. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
The Bills are another team that are really knocking on the door, and they keep running into the same problem: the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve managed to beat them in the regular season, but never when the stakes are highest. It’s unfortunate for Josh Allen and the Bills because they are an excellent team led by an excellent quarterback. But they’re facing the best in the league every year in the playoffs, and if they can’t beat them, really the only lever they can pull is a new coach. McDermott needs to finally get over the hump that is #15 in red if he wants to continue coaching in Buffalo.
7. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s almost become a meme at this point that Mike Tomlin never has a losing season. But given their aggresive all-in moves this offseason, they clearly think that’s not good enough. If Tomlin can’t deliver a playoff win to Pittsburgh, they may need to ask if resetting and trying to rebuild is the right move. Their roster is already old and very all in on the next year or two at most. After that, they may look to move in a new direction with a new head coach despite Tomlin’s long illustrious history. He has the goods to deliver a playoff run, and he had better do it ASAP.
6. Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans
It’s the start of a new era in Tennesee, centered around their new face of the franchise, Cam Ward. Continuity is important for a young QB, but there’s a brand new GM in Tennessee and things move faster than ever in today’s NFL. If they can’t see flashes from Cam Ward or some sort of development in his first couple years, there’s only one choice to make. While Callahan is certainly an offensive coach, he’s not considered a scheme wizard by any means. Frankly, he has this job largely because of his dad. If Cam Ward isn’t moving in the right direction very quickly, he could be searching for a new job.
5. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have a lot of big questions to answer this year. Will Kyler be their QB of the future? If so, is Gannon the right guy to lead that team? They need a lot more from a roster that looks pretty good on paper. If MHJ doesn’t break out, Kyler continues to be inconsistent, and the Cards struggle, they could easily decide to show Gannon the door alongside finding a new face of the franchise. They actually have the tools to be successful, and you never root for failure, but winning in the NFL is hard, and Gannon neds to get wins to maintain his footing as the head coach.
4. Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
I don’t think anyone envies the situation the Colts are in. They took a swing and a miss with Anthony Richardson, and while the process was good the result has been anything but. They’re having the mid-off of the century for their starting QB position. Despite the fact that their roster is pretty good otherwise, Steichen’s specialty is offense and it’s possible he won’t be able to demonstrate his value through Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson. Their ownership situation is in flux, and Chris Ballard has a lot of pull in the organization. If things go wrong, it’s very possible the fingers ended up pointed at Steichen.
3. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
Frankly, when you have one of the top 4 quarterbacks in the league, missing the playoffs is not acceptable. Everyone knows the Bengals offense will be amazing led by Joe Burrow. But their defense was terrible last year, and they now have their best player AND the rookie they drafted to replace him holding out due to contract issues. That’s not Zac Taylor’s fault, but he could nevertheless pay the price for it. The Bengals, their fans, and their coach have gotten a lot of mileage out of their Super Bowl appearance. But that mileage may run out very quickly if they have another slow start or god forbid, miss the playoffs again.
2. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
It’s no secret that this is a make or break year for the entire Giants organization, especially Brian Daboll. They got a playoff win two years ago and seemed like they were ahead of schedule, but last year was an absolute disaster. They’ve now moved on from Daniel Jones, and there aren’t any more scapegoats if success continues to elude them. They bet on Jaxson Dart, but luckily they have some vets to hold them over while he develops. Their defense and especially the defensive line is fearsome. But their in a division with the two NFC Championship participants, and the Cowboys are still talented despite struggling last year. No one has high hopes for this team, but Daboll needs to show something lest the Giants look around for a better option.
1. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins locker room seems to be a fraught environment, and that falls on the shoulders of Mike McDaniel. Jalen Ramsey was unhappy, and he’s now been shipped out. Tyreek Hill seems unhappy, and without him, McDaniels flashy offense seems much more difficult to execute. It’s also been reported that players are late to meetings and McDaniels hasn’t been able to fix that. Ultimately, there seems to be a lack of respect for their coach among the Dolphins’ players. That might be tolerable if they were finding success on the field, but they have yet to do so. I would imagine that McDaniels needs to at least make the playoffs, and perhaps even win a playoff game, to retain his position after this year. It would also be nice if his players got to his meetings on time!
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