The Hottest Coaching Seats in the NFL
Heading into Week 7 in the NFL, we have lost the first head coach of the season with the Titans deciding it was the end of the road for Brian Callahan. There were murmurings at the end of the last regular season that Callahan and his staff were under pressure, after he guided his team to a 3-14 record and the first overall pick in the draft.
Tennessee gave their head coach an additional six games to turn things around this season, but the misery only compounded on both sides of the ball with the team going 1-5, bringing Callahan’s total record with the Titans to 4-19. The results highlighted above make it hard to argue against the decision to dismiss Callahan this early in the season, but now the question is, who will be next?
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are currently matching the Titans for one of the worst records in the NFL, also having gone 1-5 across the first six weeks of the season. The Dolphins have picked up on the same downward trajectory that they were on across last season, a campaign in which they went 8-9 despite having high expectations heading into the year.
Mike McDaniel has been known for a more reserved approach with his players and now that things have started to go awry inside the facility, this coaching methodology has been used as a stick to beat him with in the media. Personally, I do not agree that switching to a more hard-nosed coach will work with this Dolphins roster or more importantly with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who McDaniel has gotten the best out of on numerous occasions.
Ironically, it may well be the comments of the forenamed Tua that leads to McDaniel’s firing. Tua stated immediately post-game on Sunday that the Dolphins “have guys showing up to player-only meetings late” and that other players are “not showing up to player-only meetings”.
These comments will cause a locker room with morale already on the floor, to spiral even further into negativity, which is something that McDaniel is quite unlikely to handle effectively.
A loss to the 1-5 Browns this Sunday would surely be the final nail in the coffin for McDaniel, but should the Dolphins win, I would still not be surprised to see the Miami head coach relieved of his duties over the coming weeks.
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Gannon is another man coming under a lot of media fire in recent weeks. Gannon could not control his emotions on the sideline following an unforgivable play by Emari Demercado versus the aforementioned Titans in Week 5, which saw the Arizona running back commit the cardinal sin (excuse the pun) of dropping the football when crossing the goal-line on a would-be touchdown.
Gannon was seen shouting at Demarcado aggressively, before barging into him following the unacceptable play that began a teamwide spiral from Arizona, which promptly turned into a shock Tennessee fourth quarter comeback. Since then, Gannon has apologised to Demarcado publicly, but that did not stop the Cardinals from fining their head coach $100,000.
Gannon was already under pressure prior to the Titans loss that may have begun his ultimate demise as Cardinals head coach, after his team fell off a cliff last season following a decent start. Arizona began the 2024/25 season with a 6-4 record through ten games, before losing five of their last seven to bring Gannon’s two season record as the team’s head coach to 12-22.
A 2-0 start to this season saw a shred of the pressure lift from Gannon’s shoulders, but four losses on the bounce has changed that very quickly and with the Packers, Cowboys, Seahawks and 49ers coming up next, it is difficult to see him lasting until the end of the season.
Gannon’s Outburst at Demarcado
Aaron Glenn, New York Jets
This one might be a little on the harsher side given that Aaron Glenn is a first-time head coach with only six games under his belt in the position, but every one of those six has been a loss. The New York Jets are the only team in the NFL currently without a single win and regardless of the level of the squad (which many rate quite highly across a number of positions), a large chunk of the blame has to come down to poor coaching.
Glenn was someone who I believed would be a culture changer in New York and this certainly will take more than six games to become apparent, but the coaching performance he delivered in London last Sunday versus the Broncos was one of a man that seemed to be oblivious to even the most elementary of decisions. Star wide receiver Garrett Wilson was visibly frustrated with Glenn on the sideline following his decision to let the clock run out instead of calling a play on 4th & 1 from midfield, with 37 seconds left on the clock before half time.
The Jets had struggled to get anything going on offense prior to their final drive of the first half, which saw them attempt to execute a slightly longer than three-minute drill from their own 16-yard line. New York had moved the ball to midfield in ten plays and had already gone for it on 4th & 1 from their own 37-yard line, making the decision to run the clock down with a chance to put some points on the board even more flummoxing. The lack of conviction on Glenn’s part shone through with his reluctance to bench a vividly struggling Justin Fields, who had only nine completed passes all game.
The icing on the cake was the decision – despite his team only playing their way into two first downs in the fourth quarter – to go for a 4th & 8 with just over one minute left in the game, with the option to attempt a potential game-winning 62-yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk still on the table. Folk kicked the longest field goal of his eighteen year career from 58 yards earlier this season, so he clearly still has the leg to at least give this a try given the circumstances.
Ultimately Glenn does need more time to prove himself in New York, but the initial signs have not been showering Jets’ fans in hope and promise for the future.
Jets vs Broncos London Game Highlights
There are a few other names that seem to bounce in and out of the hot seat depending on recent results, but heading into Week 7 the teams that may be on their last chances to get a win to save their head coaches are the Dolphins, Cardinals and Jets. No pressure guys, but we’re all watching intently.