The NFL is a cutthroat league, especially when it comes to head coaches. Last season, a whopping 10 head coaches were fired or stepped down, tying a record. Brian Callahan of the Tennessee Titans and Brian Daboll of the New York Giants were dismissed during the season, and eight more departures followed after the year ended. That included the NFL's two longest-tenured coaches: Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens.
Every season, some teams enter with more pressure than others. The goal for the Buffalo Bills remains the same despite their change in leadership. The same can be said for the Ravens. Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles are once again under the microscope despite winning the Super Bowl during the 2024 season, and Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers is facing pressure to be more than just the No. 7 seed in the NFC for the third straight year. However, he did just receive a contract extension.
Which NFL head coaches could be on the hot seat entering the 2026 season? Let's take a look at five.
5. Dan Quinn
When it comes to the NFC East, it would be easy to include Nick Sirianni in these hot seat rankings. But let's talk about Dan Quinn.
The Washington Commanders were the story of the 2024 NFL season. They went from 4-13 to 12-5 and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game thanks to the stellar play of No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels.
Then 2025 happened.
Daniels missed 10 games due to multiple injuries, and Washington finished 5-12. Some would chalk up the disappointing season simply to Daniels' lack of availability, but don't overlook the fact that the Commanders had what was statistically the worst defense in the NFL. Quinn's unit allowed 384 total yards per game while ranking second-worst in turnover differential (-13) and takeaways (10).
Washington took some major swings this offseason, signing pass rusher Odafe Oweh to a $96 million deal and drafting linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 7 overall. The Commanders' defense should be better than it was in 2025, but will it be good enough to support Daniels and the offense?
Even if the defense improves, there's no denying Daniels is the engine that makes this team go. As a rookie, he became the second quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, while racking up more total touchdowns (37) and total yards (5,416) than any first-year player in NFL history. If Daniels struggles to stay on the field, the Commanders will struggle to win games. Another losing season could lead Adam Peters to make a change.
Reasons for optimism
The Commanders had a solid offseason. Defensively, they added starters at all three levels. There are two new pass rushers in K'Lavon Chaisson and Oweh, a new defensive tackle in Javon Kinlaw, two new linebackers in Leo Chenal and Styles, and two new starters on the back end in Amik Robertson and former Maryland standout Nick Cross.
Offensively, Washington acquired running back Rachaad White from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, drafted slot weapon Antonio Williams from Clemson and signed the Titans' leading receiver from last year in Chig Okonkwo.
I'd like to see Washington sign another receiver for Daniels, such as Stefon Diggs, but the Commanders are in a better place on paper.
4. Zac Taylor
Every team in the AFC North fired or parted ways with its head coach this offseason. Except one.
During the 2021 season -- the first full one of the Joe Burrow era -- the Cincinnati Bengals made the Super Bowl despite a 10-7 regular-season record. The following year, Cincy went 12-4 and reached a second straight AFC Championship. That was the last time the Bengals made the playoffs.
Cincinnati has now missed the postseason three straight years, and last season's 6-11 campaign was painful. Not only did Burrow miss nine games after suffering a turf toe injury in Week 2, but the defense was one of the worst in the league. The Bengals ranked in the bottom three in scoring defense (28.9 points allowed per game), total defense (380.9 yards allowed per game) and yards per play (6.2). They also became the first team in NFL history to allow 27 points and 350 total yards in eight straight games, and the first team since the 1966 Giants to lose two straight games while scoring at least 38 points in each.
To put it bluntly, the Bengals are wasting an opportunity with an elite quarterback in Burrow and an elite wide receiver in Ja'Marr Chase. Burrow is the only quarterback in NFL history to post a passer rating of at least 100 without a playoff start over a three-season span. Chase, meanwhile, is the best receiver in the NFL. Randy Moss is the only other wideout to record 1,000 receiving yards and at least seven touchdowns in each of a player's first five seasons. Chase has three 1,400-yard seasons, including his incredible 2024 campaign when he won the receiving triple crown with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.
If Zac Taylor can't find a way to get this talented roster back to the postseason in a division featuring three new head coaches, the Bengals could make a change.
Reasons for optimism
Taylor is, of course, an offensive-minded coach, and his side of the ball has never been the issue. The Bengals' defense should improve in the second year under Al Golden, especially considering the additions Cincinnati made. The Bengals traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, signed Jonathan Allen in free agency, and added pass rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook. Then Cincinnati drafted SEC Defensive Player of the Year Cashius Howell along with big cornerback Tacario Davis. Personally, I'm buying all the Bengals stock this year.
"I'm really excited about the moves we made this offseason," Burrow told Vanity Fair in May. "We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we're in this exciting stage. We're in our primes playing great football."
Super Bowl dark horse: Why Joe Burrow has the Bengals feeling like a serious title threat in 2026 John Breech
3. Shane Steichen
Shane Steichen is set to enter his fourth season with the Indianapolis Colts. He has gone 25-26, which is tied for the most wins by a head coach through his first three seasons without a playoff appearance. Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are getting another shot in 2026, but the sense of urgency "has never been higher."
"We have been very clear with Chris and Shane that giving them another opportunity means that the sense of urgency for them to deliver and perform has never been higher," Irsay-Gordon said in January. "Chris and Shane are both capable of facing this challenge head-on and finding a way to achieve the results that our fans deserve, which is winning games, getting to the postseason and ultimately winning championships."
The 2025 season was a roller coaster, to say the least, as the Colts started 8-2 with new quarterback Daniel Jones and looked like one of the best teams in the NFL. However, Jones then fractured his fibula before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 14. The Colts enlisted the help of 44-year-old grandfather Philip Rivers for their playoff push, but Indy lost its final seven games to finish 8-9.
The Colts had two major goals this offseason: extend Jones and pay wide receiver Alec Pierce. They accomplished both, as Jones signed a two-year, $88 million deal while Pierce became the highest-paid free-agent wide receiver in NFL history with a four-year, $116 million contract. Jones is coming off the best season of his career while Pierce has established himself as an elite deep threat, but the question has to be asked: Are both players worth these contracts, and can they get the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020? If not, Indy could make a change at head coach.
Reasons for optimism
We noted the Colts were one of the best teams in football for half the season, and that's no exaggeration. Through their first eight games, the Colts went 7-1 while averaging a whopping 33.8 points per game. Jones threw 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions over that span, while star running back Jonathan Taylor averaged 106.3 rushing yards per game and found the end zone 14 times. If Jones had never gotten injured, this Colts team was making the playoffs.
2. Todd Bowles
The 2025 season marked the first time Todd Bowles failed to win the NFC South as Buccaneers head coach. Last year's campaign was similar to the Colts' season. Tampa Bay started 6-2 with Baker Mayfield looking like an MVP favorite, only to finish 2-7. The Buccaneers looked like the easy pick to win the lowly NFC South, which ended in a three-way tie at 8-9 and benefited Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers.
Bowles is signed through 2028 and is 35-33 over four seasons with the Buccaneers, including a 1-3 playoff record. Plenty of change comes with 2026, as Tampa Bay lost notable players such as franchise legend Mike Evans and longtime linebacker Lavonte David.
More change could be on the way, as Mayfield is entering the final year of his contract and is due for a massive raise. The offense has great potential with weapons such as Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka, but Bowles' defense has to be better. In fact, his unit hasn't finished in the top half of the league in total defense since the Tom Brady days. The Buccaneers got younger this offseason with pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and linebacker Josiah Trotter.
The Buccaneers were the best team in the worst division last year and still failed to make the playoffs. It was a failure, and another one could lead the franchise to make a change.
Reasons for optimism
The Buccaneers are still the clear favorites in the NFC South, although plenty of bettors could be willing to hitch their wagons to the Carolina Panthers or New Orleans Saints.
That said, Tampa Bay is still arguably the most talented team in the division. Mayfield started hot last year with 12 touchdowns and one interception over the first six games before faltering late. Lavonte David later said Mayfield was playing through oblique, shoulder, ankle and knee injuries, which explain the drop-off.
If Mayfield, his offensive line and his supporting cast can stay healthy, no one would be surprised to see the Buccaneers return to the top of the division in 2026. That would save Bowles' job.
1. Aaron Glenn
Aaron Glenn was regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL during his time with the Detroit Lions. As a former New York Jets cornerback, he seemed like a natural fit.
However, Glenn went 3-14 in 2025, the worst record ever by a Jets head coach in his first season. New York became the first team since the 1987 Atlanta Falcons to finish last in points-per-game differential, yards-per-game differential and turnover differential, and the Jets have now gone 15 straight seasons without making the playoffs, the longest active drought across the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL.
The Jets' struggles led them to become sellers at the trade deadline, shipping off star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Sauce Gardner. Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand failed to get the offense off the ground, as the Jets ranked fourth-worst in total offense (263.6 yards per game), while quarterback Justin Fields played just nine games, won two and averaged a career-worst 6.2 yards per attempt.
Glenn's defense wasn't much better, as the Jets somehow became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without an interception. New York recorded four fumble recoveries for just four takeaways all year. The team that finished second-to-last in takeaways, Washington, forced 10. For its struggles, New York landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Every other team in the top six of the draft order fired its head coach.
Reasons for optimism
I would argue the Jets are one of the NFL's most improved teams on paper. That doesn't mean they're going to make the playoffs, but the foundation is in place.
The Jets traded for quarterback Geno Smith. He didn't have his best season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, but I'd argue he's upgrading with this change of scenery given the offensive line and surrounding weapons.
Speaking of those weapons, the Jets used two of their three first-round picks on wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq to join Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. New York used its first first-round pick on pass rusher David Bailey, who may be the best pure pass rusher in the 2026 draft class. He joins a revamped defense featuring plenty of new faces, including Joseph Ossai, T'Vondre Sweat, David Onyemata, Kingsley Enagbare, Demario Davis, Nahshon Wright, D'Angelo Ponds and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
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